GATOVILLE, Utah --- That cranky, ol desert cat Gatofeo has joined the Muzzleloading Forum.
"I'm pleased to stumble across this site and hope I can learn and add my own experiences to it," the 49-year-old bachelor said.
A resident of the remote Utah desert, Gatofeo haunts more than a dozen shooting and reloading sites, including a few black powder ones.
"My strongest black powder interest is in cap and ball revolvers, which I've been shooting since about 1970," he said. "I've learned a great deal about cap and ball sixguns, much of which I've passed on in other sites."
He also owns a .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle of the Hawken pattern.
Modern arms are not neglected, however. Gatofeo reloads for about 20 different calibers, from .22 Hornet to .45-70. He also loads black powder cartridges for his .32 Long Colt (in an original 1892 Marlin), .44-40 and .45-70 rifles.
"I cast my own bullets for some calibers too," the ugly cat said.
"Yep, that's what 'Gatofeo' means: ugly cat, in Spanish. I'm actually of German and Belgian ancestry," he said.
How Gatofeo got his nickname is a mystery, but he did say it involved being stranded in a Snoqualmie Pass avalanche with an all-woman topless accordion band for four days.
"Whoo-boy, there's a story. But I'd get booted from here if I told it," he said with his famous Cheshire grin.
Raised in Washington State ("on the sane, eastern side of the state," he grumbled), Gatofeo worked for a number of newspapers in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Utah.
"Journalism pays so poorly that when this opportunity came I leapt at it," he said, sipping on a Catnip Julep.
"I was a reporter but am now a writer and photgrapher for a major company," Gatofeo said.
When he's not shooting, Gatofeo enjoys exploring the vast Utah desert and its history.
"I live near the Pony Express Route, that went from Missouri to California in the 1860s," he said. "I like to hop in the Gatmobile and look for new sights."
Gatofeo also enjoys military history, antiques, gin and tonics or old Scotch, old books, fishing, studying the paranormal, cooking, chatting with friends on the internet and travel.
"I look forward to my time in the Muzzleloading Forum," Gatofeo said. "I expect I'll learn a great deal and add something to it --- even if it's just an occasional dose of my quirky humor."
"I'm pleased to stumble across this site and hope I can learn and add my own experiences to it," the 49-year-old bachelor said.
A resident of the remote Utah desert, Gatofeo haunts more than a dozen shooting and reloading sites, including a few black powder ones.
"My strongest black powder interest is in cap and ball revolvers, which I've been shooting since about 1970," he said. "I've learned a great deal about cap and ball sixguns, much of which I've passed on in other sites."
He also owns a .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle of the Hawken pattern.
Modern arms are not neglected, however. Gatofeo reloads for about 20 different calibers, from .22 Hornet to .45-70. He also loads black powder cartridges for his .32 Long Colt (in an original 1892 Marlin), .44-40 and .45-70 rifles.
"I cast my own bullets for some calibers too," the ugly cat said.
"Yep, that's what 'Gatofeo' means: ugly cat, in Spanish. I'm actually of German and Belgian ancestry," he said.
How Gatofeo got his nickname is a mystery, but he did say it involved being stranded in a Snoqualmie Pass avalanche with an all-woman topless accordion band for four days.
"Whoo-boy, there's a story. But I'd get booted from here if I told it," he said with his famous Cheshire grin.
Raised in Washington State ("on the sane, eastern side of the state," he grumbled), Gatofeo worked for a number of newspapers in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Utah.
"Journalism pays so poorly that when this opportunity came I leapt at it," he said, sipping on a Catnip Julep.
"I was a reporter but am now a writer and photgrapher for a major company," Gatofeo said.
When he's not shooting, Gatofeo enjoys exploring the vast Utah desert and its history.
"I live near the Pony Express Route, that went from Missouri to California in the 1860s," he said. "I like to hop in the Gatmobile and look for new sights."
Gatofeo also enjoys military history, antiques, gin and tonics or old Scotch, old books, fishing, studying the paranormal, cooking, chatting with friends on the internet and travel.
"I look forward to my time in the Muzzleloading Forum," Gatofeo said. "I expect I'll learn a great deal and add something to it --- even if it's just an occasional dose of my quirky humor."
:thumbsup: 
