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Original Muzzle Loaders
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Free Trapper
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Does anyone here own original longrifles or fowlers or pistols? It would be fun to share pictures and your experiences in finding, restoring, shooting, trading, collecting, or even just enjoying all of the history of these old smoke maker's!?
 
Posts: 197 | Registered: 15 January 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of andy*
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Cranbrook,
My friend Dave and I own about 20 original muzzleloaders between the two of us.
Some of these we shoot and hunt with... some are just for study.
We do a traveling show where we talk about these old guns and traditional style shooting and hunting.
All of the items we display are original or remade to be more historical correct. We have restored many of the guns with period repairs.
We encourage people to handle our guns and ask as much as possible. At some events we give a demonstration or a onlooker a chance to shoot a original gun.
We plan to do a photo shoot of our guns and related items on our blog.... just need to get busy on it lol
Andy

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Follow me I am the Infantry
 
Posts: 668 | Location: Everson, Washington | Registered: 27 June 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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I have a little .32 half stock, percussion, "Ohio style" rifle that was made in the 1850's by a gunsmith by the name of Wareham. He had a shop near Akron, Ohio.

I have fired it some, but not much. There is no half cock. The hammer goes from down on the nipple directly all the way to full cock. Yes, it was made that way.

I shoot left handed and this is a right handed rifle. One time I had it loaded with a single 00 buckshot pellet over 30 grains of 3F. The old nipple blew out! Luckily, I had been wearing safety glasses. My eyebrow was burnt, but otherwise I was unhurt.
That was many years ago. My eyebrow grew back, but now it has an odd upward curl and is thicker and darker than my other one.
Gives me character; Razzer


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
 
Posts: 1296 | Location: Cherokee Land, Tenasi | Registered: 06 January 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Free Trapper
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That is just awesome Andy! To share your collection to promote interest in history and get folks inspired in muzzle loading. My hat is off to you and your friend. I can only speak for myself but for me, finding an interest in original longrifles just seemed to naturally follow along my path into this hobby\obsession. I met an old fellow many years ago who would become a good friend and mentor to me. He was a gun builder and collector since the early 1950's. He shared with me his life, his skills, and his collection. Now gone on to Happy Mountain many years ago, I miss him like a father.
 
Posts: 197 | Registered: 15 January 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Free Trapper
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Rancocas, I'll bet you learned to give them nipple and drum threads a good close look now before loading up!! You were very lucky and having been "branded" once can be added to your repertoire of expenses paid for towards your graduation from the School of Hard Knocks! I can tell you that I hold a doctorate degree from that school! Rancocas, I'd sure love to see pictures of your half stocked Ohio rifle!

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Posts: 197 | Registered: 15 January 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Free Trapper
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This is a picture of my first original rifle that was made and signed by J.S. Iddings who worked in Ohio and Indiana back in the mid 19th century. It is a 32 caliber with a 42" swamped barrel with a good bore. Although those back action locks get a lot of ridicule from many collectors these days, this one sure does shoot well and seems to always ignite the charge very quickly. Kind of a "cute" story behind my buying this rifle. I had a table at a local gun show and met a guy who had the table across the room from me. He was selling modern stuff and noticed my interest in traditional muzzleloaders. Said he had this old rifle that had been above his fire place for many years. He only lived a few miles from where the show was and promised to bring it in the next day (Sunday). He not only brought it with him, but spent most of the previous evening cleaning all of that darn ole gunk and patina off, "so as to make it more presentable for me"!!!!! Well, you can't win em all! Iddings rifle

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Posts: 197 | Registered: 15 January 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Free Trapper
Picture of TurkeyCreek
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I have a good friend who has picked up a couple over the past year. A fullstock Lancaster percussion gun from the 1840-50 period and a halfstock Ohio gun from the 1850-60 period. Both guns turned out to be .33 caliber. I have thoroughly enjoyed working them over, repairing the locks, repining the barrel on the fullstock gun, etc and then getting to shoot them. Hope to hunt squirrels with that little fullstock rifle this spring.


"They do not live their lives 'by your leave'! They hack it out of the wilderness with their own two hands, bearing their children along the way!" - Cora Monroe - "Last Of The Mohicans"
 
Posts: 186 | Location: Turkey Creek on Cimarron Drainage | Registered: 10 September 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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