From lurker/poster to spending the few bucks to sign up

[Doc Nock]

I can't recall when I first came onto this site cause memory ain't my friend no mo!  I'd been into BP back in PA when it was our only season that was "new" but required at that time Flint and PRB... near the end of my time in PA they began allowing "other" projectiles and we found the CVA powerbelts worked in a 1:48 T/C pretty well

As hunting areas in PA that I accessed turned into orange pumpkin patches, I crawled into thickets and began to wonder what the devil I was toting an 06 for"?  Then I went to centerfire handguns and finally to stick bows... When I got into BP we knew little and there weren't a lot of resources, but we muddled thru, I guess...

As the neighboring state of MD allowed scoped inlines I digressed and bought a cheap knight kit that worked pretty well... 300 gr. Sabbotted Solid copper Barnes shot like the 06'... I only ever harvested 1 deer with that gun... I had several flash / no boom in the presence of game with various T/C's  and quit for a long time... A member here got me back into REAL (?) MZL with a GPR kit... I made a few (Slapped scales on Green river blades) knives and MMan sheaths, but after moving to Tn.. I've seen deer here in all the wrong places and it cost me $25.00 to hunt a WMA for JUST big game an hour from my house which I hunted and/or scouted for 4 yrs and never saw much sign, let alone a deer!  Now I'm stove up with a bum left hip, have the gear but move with a cane and nobody but nobody I met hunts locally so I guess even getting to a range has become questionable as are the local club ranges...

Things change, but I am on planet Earth one more day... I need to be thankful for that!   Thanks to those who work behind the scenes to make this site possible

[rollingb]

Doc,.... thank you for becoming a TMA Contributor, and even though future hunts may be questionable for you, this is a good site to share your past muzzleloading experiences with others who may be new to the sport.   

As for myself,.... I've been enjoying traditional muzzleloaders since I bought my first one back in 1969.
I've never owned (or even shot) one of the modern inline type muzzleloaders, as I have always shot traditional black powder and round balls without any problems. This makes me all the more interested in hearing about any problems someone may have with these fine guns.

Shooting traditional muzzleloaders, when using traditional methods,.... is a sure-fire recipe for lots of enjoyment.     

Add the history of these fine guns and the people who depended on them (for hundreds of years for their very survival) into the "recipe",.... and it can certainly add an additional element of enjoyment to the traditional muzzleloading experience. 

[Doc Nock]

RolinB...

Thanks for the welcome... I'm sure much of my conundrums came by mere happenstance or stupiidity, but then it may have been fate...

I did find in that somewhat short PA season it a bit of a PNA to load it fresh and then head out...

We did all manner of stupid stuff in that time like black balloons over the muzzle, although most will tell you a patched ball should seal the powder main charge... we stuck feather quills in the flash hole or touched them off before we left...(only season where you could discharge a weapon after dark and not get heat about it.)  Being an ornery GERMAN, I opted to discharge, then clean when i got home and reload at 3AM before heading back out... (NO wonder bows seemed so much simpler)(stickbows at that)...

I'd bought a TC Firestorm that was reputed to shoot pellets but I got it for the removale breech plug... RMCmade one like that but the TC was cheaper and I had little play $$.

When RMC sold out the price trippled to what they're worth today, but the TC never would fire pellets well...Oh, they went off, but I joke that you'd touch off the pan powder, bend over and tie your shoe, come up and take hold of the gun before it went off... (Might be a bit exhagerated, but not much... then I tried loose BP and it was flash-BOOM ... I read a Ross Seifried article suggesting opening up the removable flash hole liner and drilling it out and coning i... I opened it some, but the first time I loaded it standing in snow and shot it just went POP... With the removable breech I could check the bore and it was clear...then I glanced at the snow... most of the main charge lie on the snow... : ... From then on I'd use a quill to hold in the main charge as I rammed the patched ball home, but that was the gun that in the field, it flashed and no boom... it has a cone shapped SS Breech plug and I'm sure the main charge either got behind it or it got quite chilled (up north) and the heat / Fire never reached the main charge but those things were beyond me then...suffice it to say it was "retired" and I hunted with bow or handgun's thereafter...

Now I have the GPR 50 and have re-learned a lot, alas too late smart and too soon old...

After 2 right shoulder surgeries that curved buttstock proved a pain but I learned to make a leather covering and inserted some super gel gifted me and now it's only a small problem to shoot but I reduced the main charge to 70 gr. of 3F vs. the 100 I did shoot in my TC's...they printed the same as whatever was recommended that escapes me but the 100 gr. load under 75 yard printed 8" higher so I used it instead...

[Bigsmoke]

Dave,
You probably would not have enjoyed shooting some of our bigger guns with your shoulder surgeries.  200 grains Ffg in our 12 bore rifles, the bigger guns used even more powder.  You don't want to know.  Now you have an idea how I got my name, Bigsmoke.
Your attitude is great, I do appreciate it.  Keep on keeping on.
And thank you for joining up and becoming a member.  You're a great resource.

John (Bigsmoke)

[Hank in WV]

Good having you here Doc.

[Ohio Joe]

Welcome again Doc! 

[Doc Nock]

Dave,
You probably would not have enjoyed shooting some of our bigger guns with your shoulder surgeries.  200 grains Ffg in our 12 bore rifles, the bigger guns used even more powder.  You don't want to know.  Now you have an idea how I got my name, Bigsmoke.
Your attitude is great, I do appreciate it.  Keep on keeping on.
And thank you for joining up and becoming a member.  You're a great resource.

John (Bigsmoke)

I did read elsewhere on here some time back how you came by your name, John... As the bore size goes up so does the gun weight I'm told but that curved butt stock, on a GPR, makes me wince, just holding it up to my shoulder... Were it not for being gifted the super gel to make my own padded but cover

Ever see a grown man cry? I do when I look at SCHUTZEN butt stocks!

******************

BTW, thanks for the welcome....ya other good gents!

[rollingb]

I did read elsewhere on here some time back how you came by your name, John... As the bore size goes up so does the gun weight I'm told but that curved butt stock, on a GPR, makes me wince, just holding it up to my shoulder... Were it not for being gifted the super gel to make my own padded but cover

Ever see a grown man cry? I do when I look at SCHUTZEN butt stocks!

******************

BTW, thanks for the welcome....ya other good gents!

Here's an idea for ya Doc,.... if you're a bit handy with tools, you could replace that GPR butt plate with a flatter (more comfortable) butt plate, and it probably wouldn't even change the GPR's "LOP".   

The only drawback with the above idea, is you might have to figure out how to hide the remaining bit of "inlet" space left on top the stock from the old GPR butt plate.

Maybe a simple "wrap" of buckskin,... or,... a bit of wood judiciously fitted, glued, and stained, as a gap filler?     

[Doc Nock]

Rollin,

I did make a cover for that curved but plate.  Searching for a pic...Can't find the still life I did.  Guess you'll have to take my word for it...it's a lace on with some super gel inside gifted me and with my long arms, I don't think I'd want to shorten nuttin.  Given I don't get to the range no mo with the blasted cane, I think I'll have to live with what I got...

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[Darren Haverstick]

Dave, you and I have been buddies for a while now but I'm glad to see you on this site as well!

Darren

[Winter Hawk]

Welcome to TMA, Doc Nock!

I modified a GPR stock years ago, because I didn't like getting the point of the stock digging in my shoulder.  I laid the butt plate on a concrete block with the wood side down and hammered it straighter, then cut the point of the toe off to fit the new butt plate shape.  The toe plate also had to be cut shorter, and I believe I had to grind some on the butt plate to match the width and length of the wood.  HOWEVER, this does change the value of the gun if you plan to sell it some day....  I scribed a line on Dave's photo to show about how the cut should go.

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[rollingb]

Welcome to TMA, Doc Nock!

I modified a GPR stock years ago, because I didn't like getting the point of the stock digging in my shoulder.  I laid the butt plate on a concrete block with the wood side down and hammered it straighter, then cut the point of the toe off to fit the new butt plate shape.  The toe plate also had to be cut shorter, and I believe I had to grind some on the butt plate to match the width and length of the wood.  HOWEVER, this does change the value of the gun if you plan to sell it some day....  I scribed a line on Dave's photo to show about how the cut should go.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

Kees,.... that's what I was suggesting in my previous post, except I would run the "scribe line" all the way up to the top of the comb. 

Flat butt plates are easy to find if you don't have an aversion to plastic butt plates.

The toe plate can easily be shortened as you mentioned,.... with the only remaining thing to do is fill in the top of the old butt plate' inlet with some wood "judiciously fitted and finished" to the top inlet of the comb to finish the job.
Lacking the skill, or lacking the proper wood (European Walnut) to fill the top inlet properly, there are other ways to hide that particular area with some buckskin and a few small tacks. 

Doing away with the old Hawken-style butt plate wouldn't alter the "LOP" (length of pull) at all. 


After I typed the above, a thought came to me,.... the top inlet (for the old butt plate) could be easily filled by cutting the top of the old butt plate off and drilling a second hole to re-attach it to the stock. The last touch would simply be to "fit" the new butt plate to the end of the stock and the job would be finished.

[Ohio Joe]

One could cut back the toe-plate - heat and bend a curve into the bottom of the buttplate (see the blue line I've drawn) and it might help?  I have a .54 I built that has a brass buttplate with a curve at the bottom, and I've never notice it dig into my lower shoulder when shooting it,,, (but it has 3.73 inch drop) and that might be why?

Just a thought???



Click link below;

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/675/1/BP-E-6-B

[Doc Nock]

Thanks, Guys...I appreciate the input and links.

As I said, unless something changes, I may not be doing much shooting anymore given this hip and low back pain...

I got word today on my Friday physical my fasting blood sugar is up a bit (111 from 102) and my white count is low (2.5 vs normal 4-11) so I best eliminate the fry bread i started ingesting (Bannock)...

I believe one of the Cancer meds affects ones ability to fight infection and white cells are your primary line of defense...

I am also not a BRASS fittings guy, preferring iron, but those are all good thoughts...And suggestions! Thank you all!!!

At this point, I don't get to shoot much and after 2 surgeries on the right shooting shoulder, I think it best I stick with 70-75 gr. loads!  The fix I made works with the lace on I can't find pics of...