Your First Muzzleloader?

[Norskie]

My wife (bless her heart!) bought me a .50 CVA caplock Kentucky for Christmas when we were first married. The one with the 2 piece stock.
The only converstion I remember about it was "Would one of those guns really kill a deer? Oh, hell, yes!"
Next Christmas there was the kit under the tree. My nephew has that gun, now. I sold all my centerfires years ago.

 

[Bountyhunter]

First was some old Italian import cap'n ball pistol in 1966. Was maybe 18 then. At that time if you could lay the money on the counter, you could buy guns and beer.

In about 71 I did a CVA Kentucky from a kit, and the hired help stole it a couple years ago. It disappeared out of my office. In about 74 or so I built a Big Bore Mountain Rifle from a CVA kit--.54 and I still have it. After that, every few years I built another one. I have them all except the cap'n ball pistol and the Kentucky. I have 3 in various stages of completion at this time.

Since I can trace my heritage back to Little Turtle, and since he is the only one who has successfully beaten the US military, I figger that is good enuf for that part of history. My interests are in the fur trade era, Hawken and mountain rifles, and therefore, I concentrate on percussion rifles.

 

[FV Rago]

Funny, it was 78 or 79 I was either 16 or 17. Bought a CVA Kentucky flint rifle kit from the Sportsmans guide.

Put it together, still have the scar on my left pinky as I cut the tip of it off trimming the stock. Never did get the two piece stock to match up perfectly, so after I got the barrel and stock all together I fashioned a 2 inch piece of leather to be strategically placed over the meeting part of the two stocks.

Man that was a neat gun. Use to take it to the dump and target shoot. Grandfather close to 10 years ago sold all his guns and threw in my guns.

Would just like to have it just to have it.

 

[Goldhunter]

I was about 14 when my grandfather gave me a T/C Hawken kit. That was 17 years ago. My dad helped me build it in the form of offering advice but I had to do all the work. I still have it and just put a new stock on it. Because of where it came from, I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.

 

[rabjr]

I started out with an Ruger Old Army I had saved up and bought in 77' when I was sixteen. Bought my first rifle, a T/C renegade caplock in 82' and been hooked ever since.

 

[Robert an saa fan]

Very interesting thread.

Got my first muzzleloader while finishing college after a one year tour in Vietnam as an Army draftee.

Wanted to buy a new Colt Single Action Army but could not yet embrace the "high" price of $165. Ordered from Centennial Arms, Chicago, a new steel frame 1851 Navy .36 with 7 1/2" barrel. Cost about $34 + shipping.

The '51 Navy by Euroarms arrived in box with no instuctions just like the later ones I ordered. Had to do research and figure out how to safely shoot it.

First trip to shoot it ended after several cylinder fulls when a fired cap went into frame via hammer slot jamming gun... but I was hooked.

Do not have that '51 navy Euroarms anymore but have slightly nicer one ordered later from Centennial which I keep just for the memories.

Learning about blackpowder and shooting cap and ball revolvers gave me the confidence to start reloading when I got into shooting Colt Single Actions in 1972.

:hatsoff:

 

[J.D.]

My first ML gun was made from about $75 worth of parts from Dixie as an 18year old in 1968.

My dad gave me a hard time about wanting one of those "worthless old guns". He claimed that he could "throw a rock father and with better accuracy than those worthless old guns".

My first attempt at building a ML rifle didn't turn out all that great. It did, kinda, sort look like a rifle, but that little .30 cal, 13/16 X 30 inch Numirch barrel was sure death on squirrels.

Heavy as all get out, but an accurate little rifle.

I still have the parts, though they are not assembled into anything shootable. One day I plan to restock that little gun with a good lock and, once again, wreak havock on the squirrel population.
J.D.

 

[Runner]

One of those little twister 36 caliber pistols. I did not even know enough to use a patch. The first ball bounced of the target and raised a knot on my arm! My bother has it now. Once we learned how to use it, it was a lot of fun making noise with it.

 

[PitchyPine]

My first was a Philadelphia derringers kit, my cousin and i both got one. That was many moons ago.

 

[AzShooter]

First rifle was a CVA Hawken in .50. My friend talked me into it and I wanted to get something cheap just in case I didn't enjoy BP shooting. Later he gave me a rifle that he had been building for two years. When I told him to stop working on it because it looked magnificent he said... OK it's yours. Nice Lancaster with .45 cal Green Mountain barrel.

That was in about 1980. This year I bought my first 1858 revolver and really enjoy it. Got my first kit, a Traditions Trapper that shoots better than any handgun I've ever shot.

This is so much fun I'll be getting more and will probably be getting rid of some smokeless guns to trade over to more BPs.

 

[Frank/Pa]

Mine was a Thompson Center Hawken kit in 50 caliber percussion. Bought it at the Patch and Ball gun shop in San Diego in 1976. Used to go there several times a week to BS with owner Bill Bracken and enjoy a cup of coffee. I sold it to a friend several years later, and started bulding custom flintlocks.

 

[guncobbler]

1974 from Dixie Gun Works. Can't remember what drove us to buy the catalog maybe it was the price: $2.00 or send $3.00 if you like this book. We were suckers for someone who had the nerve to price his catalog that way. Still have that catalog. Bought the Spanish 28 gauge single barrel shotgun for $29.95 shown on page 21. Dad still has that gun hanging over the fireplace. Things went down hill from there. A Philly derringer kit pistol also from the catalog. More than a couple TC's, H&A under hammer, a golfball mortar, a nine inch bore mortar and some rifles of my own design. I'm at the nadir of my BP addiction with flintlock kits and a handgonne. Got most of the parts for a 16 bore matchlock but haven't the time free yet. Thinking of a 36 or 40 rifle. Maybe I'll make it as a third barrel to the underhammer. This is a dangerous but fun affliction. Sort of like meth but you get to keep your teeth GC

 

[BEP]

In 1963, I bought a Hy Hunter .79 (yep, .79!) caliber flintlock horse pistol. I think it was called a "horse pistol" because you could hide a horse in the barrel! About ten years later, I gave it to a friend who had always admired it. He lost it when someone stole all of his firearms about five years after that.. It had no sights and we loaded it with a .715 heavily patched round ball or a handfull of rocks or whatever. That hand cannon fired fairly reliably, considering the quality of flints available back then. Good times, good times.

 

[Patricknwohio]

My first Muzzleloader was a CVA Kentucky perc. Rifle in .45 Cal. I got it when I was 13 I am 45 now and have several muzzleloaders.

I enjoy early American History and enjoy hunting, and target shooting with Muzzleloaders.

 

[windsor]

My first muzzleloader was one of those modern ****** jobs. I enjoyed shooting it at the time because I didn't know any better. Once I saw my friends with their custom flintlock longrifles, I was hooked on them. They recommended that I buy an inexpensive one to start off with so that I would know what I really wanted when it came time to get a 'real' flintlock. So, I ended up with a real nice Pedersoli Frontier in .50 that shoots really well.

Still, I frothed at the mouth when looking at those custom flinters that my friends had. So, that's where I'm at now. I'm currently building an Isaac Haines in .54 and so far it fits me like a glove. I can't wait to shoot it and the experience of building is one of the most satisfying things that I've done in my entire life. I know this hobby will be with me for the rest of my life. :hatsoff:

 

[Black Powder]

Got my first rifle 1980. A Dixie Tenn. Mt. 50 cal. flinter, still have it. B.P.

 

[Samuel]

20yrs ago -TC Hawken Percusion - I have shot mostly flint now for 17 yrs. :thumbsup:

 

My first rifle was a Numrich Arms Minute Man Rifle in flint. My dad has it now. I tacked it up and rawhided the wrist. It looks like something Ol' Griz Lapp would a carried in the Jeremiah Johnson movie. It's a .50 caliber longrifle. Not a .32 caliber Hawken. :grin: We sure were real Mountainy Men back in them days. Me with that Minute Man rifle and my old buddy Ken Wee with his Dixie Tennessee Rifle. It was a .50 caliber rifle too. The romance and the splendor of innocence are good memories that can not be erased by time. I still like looking at that old rifle that I built from a kit back there 30 years ago. It ain't no prize by todays standards but it sure did just fine back then. We tracked all up and down the Arkansas River hunting with that rifle in all kinds of weather. We even hunted and camped in his tipi up on the Fall River. Sometimes the wind blew into us like a knife but we was mountain men and we toughed it out. Them was the days. Beaver will shine again I reckon. :winking:

 

[ski76]

My first ML was a Traditions DeerHunter .50cal. My mother bought it as a Christmas gift when I was 16. My Dad wasn't sure I knew how to load it. Proved him wrong after hitting my target. I learned how to load a ML from a book prior to Christmas. I still have the rifle in my gun cabinet.

 

[cowpoke1955]

My first muzzle loader was a Lyman GPR percussion in .54 cal. I bought it in 1981 through an ad in Shotgun News for $160. I read several articles about it first and knew I wanted that rifle. I saved up the money from working overtime. That rifle was and still is a great shooter. I still have it, first of many.