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Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
posted
Signed up yesterday, thought I'd say hi. I first checked out this place years ago when it was just one long page with topics going way down. Looks like a lot has changed since then. Figured it was finally time to join. So howdy!
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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Hey Soot, I like your name!! That probably could fit a number of us rather well. Welcome to the Campfire. Shoot sharp, Mike
 
Posts: 3531 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 25 October 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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Soot,
Welcome to the fire, great folks here. I have had a similar name from time to time...starts with an S and ended with a t.


Liberty once lost is Lost Forever.
John Adams
 
Posts: 39 | Location: Southwest Idaho | Registered: 04 December 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Welcome to the fire Soot. Great group of folks here.

BC


"Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad."
Thomas Paine
 
Posts: 649 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 27 June 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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Howdy Soot, glad to see ya stopped by fer a spell. As for the name; mine sort of follows that train of thought too. Iche Iia is Crow indian, loosely translated it means "foot in mouth".And that is where mine ends up on way too many occasions.

What be the period of your persona?


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
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I don't have one. That's something I really don't have time for. Maybe when the kids are a bit older. I can barely get out to shoot once in a while now. If I did have a persona, it would be the fur trade.
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pilgrim
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Don't worry Soot - there is a time and place for everything... This is the perfict place and the right time to talk and listen - when the time does come when you can put it all into action, you will know what you want - and how to accomplish it... saves a lot of time and money to know those things...


"The pen maybe mightier than the sword, but at least the sword has a definite point"
 
Posts: 92 | Location: PA | Registered: 27 April 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
Picture of Hanshi
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Welcome to the camp fire, Soot. This place is better than a school for learning and sharing knowledge about any traditional muzzleloader. There are lots of fine folks around this fire.


*Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.*
 
Posts: 3559 | Location: Maine (by way of Georgia then Va.) | Registered: 26 January 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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Soot, I beg to differ. Sounds to me like you already have a persona, just need the time to take advantage of it!

The good thing about this stuff is its a great family hobby. I have a good friend that has an 8 year old daughter.........she got her first deer last winter. Another one that has a nine year old goes EVERYWHERE with her dad. She crys when he makes her stay at home and not sleep outside in the tent when it is below zero. Hardly ever see that one with shoes on LOL She is going to scare the pants off a boy one day!!

So take heart, the hobby will be here when the time is right for you AND your family.


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
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Yeah maybe there is a persona already lurking in there somewhere. I've never done reenacting before, so it's hard to figure out where to start. Like what sort of clothes and equipment a mountain man would have, how to make it or where to buy it, stuff like that. I'd like to try my hand at it. Although I can't afford a custom gun so I have to stick with production guns for now. But they're still fun.
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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I would not be overly concerned about a custom gun right now Soot. There are plenty of good "usable" guns out there in the used market and unless you really get into the shooting end of what we do, they will server you just fine. I have two .50 cal's and one .45. One flint and two cap and I have less than $500 in all three. In fact the gun might be one of the last things you purchase because you have to know more about your persona to know what gun "he" would have had.

I'm pretty much on a budget myself so I look for "deals" in everything I have to buy. That applies to clothes as well. Search E-Bay for a lot of good deals.

BUT before you start buying ANYTHING, I would recommend two things. 1-Go to a fair size rendezvous and look around. Then talk to as many as you can that are in the mountain man era like you seem to want to be. They will be quite willing to explain different things to you.

2-Once you have done that ..........start reading.......I know, I hated it at first but now I sort of enjoy a good book about the 1830 mountaineer (Later generations coined the term Mountain Man.)

Once you start really pinning down what you want to do, it makes it a lot easier to know what you need to start making and buying. You'll notice I put "making" first. That's the beauty of this hobby, you can make almost everything you need........"they" had to!!!


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
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I just picked up an old CVA mountain rifle that will do for now, but it needs to be stripped and refinished. Production guns these days are getting a bit expensive. Prices keep going up.

I've done a bit of reading. I read Give Your Heart to the Hawks, that was pretty good. I just bought Journal of a Trapper and A Life Wild and Perilous, haven't read them yet.

For now, I'm going to get a military surplus blanket and try my hand at making a capote.
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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Pard, in my opinion you are going right down the right path. All my guns are CVA; one hawkin and two mountain rifles. ALL THREE shoot better than I can hold them. I do want a smooth bore in time but that will be ...well, in time!

Never tried my had at "stitching". I just can't seem to get the "feel" for it. I can figure most things out but some how that is eluding me.

I'm really lucky on that part though, I have one of the best clothing makers around as a good friend. And boy do I take advantage of that---- LOL !!! You need something that you can't seem to make, post here for One Blanket, he'll fix you right up.

As for reading, I might suggest books about Jim Bridger, Joe Meak, Jim Beckwith and most anything you can find on the plains Indians. Now THAT is always good reading! The more I learn about the plains Indians, the more impressed I am with their way of living. I can really understand why so many mountaineers lived in an Indian camp and took on their ways. But I'm getting off topic.

Glad you decided to get involved in this obsession errrrrrrrr hobby. Hope you stick around.


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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Got to thinking about your mountain rifle. What does it say on the barrel? Spain, or Made in the U.S.A. or does it only say .45 (or .50) cal.?

Does the patch box in the stock have three or four screws? And does the stock look like it could be curly maple?


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
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It's a .58, there's no patch box. 'Spain' is stamped on the inside of the lock plate.

There's no place of origin stamped on the barrel, just 'Connecticut Valley Arms, Blackpowder only', and the caliber and serial number.

I don't know what type of wood the stock is. It was built from a kit by someone who did a really sloppy job of it. The stain was applied very thick, looks like it was slopped on with a paint brush. There are brush strokes all over it, and runs in some parts. I can't even see the wood grain, except in a couple of areas, but not enough to tell what type of wood it is. The cheek rest was not shaped nicely, the edge was just rounded with sandpaper. I don't know if I can get a nice shape out of it, but I'll try. And there's a hole where someone installed a sling stud. There's no toe plate, I don't know if this rifle is supposed to have one. The barrel was never browned or blued. The twist is 1:70.

I've never built a gun from a kit, but I have a little wood working experience. I'm sure I can at least make it look better than it does now.

I think it will make a nice looking rifle when finished. No parts are missing, and it all fits together good and tight (except the butt plate wasn't fitted very well and has gaps around the edges). The lock functions fine. The bore is excellent. No rust anywhere. The only thing that has me scratching my head is the stock. I'm not even sure how to go about stripping it.

I'm taking it out in a few days to shoot it to see how it performs before I start working on it.
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Soot-for-brains:
It's a .58, there's no patch box. 'Spain' is stamped on the inside of the lock plate.

There's no place of origin stamped on the barrel, just 'Connecticut Valley Arms, Blackpowder only', and the caliber and serial number.

I don't know what type of wood the stock is. It was built from a kit by someone who did a really sloppy job of it. The stain was applied very thick, looks like it was slopped on with a paint brush. There are brush strokes all over it, and runs in some parts. I can't even see the wood grain, except in a couple of areas, but not enough to tell what type of wood it is. The cheek rest was not shaped nicely, the edge was just rounded with sandpaper. I don't know if I can get a nice shape out of it, but I'll try. And there's a hole where someone installed a sling stud. There's no toe plate, I don't know if this rifle is supposed to have one. The barrel was never browned or blued. The twist is 1:70.

Try Citra-strip, not sure if I spelled that right but it works pretty good. You probably have an imported hardwood, sometimes beech or birch, good for stocks but not as pretty as walnut or more traditional types. You could get lucky though, wait and see. You have a nice slow round ball twist that will stabilize a nice big .58 RB way out there, good for anything walking on the North American continent. You can use cold blue on the barrel or send it off to get browned or hot blued, or maybe just do a vinegar treatment for a French Gray finish, many ways to go on that. Here are some links to other rifles being refinished so you can get some more ideas; http://traditionalmuzzleloadin...ex.php?topic=12676.0
http://traditionalmuzzleloadin...ex.php?topic=11390.0
http://www.traditionalmuzzlelo...chee+you+inspired+me
 
Posts: 111 | Location: Texas | Registered: 25 May 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
Picture of Soot-for-brains
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I took a closer look at it where the grain is visible and now I'm starting to think it's maple. I'm not sure but it looks like it. I took some close up pictures but I can't post anything right now. My modem died a couple of days ago. I'm using a friends computer right now. Mine should be back up in another day or two.

Thanks for the links. Is that another forum? I can't see the pictures unless I register. I'll do that when my computer is back on its feet.
 
Posts: 9 | Location: Pacific Northwest | Registered: 13 September 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Iche Iia
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Soot - Sorry to be so long but I was at the Eastern all last week.

Taking it to the range first is a good idea. No use spending time on something that works poorly.

I'm not familier with a .58 cal CVA so I can't help much there. But if the stock is finished that bad, I would probably start with a good wood stripper rather than spend days sanding on it. I would be sort of surprised if you find maple though. The best that I know is they only used it on a limited number of re-issued Mountain Rifles.

Spain was stamped on all of the locks the best that I have read and not having anything stamped in the barrel except CVA and the Cal. is a good thing, you may have a Douglas barrel.

Let me know how it works out at the range.


Iche Iia

"Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
 
Posts: 379 | Location: Prince George, Virginia | Registered: 04 April 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
Picture of Johnny Reb
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Welcome to the fire Smiler


"All tyranny needs to gain a foot hold is for People of good conscious to remain silent"
Thomas Jefferson
 
Posts: 110 | Registered: 20 March 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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