Here's some pics of a rifle my Dad put together from a kit he got from Dixie Gun Works. He made this ~1968-69.
This is the first one he made. He made about 30-40 of them and he sold them for $400 back in the day. He was several years backed up when he quit taking orders in the late 70's.
I expect most of them ended up on the mantle over somebody's fireplace, but these were fully functioning guns. The one pictured took a 6 pointer in '69 at Chuck Swan, back when it was still called "Central Peninsula".
He made Caplocks, Flintlocks; KY and PA styled rifles; Hawken style, and made a "Brown Bess" musket in .75 cal--that thing was a real thumper!
He cast his own bullets, and even bought cow horns and made Powder Horns to go with them. I got one of his Powder Horns too, I just couldn't find it this AM.
These Muzzleloaders were the first guns my Dad would let me shoot at the age of 6--he would download the powder charge, and only one shot to go astray.
My Dad, and his black powder buddies had monthly matches at the Oak Ridge Sportsmans Association. One shoot, they took a double bladed ax head and drove it into the horizontal face of a log. On either side of ax head were 2 dinner plates bought at the the local "Dime Store". The object was to split the bullet on the ax head and break both plates simultaneously. Everyone, except one had a shot and no one split the bullet. One of the men turned to my Dad and said: "You wanna' give Youngblood a try". My Dad LOL'd and said: "Sure, why not". He downloaded a charge in the "Brown Bess" and handed it to me. The musket was as tall as I was. I stood up to the line, summoned all the strength a 6 or 7 year could muster, closed both eyes and let 'er rip. That ball was so big, and travelled so slow, you could see the ball fly, and the arc it took as it split itself on the ax head and broke both the plates. "Luckiest" shot I've ever taken in more than 50 yrs of pulling the trigger.
The guffaws, laughter, and shouts of "Ringer", were louder than the shot it self. My Dad was as proud of me as can be.
Great memories, I sure miss that mean ol' cuss.
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