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So before we get started on my ramble here...
Let it be known that :
I am not out to change anyone's mind...
Or
Have it thought that I am against innovation and new designs...
Or
Even that one must have whatever Andy likes and shoots....
Any of the above is not what I or my postings are about.
Traditional muzzleloaders have been with us and in use for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Take the flintlock ...
The flintlock really came onto its own around 1700...and its use hasn't really stopped since then.
Think about that... 3 centuries of use as of the year 2000...
Sure it was replaced by more modern arms , by the military as well as many if not most shooters of today and even back in the 1830's and 1840's , when the percussion system was catching on.
I am not saying that it was the best ignition system in a firearm , only that it has been used for a long time , if it was not useful why would it still be around and made today...?
With that said...
The flintlock was still being made and used , by choice , by many folks.
I have a Belgium made Flintlock Fowler , made around 1900-1920 , that is well into the repeating arms era , it was made to be used , not a "decorator " piece...I still hunt and shoot with it today.
My grandfather and great-granddad used a flintlock rifle well into the 1930's for keeping the family fed.
Walter Cline's book "The Muzzleloading Rifle Then and Now" is filled with folks who used the both the flintlock and percussion systems...Granted his "Now" in that book was the 1930's....
The Traditional Muzzleloader is still used today and not just as a hobby or quirk.
Matches are still won by these arms , game is taken by powder , patch and ball...
Many folks invest quite a bit of time a money into this , to be more than just a passing interest or lark.
Yes I will admit that their use is dying off in many areas and this saddens me.
Lots of misconceptions surround the use and history of traditional muzzleloader.
This along with sales ad wordsmithing to sell a new product has done much damage to idea of the use of the traditional muzzleloader in the modern world.
If anyone is interested I would like to continue with this "article"...when I get more time today...
And if that is the case...Could I get you all to hold off on direct comments and questions , about what I said in the post , until later today , when I am finished with this "article"...
Thanks
Andy
Let it be known that :
I am not out to change anyone's mind...
Or
Have it thought that I am against innovation and new designs...
Or
Even that one must have whatever Andy likes and shoots....
Any of the above is not what I or my postings are about.
Traditional muzzleloaders have been with us and in use for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Take the flintlock ...
The flintlock really came onto its own around 1700...and its use hasn't really stopped since then.
Think about that... 3 centuries of use as of the year 2000...
Sure it was replaced by more modern arms , by the military as well as many if not most shooters of today and even back in the 1830's and 1840's , when the percussion system was catching on.
I am not saying that it was the best ignition system in a firearm , only that it has been used for a long time , if it was not useful why would it still be around and made today...?
With that said...
The flintlock was still being made and used , by choice , by many folks.
I have a Belgium made Flintlock Fowler , made around 1900-1920 , that is well into the repeating arms era , it was made to be used , not a "decorator " piece...I still hunt and shoot with it today.
My grandfather and great-granddad used a flintlock rifle well into the 1930's for keeping the family fed.
Walter Cline's book "The Muzzleloading Rifle Then and Now" is filled with folks who used the both the flintlock and percussion systems...Granted his "Now" in that book was the 1930's....
The Traditional Muzzleloader is still used today and not just as a hobby or quirk.
Matches are still won by these arms , game is taken by powder , patch and ball...
Many folks invest quite a bit of time a money into this , to be more than just a passing interest or lark.
Yes I will admit that their use is dying off in many areas and this saddens me.
Lots of misconceptions surround the use and history of traditional muzzleloader.
This along with sales ad wordsmithing to sell a new product has done much damage to idea of the use of the traditional muzzleloader in the modern world.
If anyone is interested I would like to continue with this "article"...when I get more time today...
And if that is the case...Could I get you all to hold off on direct comments and questions , about what I said in the post , until later today , when I am finished with this "article"...
Thanks
Andy