Most of us would love to have a rifle given to us, this is one I wish I would have never received. It belongs to a friend of mine in Santa Fe NM, his name is Mike. I built this gun for him a little over 20 years ago he stayed with me in the shop the whole time. About 6 months ago I got a phone call from him I hadn’t heard from him in a year or so. He sounded a bit funny on the phone, I asked what was up? He said he had some bad news he had just been diagnosed with advanced Lou Gerhig’s disease. This is man that made it through Vietnam in the Marine Corps, the 60’s and lots of hunting trips with me. I still remember the first Elk hunting trip with him, he looked at Mt Kent in north west WY and said “were going to climb that”??!! He never quit or complained all the way up, at 10500ft we camped, he looked pretty rough. As I helped him unload his back pack I almost died laughing he had a full thermos of coffee, 2 boxes of 54 round balls, 2 lbs of powder, 2 1858 Remington’s and a 15lb bag of granola. I should have helped him pack his pack. He and I have been up some pretty rough trails together.
My folks went to see him last week, when they got back they had the rifle that we had built together and all his black powder stuff. I know what this means, it’s had to describe how I feel. I have to get down there and see him so as soon as I can scrape up the money I’m out of here.
I would like to honor him by hunting with the gun this coming season. My question is can one shoot a left handed flintlock right handed with out getting the carp burned out of him? I can shoot left handed ok, but im not comfortable enough to hunt that way.
Bob
My folks went to see him last week, when they got back they had the rifle that we had built together and all his black powder stuff. I know what this means, it’s had to describe how I feel. I have to get down there and see him so as soon as I can scrape up the money I’m out of here.
I would like to honor him by hunting with the gun this coming season. My question is can one shoot a left handed flintlock right handed with out getting the carp burned out of him? I can shoot left handed ok, but im not comfortable enough to hunt that way.
Bob