markc05 said:
Looking for info on a muzzleloader I purchased but don't know the make or model. The only identifiers on the barrel are made in Spain, powder, and MONARCH. The previous owner bought it as a kit several years ago.
Ah yes, mine was a MONARCH muzzleloading pistol. It had the word MONARCH on the barrel, a circle with a slanted M with an hourglass shape beneath it inside the circle, then CAL 45, and a 5 character (1 alpha plus 4 numeric) serial number.
It was a rather plain Kentucky styled pistol with a very simple lock, tumbler had no fly, and no adjustment for sear engagement, and only a single lock screw. The half cock was worn badly, and it would release with a trigger pull in half cock mode. It did shoot fairly well for what was obviously an inexpensive pistol. I do 'think' this was a kit gun, by virtue of the wood work being a little sloppy and asymmetrical, but didn't have the previous owner's history on it to confirm or deny anything further. I believe I might have traded that one along with a couple others plus some cash, to acquire a Pedersoli Kentucky pistol.
I'm sure there are replacement parts that would work from other "generic" Spanish muzzleloaders, but if it's working well for you, I would still treat it as gently as possible. I'm not in the habit of overloading or loading heavily... and it has been a very good habit. I don't suffer the breakdowns that many of my muzzleloading friends do (and they tend to load theirs' to the maximum.) It's just not worth it to slowly destroy a working piece of equipment by overdoing things.
I recall that I only paid about $40.00 for it and that was maybe 15 years ago... Sorry I can't offer any more info about it.
How does your's shoot for you?
Regards, and shoot safely!
WV_Hillbilly
...and a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!