Your First Muzzleloader?

[Zonie]

About 1971 I bought a "KENTUCKIAN" Flintlock in .44 caliber. It shot a patched .433 ball.
Made in Italy, it was a fairly nice rifle and was fairly good at firing when I got a flash in the pan.

It's interesting that guncobbler mentioned a Spanish 28 guage shotgun because at the same time that I bought the Kentuckian I also bought a Spanish 28 guage percussion shotgun. Hopefully his is better than the one I got.
I bought a box of 28 guage shells and disassembled them for the wads and shot.
Loading up the 28, I fired it and noticed the stock smoking. I fired another round and again noticed the smoking stock so I removed the barrel.
The breech plug appeared to be brazed in and the barrel channel was coated with fouling.
That is the last time I ever fired it.
When I sold it it was with the understanding that it was a decorator only.

I was 28 when I started this hobby and I've never regretted it. :grin:
zonie

 

[Slamfire]

My youngest son bought me a CVA Bobcat .50 for Christmas, the last year he was at home, 2001. I think he wanted my suppository guns. I gave him a couple. Now I have 4 more muzzleloaders, and the Bobcat still is the most accurate. :thumbsup:

 

[wszumera]

I remember my first muzzleloader. Uncle made it for himself years ago and ended up parting with it.

The rifle passed through a couple hands and a guy at work asked me if I was interested in a 'heirloom'. Well, I took one look at it and I knew that that was the rifle my uncle built. So some money passed hands and I brought her home.

Well hunting season came along and that long 1 1/4 wide barrel didn't hang from the shoulder worth a darn so I hacksawed off at least 8 inches of it and then I learned the bore wandered. Darn if that thing didn't look goofy from the muzzle end.

Well the rifle ended up sitting in a gun locker for close to 20 years or so because it looked ugly with the bore off center and the forearm too long.

Uncle decided I needed to get the ugly duck out and shoot it so he cut the forend back, fixed the chipped toe at the butstock and taper ground the barrel on his surface grinder to move that offcenter bore to where it looks just fine.

Oh yeah, I forgot, he removed that nasty poly finish that someone put on it along the way and he added a peep sight for me too.

Clutch

 

[noworries]

About 20 years ago for me.....a CVA Kentucky long rifle kit in .45 cal. I still have it and still shoot it.

 

[MSW]

it was, if memory serves (which it often doesn't) in 1982 or '83. i was stationed at Ft Bragg, and there was (and i hope there still is) a place off post called Cumberland Knife & Gun, where i bought my first muzzleloader: a T/C renegade in flint. it it still rests in my closet and will remain with me until they unwrap my cold dead fingers...

 

[longshot47]

Many moons ago, shorty after the Disney/Crockett thing, I was prowling the side streets and found this strange and dingy little shop up in town. Still have'nt figured out what is was about, but it held everything from crusty old lawnmowers to guns, -lotsa guns, lotsa looong guns. Everything was incredibly filthy and there was almost no light. In hindsight I think it was largely a machine repair shop, operated by a gun monger who lived somewhere back in the shadows. Anyway, I finally got in there [it was rarely open] and got to drooling and talking with the monger. Within days I was back, with my dad. The monger had pulled from what I think he called the 'downstairs stuff', an original smoothbore percussion musket [origin yet unknown] of about sixty-somethin cal. It was'nt pretty [had some very crude but crafty repairs] and it was'nt that long -but it sure was real. $20 bucks changed hands and I entered the Promised Land -armed!
I've still got the piece. Never shot it, but put more 'handling' wear on it than it got in it's first hundred years.
~Longshot

 

[squirejohn]

50c. TC Hawken kit gun - percussion -purchased to take advantage of the new muzzleloader season in the mid 1980's when I was about 47 yrs. old. Bought a GMB for it but soon "discovered" flintlocks and haven't shot it since.

 

[RP3543]

TC Renegade Flintlock in .54 Cal. Bought it in 1979. Even though that was 7 (or is it 8?) Black powder guns ago, I still own it, shoot it and will never part with.
Bob

 

[robinghewitt]

Can't remember

 

[Lonegun1894]

First was a 1858 Remington that was bought cause i wasnt old enough to buy a "real handgun". It was used for concealed carry til I got old enough to get another handgun and a license. Yes, I know, but i was young and dumb, still dumb most days so some things dont change. That was when i was 17 or so. Then came a Traditions kentucky pistol perc .50, then a .50 CVA Hawken caplock, and a .54 flint GPR about a year ago. Still have everything except the 1858. And keep being told that i have a 1860 Army coming to settle a debt, but i'm not worried about that one as its a good friend and not much of a debt anyways. refinishing the stock on the CVA right now, and just got done sanding it down last night.

 

[playfarmers]

My first was an Investarms Hawken in .45. A fellow I worked with had bought it as a kit and shot it a few times until it miss fired. He then took it home and put it away. I got it for $25, cleaned it up, and killed a few deer with it. That was about 18 years ago, and I am hopelessly hooked.

 

[Steve A.]

My first was a .50 CVA 'Hawken' flintlock back in 93-94.I was 14 or 15 at the time ,so my brother who was old enough actually bought it for me,with money i gave him. A few years ago i was short on cash so i sold it to my later regret. Now i have a .50 GPR flintlock. I now have my eye on the Christians Spring- Ed Marshal rifle on Jim Chambers site,or a full on Jaeger. I'm wantin me a big bore.

 

[Mulebrain]

Nice Thread :thumbsup:

After collecting 11 m1 garands including and m1d, 5 m1a's in varying configurations, 4 m1 carbines, shooting nra competition matches my travel increased and I just lost touch.

I have had Corvette feaver as well for many years. I decided to liquidate my collection to by the 67 Vette I currently have in the garage.

I kept a few guns, but nothing really collectible. When my son joined the scouts, we went to an outdoor gathering and some were shooting black powder I gave it a try of course!

The first purchase was a used beat up cva frontier rifle in .50. I have around 8 smoke poles, a pistol, and cannon!

I just wish someone had shown me earlier!

Well anyway, now I go to the range with my smokepoles, and it reminds me how much more fun black powder shooting is!

It is much more respectful to the earth and others!

Going to the range with all those high powered semi brass flinging beasts :haha:

When I fire my .54 flint with around 90 grains, it commands all the attention!

 

[Tumblernotch]

A very cheap Zouave rifle made in Italy by an unknown maker back in 1974. I bought it in a Heck's Department Store for about $69.00. It was the first gun I used as a reenactor and I shot roundball with it at the club. It shot PRB much better than Minies. It had a poorly finished 2 piece stock (the 2 pieces came nowhere close to matching) and no bayonet lug. The sear broke at a match and I would keep the trigger pulled back and set it off by letting go of the hammer with my thumb. I fixed it by gas welding a new nose to the sear and filing it (at least I learned something from trade school!) After getting an Enfield then a Richmond RM in the 80's, I finally sold it to a new recruit. I actually wish I still had it, if nothing else for the barrel it had and the lock.

 

[cdg]

Not as impressive of a story as some. I just got my first muzzeloader this past August. I was 18 still. It was a CVA Tower Pistol replica that a fellow on this forum offered me for 20 bucks shipped to my door. It was rough in condition, the brass had a lot of crud on it more than anything. Cleaned up really nice, and I enjoy shooting it now when I can. I hope I never have to get rid of it- I certainly have no plans to get rid of it. Oh, it is a 45 caliber model, percussion lock.

 

[Wehrmacht]

My first-really first?

My Grandad's (who reared me) old 10 or 12 ga double with "Blue Grass Hardware" stamped on the lock! He had retired it in favor of a Winchester Mod 12 pump gun, but it was STILL up in the attic :grin:. He wouldn't let me have it to shoot, but I got ahold of some black powder from a friend whose Dad had a muzzleloading pistol, and,well, my Grandad did have to go to work most days :haha:. I'd load that sucker up with a tablespoonful of powder,use Atlanta Journal newspaper for wadding and shoot J-Birds!

From there it just went from bad to worse...I've got about a dozen now. All flintlocks, but my Grandad's old double was a caplock. .22 shorts with the lead pulled out make pretty good percussion caps! :winking:

 

[kentucky bucky]

On Chistmas 1971 when I was 14, my Dad got me an old original Ohio smooth rifle that he bought from an ancient widow lady in my home town. She claimed it was carried by her grandfather in the Civil War as a volunteer. I don't know if it true, but the gun was made in the late 1840s to early 1850s period and was made in Chillicothe, OH. It is quite a relic with the front end of the two piece full stock missing. The patches and replacements on it make it full of history and character. It's about a 28 gauge and has the original horn, RB mould, and two boar tusk powder measures that are really well made. A few other items , some not related, came with it too. I had a new nipple and drum put in it and shot it quite a few times. and even took it in the woods some. I still get a thrill out of looking at it after not seeing it for a while. I guess I'm re-living that special Christmas that my wonderful Dad gave me. I will own it until I die!!!

 

[rebel727]

I was 12 and desperately wanted a pistol. I'd been saving my money from cutting yards and got my mom to drive me the 30 miles to the gun store. Bought a Rigarmi .58 Remington, a can of Dupont bp in the red and white can, a tin of caps and a bullet mold. I used that gun every day during the summer and put no telling how many thousands of rounds thru it. I practically lived on the river and killed many, many water mocasins and a few timber rattlers. The city dump was on the way to the river and hundreds of rats and bottles, and all kinds of stuff fell prey to it. After a couple of years the loading lever broke and it was retired. It ended up in my moms attic for about 30 years. Found it again a few months ago and got a new lever. Don't look so hot after the abuse a 12 year old can put something thru. It's been dropped, tossed, dunked in the river several times and 30 years in an attic took it's toll but I wouldn't take anything for it. Still have the bullet mold and the first powder can. After that I bought a .45 Kentucky flinter but it wouldn't spark cept maybe once out of 10-20 tries. Turned me off flinters for a long time and still don't have one but do want one now.

 

[LongRifleVaB]

1976 I was 12 years old

I received a "Ultra Hi" (by Miroku) FLINTLOCK kit.

So there I was... 12 years old, with an unfinished rifle. I actually browned the barrel, fit the stock and finished the wood. shot is a lot, but did not always clean it that well. Also, did not bother with patches... just jammed a ball down the bore.

I also did not like the front heavy weight, so I bored out the butt and poured molten lead into the holes... not recommended, that generated the need to refinish the stock for the first time, bubbled the heck out of the finish... what do you know when you are 12?

What is amazing is that over the years, I stripped the wood (in addition to the lead incident), re-stained, re-finished, stripped the barrel, Blued it... over and over

I still have it. The bore is not pitted an it shoots great.

Hard to believe....

 

[Moose_Meat]

My First Muzzleloader was a T/C .50 cal. Hawken Kit. I bought it with my own money 30 years ago when I was 15 local laws required that my dad purchase it but it was all mine.

I remember the sales Jerk at Dick's telling my dad that I was waisting my money because I would never be able to build it alone. Well I did and I shot many deer and even a few woodchucks with it.

Regrettable about 8 years ago I sent the rifle back to T/C when the stock cracked at the grip when I called I told them I wanted it repaired not replaced and was promised that if they had to replace it they would send my stocks and a Kit stock back that I could finish myself, well so much for the promise. T/C replaced stock with a piece of 2x4 with none of my parts. Long story short T/C screwed me and I sold the Rifle.