How did you get hooked on M/L's

My first M/L was a Replica Arms 1860, I was about 16. Sent right to my door in early 1960s. About that time a friend and I each bought old SxS 12 gage muzzle loaders, and would hunt squirrels on horseback. Not long after this I ordered a 16# drum of DuPont black powder, which was delivered right to the door by REA Express. less than $1/lb.
I have always liked the lack of paper trail with muzzle loaders.
My first rifle was a .40 Dixie Squirrel rifle kit, still have it. I own more pistols than rifles, and prefer pistol shooting and cleaning.
 
I got hooked on bp guns while working in a hardware store that my family owned. When I was 15 (I'm 64 now). I was made the buyer for the gun dept. About the only company that sold replicas was Replica Arms Co. and the quality wasn't that great. A couple years later I discovered Navy Arms and they had a nice selection of revolvers. Put in stock their entire line and gave classes on using black powder. Sales went though the roof. I couldn't keep the guns in stock. About that time Thompson Center came out with the Hawken rifle and same thing I couldn't keep them in stock. CVA came out later with a line of long guns. I finally got to the point that we were buying direct from these companies. Thompson Center was the hardest to deal with. I had to commit to ordering 100 guns at a time. By this time we were selling more bp guns than regular guns and had monthly classes on shooting bp guns. I could feel by my customers comments that they would like them in kit form and build them on their own so I approached CVA, Thompson Center and Navy arms and got them to supply me the guns unfinished. It was amazing what my customers did with them. Some had the metal browned, others had them case-hardened finish and some had them blued. We had a shooting range outside of town and on many occasions there were more bp shooters there than anyone else.
It was really hard to not buy everything working there, but I bought a few for myself, mostly in kit form. My favorite 2 are a color case hardened Hawken .50 ca and a color case hardened .44 Walker. I wonder if these companies still sell the kits? I also snagged a 50-140 Sharps Express that is my favorite of them all.
 
Id ordered my Ruger new Vaquero from a reputable seller and it was right at the start of inventory so I was asked to wait a short while while inventory took place.
I'd seen ads for BP revolvers and decided to go to Bass Pro's and see what one was like? I ended up buying a .44 caliber Navy '51 model to pass the time till my Vaquero arrived.
Glad I did too because inventory took a little beyond 3 wks and I'd have gone mad without the big caliber Brasser!
I shot a lot and learned as I went along shooting 20 gr fills and hundreds of large balls! I discovered the wonderful accuracy attainable with a good BP revolver. made lots of new friends explaining how BP shooting works for the beginner and just had a BALL! I wasn't on a power chase because I quickly read the warnings in books about Brassers and overcharges.
I also enjoyed slowing down, the way a BP revolver makes ya do. WHat a relaxing hobby shooting and enjoying every shot! My accuracy improved vastly as did my paitence loading percussion caps....
I also discovered the buttery smooth action that a Brass frame gives to steel components! A plus I was sure not ready for. The trigger and hammer seemed to glide across the brass giving a never before felt smoothness! How neat!
Eventually my Vaquero arrived though I never laid the BP revolver aside, in fact 3 more joined the battery! 2 Remingtons and a Uberti London Colt replica. (Another smoothie, in a different way, with a steel frame!
To this day I'm still shooting BP and enjoying it more every outing! Another 2 revolvers have joined the cabinet too. This time , . 36 caliber open top Colt replicas! , A standard 7 1/2"er and a Piettia Police.
The Full size Navy is killin me!
See I got it just before the Holidays and with the list of Honey-do's, honey-do's , 2 birthdays and family responsibilities, I got only one afternoon with it. Just long enough to set my love affair with the revolver and enough to drive me MAD wanting to shoot it more!
T here's something about a full size Navy Model that hooks you Immensly! Maybe it's the accuracy that the flat shooting .36 ball gives, maybe it's the wonderfull balance the revolver has? It'll sure hook ya tho!
Oh what was the topic of this thread???
I sure got lost and off topic!
BP has a habit of doing that to you!
ZVP
 
I am new to the BP long gun Family.

After several years of shooting my BP revolvers on my in-laws' farm, I received a very special Christmas present this year.

My father-in-law passed away this past spring. He was very much into all things shooting related.

As my wife and I were loading up the van to head back home from the family Christmas at the farm, my brother-in-law comes down from the gun room and hands me his Dad's Thompson Center .50 "Hawken" cap lock.

He asked me if I would be interested in having it, since I was into the Black Powder and such.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, I was able to give him a more appropriate answer of "yes" and "thank you so very much".

He handed it to me and it just "felt" right in my hands.

I have seldom set it down since. (Dang having to go to work after Christmas..!)

Haven't shot it yet, but getting everything rounded up and ready to take that first exciting shot with it.

With the wealth of knowledge and experienced members here on the forum, I'm sure that it will go bang with no problems.

I am very honored that my first BP long gun has such a sentimental attachment to it.

Happy New Year, everyone..!
 
Always had a Ruger Old Army since age 18 (bought it from Gil Hebard in ILL). I didn't get into long guns until I read Capt. Peter Shore's With British Snipers to the Reich. Shore gave brief acknowledgement to the King's Royal Rifle Corps, aka 60th Royal Americans. This started me on research into that regiment and its origins here in America (they were raised for service in the American colonies). That got me into research into the blackpowder sharpshooters/marksmen (and then a book length research project).
 
They are legal to use in IN to deer hunt. I have 2 Rem 700 ML 2 Thompson one is a carbine 1 Rugger carbine 1 Savage that uses regular powder 1 IN hunter 50 cal pistol 10 in barrel 1 Thompson hawkens Al my guns are 50 Cabers
 
CVA .50

I had (still have!) a friend that had many guns that I still envy (especially his Win 94 in .38-55). He had a beautiful percussion .54 cal rifle, Hawken type (don't know the manufacturer), which he downed many a moose in Alaska way back when. I caught the BP bug from that and bought a CVA .50 kit, assembled it, and was disappointed with it.

About 30 years ago I bought a Dixie Arms 1862 Police kit for my dad as a Christmas present. He had a ball with assembling it and was very proud of it. Before he died 4 years ago, he wanted to give it to me but, like so many gun nuts in the 60's/70's he over-polished everything on the buffing wheel. It happened on a 39 Marlin (1928 date) (such a shame!), a 1930's Mod 12 Winchester 16 gauge full choke, and a 1930's Winchester Mod 94 25-35 (which I sold to an eager buyer just for the caliber).

I now have a new Pietta 1851 Navy .36 and am very pleased with it. The wedge has some problems that I am working out. I don't plan on shooting it much but love handling it and admiring it.

Gun nut extraordinaire.
 
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