Black powder divide

[Kalashalite]

I don't know if you would call it shenanigans,we all got together for a mulligan stew, Everything from possum to skunk was tossed in, A little moon shine for a kicker and then we would play split the hawk handle. $10- draw for order - and rotate- late man that could keep throwing his hawk and sticking it won the pot. Great memories.

Oh wow, see that's what I want to hear.

Please, if you don't mind. Regale us with more friendship tales!

 

[Mgderf]

The heartbreaking thing for me as a younger guy (late 20's) is that this sport as a whole is fading as the old get older and the young get interested in other things.

I want to just go to Friendship and soak up as much as I can learn while it's still around.

For me the gateway drug was a $180 Remington New Model Army made by Uberti in 1972. I picked it up at Double G guns in Flat Rock when I first moved to Indiana. I knew I was gonna love black powder the moment I touched off the first cylinder full. The smoke, the noise, the smell, the ritual of loading and cleaning. I like it all.

You should visit the Feast of the Hunters moon in Tippecanoe county.
The entire festival is a period event
They sell buffalo burgers and stew, have demonstrations on period living...
It's very interesting, but way too crowded for me.

 

[Mgderf]

I've hunted deer with traditional bows, compound, sidelock ML and an Encore along with shotgun. Think I wish to try throwing an atlatl but would not hunt with one.

I watched a video years ago of a guy hunting black bear with a spear!
He was sitting in a tree stand, and not nearly high enough if you ask me, hunting over a bait barrel.
He took a nice looking bear, but not before a curios bear stood on its hind legs and leaned against the tree the guy was sitting in.
That bears paws were more than 2' from the guys feet!
Once skewered, it only ran about 20 yards.

Just a tad more adrenaline than I wish to expend.

 

[Kalashalite]

You should visit the Feast of the Hunters moon in Tippecanoe county.
The entire festival is a period event
They sell buffalo burgers and stew, have demonstrations on period living...
It's very interesting, but way too crowded for me.

Sounds like a lot of fun, I actually first heard of this yesterday when I was talking to a reenactor. I might have to make the pilgrimage.

 

[rotag84]

Shoot some flintlock if you want to appreciate the challenges people faced using these things to survive back in the day.

 

[Nazgul]

Building my 3rd flintlock right now. Have 2 more parts sets/stocks waiting.

They are reliable and fun when you understand them, not hard to do at all.

Don

 

[cg21]

Building my 3rd flintlock right now. Have 2 more parts sets/stocks waiting.

They are reliable and fun when you understand them, not hard to do at all.

Don

What kits do you use?

 

[Ark]

Shoot some flintlock if you want to appreciate the challenges people faced using these things to survive back in the day.

My flintlock experience has vastly increased my regard for the people who had to fight using those weapons, as well as mildly improved my regard for their performance.

A rifled flintlock can be shot much more accurately than people might think, and even the smoothbores will reliably take a dude out at 50+ yards.

 

[Nazgul]

What kits do you use?

Jim Kibler for 2 of them. Very high quality and good work.
Next one is from Don Stith, bought it at Friendship. Barrell and ramrod are inlet. Everything else has to be done.
Have the parts for a Jaeger, 62 caliber. Have a walnut plank my father cut/dried 25 years ago for it.

Don

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Went down in June and got totally spanked on the woods walk. BUT, I finally made it completely through the course with no failures except needing a little flint knapping. And even then, only once. That, to me, was a milestone.

That said, I do love puttin' 'em where I want 'em at 200 with the Accura.

And hey, Don, those Kiblers are something else, aren't they?

 

[model1994]

TC .54 cal and .45 cal

my grandpa’s guns - once I clean them up, I hope to use them and learn the ways

 

[Nazgul]

Went down in June and got totally spanked on the woods walk. BUT, I finally made it completely through the course with no failures except needing a little flint knapping. And even then, only once. That, to me, was a milestone.

That said, I do love puttin' 'em where I want 'em at 200 with the Accura.

And hey, Don, those Kiblers are something else, aren't they?

Yes they are very good. I have a Colonial in 58 and just completed a Woodsrunner in 54, waiting for the finish to dry.
Going to away for a week on vacation but shooting it first day back!!

Don

 

[MrSmitty]

I don't know if you would call it shenanigans,we all got together for a mulligan stew, Everything from possum to skunk was tossed in, A little moon shine for a kicker and then we would play split the hawk handle. $10- draw for order - and rotate- late man that could keep throwing his hawk and sticking it won the pot. Great memories.

A bunch of us teenagers use to throw our tomahawks, and try to split, or cut the others handles.....I grew up playing at Clinton "Doc" Haddaways' house, with his son, Fred. When Doc died, everyone tried to get Fred to keep making them, but Doc's way was old school, with some modern tools used. Haddaway Locks are hard to find now...."Them days sure shined"

 

[Frontiersman]

As a 50-year black powder hunter and competitive shooter I have seen this sport go in two directions. It started out as people reenacting the ways of the past. patch and round ball, craftsmanship of building a working firearm - the thrill of the stalk.one shot one kill. 20 years ago, the divide started. The inline, 300-yard shooting, scope mounted, pellet powered, copper jacketed bullets. For many it added another hunting season --For me it lost the meaning of a muzzle loader.

You can throw that in with the rendezvous. It started out trying to recreate history then became a contest for concealing as much modern equipment as you could.

Don't do either any more.

 

[Frontiersman]

When visiting Friendship several years ago I could not believe some of those new fangled blackpowder trap shotguns. They appeared to be black powder Perazzi's or Ljutics.

I've hunted deer with traditional bows, compound, sidelock ML and an Encore along with shotgun. Think I wish to try throwing an atlatl but would not hunt with one.

Most of the "arrowheads" we find more likely came from an atlatl or a spear. They used to hunt bear, elk, bison, whatever with those. Makes you wonder if they argues which caliber was better.

You throw with an atlatl. You don't actually throw an atlatl. Would be like when my FIL used to throw his golf clubs. Lots of fun. You should try it.

 

[Remington 90T]

My flintlock experience has vastly increased my regard for the people who had to fight using those weapons, as well as mildly improved my regard for their performance.

A rifled flintlock can be shot much more accurately than people might think, and even the smoothbores will reliably take a dude out at 50+ yards.

Hunt every year in a muzzle loader only area --Run in to this old timer with a match lock -Talk about a challenge - Wasn't up much for talking, spent most of his time keeping the wick glowing -Bigger challenge than I would want to under take.

 

[Hookeye]

Divide? I have chosen to be in neither camp. Killed deer w percussion TCs and Knight Inlines.
But those days are long gone.
Last deer season sucked and it hasn't been good for a while.
I quit muzzleloader hunting.
Proly end up quitting deer hunting in general pretty soon.
Just isn't fun anymore.

Hunted w my TC stainless Hawken last season.
Added a couple dings to it. Eh, its a hunting gun (even if of collector status).
Know a guy w a TC Cougar.
Thought about buying it, then a reg Hawken and a Supreme.
But prices have gone silly for that amount of what would be just wall decor.

FWIW I did find a place that does make TC maxi hunter style bullets (what I used).
Since TC no longer makes em.

 

[yetti462]

You should visit the Feast of the Hunters moon in Tippecanoe county.
The entire festival is a period event
They sell buffalo burgers and stew, have demonstrations on period living...
It's very interesting, but way too crowded for me.

When I was at PU we rented a house down river road just down from the fort. The traffic sucked during the feast . Been years since I was there, need to make the trip up there.

 

[MrSmitty]

I would have loved to been a fly on a tree at Friendship back in the 70's. So many stories of the trade blankets and shenanigans.

Hell I was there! Getting up in the morning, eating bacon and eggs my dad cooked over a campfire, checking our guns, and powder. Walking up to range office and seeing which matches we wanted to shoot. Dad would give me and my brother $5 and tell us to make it last.. Us kids ran around the flea market, and the grounds in general, watching matches, running through the sheep shed, and the Lamb shed. If we had time we'd run over to the primitive range, and watch the woods walks and then play in Laughery Creek. We'd shoot our match, and wait for the results (my brother and I were average shooters, never actually in the hunt, but it was fun..) Inlines interest me none what so ever. The loading, the shooting, the swabbing the barrel out... rinse and repeat.. the good old side locks are where the fun is to me, that sulphur smell of Goex powder, occasional misfires, re-knap the flint, try again..Sitting around the campfire, and hear Clinton "Doc" Haddaway tell stories of WW2, and working as a gunsmith....dang I miss that....I see young un's shooting up there now, and know that those kids will be just fine!

 

[cg21]

Hell I was there! Getting up in the morning, eating bacon and eggs my dad cooked over a campfire, checking our guns, and powder. Walking up to range office and seeing which matches we wanted to shoot. Dad would give me and my brother $5 and tell us to make it last.. Us kids ran around the flea market, and the grounds in general, watching matches, running through the sheep shed, and the Lamb shed. If we had time we'd run over to the primitive range, and watch the woods walks and then play in Laughery Creek. We'd shoot our match, and wait for the results (my brother and I were average shooters, never actually in the hunt, but it was fun..) Inlines interest me none what so ever. The loading, the shooting, the swabbing the barrel out... rinse and repeat.. the good old side locks are where the fun is to me, that sulphur smell of Goex powder, occasional misfires, re-knap the flint, try again..Sitting around the campfire, and hear Clinton "Doc" Haddaway tell stories of WW2, and working as a gunsmith....dang I miss that....I see young un's shooting up there now, and know that those kids will be just fine!

Love hearing this. I didn’t grow up doing it but I got some of the youngsters down there now