I think I would part with my left arm before I could sell a Kit Ravenshear gun.
Believe me, it was an agonizing decision. I'll relate it as a soul clensing exercise and to perhaps help someone teetering between smoothbore and rifle.
When I ordered the fusil I had the intentions of doing some F&I War reenactments and, at the time, NY did not allow a rifle of any type to be used during regular gun season for deer. I had been primarily a M/L rifle shooter, and as a trial horse, I built one of the first T/C New Englander kits to see just what kind of accuracy I could expect with a large PRB out of a sightless barrel. I proved to myself that it was good out to 50 yards.
Well, I never did git into organized reenacting. Bought a 34' sailboat that is our weekend home. Got into radio controlled airplanes again, got heavily into traditional archery, etc., etc. Just a few years ago NY ruled to allow M/L rifles to be used during regular season (even in the formerly 'shotgun slug only' regions). My own hunting requirements have changed so that I like a bow for bunnies, a double 20 ga. for grouse, and I've been potting squirrels with reduced loads in my .54 percission deer rifle. This time of year I like to take a short woods walk after work and just do some plinking - and anything works for that. In fact, generally I take my recurve bow (clean-up is much easier :
. Another factor is that I started using Natural Lube, and not having to wipe between shots has increased rifle shooting enjoyment for me. I just wasn't grabbing the fusil on my way out the door as I had in the past. I was sad to do it, but it represented more value to me as capital than as a display or occasional use piece.
I decided to have the rifle I've wanted since I saw one as a teenager (a Lehigh flinter w/patchbox, carving and engraving copied from an original) built by a respected gunsmith - and I just couldn't justify that without selling the Ravenshear fusil. There will be a smoothbore flintlock in my future - it just won't be another Ravenshear.