Antique Rifle Questions

[Dale Allen Raby]

I'd like to thank everybody for their advice, research, and offers on this old gun! After taking it to a professional, it is confirmed not safe to shoot. It is now serving as an excellent wall piece and will be well cared for. I managed to pick up a perfectly good reproduction Hawken rifle in .54 cal. I'm taking it shooting this weekend; any idea what to use for powder measures? I already have a powder dispensing flask, but I need something to measure the grains per shot.

Thanks a bunch guys, looking forward to more great interactions with the Muzzleloading community!

You'll be much happier with the reproduction gun as a shooter.

 

[Joshua Hopkins]

I don't shoot antiques from that era. They really didn't know much about making steel back then and forge-welded/Damascus barrels have their own hazards. The gun might have been quite safe when it was new, but a century or more of exposure to black powder residue, moisture, possibly someone loading it with Red Dot... that takes it's toll on a device that was likely never intended to last a century.

Cracked stocks CAN be repaired. I regularly shoot a T/C Hawken .45 with an epoxy repaired crack that went right through the lock channel. This gun probably is not a good candidate for that kind of repair though.

Even if you get a good gunsmith who knows what he is doing to look at it, he can only give you his opinion and will almost certainly not offer any sort of guarantee.

Put it on a wall above the fireplace. Invent a story to go with it for long cold evenings with the grandchildren. If you will give me some family information I will even write you one... it could even have scorcery and/or aliens in it.

I currently have it mounted on my wall after an inspection that deemed it not safe to shoot. It's my first attempt at an armory wall; I'll likely make adjustments as time goes on. It isn't bad, but as I start adding more I'll need to change the layout (can also confirm everything is VERY secure on there, no slippage at all).

As for making up a cool story to go with it for the grandchildren, that would have to wait a long time (I'm 22).

 

[flconch53]

By the way the nipple is mushroomed I would say it has been dry fired many times. The fate of many.of these old guns is to become children's play toys

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

As for making up a cool story to go with it for the grandchildren, that would have to wait a long time (I'm 22).

You'll be surprised at how short a time that can be. I can remember 1978 when I was 22 very clearly. I'm 66 and have stage 4 cancer so my life is pretty much over with. Make up the story now so you have it when you are 66.