How did you get hooked on M/L's

P

Pahoo

New member
Thought I'd start a new thread in hopes that it would catch on better than the last. My question is; How did you get hooked on M/L's; preferably but not exclusive to SideLocks. .... :)

Back in the late 70's, I was deep into archery. Shot competition and hunted every year. My hunting buddy and I use to conduct clinics at outdoor events. At one of these events, we started hearing some strange reports and watching smoke rise from just over the hill. Out of curiosity I went over to take a look. The first thing I saw, was three tepees, baker tents, women and men straight out of the late 1800's. A fella invited me to join them. Asked if he could shoot my bow. I let him and he shot just as good as I did, with excellent form. Then he offered me his Tryon to shoot. Didn't know what to expect beyond all that stinky smoke. Pulled the trigger and I was hooked. Handed the rifle back to him and said sarcastically, "Thanks A lot!!!" He just smiled and said "yor welcom" in Buckskinner fashion. I've been hooked ever since, lost count of my SideLocks. forgot more American history than I got in school and life it good. .... :)

"Always look forward to something" and;
Be Safe !!!
 
You talked me into it. ;)

I was happily spinning my wheelguns and you said "Go ahead and get that Renegade.... go for it..... you'll love it!" and you were right. :)
 
A friend gave me a flintsmashing gun he had put together from a kit ...... it was a trick to get it to shoot at all ..... but I liked the challenge and the history ....... gave me a new appreciation for what this nation's first settlers were dealing with ..... great experiences.
 
I didn't have to look any farther than Walt Disney's "Davy Crockett" series. Through the years other television series, movies and events helped to feed my interests in black powder shooting.:cool:
 
robhof

I was 16 yrs old and couldn't legally own a gun, but could order a b/p kit gun from a catalog and the rest is history; 1st b/p gun in 1966 and a devoted dark sider ever since!:D:cool::rolleyes:
 
How did you get hooked on M/L's?

-----------------------------

Hated bow hunting and desired a longer hunting season into December. Michigan's gun hunting season is Nov 15th - Nov 30th. Blackpowder rifles allow me 10 days public land hunting in December.
 
Close friend at work he and I agreed we while seated at the lunch room table how we both were bored of hunting with modern rifle shotguns and compound bows. Just to easy for either he or I to kill with any of those weapons as we both were very very proficient with all. {A time in our lives when we both could pull over 70-lb fast cam bows fairly easy.} Shortly after the discussion we had. He went out and bought a Thompson Contender for a change up w/ a 45 Colt barrel and capable of shooting 2-1/2" 410 shot-shells as you probably already know. A little time went by and he purchased his last barrel >a 30-30 cartridge barrel at my behest that was scoped and showed exceptional accuracy out to 50 & 75 yards.

I took a different path around that same time. I bought a T/C Hawken 54 cal cap lock from Fox Ridge Outfitters. Almost immediately upon delivery. {like a week later.} I purchased a factory drop-in Rd-Ball barrel for it from the same business place. {I just had to have it!!} Wanted to see better accuracy w/ Patched Ball was my reason that somehow past muster with the wife'ee.
A couple summer months went by. I wanted to try something different Yup!! ordered another rifle. This time a T/C 50 cal Hawken >Flintlock.

6 months later my friend and I were both pumped with how much fun we were having on those weekends shooting both rifles. I being flush with cash from working two jobs. (Why not have a couple more.)

Yup!! Placed another order w/ Fox Ridge. This time I bought 54 cal WMC. 58 cal Renegade Big Bore and my soon to be favored for the deer stand a little 45 Cal Hawken cap lock from F/R's Custom Shop having a factory Rd Ball Barrel installed. I was in second heaven. 5 rifles to choose from anytime and one, anyone of them to share with my friend. What more could a guy ask for. A close friend, Guns, lots of powder to burn, and a place to burn it.

Well now Pahoo. As time went by I still had that near new spare 54 barrel w/ its 1-48 twist sitting in the closet from the change out on my first Hawken. So I decided to build one. And I did. A nice clean Renegade 54 Cal cap lock. Bidding on spare parts from Ebay got me by. Stock, double set triggers, Lock, tang, and all the usual blued hardware got rounded up. Around that time of building. I really got the bug in wanting one of those Green Mtn Long Range Hunter Barrels everyone one was raving about. So I ordered a 45 cal Stainless Steel Quicky Twister from G/M.__"Now a barrel isn't worth having if it can't be shot."__I hope you agree? So again I shopped on EBay for more spare parts. Again another T/C 45 Hawken emerge from a hodgepodge of spare parts so's to take up another spot in the safe. While having the ability of choice to shoot most any B/P popular caliber. I seem to like the easy shooting and accurate 45 Ball one that has more than a few times dropped deer on the spot from 25-ft out to 100 yards for me.
BTW: Never could get my friend to go Traditional. But he did buy a Omega stainless years ago so's to show me some shooting competition. Well he tried. :p
 
Back in the 90s here in Washington ther was a couple week muzzle loader season for elk so I picked up a used Thompson Center Hawkin from a family friend that needed funds.......now the BP season for elk is only a week.

I hunted it this year with my multiseason elk otherwise I would not have.
 
I watched Jeramiah Johnson back in the 70's .
Click to expand...

Yep, that got me too! Plus, while I was walking to school in Bolivar Missouri I had to walk past the town square Ace Hardware and they always had some muzzleloader kits in the window. I just couldn't resist them.
 
The 1960s and 70s westerns were the motivation for BP revolvers.
Along with being able to buy them without being treated like a potential criminal.
The long guns were motivated by a couple of local gun clubs holding regular ML matches.
They looked like great fun and completely different than my usual action matches.
And they are.
And a perfect combination with the traditional archery matches.
 
Every dog deserves one good bight.

So I ordered a 45 cal Stainless Steel Quicky Twister from G/M.__"Now a barrel isn't worth having if it can't be shot."__I hope you agree?
Click to expand...
Totally agree and that goes for most guns as well. A friend of mine, recently took a "Wall-Hanger" SideLock to a gun show, to sell and was asked why he was selling it, considering he was such an ardent fan of M/L's. Said he had to think about an answer and said that he was a hunter/shooter and not shootable so it needed to go to a better home. .... ;)

Sure-Shot,
You certainly have walked and interesting patch definitely hooked. Since I was a kid, I have always been interested in primitive weapons and getting into M/L's was a natural step. Seems as if it's getting rare for younger folks to get interested in M/L's and the history. Although my door is not locked against MML's, it sure is wide open to SideLocks. ..... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
"Jo6pak - I inhaled the smoke"

Is that like drinking the cool-aid?

Seriously my progression has gone like this:

1st - Modern Firearms (hunting)

2nd - C&R Firearms (collecting and shooting)

3rd - Muzzleloaders (shooting mostly - maybe hunting)

I have wanted to get into ML's for years but #1 & 2 (esp # 2) got me side tracked. To me ML's make you appreciate modern-type weapons even more.
Plus shooting a ML at the range is just plain fun! I love the reaction of the guys with AR's seeing my ML belch smoke and make a bunch of noise!
 
Well, I have been hunting since I was knee high to a grasshopper. And it had gotten to a point where when I pointed my Sporterized No4 Mk 1 (hence the user name) or my Dirty Dirty at a White Tail, they hit the ground with not much fuss. While its a great feeling to fill the freezer I wanted more of a challenge. So my addiction started RIGHT HERE with ya'lls help. I first purchased a Traditions BuckStalker on Clearance in a starter pack from Wally World. And after Playing with it, I thought it wasn't much of a challenge other than having one shot. SO with more helpful advice from you guys, I found a .54 Lyman GPR on GB for an affordable price and well from the first time I layed that ole gal on the rest, set that rear trigger, and touched her off I was hooked. The sidelocks ARE my cup of tea. I like them all from the cheapest ones to the ones that are out of my reach.
 
I built my first one from a kit, a Traditions Hawkins Flintlock, I have since built a Kentucky Long Rifle, have 2 Cabellas Hawkins one is left handed, a 1863 Springfield replica and 2 1851 Remington pistols.
 
The Great Adventure !!

I forgot to mention a historical book about the early mountain men that really supported my travel into this "Great Adventure" that I call Buck Skinner. I really recommend it's reading. The author wrote a lot of books, on the frontier. This book get a bit raw and not to sound too sexist, hard to believe that a women wrote it. The book is not very expensive. .... :)

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Adventu...=1419989229&sr=1-9&keywords=janice+holt+giles

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
Bought my first M/L long arms when I took up reenacting-Charleville and a Pennsylvania rifle for RevWar, P1853 Enfield for Civil War, have a Mississippi Rifle for a Mexican War impression-1st Mississippi Rifles.
 
Always been somewhat of a history buff but when I was 12 I had worn out the .22 single action I got when I was 10. I had been saving my grass cutting money for a new .22 and got my mom to take me 30 miles to the next town which was the closest gun store. Well they had an 1858 Remington repro for IIRC 49.00. I just had to have it. I also bought a mold, powder and caps and walked out almost 60 bucks lighter. The rest as they say is history.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top