What Got You Started?

I've always been a history buff. While statoned out in Wyoming & Montana back in the early to mid 80's I got to studying Mountain Man lore. I read up on the likes of Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith and Osborne Russell. The movie's Jeremiah Johnson and the Mountain Men starring Robert Redford and Brian Keith respectively really got me into the black powder/rendezvous thing. I've always been enamored with the Hawken rifle also. I've got two custom built one's to date. I'm currently saving my pennies to have a third one built for me.

 

[tr07416]

I grew up in a hunting family,but got away from it and started collecting wildlife trophies with a camera. Kept an interest in firearms and killed some targets with a 22 once in awhile and shot some trap. Last year they took my prostate out
and I needed something to do wearing paper underwear. I started building and now I can say "I'm glad I started shooting BP," instead of "I wish I had tried it."
TR

 

[feyx0006]

I was 12 years old at the range day for the Minnesota firearms safety certification course. A member of the "1st Minnesota" Civil War reenactors group was there and showed off his Springfield rifle. It was the coolest thing I had seen to that point. Several years later, with that memory still etched in my mind, I went out and got a replica sidelock. You guys taught me how to use it right :hatsoff: Since then, it has all been downhill.

 

[Rogue River]

I got bored hunting with the centerfire rifles. I guess I was losing the "thrill of the kill". Black powder seemed challenging, (1 shot only)that was about 20 years ago and at 70 the thrill is back. Also shooting often is a lot more affordable.

 

[nchawkeye]

Fess Parker for me as well, born in '55, the year Davy Crockett was made, but it ran on The Wonderful World of Disney through the 60s...Then
"Daniel Boone" came out in '64, I was nine, perfect age...

I read every biography in our elementary school...Later visited Williamsburg several times and in 1977 I moved to Atlanta...Fresh out of college and walked into "Stone Mountain Armory"...Bob Watts was the owner...I ended up buying one of his .45 flintlocks and haven't looked back...

 

[tjohnson56]

Hope your sitting down this going to take a while.

Back in the late 80's my brother gave me a three book trilogy of Carry the wind, border lords and one eyed dream, just loved reading it.

Then my son was almost 12 and wanted to go deer hunting with me. At the time I worked at a place where you had to have about 35 years in to get vacation during deer hunting but in Wisconsin they have a muzzleloader season right after deer gun season. So the game plan was, buy two muzzleloaders and the stuff to go with them and go up north hunting at our cabin in Glidden Wisconsin. I bought a pair of T/C's, a Renegade Hunter for me cause I did'nt know why the regular Renegade's had two triggers and a New Englander for my son cause it was short, easy to handle and had a Ryanite stock that would be hard for him to damage.

Well that was the year that opening day of gun season it snowed about 18 to 20 inches, kept snowing for most of Sunday and the DNR extended the season for a week in hopes of getting a normal kill for that year. So there I sit with about $800 or a $1000 dollars worth of stuff for muzzle loading and the DNR says go ahead take the 30-06 and 7 mag, so we did. The muzzleloaders then sat in the gun cabinet from about 1990 or 1991 till this last June or July.

Sometime around New Years of 2008 I was in the used book store and picked up a copy of Dance on the Wind, while reading the cover page I ran across the name Titus Bass and a bell rang but I could'nt figure out why till I saw Carry the Wind further down. Did a little research and found out it was now a nine book series and the local library had all nine books. I read all nine in about three months and kept taking out one of the guns to look at and handle and after a while it was use them or sell them.

A fishing buddy knew some folks who are into black powder and by June or July I had a couple cans of real black. Now I know what a junkie feels like when his first needle hits a vein. I'm having more fun shooting these guns than any of my center firers and as much as my .22 RF's, and I shoot .22 a lot. I'm ordering a case of powder in the next few days and I hope to take the Renegade Hunter out to bust some Whitetails shortly.

So I guess I can blame my brother, Scratch, my son, the DNR and the guys who have helped me here in Wisconsin and on the internet. ( that would be you guys ) And a big thank you to all who have helped me here on this forum, I am in your debt.

Apache

 

[Zonie]

My dad taught me to shoot in the mid '50's and of course I had watched the Davy Crockett and Danial Boone movies and TV shows and always thought that shooting the kinds of guns they used would be fun.

In the early '70s there were a lot of places selling muzzleloaders and although the gun control act of '68 kept cartridge guns from being available thru the mail these muzzleloaders could be bought without question so I ordered a .44 cal flintlock and a 28 guage percussion smooth bore.

Been buying and shooting them ever sense then and have enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[arcticap]

I took the hunter safety course with a good friend and we started shotgun hunting together in our 20's. I read a brief description with a picture of a new Navy Arms/Pedersoli mule ear lock rifle in Shooting Times and it looked so cool that I just had to have one. So I called Navy Arms who helped me to locate a vendor in PA that had them in stock, and I arranged to buy 2 of them from him at a gun show in CT.
Then I read a Sam Fadala book from the library that explained just about everything one needed to know about muzzle loading.
I eventually bought all of the necessities, went to the range, loaded and shot it for the 1st time thinking that this was just like loading an old fashioned cannon. Feeling the power and the boom and the smoke reminded me of the 4th of July. What a rush of adrenaline that was, and to this day those mule ears are still my favorite rifles.
Meanwhile my good friend branched off into archery deer hunting which I've never tried, and he's never tried out muzzle loading. :haha:

 

[Little Wattsy]

I wanted a new hunting opportunity and knowing that I knew nothing about BP or Ml's I ran out and bought a "zip-gun" and THEN found this site for "information" some key players on here were not only VERY HLPFULL but also so passionate about the "traditional stuff" AND I realized that I could get relatively cheap guns on the web that Ive ended up with 5 caplocks, most T/C's of various models and am LOVEING the shooting and looking for my 1st deer season with my .54 Renegade.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I gots to blame Fess and Walt. I was born in 53. With my first paycheck from my part time job ( still in high school ) I ordered a Navy Arms Kentucky rifle. I wanted a flint but the gunshop owner convinced me to get a cap lock because there was nobody around at that time to show me how to work a flintlock. He was right. After getting out of the Navy I started going to a local muzzle loading club and after I fired a flinter for the first time.. it has been on ever since. I did not get into the History end of it until much later.
:thumbsup:

 

For me it was the visits to my Grandparents during the 50's and 60's and finding Great Grandpa's 40 cal halfstock that got me started. i allways liked the gracefull lines of a muzzleloading rifle. No modern rifle design has yet to match them. Plus the usual infusion of early frontier culture via Fess Parker and Disney.
Fess if you read this web sight ( Thank you for getting me started!) :bow: :bow:

 

[LeMat1856]

.
.
. oct 2 / 02:30am

actually, a motorcycle accident left me partially paralized and only able to do 'easy' things - like knitting or target shooting. i needed an activity that would require me to get outdoors and keep the blood circulating. ever since my shooting lessons on the farm i've owned modern weapons. bp seemed to offer something more challenging than 'open, load, fire' shooting.

then in 2007, i saw an episode on the history channel featuring civil war technology with a 2 minute clip detailing the 1856 LeMat. it was love at first sight. that was 3 months ago. been here ever since.

 

[longshot47]

......echoes from a previous life?!

 

[DougMPhoto]

Parson,

I, as well can say Thank You Fess Parker. It wasn't till the late 70's, 23 yrs. old I got my first rifle. (CVA MOUNTAIN RIFLE KIT). It got in my blood and it will stay, nuthin' for it.

Jay

Same thing, Late 70's, built CVA Colonial Pistol Kit and then the BIG BORE Mountain Rifle (.54 cal) Kit. I still have both. Then built my own .50 Pennsylvania Long Rifle and brother talked me into joinng his Sportmans club. Now have parts for 3 more to build...all I need now is time.

Great-Grandfathers fought in Civil War (Union) and my Great-Aunt had one of their rifles/bayonet. We tried to hold it when we were young (9-10 years). Man was it heavy! She got older and a little senile and sold it along with other family heirlooms. Would love to have that. It looked in perfect shape from what I remember.

Doug

 

[Mulebrain]

I actually I guess got my start from Fur Fish And Game magazine! I remember those ads from CVA, and Thompson Center.

Well, I grew up with .22's and center fire shotguns mostly. I used to hunt allot, and that went on until my service with Uncle Sam started.

I remember going to boot camp, and seeing hundreds , and hundreds of M1 Garand's along the walls of our barracks. My infatuation of high powered rifles soon began.

Upon my return to the states after living in Japan for 8 years, it took the first week to buy a 1911A1!

Soon after that I sought what I really desired, the M1! Well, this hobby escalated into NRA aggregate matches, and competition. After several years, and tons of brass I just got bored with it!

I sold my entire collection of M1's M1A's, M1 carbines, and 1911A1's. I also tried to sell my gun safe, which did not sell! So I had a pretty much a empty safe just standing in wait!

Here comes 2005, and my son has joined the scouts. We went to an outdoors workshop, and the kids were allowed to try a black powder rifle. I got in that line, and fired a shot with a Hawken type rifle. Bam! I was hooked!

I can only wish that I had entered this hobby earlier. This is where I am at, and this is where I will stay till I drop dead!

Now my safe is full and happy once again :thumbsup:

I have many hobbies, but as time goes on this hobby is taking all the others over :thumbsup:

 

[Pork Chop]

When I was a kid, my father got orders to go to Germany. Well, that was welcome news my mother was full German. When we got there, dad got involved with the local shooting club. At that time it was easier to buy and shoot muzzleloaders than centerfires, so dad got into it. I helped build a Navy Arms (Investarm) Hawken and a couple of CVA single shots. It was fun, but when we got to the states, dad lost interest (probably because mom was terminally ill with cancer at the time) so it went on the back burner.

Flash forward a few years. Dad died and I went in the Army. I thought mom had sold/given away all of the guns. I was a bit bitter about it. Well, I found out that a local gun shop could order a CVA pistol, so I ordered one and put it together. That slowly started the ball rolling. My mom died, and while sis was cleaning out the house, she found ALL but one of the guns! (the one missing one was ironically a CVA Kentucky rifle...) I got them and finished two that dad had started and never finished. I have not shot much, but I really like them more than the centerfires.

 

[nw_hunter]

I think the additional Muzzleloader seasons, back in the 70's prompted me to buy my first BP rifle.(CVA Mt Rifle).These day's, I seldom take the other type :grin: out to the woods!

```
. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't

 

[bwhoffman]

I gotta add to my original reasons...
MuleBrain brought up the clincher....

I was bored with what I was doing with guns and I too, went to boy scout camp with my son and got in that same line to shoot a muzzle loader!

...THAT set the hook for me really!
Prior to that, I was merely teasing the worm!

 

[2172]

I got interested via a John Wayne 1939 movie, Alleghany Uprising..as a 7 year old, I had not known of the French and Indian War...Northwest Passage with Spencer Tracy followed, and by then I was reading , a lot. History gave me the bug..Hank

 

[Goldhunter]

My father. One of my earliest memories is when he took me to a Rondy at the ripe old age of about 6. I remember him taking me to his weekly shoots with his friends. Fast forward about 9 years. I was old enough to hunt big game and I had always enjoyed shooting my dad's TC Hawken. My grandfather gave me a TC Hawken kit that he'd had sitting around for a year or so. My dad told me if I wanted to hunt with a ML I had to build one. So, that was my first kit! Built it that summer, hunted with it that fall.

It's been a fun and educational trip ever since.