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My Humble Collection

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04 April 2021, 11:24 AM
Walkingeagle
My Humble Collection
Thought I would start a discussion of my humble collection of muzzleloaders. You see I started this journey over 20 years ago, so likely still a greenhorn in most folks mind around here, lol. My journey started with a friend and I placing a call from work into a gunshop just across the border to the West (BC). We had decided to expand our firearms enjoyment to include the sidelock guns. That call yielded us both used .50 percussions, mine a TC Hawken and his a Lyman. Both came with all the accessories that they were traded in with. For a small sum I was fully equipped. Used it for a few years, sold it to my brother and bought a Lyman .50 GPR kit thanks to the enablers on this site (well actually the original site prior to the upgrade). Since then many have passed through which I have passed onto loved ones, but somehow I still have a small collection. I have a newly acquired Pedersoli .45 percussion Kentucky, .50 hand made (by original owner) Late Lancaster Isaac Haines, which I converted to cap, a .50 GPH that has been my main hunting gun and finally a .54 TC Renegade that has been fully restocked and done in sand casted hardware. Only original components are trigger, tang and lock. I have the original barrel, a .54 GM barrel and just this past spring I built a percussion breeched 20ga Rice barrel 36” smoothbore for it. I really like playing with this rig right now and am really thinking of hunting with it this fall.
Well, that’s it folks. Like I said, humble.
Walk
04 April 2021, 03:50 PM
Bud in PA
I started out with a TC 50 cal. Hawken cap lock. Never got a deer with it, but a mess of squirrels. Then they changed the law here in PA> That one was sold to a friend to get him started in black powder. The next one was a Pedersoli Kentucky 50 cal. flintlock. I've gotten deer with it and some squirrels. The lock would not stay on half cock. I took it apart and found out that the notch on the tumbler sheared off. I welded it up and recut the notch and soaked it in Casenit. It lasted a couple of more yearsbefore it broke again. I fixed it again and then had to replace the frizzen, After the 3rd time the tumbler broke I retired it. It is old enough that the guy from Flintlocks Etc. told me that they didn't make replacements for it. The next one was the early Virginia smoothbore 20 ga. from Jack Garner. I found out that I don't need a rifle where I hunt. It's so thick that in the 20 years of living here I only know of two deer that were shot beyond 50 yds. . I can hold a 5 inch group at 50 yards, and I use paper cartridges which make for a fast reload, if I need it. I carry 6 shots plus the the load in the gun. I only need the one gun for deer and small game. I am in the process of trying to fit a different lock on the Pedersoli, and if I can get one to fit I will send the barrel out and havew it bored out to a 54 cal. smoothbore, which makes it a 28 gauge. The best part is that it will weigh under 6 1/2 lbs.n and at my age every pound that you can lose counts a lot.
04 April 2021, 04:15 PM
Walkingeagle
Now that’s what I’m talking about Bud. I would love to build myself a nice little 28ga smoothbore, and have actually been thinking hard about it. I was born and raised in the waterfowl country of Southwestern Saskatchewan, and it is the root of our family. Thus I was pretty much raised with a (of course modern) smoothbore in my hands. It gets into the blood and there’s no getting it out. Perhaps next winter I’ll plan for the build, but until then I’ve got this new 20 barrel waiting to prove herself!
Walk
05 April 2021, 12:28 PM
Hanshi
I like fullstock smoothbores and mine's a .62 flintlock. That gun made the only kill I've ever accomplished on an actual running deer, not trotting, but running. A first for me and likely the last. The load, IIRC, was 70 or 75 grains of 3F and a thin patched .600" ball.


*Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.*
05 April 2021, 04:57 PM
Walkingeagle
I’m planning for a range trip tomorrow in fact. Bought a box of clays. My muzzleloading bud and I are gonna try shooting a few clays “on the wing” and some PRB shooting also. We both have 20ga smoothies. He just finished his build, a fowler kit, from TOTW and is itchin to try her out. Will let y’all know.
Walk
05 April 2021, 07:38 PM
Rancocas
Spring turkey season opened here last Saturday. What with Easter on Sunday and other things I have not been able to get out. But I WILL be in the woods tomorrow!

As I stated on another thread, my first muzzleloader was a replica 1861 Springfield rifled musket. That was back in 1986. Since then I have built 4 rifles myself, got my fowler "in-the-white" and finished it myself, put together several kit Hawkins, acquired an original rifle and an original fowler, had a 16 pound "chunkgun" custom made for me, and - uh, I guess thats about it.


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
05 April 2021, 10:12 PM
Walkingeagle
Nice collection Rancocas. My friend built his first rifle, a Lancaster .54 flint from a Track kit years back. Then last fall took a GPR .50 flint that I gifted him, shortened it and lightened the stock to rebalance, then did a full drum/nipple conversion to percussion and rust browned the piece. Then he proceeded to give that to my stepson for his birthday along with a handmade blanket case. Then he took that cur off piece of barrel, hand built all the necessary parts to make himself a flint pistol. This guy has skills! I had also gifted him a .54 GPH flint barrel, which he cut down to 20” and filed it Oct to Round, grabbed a chunk of birch from his property and once again proceeded to make a .54 flint canoe rifle. THEN he got bored and ordered assorted parts from Track to make this 20ga fowler, waited a month on parts arrival, and built it to completion just last week. Now we gonna shoot it tomorrow. All these builds since November last year! I have no idea how he does it!!
Walk
06 April 2021, 12:37 PM
Boartooth
Mad skills!!


Beer is proof that God loves us,and wants us to be happy-B. Franklin
06 April 2021, 06:15 PM
Walkingeagle
Well we went to the range as planned and shot at some clays with our 20ga smoothbores. My good friend managed some success with his new flinter, while I failed epically. We patterned at 30 yds and both were satisfied with density. We set a couple stationary clays on posts at 20(ish) yds simulating a rabbit, yup guns are good, must be us on the flying clays. Moved over to the bp range and set targets to try rb loads. Both very happy with groupings here out to 50yds. Overall was a great day.
Walk
06 April 2021, 06:30 PM
Rancocas
And -- I got into the woods to hunt turkey today. I hiked into the back country about a mile from where I parked my truck and hiked back out again on a slightly different route. Pretty good for me, I think, since I would not have been able to do that just a month ago. My recovery from cancer is progressing very well, and I am gaining some strength and stamina back again.

Anyway, no sign of turkey, but I did see the tracks of several feral hogs, one deer, and one bear.
Sure was nice getting into the woods again where bird song and the babbling of a brook are the only sounds. Soothes the soul.


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
06 April 2021, 09:23 PM
Walkingeagle
Amen brother, it sure does.
Recovered from cancer, well done sir! Well done indeed!! Myself, recovery not an option, live with is my path. At least with the technology of today, tomorrow... well that may bring options with it.
No turkeys this far north. The spring bear season opens soon, but spring meat tastes bad and no fat on ‘em, so why shoot one. Now a nice fat blueberry, oats or alfalfa fed fall bear. Mmmmm....
Good luck with the turkey. Keep us posted.
Walk
07 April 2021, 05:26 PM
Bud in PA
Our turkey season starts next month. Un fortunately for me my new shoulder is giving me fits. Had a biopsy done yesterday and I will find out next week what they are going to do.
07 April 2021, 06:37 PM
Rancocas
Best of luck with that Bud. Get it right and you will be a bionic man.


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
08 April 2021, 07:07 PM
Walkingeagle
Ran a patch back down my smoothie, all good so ran another with light coat of bear grease again and followed with a dry patch, then put her away till next time.
Walk