buying muzzleloaders, if you had to do it all over what would you have bought and not bought

[akroguy]

Should have never sold an 80’s era Santa Fe Hawken. That was a superb rifle.

 

[bubba.50]

In my case it would be more about what my dumb ass should've kept.

 

[maillemaker]

My regret is that I think every used muzzle loader I've bought online has turned out to be a lemon. First was a Euroarms P1853 Enfield. The bore was shot out and took a .584 bullet to fit it, and never shot well even then. Ended up putting a Whitacre barrel on it.

The second was a Colt Signature Series Special Contract 2-band. The breech end of the barrel was over-threaded past the plug, and the rifling buggered up beyond that. It shot well enough during a load workup but I worry about fouling build-up and cook-offs in competition. So, I've sent the barrel off to Hoyt to line.

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's very risky to buy a used gun without being able to inspect it first. Ideally, shoot it, or have a proof target with a recommended load.

I've got a couple .36 revolvers - a Remington Navy and a Spiller and Burr (both reproductions, of course) and I have not found a decent load workup for either of them. I can't really say I regret buying them, but they were kind of a waste of money. Although the Remington I think was a gift.

 

[mushka]

I've still got some good-uns and some not so good-uns, but I'm not planning on selling of them any time soon. There was a reason I bought each of them even if it was just because I liked them at the time.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I really regret not buying a Bill Decker flintlock back in 1984. I simply didn't have the funds to afford a $350 custom rifle. Bill thought that Bob Roller locks were a good start toward having a good flint lock. They just needed a little tuning.

 

[user 31257]

I wish I’d bought one of those Hatfield rifles in .32 when they were available. They looked good to me back then and they still do. I wish I hadn’t bought a T/C White Mountain Carbine, all it did was frustrate me for 3 years until I replaced it. I love Seneca’s and Cherokee’s but I bought a single trigger Cherokee because it had a beautiful stock and I should have known better because I already knew that I hate the T/C single triggers.

 

[cynthialee]

I would have kept my Walker. Got it for a song and turned around one day and sold it off for profit.

Haven't come across a good deal like that since and I miss the way it turned heads twice. Once when you pull it out and the next when you set it off.

Never would have gotten an old beat up .36 Colt replica back when I was 20ish? POS gave me more trouble and aggravation than any other gun I had.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

If I could go back and make different choices…I always wanted a Hatfield. I’d go back to the mid to late 70’s and get 2…one in .45 calibre and one in .54 calibre…

 

[Rifleman1776]

I would not have bought the CVA 'kentucky' rifle. A real mess, waste of time money and potentially dangerous. My first ml-style gun was a Remington Army kit from DGW. Learned a lot putting it together.

 

[MLZ]

I used to own a Homer Dangler flintlock in .45. I sold it when I moved West to finance a larger bored hunting rifle. That and an original Spencer are two that I wish I still had. Plus a Larry McCoy smoothbore that I used a lot when still doing primitive camps. So three I wish I'd kept.

 

[ormond tony]

I should have started with single shot flintlock pistols instead of my revolvers. And I should have bought a 'patterson' revolver.

 

[TFoley]

If I had my time again, knowing what I know now, I would not have bought a Peter Gonter Lancaster County flintlock rifle in excellent condition for just under $4500 back in 1993, knowing that in less that three months it would have been stolen by some scumbag at a show-and-tell at our gun club.

 

[new2bp]

I have a list of guns I want to own and shoot and enjoy in my life time, and generically "a BP pistol" and "a BP rifle" have been on the list.

Kinda fell into a heck of a deal last year on a Uberti made 1858 clone, and then just two weeks ago fell into another deal on a CVA Lynx .54 side lock percussion rifle.

Quite happy with the pistol, though I still kinda want a Kentucky/Pirate style single shot big bore as well. Or something like a parlor pistol in 32 or 36 caliber.

For the rifle... VERY happy considering what I got and what I paid, but if I had taken the time to think and do research I'd be happier long term with something with a wood stock and probably .50 vs. .54 only because of the larger variety of projectiles available in general and availability period locally. Also still have a hankerin' for a small caliber (32 or 36) squirrel gun/plinker just 'cause I like small light calibers in general, even with my cartridge guns.

Accessories - wish I had thought ahead and bought some .54 felt wads cheap when I was ordering some stuff but such is life. Regret the $6 starter (broke on second use) vs. the $7 starter (plastic vs. brass, brass seems like it is simply a hunk of range-use ram rod/cleaning rod w/ a handle, should last). Still working on range box/possibles box for BP stuff.... but that is just self-organization.

Accessories I love - bought a bunch of 3ml plastic test tubes with flip tops that snap shut. Premeasure 30gr or 60gr of 3Fg powder in them. Pistol gets a 30gr in each hole, rifle gets 1 60gr (pussy cat) with an extra 30gr (hey you're shootin a 54!) or a second 60gr (max load, haven't gone there yet). No way shape or form of traditional but quite convenient and easy to use.

 

[Salty]

I can say this. I will never again buy any gun on GunBroker. Bought a TC Hawken. Got 11 shots before it would not lock into full cock. Opened the lock and found it to be worn out. Seller refused to accept a return or contribute to pay for replacement parts. I appealed to GB in their buyer program. They refused to help since I opened the lock. How else was I to find out what was wrong? GB has unethical sellers and a bogus buyer assistance program.
Never again.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I wish I had kept my Antonio Zoli Zouave. It was nicely built and shot very well. So easy to load, shoot & maintain!

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I can say this. I will never again buy any gun on GunBroker. Bought a TC Hawken. Got 11 shots before it would not lock into full cock. Opened the lock and found it to be worn out. Seller refused to accept a return or contribute to pay for replacement parts. I appealed to GB in their buyer program. They refused to help since I opened the lock. How else was I to find out what was wrong? GB has unethical sellers and a bogus buyer assistance program.
Never again.

My father told me once, when you buy something used, you are buying someone else's problems. Unfortunately, if yo do not ask ALL the right questions or the seller is less than forth coming, you can end up with a problem.(IMHO)

 

[longtoothpard]

1. I would have bought the old CVA Pennsylvania long rifle I found that was in excellent shape.
2. I would have held onto my Rifle Shop 1840 flint musket.
3. I would have kept my Miroku 1861 Springfield.

 

[Kappa]

The 50 cal Hawken for 100.00 the Great Plains in flintlock .54 for 150. The NIB Ruger ROA in stainless 400

 

[vintovka]

Never gonna buy another wood stocked New Englander rifle sight unseen. The majority of these have excellent exteriors and bores ruined from one time use and never being cleaned.

Shoulda bought every New Englander 12 gauge barrel, Seneca Rifle, DGW Mtn rifle, TC Patriot and Ruger Old Army i could lay hands on back when they were cheep.

 

[VA Hawken]

Back when I was in High School, and I bought my T/C Hawken .50 cal, I wish I would have been able to have bought the GRRW Hawken, but the price and delays at the time put me off.