First Muzzleloader

[Big John]

Where,when and what was your muzzleloader bought or given?
For me:1967,local sporting store,a Pedersoli 36cal. Kentucky rifle

 

[David Grout]

My first was ( and still own ) an 1858 Remington revolver 44 cal. I purchased it at a sporting goods store I was working at in 1968. The plan was to use it to shoot jack rabbits. My 22 Rf rifle worked great but I wanted something different with a little challenge. I got pretty good with it after a while. I had to get a mold for it and learn to cast balls. I had an old cast iron pot and a ladle to melt lead in. My boss told me how to load and fire it but never showed me. It was a learn as you go thing. I still have all my finger and it was great fun learning to shoot black powder hands on so to speak.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I mail-ordered an inline 1st, found this forum 2nd, sold the inline 3rd, and gunbroker.com'd a TC Hawken; It was about a 6 month journey.

 

[cynthialee]

1860 colt clone from Italy. It had been my dads gun. It was an ok gun, but it was old when I got it. My mother gave it to my brother when she found it in my stuff after I left home. She told him to 'get rid of it'. He sold it for a bag of pot and some beer. Yes, I am still mad about that one and it has been 27 years. I had it very secure and the only way she could have found it was to go through my stuff and cut past alot of duck tape to get to it. She gave it to my brother 3 months before I had a chance to get my stuff out of moms house.
O, well. What can ya do?
I still feel that they owe me a gun.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

My first was a factory built .50cal CVA Mountain Rifle I bought mail order from the JCPennys catalog back in about 1979 or 80. Muzzleloader only hunting season was a pretty new thing then and a friend and I got muzzleloaders so we could get some extra hunting time. I never got the desire to graduate away from sidelocks and take up a scoped inline like everyone else around here, so I`ve still got that first rifle and still use it for deer hunting every once in awhile.

 

[Hawgeye]

Early seventies, spanish made smoothbore caplock. Nominally 69 caliber. I could hit dirt with most shots. It was great fun. I still own the second. 1977 CVA mountain rifle kit. Great shooter but not pretty. I replaced the trigger with an L&R and refinished the stock and installed new sights this winter. I broke the stock on my custom Hawken :cursing: :redface: yesterday so I need to drag the old girl out and see how she does.

 

[SamTex1949]

Hmmm, had to think on that but it was 1971 I bought (mail order!) a .58cal Zoave. I had saved an ad from 1968 on one for $82.50 and when I saw the same ad again a few years later for $87.50 but if you could find an ad selling for less they wouold honor that price ! Well guess who sent ijn the "old ad" and they did honor it!! Later on while visiting Dixie gun works I bought an extra barrel, Nurmrich Arms (7L/G) and only a front sight. Had a williams rear sight put on and it be came a serious tack driver, especially wit hthe Lyman 350grain Semi Wad cutter minie.

 

[bubba.50]

1978 I ordered a 54cal renegade & my brother ordered a 54cal great plains both kit guns. both came from bowhunters discount warehouse in pa. the renegade was $118.00 & the great plains $5.00 more. those were the shipped prices. finished guns were about 20 or 25 bucks more.

 

[Trench]

A .50 Traditions Hawken in late 2006. I had to replace the lock with an L&R lock after it basically fell apart. I don't shoot it anymore since I've progressed in the hobby. However, it will be the rifle my son learns off of when he's old enough.

 

[hanshi]

Mine was a mail order H&A Heritage underhammer in .45. This was in the mid 1960s. Still have the old rifle but it's just display now because it's worn out.

 

[TinStar]

Mine was a 50 cal CVA Mountain Rifle in kit form that wifey gave me about '79 for Christmas. Killed quite a few deer with that gun. It was a real tack driver.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[pa woods roamer]

Got my first one for $20.00. Guy I worked with bought a Jukar Kit Gun, one with the two piece Stock. He messed it up and was spouting off one Day that He`d sell the Dang thing for $20.00. He had missed one of the Barrel Lugs and had some Gaps in the inletting. Re-drilled the hole and plugged the Gaps with Plastic Wood. It was kinda ugly but had a good Barrel and I won some stuff with it.......

 

[S.Kenton]

Mine was a 45 caliber CVA rifle...looked like a hawken without the patchbox. I wish i woulda kept that one

 

[George T.]

Mine was a mowrey 50 in 68. As soon as the T/C's hit the market I bought oneThat is if you do not count the 410's from who knows where that we ordered in 60. They were smooth bores and the hammer had to drop at least twice to fire. I can hardly believe that we could buy these , powder and caps at 15 or so. When I was in the 8 th grade we bought 22 and 410 shells at the Western Auto store a half mile from the house. Went hunting on our bikes with the shotgun accross the handle bars and my 22 colt new frontier in my waist band. Those were the days and by the way we did not shoot anyone. We had been tought responsability! Geo. T.

 

[rafterob]

I believe it was 1974, a CVA Philadelphia derringer kit I bought at Target for something like $29 soon followed by a Flintlock Kentucky pistol kit (CVA). A few years later I grafted a rifle butt on to the kentucky pistol to aid in accuracy, worked great.

 

[Col. Batguano]

1974. Ruger Old Army. Bought it because I was too young to buy a cartridge pistol. My parents found out about it and made me return it. A couple years later I bought an Italian knock off brass framed `51 Navy, that wobbled loose. Then in `78 my forst BP rifle was a Shiloh New Model 1863 Sharps Carbine.

 

[Poor Private]

1970. A buddy of mine brought a bunch back from Italy in his seabag. I traded a set of 14" chevy chrome reverse wheels for mine. Shot the heck out of it.

 

[hoochiepapa]

1980's. I bought two Cabela's Hawken's in their bargain basement for $100 each. There was a small crack in the stock where the lock screw went through, on both, pinned them, and they were good as new. 54 caliber, chrome bores, percussion, they shoot great, have killed many elk with mine. Gave the other to my dad, but I have it now.
100grs. poopodex and Hornady Great Plains bullet, drops them.

 

[donk56]

I got into guns while working at S&W. Mostly pistols.
I started shooting BP in the late 70's just to extend the hunting season,
so the only gun available to hunt with in Mass back then was a smooth bore.
A friend and I bought TC 56's. I promptly switched from shooting cartridge guns to BP.
During the mid 80's I stopped shooting altogether, traded my 56 for a vcr (very expensive back then)
I always regretted getting rid of that gun, especially after the vcr died.
I have renewed my interest in shooting again thanks to all the nonsense happening lately.
This year I found another TC 56 and as luck would have it last week I found another, let me just say, I
can't pass these guns up. Love shootin these things.

 

[WMR]

Hi from another W. Mass TC Renegade 56 shooter.
Build mine as my first ML in the early 80's. Thinking about selling it because at 75 I'm going with the lighter stuff. The 56 SB has been a workhorse getting everything from woodchucks to coyotes to deer.