Powder / patch thickness used in 1800's

[Uncle Russ]

........................- my first two rifles were 1850-60's percussion Lemans, which in the mid-1960's could still be bought through the mail and I paid less than $100.00 for both! Those were the days.....

Geesh! I thought I was about the only one that remembered those Golden Days of yesteryear.
I have often wondered what happened to all the "good stuff" that was available prior to the 1968 GCA.
I ordered a Rolling Block, back sometimes in the early 1960's, and if memory serves me right I paid about $39.00 including shipping. Got a Kentucky Rifle with all the makings, including a possibles bag, for $29.00
Nice, and I do mean NICE Muzzleloaders sold for a bit more than what a pound of powder will run nowadays.

(When I started writing this I had the name of  two such catalogs that I had ordered from in my mind, one of them being Kleins, if remember right, but dadburn it the other name seems to have slipped out.)

I have sometimes had the fleeting thought that Turner Kirkland may have got his start from insiders knowing and predicting what would happen in the Arms / Mail Order Trade after Pres. Kennedy's death, and wondered if he didn't snatch-up a bunch of that "mail-order" stuff to get DGW up and running???....just sayin!

Sorry for ramblin, but it was nice to reflect back on those days with Chuck.
Just an old man thinking out loud I guess.

Uncle Russ...

[Bigsmoke]

And I recollect hearing stories of fine English 4 and 8 bore double rifles being sold for under $100.  As a matter of fact, Turner Kirkland documented that by talking about it in the story Jim Carmichael wrote about the elephant hunt he went on with Turner Kirkland.

Interestingly enough, although he called it a 4 bore double rifle, I have actually handled that rifle and it is more like a 6 bore, with the bore measuring about .900.  Whatever bore it is, it is a fine rifle.  To me, it comes up to aim in one smooth motion.  At about 18 - 19 pounds, I can see why the great white hunters relied upon gun bearers.

At the tender young age of about 9, I recollect sending away for a .455 Webbley that was advertised in the pages of Popular Mechanics or some such magazine.  That was probably about 1954 or '55.  I think it was $9.95 plus $2.00 for postage.  I think my pre-adolescence handwriting gave me away.  They sent the money back. Darn, I really wanted that pistol.

Bannermans's the other one you are thinking about, Russ?

No doubt Turner did grab a bunch of that mail order stuff, but I think he was rolling pretty good by the time Kennedy was assassinated.  

John