What was your first Muzzleloader?

[UtahFlintlock]

T/C Renegade kit that my Dad and I assembled. He had been into muzzleloading in the 70s with a H&A Minutenan. By the early 90s when I got old enough he bought the kit for me.

He soon bought a Homer Dangler kit for himself, and later one for me. A friend in high school became interested and we let him shoot the Renegade until he could save up to buy a Lyman GPR.

Last summer I was home for a week helping my Mom and Sister clear out the house after Dad’s passing. I found the Renegade and gave it to that same friend so he could get his son interested in muzzleloading. Still have both of the Dangler rifles though.

I still shoot my Dangler JP Beck in .50. I even still use the range box, horns, and primer my Dad made all those years ago. It’s like I can still go shooting with him.

 

[josie wales]

First muzzleloader was a .56 Thompson Renegade. It was a smooth bore and a special 3 day season started in Massachusetts. It was so hard to load I had to hammer the ball and patch in, but was accurate enough to down a large doe second day of the season. Still have the same gun but now with a Green Mountain .54 caliber "Round Ball Special". I bought the barrel as soon as Massachusetts changed the laws to allow rifled barrels.

 

[chiller]

T/C percussion rifle in 54 caliber for hunting around 1989. Then several months later, purchased a drop-in Green Mountain barrel in 50 caliber for round ballcompetition target shooting. Still own both.

 

[rickystl]

My first muzzle loader was in about 1957/8. A Parris Civil War musket that shot cork round balls that was loaded from the muzzle with the metal ramrod. Used greenie-stickum-caps for primers. LOL

Rick

 

[stink koat]

My 1st gun was a Navy Arms ".58 cal. Buffalo Hunter" nice looking gun, but never could get any accuracy out of it! I ended up taking it back and exchanged it for a H & A ".45 cal. Heritage Model" great gun! Then WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE "LOG CABIN SHOP""(we only live about 45 miles from it) built my 1st rifle with parts from the CABIN as a Christmas present from my wife, 15 rifles later, the rest is history!

 

[Elkpurgatoire]

Mine was a High Standard Griswald and Gunnison that I picked up at local farm supply store in the town where I attended college. I loved shooting it and learned to appreciate the technology of the time. I eventually shot that brass frame loose.

 

[smo]

I bought some kind of brass frame , cheap bp revolver back in 76-77.... exciting too shoot, chain fires were plenty. I still remember the Criso dripping.. lol
But at 20 years old I was hooked on bp....

Next was a H&R Huntsman in 78-79, which is a gun we don’t talk about here.... but it didn’t know it at the time.

Then My first side lock was a sure nough’.50 caliber Hawken!
This was in the early 80’s..Italian girl she was, from the Investarms clan.

Thought I’d met a mule.... but that’s another story.

 

[watopeka]

A T.C renegade in .54, percussion and still have it.
My venture started 45 years ago, when someone said, that you could not hit a close barn door from inside the barn and that they never go off. That rub me a bit on the wrong side the gun was one tool that change the world. So the adventure started with no knowledge of what i was getting into, the only thing i had was the Thomson booklet. Then slowly and much later a meet this guy that was shooting a long rifle, i had it in my hands and shot it and i cross into the dark side and now I’m finishing my flinter. What a great ride this is

 

[totonap]

Well my first and only muzzle loader, Till my Kibler kit arrives, is a kit TC flintlock 50 Cal. I won at a work Picnic. Put it together and had a ball. This was in the late 70's Killed several deer with it. Then after that hadn;t shot it at all. Now Back at it. Thanks for this forum.

 

[APG]

In 1987 I bought a CVA Hawken .50cal kit. That's when I feel in love with the black. Wish I still had it. We always remember our first love.

 

[Tallperson]

In 1972, at the ripe old age of 19. I purchased a navy arms .44 navy with a brass frame for around 50 bucks.

Being recently married with a baby, I couldn't afford anything more expensive.

After a few cylinders, I was hooked for life.

Similar here. First was a 44 revolver kit from Dixie then .58 Zouave. Still have them both and have added more since then.

 

[Tasbay]

T/C Hawken Flint 50cal second hand back in about 1992. Still have it and others.

 

[Bighorserider]

I never owned any kind of gun before but qualified with a 38 in the AF. In 1979 the USAF sent me to Loring AFB, Me where the weather is 11 months of winter and 1 month of bad sledding. I figured I needed a hobby. I started with a CVA derringer kit for $25 from Woolco. Then moved up to a CVA Kentucky kit. Next was a TC Hawken kit that I still have. The first time I shot it was at an informal range with a bunch of guys sighting in deer rifles. Everyone wanted to watch. Luckily I had read a lot and didn't screw up too badly.

 

[DougWyant]

I never owned any kind of gun before but qualified with a 38 in the AF. In 1979 the USAF sent me to Loring AFB, Me where the weather is 11 months of winter and 1 month of bad sledding. I figured I needed a hobby. I started with a CVA derringer kit for $25 from Woolco. Then moved up to a CVA Kentucky kit. Next was a TC Hawken kit that I still have. The first time I shot it was at an informal range with a bunch of guys sighting in deer rifles. Everyone wanted to watch. Luckily I had read a lot and didn't screw up too badly.

Bighorserider I thought I would throw a little nostalgia your way...back in the late 70s early 80s I was a carpenter working for the company that owned Woolco dept stores. I traveled around the southern part of the country doing the finish out of the stores. The company that owned Woolco was none other than F.W.Woolworth ,one of the most successful of the five and dime stores back in the day. They began life back in February of 1879, so the company you bought your rifle from was from a time when folks actually needed and used the kind of weapons we are shooting today! So you were and are tied to history whether you knew it or not! By the way F.W.Woolworth celebrated their 142 birthday just this past Monday.

 

[old iron]

First post, back in the seventy's I traded a sears 30-30 lever action for a new TC 45 Hawkins that I still have, wish I could have bought it and kept the Sears but couldn't afford to then

 

[grry10]

My first was a Lyman Great Plains.

 

[HughMan]

My first muzzleloader was a Weston, Missouri Austin & Halleck unmentionable and my second was an A&H Mountain Rifle with a 1:28 barrel.

 

[Widows Son]

A CVA Philadelphia Derringer kit. I think I was about 12 years old

 

[Kappa]

A traditions .54 cal I gave to a friend years ago. I hunted a season had a hang fire said I need something more reliable ( in hindsight it was my fault) I then bought a 54 renegade.

 

[Treestalker]

Mine was a 45 cal smooth bore percussion poor boy. Unknown origin. I have no idea how old it was, but I suspect it was a recent build. That was 1970. Like a fool, I traded it for a cheap 1851 Navy pistol that was already worn out. I sure wish I could have that poor boy back.

Just think what Britsmoothy has accomplished with a .45 smoothbore! And to think I had a Traditions 12 ga single I foolishly swapped off! I do still have the shot snake that came with kit (Irish scoop head) and here it is, thirty years later, A friend gave me a weird .50 cal. caplock which I had bored out to .58 smooth (24ga) and can't wait to get new thimbles soldered on and run the neighbors dogs out of my trash, LOL. By all means obtain yourself another smoothie, they're just too dang fun and useful not to have! Thanks for your post, and the memories.