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When I was 11 years old centuries ago I got really interested in black powder guns. The bi centennial started the craze of groups and clubs dedicated to BP firearms, colonial times, mountain men and such and suddenly there were all these do it yourself rifle and pistol kits to be had. So I got busy mucking stalls, chopping weeds, mowing lawns anything I could find and saved up. It seemed like forever but I finally had enough to get two CVA kits, a Kentucky pistol and rifle. 45 caliber percussion pieces.
My Dad taught me ow to properly finish the wood, brass fittings and barrels and how to fit everything up and I went to work. They both turned out beautiful. For my birthday and Christmas that year my Dad and Mom got me a nice powder horn, powder measure and a possible sack. FFFg powder, 45 cal balls and #10 and 11 percussion caps were readily available at the local Ace hardware where I bought the kits and I was off on many an adventure from there. Into the NV desert I went on foot, horseback, even rode my bicycle here and there with my guns and gear slung over me.
Every now and then one of the local deputies out cruising the dirt roads would stop and shoot the bull. Check out my stuff and ask if I'd seen any chukar or other game type critters. LOL, yeah the deputies all knew we kids knew where to find game. Imagine that happening now. A 12 yo kid with 3/4 of a pound of FFFg black powder, percussion caps and a Kentucky long rifle with a matching pistol shoved in his belt. "Right wing extremist" domestic terrorism alert!! But not then. Things were certainly different in a good way.
Well, time went on and a few years later I was more interested in chasing girls and fixing up my truck so I could impress them and I sold those guns to a buddy. That was 1982. My junior year of high school. Of course we graduated and everybody went their separate ways. Following our own trails. The thrill of girls became less of a pleasure and more of a chore and I replaced those two guns with both modern ones and built a few more BP kits. I often found my mind wandering to those first two though. Lamenting ever letting them go. My son grew into a man on the story of how I worked and saved to get them and he did much the same thing albeit with modern firearms for competition action shooting. Though he did get a TC Hawken 50cal to do muzzleloading season deer hunting. I got a 50 cal Kentucky and we've both put meat in the freezer with them.
Well, just recently my old high school buddy and I got back in touch. He's a big time NASCAR guy now. Runs a driver school, sponsored by Toyota, Napa a bunch of big names. He's well known in gearhead circles. We got to jawing and those two guns:came up. He still has them. Told me he'd just give them back to me. All it would cost me is a small road trip (little over 2 hours away) and swill a few beers whilst jawing over the good old days. Yeah, we got history he and I and no matter how far we've roamed and how big time he's gotten he never forgot who he is and where he comes from. Beginning of next month my son and I are gonna make the drive. He knows who my buddy is being a professional mechanic and a NASCAR fan. That this guy is an old buddy of mine rather set him on his heels a bit. LOL.
Getting the guns back is just chin music really and I'm really looking forward to seeing my old pard again after all this time. But him still having them with as much water has gone under the bridge is massive cool. My son being able to hold them in his hands after growing up on stories of the many adventures tied to them, plus being able to meet someone famous and hang out shooting the bull with him. Not sure who's more stoked, my son or me. LMAO. Yeah, makes a guy realize how rare REAL friends are. They're hard to come by to be sure. That's something that no amount of money can ever come close to in value.
Cool story. When I was doing Forest Ranger work, one of the campground hosts would buy those BP kits you would see in the gun magazines and build them. It looked like an interesting hobby. He built quite a few over the summer season. I’ve only got one BP rifle, it’s the Lyman Great Plains left hand 50 cal. It’s fun to take out on a summer afternoon walking the woods. Like a big heavy BB gun shooting that round lead ball.
Don't know who he sold it to, but my dad sold his machine gun he'd brought home after WWII and kept it in the basement. When my parents sold their house in 1979, he sold everything they didn't want to move, including the gun. He's passed away but I wish I had asked him who he sold it to. I doubt it they would sell it back, but would have liked to have known.
. Yeah, makes a guy realize how rare REAL friends are. They're hard to come by to be sure. That's something that no amount of money can ever come close to in value.
He probably kept them as a reminder of his past and a good friend. You're right, no amount of money can buy those memories. I hope your son can see what you and he have, as he sees two old friends reunite and catch up.
Don't know who he sold it to, but my dad sold his machine gun he'd brought home after WWII and kept it in the basement. When my parents sold their house in 1979, he sold everything they didn't want to move, including the gun. He's passed away but I wish I had asked him who he sold it to. I doubt it they would sell it back, but would have liked to have known.
I found out one of my relatives that passed away, had an old MP40, he brought home after WW2, apparently it sat in a box in their basement (disassembled in parts) for many years, but all the parts were there and it sold at the estate auction.
If I had known about this gun, I would have bought it in a heartbeat!!
I was a bit surprised though it didnt bring much at the auction, they tried to sell it separately, but ended up tossing it into a larger lot of firearms, that eventually sold for $500.
Im thinking maybe the auction people didnt realize what it was...IDK, thats the only thing I can think of to explain it.
That was a good read, and I hope your son cherishes all your memories & those guns.
Back in the 1960s & 70s as I recall, Dixie Gun Works was one of the premier sources for black powder kits & parts.
I still have my old replica Tower flintlock pistol somewhere. I had no idea or any instructions on proper powder charges, so after a few rounds it was no surprise that an overload broke the mainspring and cracked the stock. (Besides rocking me back on my butt from the squatting position).
Put it away 55 years ago and it still sits there, wherever that may be.
That was a good read, and I hope your son cherishes all your memories & those guns.
Back in the 1960s & 70s as I recall, Dixie Gun Works was one of the premier sources for black powder kits & parts.
I still have my old replica Tower flintlock pistol somewhere. I had no idea or any instructions on proper powder charges, so after a few rounds it was no surprise that an overload broke the mainspring and cracked the stock. (Besides rocking me back on my butt from the squatting position).
Put it away 55 years ago and it still sits there, wherever that may be.
I remember the Tower pistol. My kits were CVA. The pistol as I recall took a max charge of 40 gr and the rifle was 60. FFFg was all I ever used and I never maxed out the charge in either gun. Did 30 gr in the pistol and 40 in the rifle. 45 I used in the rifle a few times just cuz. LOL, all those guns ever slayed was jack rabbits. I wanted to go deer hunting with them but my Dad couldn't take me even if I drew a tag. He was out of hunting and shooting at that point. Deer tags in NV kinda suck the way they work. Well more than kind of.
They suck canal water. You don't know where you will wind up having to go. Could be your back yard or could be an 8 hour one way drive and week long camp. My Dad couldn't commit to deer hunting at that point in our lives. Times were hard, his time was sewed up with work. He did all he could to help me with my hunting and shooting passion and often lamented he couldn't do more. But what he did was and still is precious to me. It sure wasn't his fault that NV deer hunting is sort of a rich mans thing.
It is really. Deer hunting here is a lifestyle thing. The lottery tag system has you praying for the best but expecting the worst. My folks weren't able to commit to a possible week long venture with the likelyhood of nothing to show for it. Even if I did take a nice buck the money that would have gone into it would put a half a beef in the freezer. We have awesome hunting here, our deer are for real. Mule deer. But the tag system blows.
Most all land in Texas is privately owned, so landless hunters either have to have a friend with land or else lease hunting rights (which is a big business here for some owners).
Luckily for my kids & grandkids, my brothers own some good hunting camp properties with lots of cover in the Texas Hill Country, which is Whitetail infested. My own open property is too close to Austin for deer, but is good for dove & quail.
Last edited by ScoPro; 06-13-2021 at 06:55 AM..
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"Right wing extremist" domestic terrorism alert!! But not then. Things were certainly different in a good way. 
Told me he'd just give them back to me. All it would cost me is a small road trip (little over 2 hours away) and swill a few beers whilst jawing over the good old days. Yeah, we got history he and I and no matter how far we've roamed and how big time he's gotten he never forgot who he is and where he comes from. Beginning of next month my son and I are gonna make the drive. He knows who my buddy is being a professional mechanic and a NASCAR fan. That this guy is an old buddy of mine rather set him on his heels a bit. LOL. 
