Remembering my Father

[Stormrider51]

It's mid-October.  The air is turning cooler and deer season is just around the corner.  This time of year always makes me think of my Father.  Police officer, master carpenter, and extremely talented muzzleloading rifle builder.  In the middle 1950's he spotted an original Jacob Dickert rifle hanging on the wall of his friend Jack McBride's shop in Austin, TX.  Jack let him disassemble the rifle and make detailed drawings.  Before long he was on a first name basis with Turner Kirkland as he sought out parts to build one of his own.  Starting with a block of maple and his drawings, he created a very good copy of the Dickert.  He took that flintlock to a monthly match of the Austin Rifle Club where the good ol' boys were somewhat patronizing toward the guy who wanted to shoot his flintlock against their modern cartridge rifles.  He won that match and repeated the performance for the next two months.  Then he was informed that there had been a rule change.  Cartridge Rifles Only.  The word got around and eventually his rifles were added to the collections of Gaines DeGraffenried and John Shivers (son of former TX Governor Alan Shivers).  He was a founding member of The Powder Horn Club where no cartridge rifles were allowed.  At 7 years of age I was the youngest member.  Dad built me a kid-sized rifle in .40 cal.  The next season, at the ripe age of 8, I took a deer with it.  Dad being a man who believed in education, I learned to clean and skin that deer while he watched and offered advice.  Wanting to be sure I had learned my lesson, the next day I got to repeat the performance on the deer he shot.

I have no idea how many rifles Dad built in his lifetime.  It was a bunch and almost all were in .45 caliber as he considered that to be sufficient for "anybody who can hit what they shoot at".  I do remember his last one well.  My wife and I had moved Dad in with us after my Mom died.  I set his bench and tools up in my shop where I was trying to earn a living working on modern guns after retiring from a career in EMS.  I'm attaching a photo of him holding his last rifle.  You will note that it is still "in the white".  He died a few days later and before finishing it.  A day or so after his death I walked into my shop and saw the rifle leaning against his bench.  I picked it up and knew it was up to me to finish it.  I've attached a photo of the finished rifle. 
John
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[Two Steps]

Thanks for sharing the memory...I enjoyed the reading.

[Winter Hawk]

Great tribute to your father.  Thanks for sharing that.   

The guy who started me on my black powder journey by selling me an 1851 Navy Colt replica told me of a similar shooting experience he had.  This was at the Bear Creek White Alice site in Alaska, about 20 miles (IIRC) Northerly from the Native village of Tanana, and he went to the Thanksgiving turkey shoot with a muzzleloader rifle.  He won the match that year, and the following as well.  After that the rules were changed to cartridge rifles only.  Spoilsports! 

Again, thanks for sharing your memories of your father! 

Kees

[Ohio Joe]

A wonderful Rifle from a wonderful man, Stormrider51. Thanks for sharing those memories. 

I might add that the .45 caliber Dickert Rifle is my all time favorite. 

[Uncle Russ]

John, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, very nice.
I hope you're feeling better yourself, not seeing near as much of you here on the forum as we used to and I hope this is an  indication that you're doing better, and that we'll be seeing more of you in future. 

Take care, my friend!   

 

Uncle Russ...

[Stormrider51]

Thanks everyone.  Dad was quite a character.  Russ, I'm still hanging around.  Just not doing as much shooting as I used to.  We used to have two ML clubs in this area.  One had leased a range about 20 minutes drive from my home.  Attendance at shoots kept dropping until the club folded.  That left me having to shoot on the modern rifle range where my fire spitting smoke making guns aren't always appreciated.  It seems to me that there are fewer traditional black powder shooters every year.
John

[Bigsmoke]

  That left me having to shoot on the modern rifle range where my fire spitting smoke making guns aren't always appreciated. 

John, I know of what you speak.  My local range, about 3 miles from the house took exception to my loading behind the firing line.  The range Nazi started rambling on about that, saying if I don't know how to safely shoot, I should stay home, blah blah, etc.  And I replied he didn't know much about proper muzzleloading techniques, etc.  So, I packed up, left, and haven't been back since.  Sorry folks, but it has been a long, long time since I was in basic training, and I will be darned if I am going to put up with some idiot yelling at me.  Just ain't gonna happen.  So, they lost a dues paying member and I lost a place to shoot.  Guess we both lost.

[Stormrider51]

  That left me having to shoot on the modern rifle range where my fire spitting smoke making guns aren't always appreciated. 

John, I know of what you speak.  My local range, about 3 miles from the house took exception to my loading behind the firing line.  The range Nazi started rambling on about that, saying if I don't know how to safely shoot, I should stay home, blah blah, etc.  And I replied he didn't know much about proper muzzleloading techniques, etc.  So, I packed up, left, and haven't been back since.  Sorry folks, but it has been a long, long time since I was in basic training, and I will be darned if I am going to put up with some idiot yelling at me.  Just ain't gonna happen.  So, they lost a dues paying member and I lost a place to shoot.  Guess we both lost.

John, I had an experience much like yours a few years ago.  I drove 40 miles to a new range only to have the range master tell me that loaded firearms must be pointed downrange at all times and specifically never pointed upward toward the roof.  I explained that loading my flintlock with it in a horizontal position was almost impossible.  He said he needed to call the owner.  So I sat around for more than an hour until the owner showed up.  He stuck to the "never pointed upward" until I had an inspiration.  I showed him that the last step in preparation to fire was dabbing a small amount of powder into the pan and closing the frizzen.  I would have the rifle horizontal and pointing downrange while doing this and the gun was not actually loaded until I did so.  He relented and I was allowed to shoot.  I never bothered to go back.

[SharpStick]

Appears I have it good. The range I go to has given me no problems with shooting BP or a muzzleloader. No complaints about the smoke - actually I've had a few people tell me they like the smell of burnt gunpowder. They only commnet from the Range Officers was a request that during a cease fire when putting the rifle on the bench that I half cock the hammer so they can see there's not a cap on the nipple.

What I'm reading here has me appreciating what I have even more.

[RobD]

what a Great story, john - and what a fine heirloom rifle, to boot.