kervinlee
32 Cal
"I am a Pilgrim and a Stranger" to the Muzzleloading Forum today, and I am very glad of it. Through the forum I hope to connect with other muzzleloading enthusiasts in my area (Oakland, Ca) and around the country. My interest in muzzleloading goes way back to the late 1970s: my older sister's then-boyfriend built a kit Harper's Ferry smoothbore flintlock pistol (I couldn't hit a damn thing with it but my pal Alex was pretty good) and had a Thompson/Center .50 cal Hawken with a percussion lock. We used to head into the hills around Half Moon Bay and shoot, with no bother and no trouble. Very soon during that time I built a CVA Mountain Rifle .50 cal percussion which I still have and plan on reconditioning soon. That rifle unfortunately had a poorly made sear in the lock and eventually wouldn't stay at full-cock. One of my fondest memories is taking my dad to the range and getting off a nice grouping before I rammed a ball down without powder! We went home and made a ball-screw extractor on our Craftsman lathe.
At that time also Colt was producing their second-generation cap-and-ball pistols which were just too expensive for me at that time. I have since acquired an unfired 1851 Navy and hope to learn more about it here. I also was very taken by the gunmaking article in the "Foxfire 5" book that covered a flintlock being made by Hershel House.
So, right now I have the CVA Mountain Rifle, the 1851 Navy Colt, and a Thompson/Center .50 Hawken which I have just fired with great satisfaction for the first time. I'm planning on building a flintlock longrifle from a kit soon, I'm looking at the Kibler products. Also, I'm having a difficult time finding real black powder here; I'm shooting Pyrodex currently. Anyone in my area know where it can be found?
At that time also Colt was producing their second-generation cap-and-ball pistols which were just too expensive for me at that time. I have since acquired an unfired 1851 Navy and hope to learn more about it here. I also was very taken by the gunmaking article in the "Foxfire 5" book that covered a flintlock being made by Hershel House.
So, right now I have the CVA Mountain Rifle, the 1851 Navy Colt, and a Thompson/Center .50 Hawken which I have just fired with great satisfaction for the first time. I'm planning on building a flintlock longrifle from a kit soon, I'm looking at the Kibler products. Also, I'm having a difficult time finding real black powder here; I'm shooting Pyrodex currently. Anyone in my area know where it can be found?