Why not me, why is it never me???

[Uncle Russ]

The following story is "almost" unbelievable, so I had to take a picture to prove the cold hard fact that....they are still out there!

A friend of mine stopped by just a little earlier, said he had something that I just had to see.
Seems he was on Craig's list and found a couple of Muzzleloaders for sale...for $200 bucks.
He was thinking $200 bucks each is a pretty good price, although the owner didn't or  couldn't describe them very well...he just kept saying "they're the old fashioned kind nothing fancy, so don't be expecting something that ain't there".....

We'll on his way home, he just had to stop and tell me the story, and show me the guns! Final cost on both guns was $200 for both.
The first one was a GPR, looked as though it was brand new, no knocks or bruises anywhere I could see.
The second was a T/C Cherokee with both .32 and .45 Barrels, and both looked as though they just came out of the box.
That little Cherokee with the .32 is about the same weight as my air-rifle!!!!!!
(I apologize for the poor quality pictures, but they were taken on my work bench in a hurry...we just checked the bores, which were near perfect.)

  Did ya ever get the feeling that on the day you were born, the moon was just totally out of phase?
[attachment=2:1bfcaat4][/attachment]GPR & Cherokee.JPG[/attachment:1bfcaat4]
[attachment=1:1bfcaat4][/attachment]45 cal Cherokee.JPG[/attachment:1bfcaat4]
[attachment=0:1bfcaat4][/attachment].32 Cal Barrel.JPG[/attachment:1bfcaat4]

Uncle Russ...

[Riley/MN]

Daaaang

[Ohio Joe]

He got a heck of a deal!

[Bigsmoke]

The least he could have done was give you your choice for half the price.  Some people just seem to have all the luck.

I did come into a pretty good deal one time on guns.  A fellow wanted to get rid of some old guns and I happened to be the first one there.  I think he wanted $300 for the lot.  Got a .45-70 trapdoor in fairly worn condition with bayonette;  a Danish rolling block with bayonette;  a 12 ga Zulu shotgun;  an 1842 Springfield in 16 ga, I think; and something that I don't recall.  I tried to talk him out of his Remington flintlock rifle, but that wasn't for sale.

The only other time I really struck it good was I was looking for an old car to hot rod after I got out of the service.  A kid in my college shop class had one that his mom was climbing all over him to get rid of.  It was a 39 Chevy 2 door sedan, complete, except for no engine.  I mean it had the hood ornament, all the door handles, glass, etc.  Everything except for the engine.  Not a bad deal for $10.  Then I bought a 40 Ford with Chevy running gear for $250, took that all out and sold the shell for $250.  Most everything else neat that I have bought, I paid big bucks for.

[TallTexan]

Wowzers, what a great deal!

[Spotted Bull]

Once found a .54 CVA with a plastic stock for $70 on gunbroker.com. Once it got to me, I unloaded it (yep) and put it on an old wooden stock and used it in the woods for several years.

[Hanshi]

The closest I ever come to a good deal is on those rare occasions when I don't get skint.  

[Uncle Russ]

These kind of deals are out there, somewhere, ya just gotta find them!

Unfortunately, it seems that many nice side-locks are being disposed of in order "to upgrade to the more popular in-lines" the guys doing this were never into anything that could even remotely resemble anything "Traditional".

They are the same guys that have taken advantage of the ofttimes extended seasons offered by many states for Muzzleloaders...just 'cause it loads from the front, and for many that same season coincided with "Time-Off" from work.
And likely allowed a few more days in the field when they could get that precious time off....I know, I understand, I get it...work comes before everything else when you're a young man working hard to raise a family and keep food on the table, I get it.

Right or wrong in the eyes of us Traditionalist, it is the American way and I strongly suspect that is as it should be. I've been against it for many, many years, still yet, I have to admit, after looking back over those many years, that I can blame the system, I can blame the individual, even blame myself, but I do get it.

I have also know a few, make that a "very few", who have made the transition both ways, and are now back to using Traditional sidelocks. Their reasoning behind this seems to vary from person to person and that too is as it should be.  

You can lead the horse to water, but, no matter what, you can't make him drink.

Myself, as well as many of you, will gladly relieve them of those old, outdated, out of style, side locks, if they are so determined to get get rid of them...we get it!

Jus'sayin...

Uncle Russ..

[Spotted Bull]

Very nice, Uncle Russ.

[amm1851]

Amen, Uncle Russ. I used to rant against the modern muzzleloaders, but now I just figure I will do things my way and let others make their own choices, so long as it is legal and ethical. I am hunting Idaho's regular whitetail season, and I would guess I may be the only one packing a muzzleloader.  

[Sjfriend]

I lucked into a find. Was at a sister's house and my bro in-law had a ml rifle and pistol on the wall. We talked a few minutes and I mentioned that I wanted one at some point. A little while later he came up to me and lead me to his safe. He pulled out 3 rifles and told me to pick! Didn't know much but liked what turned out to be an early CVA mountian rifle that does not appear to have been fired.