I certainly do! in fact, I'm not into reenactment or anything closely related.Just love old guns and archery(traditional archery:no wheels, bells or wistles).For that same reason if I'm using a muzzleloader it MUST be a flintlock.It is ,to me at least, the idea of the last time we needed flint for anythig at all, that made me fall in love with them.
Truth be told, I also like airguns just as much,because they use no gunpowder.
But back to the bess, it is as I see it, my shotgun.As a matter of fact I went yesterday looking for crows with it.Found none withing range , but had a chance to see deer and turkeys on the forest.That alone made my day.
Of all the places that I go hunting, i doubt you can get to see deer past 50 yds,and had the odd encounters at no more than 20 feet.Never shot deer with it but knowing it's range is well withing traditional archery range, I would use it for deer too.Not to mention that a .730 pure lead ball would realy do a number on them.
At the range I normaly manage 5 shots at 25 yds 3in or better standing.
Squirrels are dead up to 35 yds or so with 1 1/2 oz #4.
Just recently tryed shot cups from T/C and got very tight goups out to 40 yds.
If you think of it, how many of them ended up in civilian hands after the war? And I'm sure they made do with what they could at the time, so is not to far fetch the idea that at one time or another they became the one fits all gun.
Just my 2cents :wink:
