Mangonboat
36 Cl.
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2021
- Messages
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- Reaction score
- 125
Full Disclosure: I'm a 65 yo guy who a) hasnt shot a black powder gun in 30 years; b) is still working full time as a solo business owner; c) has too many hobbies already. My Dad passed a year ago and I inherited several of his guns including three percussion rifles and a cap and ball pistol. I actually chose these BP guns over unmentionable rifles when the guns were being divvied up between me and my brothers, but after months of research, I'm convinced I have too many BP guns . I know..blasphemy. But I am not a collector of things and already have more bows, guns, fishing rods and boats than I can use. My wife has no interest in my shooting and hunting but we enjoy hiking with the dogs (a lot) and paddling our kayaks on the rivers. We recently downsized to a new, smaller home and we are both enthusiastic about clearing out stuff that we wont use. So I come before you as a man in search of information to help guide my decisions.
Item 1: a Farmington Shiloh New Model 1859 Sharps rifle, 54 cal. , mid 3 digit SN, fired less than a dozen times. This one has a strong sentimental atttraction, as my brothers and I were Scouts in a very active troop in the late 1960s and spent a lot of time hiking and camping in Civil War battlefields all over the southeast but especially Shiloh. That was the attraction when my Dad's good friend opened a gun store in Blissfield, Michigan (that I helped build) in the mid 1970's and this was the first BP gun my Dad bought. He didnt know that the definition of muzzleloading weapon for Michigan's muzzleloader season excluded breech-loading rifles and this this beautiful gun never went afield. Long story short: this gun is really heavy for a hunting weapon but it is so well-made, so interesting from both historical and functiona/operation standpoints, now legal for hunting ,at least in all the states I hunt, and suited to any game I might hunt with it. Plus it offers the entire sideshow of rolling your own paper cartridges.
Item 2: a Cabelas /Investarms Hawken, 50 caliber, drilled an tapped for scope mounts with a Redfield 3x9 scope . This was my Dad's BP hunting rifle. Dad was an excellent bowhunter dating back to the late 1940's. He disdained hunting deer with a unmentionable rifle, having done it exactly one time in 1968 for 30 minutes and harvesting a buck at 175 yards. But he enjoyed hunting in the late muzzleloader season for deer and turkey and took a very practical approach: a Cabelas Hawken was not a collector's piece and was kind of like an updated mountain man weapon, and a scope made it easier to shoot with confidence but without a lot of time on the practice range. If I was going to be serious about harvesting deer in the BP seasons, this would be my first choice, but I am a traditional bowhunter , have been for 50 years, and I'm not as serious about harvesting as I am about being in the woods and able to consistently put myself in a position to be able to choose in the moment whether to shoot or not.
Item 3: a 50 cal.. repro Kentucky rifle made in 1976 by Palmetto Arms in Italy and sold by Richland Arms in Blissfiled Michigan. This gun has never been fired. As noted above, my Dad's good friend opened a gun shop in Blissfield and was close friends with the owner of Richland Furs in Blissfield that branched out into Richland Arms as both were essentially import sales businesses. Dad liked the look of the long Kentucky / Pennsylvania style BP rifle and bought this one to hang over the fireplace, as depicted so often in TV and films. He said it was my Mom's gun. The gun is very basic, as if it was intended for an owner who wanted to have the plain brass plates custom-engraved. But the stock is pretty and it served its intended purpose for over 40 years. Could be a great shooter, could be tempermental and spray bullets. It has the practical advantage of being a 50 cal. so compatible with the bullets, balls, powder, patches, etc. for the Hawken, which I'm sure my Dad considered, but that never became a relevant advantage. Our fireplace is actually a modern wood-burning furnace that generates 40,000 BTU of forced air heating, so I'm not going to hang a firearm over it. This rifle does not hold much interest for me.
Item 4 : a 1976 Pietta reproduction of the Remington New Army aka 1858 cap and ball revolver, 44 cal., also purchased by my Dad from his buddy who got it through his buddy at Richland Arms but not marked as such. Dad bought these guns when his 4 sons were in high school or college nearby but within 2 years were were all involved with other things or working hundreds of miles away, so this one has fired less than 100 rounds..but it was fun at the time! This one is intruiging for its history and functionality plus much more simple to maintain and operate than a muzzleloader in terms of accessories and supplies. I like that the operational concept is so simple: load 30 gr. of fffG, place round ball on top ( filler and /or wad optional), move on to the next chamber. Add some grease over the balls, place caps on when you're ready to shoot, shoot six shots and thats about it. Glaringly obvious in its rejection of the need for fiddling with charge, projectile, wads, etc. and equally obvious in its being unsuited to use as a primary hunting weapon or to modern warfare. But I am a participating witness that it's magnificently fun for plinking. Has a matching holster. I love American history but the odds of my suddenly deciding to become a re-enacter are zero...there is too much going on in our country right now that holds my attention.
So what does a fellow whose BP passion is unlikely to rise above the level of "casually-interested" and whose tolerance for toys he doesnt use do in this situation? Dad had more hobbies than me and after he retired added going to auctions and estate sales so when the time came to clean out their 5 bedroom home, full basement, attic, garage, and polebarn, I became very clear in my determination to never do that to my wife or my kids. If any of you folks have faced a similar dilema or have relevant expereince with any of these guns, please chime in.
Item 1: a Farmington Shiloh New Model 1859 Sharps rifle, 54 cal. , mid 3 digit SN, fired less than a dozen times. This one has a strong sentimental atttraction, as my brothers and I were Scouts in a very active troop in the late 1960s and spent a lot of time hiking and camping in Civil War battlefields all over the southeast but especially Shiloh. That was the attraction when my Dad's good friend opened a gun store in Blissfield, Michigan (that I helped build) in the mid 1970's and this was the first BP gun my Dad bought. He didnt know that the definition of muzzleloading weapon for Michigan's muzzleloader season excluded breech-loading rifles and this this beautiful gun never went afield. Long story short: this gun is really heavy for a hunting weapon but it is so well-made, so interesting from both historical and functiona/operation standpoints, now legal for hunting ,at least in all the states I hunt, and suited to any game I might hunt with it. Plus it offers the entire sideshow of rolling your own paper cartridges.
Item 2: a Cabelas /Investarms Hawken, 50 caliber, drilled an tapped for scope mounts with a Redfield 3x9 scope . This was my Dad's BP hunting rifle. Dad was an excellent bowhunter dating back to the late 1940's. He disdained hunting deer with a unmentionable rifle, having done it exactly one time in 1968 for 30 minutes and harvesting a buck at 175 yards. But he enjoyed hunting in the late muzzleloader season for deer and turkey and took a very practical approach: a Cabelas Hawken was not a collector's piece and was kind of like an updated mountain man weapon, and a scope made it easier to shoot with confidence but without a lot of time on the practice range. If I was going to be serious about harvesting deer in the BP seasons, this would be my first choice, but I am a traditional bowhunter , have been for 50 years, and I'm not as serious about harvesting as I am about being in the woods and able to consistently put myself in a position to be able to choose in the moment whether to shoot or not.
Item 3: a 50 cal.. repro Kentucky rifle made in 1976 by Palmetto Arms in Italy and sold by Richland Arms in Blissfiled Michigan. This gun has never been fired. As noted above, my Dad's good friend opened a gun shop in Blissfield and was close friends with the owner of Richland Furs in Blissfield that branched out into Richland Arms as both were essentially import sales businesses. Dad liked the look of the long Kentucky / Pennsylvania style BP rifle and bought this one to hang over the fireplace, as depicted so often in TV and films. He said it was my Mom's gun. The gun is very basic, as if it was intended for an owner who wanted to have the plain brass plates custom-engraved. But the stock is pretty and it served its intended purpose for over 40 years. Could be a great shooter, could be tempermental and spray bullets. It has the practical advantage of being a 50 cal. so compatible with the bullets, balls, powder, patches, etc. for the Hawken, which I'm sure my Dad considered, but that never became a relevant advantage. Our fireplace is actually a modern wood-burning furnace that generates 40,000 BTU of forced air heating, so I'm not going to hang a firearm over it. This rifle does not hold much interest for me.
Item 4 : a 1976 Pietta reproduction of the Remington New Army aka 1858 cap and ball revolver, 44 cal., also purchased by my Dad from his buddy who got it through his buddy at Richland Arms but not marked as such. Dad bought these guns when his 4 sons were in high school or college nearby but within 2 years were were all involved with other things or working hundreds of miles away, so this one has fired less than 100 rounds..but it was fun at the time! This one is intruiging for its history and functionality plus much more simple to maintain and operate than a muzzleloader in terms of accessories and supplies. I like that the operational concept is so simple: load 30 gr. of fffG, place round ball on top ( filler and /or wad optional), move on to the next chamber. Add some grease over the balls, place caps on when you're ready to shoot, shoot six shots and thats about it. Glaringly obvious in its rejection of the need for fiddling with charge, projectile, wads, etc. and equally obvious in its being unsuited to use as a primary hunting weapon or to modern warfare. But I am a participating witness that it's magnificently fun for plinking. Has a matching holster. I love American history but the odds of my suddenly deciding to become a re-enacter are zero...there is too much going on in our country right now that holds my attention.
So what does a fellow whose BP passion is unlikely to rise above the level of "casually-interested" and whose tolerance for toys he doesnt use do in this situation? Dad had more hobbies than me and after he retired added going to auctions and estate sales so when the time came to clean out their 5 bedroom home, full basement, attic, garage, and polebarn, I became very clear in my determination to never do that to my wife or my kids. If any of you folks have faced a similar dilema or have relevant expereince with any of these guns, please chime in.
