different disciplines

I know a lot of you guys shoot more than one type of firearm, not just muzzleloaders. Some, probably like me, shoot several. So tell me.....which one is your favorite?

For those of you who shoot only muzzleloaders; flint or percussion, in-lines don't count; how on earth do you maintain such discipline regarding shooting?!?!?! I've probably sworn to myself to shoot only ML's a half dozen times......and I finally gave up, it just ain't gonna happen!

My favorite is by far my big bore single shot rifles, mostly Sharps. I'd like to have a choice Rolling Block and I have a nice Ballard but they simply don't pique my interest as the Sharps do. After that I can't decide between double rifles, old BPC doubles, and ML's with a preference for flint, REAL ML's....not in-lines. I don't own one, never have and never will. I have nothing against them I just don't like them.

Just curious.....

Vic

 

[Zonie]

First off, I want to say IMHO In Lines are prime canidates for a persons responce to this post. There are a lot of people who really enjoy shooting them for the same reasons we all enjoy shooting.

Getting to my answer to your question I will have to say my favorite is Precussion Rifle Muzzleloaders. (Half stock/Full stock/Schuetzen).

Second place goes to Flintlock Rifle Muzzleloaders.

Third place goes to my Pedersoli Sharps or Uberti High Wall in .45-70.

Forth place is my .22 rifles (Remington #4, Stevens Favorite, Remington 541).

Fifth place goes to my Center Fire Rifles (.223 #1 Ruger thru .25-06 Weatherby Vanguard).

Sixth place goes to my Pistols both modern and Black-Powder.

 

[Rancocas]

Time was when I used to teach pistolero work, and shotgunning. For my own enjoyment I also did modern rifle shooting. I still try to keep up my pistol practise since I have a CCW permit, and do carry, but
now days I very rarely shoot anything else except my muzzleloaders. My favorite is a .50 percussion southern mountain rifle which I made myself, but I have a bunch and most of them are my favorite whenever they are in my hands.
I don't have any blackpowder cartridge rifles, however I have had the experience of handling a few. I find that I don't care for the Sharps. I just don't like the looks of them, but mainly, being a lefty, I don't like that big hammer right in front of my nose. I do very much like the rolling blocks and the various falling block actions. I often think I would like a .40/65 in one of those rolling/falling block action types, but I have no practical use for one and the cost is prohibitive for me.
I have muzzleloaders in flintlock and percussion and from .32 to .62 caliber. They do everything I want.

 

[roundball]

Flintlock rifles - Targets & Deer
Flintlock smoothbore - Small game & Turkey
Percussion sidelock rifles - Targets & Deer
Percussion SxS smoothbore - Doves
Modern shotguns - Trap & Skeet
.264WinMag/.30-30/.30-06/.35Rem - Deer
.45 Long Colt - Deer
Various others / various uses

 

[Stumpkiller]

My hardest discipline is traditional archery. 1960's style recurve bow and cedar arrows. After that, anything with sights on it seems easy. I don't own a scoped rifle, so the actual shooting sequence is the same whether it's a .22LR, .223Rem, 12 Ga slug gun or .30 cal bolt action, or any of my percussions or my flintlock. Pull the hammer back (or slip the safety catch off), line 'em up, breathe in, let half out, squeeze, let the rest out of the breath out. Where I deer hunt most shots are offerred at under 60 yards anyway, so the discipline of getting close enough takes care of itself. Here abouts my other choice for deer hunting is a 12 gaure with slug - rifles not allowed - so the .54 patched round ball is equal to or better in both range and accuracy. I just don't find my muzzleloaders as much of a handicap. You just have to resign yourself to the thought that you'll have to pick just one deer out of a group. ::

 

By all means in-line shooters can post! Even tho I don't count them and don't like them I have nothing against their use or those who use them. As often happens I stuck my foot in my mouth...stepped on my tongue....any other applicable cliche'.....hehe.

Stumpkiller...I shoot a longbow with home made POC arrows....I do love it and I agree with you completely....shooting anything with sights and a trigger is easy.

Vic

 

[Haggis]

The season of the year determines the shooting instrument of the day. If I

 

[musketman]

Favorite muzzleloader: flint lock muskets (go figure) :winking:

Favorite centerfire: .22 Hornet (T/C Contender with 16 inch barrel and 4-12 power scope) Deadly groundhog combo...

 

1. cap and ball revolvers
2. anything with a flint lock
3. any gun that is accurate
4. any reliable gun
5. anything that will go boom

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I have a 17 cal. rim fire that is real handy for shooting at the neighbors cat,if they come looking for the cat they don't smell the black powder. I like to shoot all the guns and my pistols I have a ccw also. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BrownBear]

Like most everyone else here, I shoot em all. But I'm surprised that one thing hasn't popped up on the lists: Air rifles.

I don't know of any "bang" shooter that won't profit from shooting an air gun. I'm not talking about the current fad of "magnum" air rifles, though they are better than nothing. I mean the slower ones launching a pellet between 500 and 700-or-so feet per second. Doesn't have to be expensive either, so long as it's accurate.

Why is an air rifle such a hot deal for shooters? Because of the long lag time between the brain and the pellet scooting out the bore. It will teach you more about follow through than anything out there. Teach you how to shoot without flinching too. Best of all, shoot it indoors at home any time you want.

I guarantee that if you shoot 10 aimed shots a night- no more and no less- from an accurate air rifle, ALL your shooting will improve.

 

[musketman]

Another plus for air guns, you can shoot in city limits and no one will be the wiser, unless they see you...

 

Haggis.....whatcha gonna shoot in that 32-20 when you get it ready? Are you by chance re-lining a badly pitted 25-20? I've been shooting and reloading for that particular cartridge for 20 something years. In that caliber I am currently shooting a 1st generation Colt SAA, an Italian copy of a Colt SAA, both 5 1/2 barrels, a Win. Mod. 92 made in 1913 and a Colt Army Special DA from the early '20's. The 32-20 is one of my all time favorite cartridges. I'd take it over a 38 Spl. any day...as long as I could reload!

Vic

 

[Haggis]

Back in the day I was looking for a .32-20 but could only find a .25-20. Now that I'm ready to rebuild I'm going to get what I started out looking for. The .32-20 is good for squirrels to point blank deer, and I've got the .45-70 that'll shoot squibs for squirrels and right on up to the occational T-Rex.

I love my blackpowder cartridges. I've an old .30-30 that has a barrel change to .38-55 in it's future.

As with rondy-vous', I've never been to a Cowboy shoot either, even though there is a club and a shoot just 10 miles from me in Virginia, Minnesota. I just love the feel of the old guns and their cartridges.

I'm one of a kzillion guys who shoot the old guns in quiet enlightenment.

Now about that "1st generation Colt SAA" you're wanting to sell? :winking: :winking:

 

[Rancocas]

I had an old Colt "Police Positive" revolver in .32-20 once. I made an even swap, the Colt for a Ruger "Single Six". Probably not the smartest move I ever did!
However, I still have the .22, use it for plinking and on squirrels, and I like it.

 

That Ballard I have in 45-2.6 I'd love to rebarrel to 38-55. I've always had an interest in that grand, old cartridge. Garbe said they'd do it for about $400.00 and I'd get to keep my Badger barrel. Sounds like a future project to me.

I'm not quite ready to part with that 1st generation.....but enough "palm lining" could persuade me. I know what Ray Meibaum appraised it for. It was a boat anchor when I bought it. Barrel was welded on with a stick welder, front sight was a hammered flat bolt head, completely blued with bottle bluing, incorrect and way too short grips and some turkey had filed around on the ratchet at the rear of the cylinder. I had Jim.......oh shoot...I forgot his last name!! Anyway, Jim Somebody in Lawton, Iowa do a complete and proper restoration on it. Meibaum recommended him and I can see why!!! I had it done complete with carved, outer bark Ivory grips, fire blued screw heads, Colts proper bluing....was it called Royal Blue back in the early 1900's? We found an original 32-20 cylinder and he fit it to the frame. I don't know who did the casehardening but it is as good or better than Colts. Absolutely, friggin' perfect!!! Yup....I had fired a box of 32-20 ammo thru it an hour after I got it back from Jim. It shoots to point of aim and groups about 2 1/2 to 3 in. at 25 yds. I'm happy!

Vic

 

[leadball]

All I gots is a muzzleloader and remington 870 12 guage for ruffed grouse hunting :boohoo:. Haggis, how far are you from virginia, minn? I used to live in buhl minnesota. havent been to buhl in ages

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Vic-

I have gone through a number of shooting "streaks"-

long range .22 competition, skeet and trap competition, PCP and IPSC pistol competition...which brought me to blackpowder.

Kind of burned out on the whole cometition issue, and started shooting a percussion muzzleloader for fun. Then I shot with a club, for fun. And when the competition bug started biting me, I switched to flintlock to be in a different catagory from the competitive shooteers in the club. And I shot flinters (for fun) exclusively for the next twelve years.

I have to admit to sneaking out for a cowboy or a skeet shoot no and again for the last couple of years. But I have learned to shoot at a match, and not let the competition get in the way of my fun!!!!

Then I had a god-daughter that wanted to be taught how to shoot, and I pulled the old .22 LR out. And damned if shooting them little bitty bullets aint fun.

 

[blckhrn]

I mightb get thrown out for this but my favorite is semi-auto centerfires and pump or semi-auto shotguns. I just like the firepower. Next my C+B revolver and then my NYS rolling block. This ain't to say that I dislike ML's at all, just like the convenience of smokeless. I get a big kick out of flintlocks.

I'm building a buffalo rifle around a freebie Spanish 1872 RB in 45/120. That may be taking first place and I'll start putting smokeless CF ammo up for a rainy day.

As a kid I had a Crossman .22 CO2 rifle. I'd lay in wait in wintertime in the Rambler for starlings to land on the bird feeder. Sometimes, with a good head shot the others would still be eating and I'd get another shot off, kinda like the old buff hunters.

 

[Ohio Joe]

"Sharps", strange as it may sound I think a person's shooting discipline's comes from not thinking they will hit their target, but rather knowing they will hit their target. Anyone can pick up a rifle, load it, aim it, and squeeze off a round, but are they just going through the motions because the sights lined up on what they were aiming at? On the other hand, seeing your target and having no doubts in your mind whatsoever that you will put that round where you want it to go is pure control over mind and matter. Never say to yourself, "I think I can hit that", but say to yourself, "I can and will hit that". That's about the best I can explain shooting disciplines. As for my favorite firearm, I like my traditional muzzleloading rifles, 90% of them built by me, to fit me. I like the flint as well as the cap locks, but I do shoot caplocks a tad better. I don't shoot it much, but I really like my .223 Savage w/scope... Uncle Sam got me hooked on that round (5.56/.223) a long, long, time ago...