Long Gone Classics

[Urban Coyote]

In my memory the 1970's thru about the 1980's we're the heyday of commercial traditional muzzleloaders. Brand names like Thompson Center, Lyman, Navy Arms, Dixie Gun works and CVA we're common, but there were others. There were "factory" guns, usually represented as higher grade and/or authentic, such as Green River Rifle Works, Ozark Mountain Arms, Sharon, Green River Fordge, Art Ressel's Hawken Shop, Ithaca and a host of others.

We will likely never again see the number of offerings we did back then. If you could, which would you bring back?

 

[tenngun]

Not in our lifetime I’m afraid.
1) it was a big seller, centennial of the WBTS was close to bicentennial and the sesquicentennial of Arkansas and Texas. The ‘old west’ was a big part of popular culture. Disney land had its frontier land, Danial Boone and David Crockett entertained the kids, adult western like gun smoke and bonanza entertained their parents. And John Wayne sold out the theaters
James Mitchner, Gary Jennings, the guy that wrote Shogan, whose name escapes me right now, were best sellers in fiction.
ML became romantic
2) market is smaller now, and dyed in the capote types get all elitist and want as perfect as they can afford, so an old boy shows up with a Traditions or a Perdisoli it ‘oh,you got a nothing there’
3) India undercuts the cheap market

 

[deermanok]

I bought my first muzzleloader in 1975 or so. It was a Zouave calvary carbine and my buddy had the infantry model.
Don't know who the maker was.
We used to go shooting at a sand pit behind a local pond.
One day a cop showed up to see what was going on. He took a few shots with our guns and left with a big smile.
The good old days, gone forever.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Amen ml48

 

[ohio ramrod]

What we need is for Hollywood to make a movie where the mountain man shoots his ramrod through the heart of the vampire, uses his powder horn as a bomb to kill of the already dead Zombies, and saves the Indian Princess's beaver. Then younger people will get interested . The simple fact is manufactures will build what there is a market for.Right now there is only a small market for our toys. So there won't be any resurgence until the market rebuilds.

 

[deerstalkert]

just as with hunting, it is up to those of us in the sport/lifestyle to recruit new people. if all we do is show our stuff to each other and disagree over trivia, the sport/lifestyle will die . there are many shooters out there that have never fired a muzzleloader, never smelled that wonderful aroma of sulfur and saltpeter. all many need is to be exposed to a smokepole once and they are hooked. smoke em if you got em!

 

[sheba]

I d like to see the Navy Arms Buffalo hunter and the Euroarms magnum cape gun come back.I have a Euroarms cape gun but it would be cool if they made it in 12ga with a rifled bore and rifle sights

 

[Gtrubicon]

I would wet myself to own any of the “factory guns” that urban cowboy listed. Great topic urban cowbo.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Dang auto type! Cowboy!

 

[Urban Coyote]

I wish I'd have snatched up a Green River Rifle Works Hawken in .54, and I had opportunities. I also yearned for their Leman Indian Rifle. I ended up with a .54 half stock Leman which I shot matches and hunted with for many years. I had a .50 Leman but being young and caught low on finances when my auto license came due it went down the road, still kicking myself on that one.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I really liked Thompson/Center products back in the day. They offered quality rifles and accessories that were very affordable. They really appealed to the hunter. I would love to see the Seneca produced again.

With all the advancements in the modern **-**** stuff, I doubt you will see a return to more traditional, historical muzzleloading. Sadly, we have become somewhat lazy as a country, and new shooters won't take the time to learn how to operate and shoot a traditional muzzleloader much less clean and maintain one.

On a positive note, we have learned much over the years and there are more historically accurate mass-produced and custom muzzleloaders being offered than ever before (IMHO).

 

[Eric Krewson]

I always get out the inflation calculator to see what a "cheap" rifle would cost today;

I bough several TC Renegades from Ron Shirks Shooters Supply for $90 back in the early to mid 70s, the inflation calculator says they would cost $496 today. Probably close to what you would have to pay for a NOS in the box unfired Renegade if one were to surface today.

I know a guy who went in a gun shop a couple of years ago and asked if the owner had an sidelock M/Ls. The owner said he had 10 new in the box TC Hawkens and Renegades he had in his store room for years that he never sold, he said he would take $150 each for them. My friend jumped on this so quickly that the owner decided to keep two of them. My friend took home 8 NOS TCs in the box for $150 each and promptly sold them all but one for todays prices. He kept one that had exceptionally curly walnut wood in the stock.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I didn’t see the Hatfield on the list. I think it came out around 1980 and it was a step up for many in design and quality. Unfortunately for me I couldn’t afford one at the time while raising young kids.

 

[Rich Wormington]

In my memory the 1970's thru about the 1980's we're the heyday of commercial traditional muzzleloaders. Brand names like Thompson Center, Lyman, Navy Arms, Dixie Gun works and CVA we're common, but there were others. There were "factory" guns, usually represented as higher grade and/or authentic, such as Green River Rifle Works, Ozark Mountain Arms, Sharon, Green River Fordge, Art Ressel's Hawken Shop, Ithaca and a host of others.

We will likely never again see the number of offerings we did back then. If you could, which would you bring back?

Sharon and Green Rifle Works

 

[Philip Lebow]

I had a Green River Leman rifle that was a shooter. I was at an early 'rondyvoo' where you didn't have to be completely in period clothing. I was doing well in the matches, and an old boy in the whole fringed leather outfit, and dead varmint hat said to me "Your rifle is out of period, and so are you!" Being a sensitive soul, I replied that he should go have sex with himself, and let me continue to out shoot him in the matches. The Leman got me second place overall that day. I loaned that rifle to my friend Fred, who died, and his family refused to return it, claiming it was his.
Miss that rifle.

 

[duca]

Ya I remember the days when there was less restrictions on everything black powder Was everywhere and had by all. Sold in every gun shop by me. Started shooting in the mid 70s with a Jucar kit build and then to a DGW Southern Mountain rifle Kit. Many a fun day in the woods By the house with a good friend of mine who is no longer with us. Miss those days

 

[cannonball1]

Didn't purchase many of the completed gun, but in the early 70's I started with a CVA kit, went on to several TC Hawken kits. Most of those barrels had rough spots in their barrels. As the knowledge on muzzleloading got better I started purchasing really good barrels by Green River, Oregon, H&H, Sharon, Green Mountain, Colerain, Rice. There was also Getz and Douglas. One half are gone. The evolution of traditional muzzleloaders has gone to the do-it-yourself muzzleloader maker. That is one reason Browning no longer makes the Johnathan Muzzleloader. They couldn't get the final custom finish the ol' personal custom makers who took the time tro present a top notch looking gun.

 

[Celticstoneman]

I bought my first muzzleloader in 1975 or so. It was a Zouave calvary carbine and my buddy had the infantry model.
Don't know who the maker was.
We used to go shooting at a sand pit behind a local pond.
One day a cop showed up to see what was going on. He took a few shots with our guns and left with a big smile.
The good old days, gone forever.

deermanok,I have nearly the same 1973 story except it was at an old gravel quarry. When the County Mounty showed it was with a complaint from a farm 1\2 mile away. No smiles ,no camera ,just a warning and told to get the he'll out and he had better not see me again!
John

 

[deermanok]

deermanok,I have nearly the same 1973 story except it was at an old gravel quarry. When the County Mounty showed it was with a complaint from a farm 1\2 mile away. No smiles ,no camera ,just a warning and told to get the he'll out and he had better not see me again!
John

No sense of humor I guess. Lol

 

[plmeek]

Green River Rifle Works, Ozark Mountain Arms, Sharon, Green River Forge, Art Ressel's Hawken Shop, Ithaca and a host of others.

We will likely never again see the number of offerings we did back then. If you could, which would you bring back?

Urban Coyote,

Maybe you've already seen my website and this page -- The Heyday of the Hawken -- as you pretty much list all the makers I covered, but in case you or others haven't, I've include links that might be of interest.

I noticed that I still haven't upload the section on Ozark Mountain Arms but the other companies are discussed in detail:

• Sharon Rifle Barrel Co.
• The Hawken Shop
• The Ithaca Hawken
• Uberti/Santa Fe Hawken
• Green River Forge

The rest of the website is dedicated to the different models that Green River Rifle Works made and other aspects of the company. I still haven't finished the section on the half stock and full stock Hawken and the Poor Boy rifle.

Obviously, my favorite is GRRW, but the others have their place.

Some of the old GRRW smiths have been making a kind of 2nd generation GRRW guns. Unfortunately, they don't have the old stock patterns and some of the old parts so they can't re-create the guns exactly. In some ways, the new guns may be better than the old.

The Hawken Shop in Oak Harbor, WA is still carrying on the tradition and offers a Hawken kit that uses the same parts that Art Ressel cast from original rifles in his collection. Greg Roberts and Claudette Greene have brought that one back.