What was your first Muzzleloader?

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My first one, years ago....

CVA Mountain Rifle.jpg
 
Ruger Old Army when I was 18. My dad found that I had bought it and made me return it because he didn't want an 18 year old to have a pistol. Maybe not an unwise thing to do.
 
I'm curious to know what was your first BlackPowder firearm? Was it a rifle or a smoothbore?

What made you want to buy it?

How experienced/knowledgeable with this sport/hobby were you, when you bought your first BlackPowder gun?
A .50 cal Lyman Trade Rifle I ordered from Dixie Gun Works by mail. (pre internet) One shot and I was hooked for life.
 
dont know what year it was ,probably the 70s . I had an FFL and bought a Thompson Hawken kit ,75.00 my price . I finished the wood and a good friend polished it and blued it.
Obtw i got both the flint and percussion locks so i can swap them without any trouble if i want to.
Im a lefty ,but i have scored on deer twice and won 2 of the shoots we used to have,,
I also have a penn. traditions flinter and a .50 cal rengade. love em all.
I shoot mostly trap ,but the way shot ,powder and primers have gone up ,im gonna get back into the BP shooting.. the reason i bought it,,,,,, just wanted to try "making a gun"
Fox .44
 
Here is a picture of me and my first muzzleloader. All original parts scavenged by my father and then built into this rifle. 32 cal. The stock is original but reconfigured for the back action lock.
In those days, early 1950’s, not much was thought about using original parts to build another muzzleloader.

This was taken at Friendship. We camped in the station wagon I’m pictured by.
Great times! This appeared in Muzzleblasts at the time. The caption is Not for the WOKE crowd
I still have it and it is cherished.
 

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In 1996, I bought a ticket in a gun raffle in upstate NY. If your Ticket number matched the daily pick 3, you won listed gun for that day. After reviewing the list, I saw a TC 50 cal Hawken (Percussion) listed and it was really the only gun I was interested in. As luck would have it, my number came out that day. I won a 25th Anniversary version of the TC Hawken, joined a local BP club and have been hooked ever since. The Hawken has a new home, but in its stead I have an 1863 Bridesburg musket, a 50 cal. Hatfield, a TC Renegade with 40 and 50 cal GM barrels, a custom 40 cal flintlock, Swamped 42” barrel weighs about 6 lbs, and a Josh Golcher 50 cal., smoothbore with his back action lock.
 
My first was an antique percussion boy's rifle given to me when I was nine years old. Broke my heart when it was stolen while I was in southeast Asia. Still have a number of fine flint and percussion rifles and fowlers. I have one modern breechloader, just in case we are ever invaded by angry Eskimos. It's a Shiloh Sharps 1863 military rifle. Just playin' it safe!
 
TC 54 cal New Englander. Like the rookie I was, I managed to ruin the barrel after 30 years (I didn't oil the bore properly early on). Recently had Bobby Hoyt reline it and it shoots great. Along the way I accumulated more of course!👍
 
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