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Seemed to me that everybody had T/Cs back then so I went with an early model Hatfield Mountian rifle in .54 cal. I still have it and have carried it so much the finish is almost worn off at the balance point of the stock.
 
Mine was a CVA .45 KY kit. Bought off the cameraman at the pressroom when I was a paperboy. $50-60.00 IIRC. Ugly build and nobody told this kid there was grease in the bore! Took us 2 hours to get it to fire. Was a hoot though, accurate enough. Started a terrible terrible addiction.
 
Got out my furnace and ran some .310 and .315 ball. Cast a batch of .353's the other day. I'm getting back into my smaller bore rifles. Can't really save much on caps but they really cut my lead, patch and podwer consumption.
 
First was a 12-gauge, back-action smoothbore some hillbilly had wrapped with sheet copper and cotton twine to hold the barrel in the forestock. Dad got it somewhere. Drove out on a gravel road, loaded 'er up and shot ...a tree. I was about ten years old (1960). Then came a really nice Belgian double, a Tingle .40 pistol, H&A "Heritage" .45, and brass-framed revolver, etc. etc. That old relic was the first we had.
 
Somebody tell me…Who was Tingle?

I’ve heard the name, I’ve heard about him for years. I hear the name Tingle on this forum enough to peak my interests…and last weekend at a rendezvous…for the first time in my life…I held a Tingle .45 calibre plains style rifle.

Who was Tingle?
 
My first was a traditions .50 percussion kit. Built it around 93? Some of the old timers in our club took me under their wings and taught me all about muzzleloading, and the needle has been in my arm ever since.
The first rules they taught me were don’t ever bring that pyrodex here again, and proper ignition is made with a rock.
So they took me to the Allentown gun show where I got my first flintlock. I havent thought about those guys in a while they are long past.
Thanks for the memories
 
My first was a TC Hawkin .50. In '77 at the tender age of 15, I traded a buddy something for it, I disremember exactly what. Here I was, just a tender lad with a rifle kit and no knowledge and no internetno. Luckily it came with all the parts and stain, tru oil and barrel brown. Awhile later I had a reasonable facsimile of a hawkin. Over the years it was slimed with some carving. A few inlays were added. The one regret was sometime in the late 80s, it was shot and stuck in the corner to be cleaned tomorrow. Well life happens and several years later when I thought I should dig the hawkin out and start shooting again , well...
She now wears a .54 Green Mtn barrel

Just last month she was passed to my boy, along with a mint .45 Seneca to the grand daughter.

It's ok tho, I have picked up 2 flinters since then...
I have a problem...

Coldfingers
 
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Kansas Jake said:
Rock Home Isle, here is a thread on tingle. I have one of his rifles. It is a left hand 45 percussion.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/tingle-rifles-pistols-and-shotguns.77833/
Click to expand...
Never got to own nor shoot one of his long guns, still have two pistols. Lake Ozark gun show in the 60's, someone (perhaps Bob Tingle) had a table selling probably all variations of "Tingles", which is where my father bought our first one. Still remember the assortment of available items, various sight/stock/barrel combos which were, at the time, in current production at his shop.

They were never meant to be a reproduction/copy, but to provide good quality at affordable prices. Most accurate "factory" M/L pistols I've ever owned. Dad hit a duck flying one time with his.
 
Tingles are interesting. The lock on mine is coil spring powered and it has a single action double set trigger. It must be set before it can be cocked. I’ve only shot it a few times but it seems quite accurate but does need a load worked up. My adult daughter has appropriated it since she is left eye dominant and shoots long guns left hand.
 
I was working at a small municipal/agricultural airport in 1970 making college tuition. A crop duster pilot from a nearby town had his Gull wing Stinson hangered there and we were talking guns one Rainey day (the only time we had to stand around) When I told him I was interested in shooting a muzzleloader he said he had one that I could use. Next time he came by he brought me an 1873 trapdoor Springfield with a DGW Muzzle-loading conversion kit installed on it. Also a couple of pounds of powder and a coffee can full of balls. He said to keep it till he asked for it back. It was butt ugly, bulky and deadly accurate. I kept it for a couple of years till I could afford to buy my own and then took it back to him, he never asked. Wish I had it now.
 
T/C Hawken .45 in 1975 after watching JJ Movie. Wanted a .50 but none available....maybe for same reason. Still shoots just fine --3/4" group at 50 yards. I added a Mid-Soule tang with Hadley disc as old eyes could not focus well enough. Next mod will be to add front globe with spirit level as eyes continue to fade. Both sights from Lee Shaver who is awesome BTW. She loves 70 gr 3F BP with PRB. Patch is lubed but doesn't seem to matter with what...Will shoot Maxi's OK but does better with PRB. Makes sense given the 1:48 Twist...
 
My first muzzleloader was a .50 TC Renegade bought around 1980. A real cheek slapper but a well made rifle. A good friend from PA that hunted with a TC Flintlock taught me to load and shoot it. He was an excellent shot, and good instructor.

I have added many other firearms to the collection since I bought the Renegade so it has sat idle for many years. I took it to a range day with my Grandson recently, the iron sights are not friendly to my old eyes but the cheek slap is still there. He shoots it better than I do.

From what I read in this thread the TCs have been first muzzleloaders for many of us.
RENEGADE.jpg
 
CVA .45 mountain rifle kit. Bought it in 1980, I still use it. I bought a 1851 navy colt from Euroarms .44 about the same time. I had too many chain fires with it. Not useable anymore.
 
This gun I built from a kit gifted to me by my first wife as a wedding gift in 1978. Kept the gun, lost the wife.

I haven't shot it in years as it is heavy. I am surprised how well it turned out even to this day. I have killed hogs and deer with it using a PRB back in the 70's and 80's and haven't shot it since. I have kept it cleaned and oiled with no corrosion, inside or out. Never got around to polishing the patchbox or nose cap.

I got to thinking about it's specs so I pulled it from the safe. Six digit serial..112414 .
 
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