Your first ML rifle

[Glen1313]

Mine...inherited...grandpa ordered a Thompson Renegade from the TC custom shop. He requested a checkered walnut stock with a RB twist (1:66). I've never seen another Renegade with a checkered walnut stock...but, it's gorgeous.

Anyway, sometime in the late 90s he also ordered a 1: 28 twist LRHLRH carbine barrel from Green Mountain that was fitted with a warne detachable mount and a vintage Redfield 1.75-5 scope. Now, I won't post it here because this is a traditional forum, but it is a beautiful sidelock with every bit of accuracy and range as any new fangled scoped BP inline. It was my first, and it is like nothing else made in the last 30 years.

 

[Glen1313]

My only point in mentioning that above is....there are many who favor those new fangled inline plastic/stainless models and swear their accuracy surpassed a traditional sidelock..ive found that to be not accurate. Dont get me wrong; I love and appreciate all firearms - both traditional and modern. But, I discovered this traditional sidelock with a comparative modern barrel beats many and most of my more modern muzzys. And, frankly, I find it's much easier to clean, maintain, and re-fire rapidly. That was frankly surprising to me.

Point is, the ole timers knew some things...

 

[Huntschool]

First ML was an original 1863 Springfield. In great shape so I shot it. That got me started back in the 60's.... Thankfully, somewhere along the way I found other rifles.... real Hawken copies, and real long rifles. I have only had one "kit gun" in the house since and that is a highly modified CVA Mt. Rifle I got from Dave Silk, as a gift to my wife from him, when he owned CVA many years ago. Wife still shoots that gun and will not let me touch it to sort of "fix" some style things I now, after years of shooting and building, know better how to do.

Never got into the In Line stuff. Just was not interested. Oh, yea, I have only fired about 20 shots of Pyrodex… That was enough... Its real black for me.

 

[Prairieofthedog]

Got a .50 cal.TC Renegade Kit in 1970.Put it together outside on a table.Still have it.

 

[Poboy]

Back around 1970 I was fresh out of high school and fellow from Montana moved into my home town here in Minnesota that just happened to be a Browning sales representative serving 5 1/2 states. He somehow befriended me and I got my first exposure to guns other than the Mossberg 500 20 gauge that my dad bought me when I turned 14 years old, dad's Winchester Model 12 twelve gauge and old George's 12 gauge Browning A-5. Turns out this gun salesman has a gun collection and he starts teaching me about highly engraved guns, not only Browning but other makers and custom makers, too. Rifles, shotguns, pistols with gold inlays, rose and scroll engravings, etc. As an observer now of gun embellishment there was a never ending supply of other peoples work to examine under a jeweler's loupe, including some Browning sales samples. My new found friend eventually moved back to Montana but before he left I got the latest info about new guns Browning was coming out with and I started saving money. The first Jonathan Browning Mountain Rifle I saw went home with me. I still have it, but, I don't remember it being so heavy back in the late 1970's. I had shot muzzleloaders before but this one was mine paid for with my own money. They were available with brass or steel furniture and this one is brass and a half inch hole in the end of the barrel. Once spring rolls around I plan on shooting the JBM rifle and the .32 flinklock my brother gave me some years ago, made by a fellow named J. Bergmann. Anyone know the fellow or have my rifles brother?

I have your brother's rifle.....shhhh....don't tell him, maybe he won't miss it.

 

[Poboy]

Well, I don't think this really qualifies as a rifle, but my grandfather bought what is probably best described as a musket or shotgun. My first intro to BP. He bought it mail order cheap cheap. I was around 8 and I would take it out hunting, stomping around the ranch solo.

He gave me a .45 shell and told me to only put that much powder in it, a wad of rag, a measure of shot, and another piece of rag.

I pretty quickly got tired of squirrels running off after I totally nailed them, so I put 2 powder charges in it, and it worked much better.

I got really chewed out for putting it away dirty......well, excuse me Gramps, you never schooled me on cleaning firearms one little bit. My pellet guns didn't need cleaning. If he had told me and showed me, I would have done it. It wasn't so much that I didn't clean it , it was that I put it away, ( out of sight, out of mind), and HE forgot I had shot it.

Anyway, my first ML was a CVA .45 Kentucky long rifle kit that I still have. Don't know how many years ago, but over 20. Don't remember the cost, but seems like it was just under $100.

 

[garypl]

My first M/L was a Tingle .45 cal percussion half stock I bought in 1968 or 69. Serial #49. Made by Tingle Rifle Co in Shelbyville, IN, if I recall correctly.

I pawned that rifle at a shop in Havelock NC back in 1971 or 72 when I was in the Marine Corps and I still regret that decision. Anyone here still shoot/have one of the old Tingle rifles?

Gary

 

[smo]

Investarms .50 cal perc was my first..

 

[Robby]

Mine was a Dixie Tennessee Mountain Rifle. It had Made in Japan prominently displayed on the top of the barrel between the breech and the rear sight. I really did like the gun but never could warm up to it because of that and sold it a couple years later. Kind of like the American flag I had with a tag that said, 'Made in Germany', I never flew it.
Robby

 

[Hawgeye]

My first rifle was a CVA Mountain Rifle kit given to me by my wife as a Christmas present in 1978. I still have it and while it doesn't resemble a mountain rifle much any more, it still gets more shooting time, with the exception of my Dickert, than the other ten or twelve rifles I seem to own. I forget where they all came from, maybe they reproduce in the dark of the safe? I changed all the fittings out to steel, added a steel nose cap and entry thimble and new sights, a Davis trigger, browned the barrel and fittings, thinned out the profile and darkened the stock with Aqua Fortis. It still shoots straight.

 

[GreenMtnHunter]

Mine...inherited...grandpa ordered a Thompson Renegade from the TC custom shop. He requested a checkered walnut stock with a RB twist (1:66). I've never seen another Renegade with a checkered walnut stock...but, it's gorgeous.

Anyway, sometime in the late 90s he also ordered a 1: 28 twist LRHLRH carbine barrel from Green Mountain that was fitted with a warne detachable mount and a vintage Redfield 1.75-5 scope. Now, I won't post it here because this is a traditional forum, but it is a beautiful sidelock with every bit of accuracy and range as any new fangled scoped BP inline. It was my first, and it is like nothing else made in the last 30 years.

 

[GreenMtnHunter]

My first is pretty close to yours...1987 or '88, TC Renegade in .56 SB. No checkering, but the second stock is even nicer than the first...ooops, I fell on it; long story...but the replacement was free! Still a nice shooter!

 

[rbrouhard]

My first was a so called Buffalo Gun in 58 cal. In reality it was a sporterized Zouave. It was around 1970 and I had seen an article in one of the national gun magazines about this Buffalo Gun. I had to have it. When it arrived it had a shiny stock bright blue barrel which and I thought was beautiful. Thankfully I’m over that shiny look. I also ordered: a powder flask, adjustable powder measure, inline capper, and Lyman minie ball mold, I even remembered the handles. I don’t remember the load weight but it was 2f and capped it with # 10 caps. Ignition was inconsistent so I took it to a local Twin Cities gunsmith and he fitted it so it took musket caps. Problem solved. First shots were fired a few miles north of Mpls at Countryside Gun Range. Don’t remember the group size just the fun I had doing.

 

[Travler]

As a teen in So Oregon, A great guy named Jim befriended me and taught me about firearms and responsibility such as a young man should know about guns and about 1977 I bought a fine looking Bicentennial CVA Pennsylvania long rifle flint 45. However, she was and is still all cover and no book. Shortly after I bought it her stock cracked at the wrist. Now Jim was a master cabinet maker and he glued that thing back - still holding. Then the frizen case hardening got wore through and sparks with her were a only a dream... I stopped with that until the mid 80's when I bought a small pistol lock kit from Dixie. I just finished fitting that thing into the stock and that frizen just broke off. Got a new one and the lock makes sparks good now. Somewhere in here I figured out that the threads for the breach plug were cut too far in, so cleaning patches get dragged off the jag almost every time you swab that thing.

Long and short is that gun was my first so she is special, and still is pretty to look at, but we don't go dancing any more!

 

[Eutycus]

Thumbing through this post I've come across the letters "CVA" many times. My first taste of blackpowder also was with one of their kits. It seems many shooters have gone on to bigger and better guns. Where are all of those CVAs today?

 

[Bad Karma]

First ML was a chopped Navy Arms (uberti) 1860 Colts replica. Dad sold it to me because he wanted me to learn pistol craft and it would be legal for 13 year old me to tote all over the countryside. Shot many pounds of lead and powder through it before enlisting @ 17. I shot primarily. 223, .308, and .45 for the next 8 years but when I came home a buddy lent me his TC hawken for elk season and I was hooked! I was on a tight budget so I scoured the pawnshops in small towns until I found a sad and abused Renegade .54. That was in 1985, I hand lapped the bore to remove most of the pits and I'm still shooting that old Renegade. I've bought and sold a bunch of "better" rifles but this one stays.

 

[Newtire]

First one was an original I got back in 1958 for $5.00. It was non-shootable to me. Being only 8 yrs. old, I didn't know how to fix things like that up. It was a smooth bore of about .50 caliber. A cap lock using a single wedge. The mainspring was missing.

Got a shooter in the form of a kit T/C "Hawken" after watching Jeremiah Johnson. The madness started at that point.

 

[patriot]

My first rifle was a Lyman Great Plains percussion in .54 and was factory finished. I thought about buying a kit but to save $50-75 to me, the novice, was not worth it. After I got it, I refinished the barrel (browned it) and refinished the stock. Looked really nice and was a great shooter. I leave the building to others.

 

[cooncrazy]

parents got me a t/c Hawkins .50 cal kit in 1983. I was in the air force and worked a deal out with the first sargent to build it in the barracks. cops didn't know what to think! I browned the barrel in a pizza oven that we installed in the airman's club. I sighted it in, then filed the front sight smooth with the barrel. finnished the stock, then it dropped off the wire while it was drying. chipped the bottom corner off the stock. glues and nailed it back together, then found a lace on sling to cover the booboo up.

 

[Eutycus]

Earlier I stated that my first was a CVA kit. It seems many got their start with a TC kit as well. Same guestion, "Where are all of those kit guns today"?