Where I grew up in Iowa, no one used ML rifles in the '60's or early '70's, so my first rifle was a .50 cal. TC Hawken in January 1972. My next two muzzle loaders were an original Percussion M1856 .41 cal. Swiss Federal Rifle then a really sweet original .36 cal. half stock percussion rifle.
I owned the first two before I met the guy who became my best friend in life and he was a dyed in the wool Flintlock Shooter with a really nice repro Pre Revolutionary War rifle. Even though I loved to look at that rifle, I strongly resisted the urge to go flintlock for about another couple of years.
Then he took me to Friendship, IN on the Primitive Range and I got interested in doing a Continental Marine impression both for shooting in competition and reenacting. Well, there were no percussion guns during the AWI, so I had to learn flintlocks. He also loaned me a .45 caliber Post AWI Flint Rifle to shoot in competition, so I finally became addicted. I next owned a "Charleville" Musket that we assembled from kits to replicate M1812/16 Muskets to do Brush's Independent Company of Ohio Militia for War of 1812 reenacting.
In the 1980's, I "strayed from the fold" for about 8 years while doing WBTS reenacting, but "came back home" to the 18th century a couple years after I retired from the Marine Corps in 1996.
I loved doing reenacting as a Private Soldier in the Major's Coy of the 42nd RHR, the Black Watch.
Gus