- Joined
- Oct 27, 2013
- Messages
- 277
- Reaction score
- 617
I started shooting BP and Muzzle Loaders when I was 14 (1962- that is the old guy part) with an original Remington 1862/63 (Zouave) rifle. My Dad and Uncles were there to keep an eye on me so I didn't kill myself or anyone else for that matter. Shot it a lot and even hunted with it, never got anything larger then an Armadillo but it was fun. I played with the Remington and an 1860 Colt revolver I purchased several years later until I graduated from high school and was awarded an all expense trip by Uncle Sam to an exotic land half way around the world. When discharged I still had the muzzle loading bug and realized the Remington was a little too valuable to continue shooting. Anyway my brother had possession of it and we have been debating true ownership for the last 42 years! (He would give it to me if I whined and groveled at his feet, but I won’t do that so he’ll have to keep it and insure it.) Hence, I decided to purchase a Kentucky rifle kit from Dixie Gun Works and build my own. With a lot of advice from DGW Gunsmith I ended up purchasing separate parts rather then a kit to build a .45 caliber Half Stock rather then a full stock Kentucky rifle. It was a good move and I used that rifle to hunt and compete and win a number of local matches. In the meantime I picked up a TC Hawkins and later sold as I did not shooting anything but round balls. Yes, I am a traditionist, no inline or maxie balls for me. During the years I have acquired a number of different percussion lock rifles but all were sold except for the one I originally built and a .54 Caliber Jonathan Browning I have plus a 1858 Remington and a .44 New Orleans Belt pistol. The Browning is such a nice rifle that I consider it a work of art for a production rifle but you know it when you touch off a full load! I stopped shooting muzzle loader about 25+ years ago and went full bore into the Black Powder Cartridge rifles and pistols. Now, I’m back and started shooting my M/Ls again, I forgot how much fun they are. I’ve also decided to take the next step and get a flintlock rifle, maybe .32 to .40 caliber. There you have my intro.
hotoSmile: 
