Much thanks for the welcome aboard !
Always enjoyable to converse with folks who have similar interest in BP shooting & antique firearms. Discussing & perfecting what makes one firearm, modern or antique more accurate than others helps us all get more enjoyment.
The majority of America's best early gun makers came from foreign shores, they had the skills to produce top quality proofed barrels, rifling, locks & passed those skills along to their apprentice gun makers. We're fortunate that today we have a few master gun makers who are capable of making firearms that are equal in workmanship to the old masters. These custom firearms were usually priced above what I could afford. This was well before the internet but over the years with help of friends & fellow collectors I was fortunate enough to obtain a few original firearms in excellent condition with nice bores. Some believe antique firearms should not be fired but i preferred firearms that showed historical use rather than ones in mint condition.. The few shooter I have are in better condition than most wall hangers I've examined over the years.
NOTE;
I don't recommend shooting original flint or percussion firearms unless you have gunsmith skills to determine that it is safe to fire as it may have a corroded weak breech area, poorly forged barrel or corroded nipples that may fail & cause great harm or worse.
About 35 years ago when age started kicking my butt I began to really appreciate lighter weight & well balanced rifles & found original Jeager rifles fit the bill. They were also very accurate at 100+ yards & required less powder charges due to deep rifling & a faster rate of twist rifling.
Today we're very fortunate to have black powder suppliers & builders that sell high quality built rifles & kits that also feature the original style swamped barrels & stocks to fit whatever style of firearm you favor.
The folks I've met over the years who collect & shoot these historical firearms also love history, there's really something special about shooting a firearm that fought early wars, put food on the table or was used in competition 150 + years ago. I always knew when I missed hitting the mark that it was 100% my fault
