how to waste a day (or two)
how to waste a day (or two)
i'm a traditional muzzle loading blackpowder shooter, fly fisherman, outdoorsy type.
i ran across this gentlemans website. what a great read!
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/index.html
in one article he talks about useing his flintlock rifle to start his charcloth to make his fire.
i ran across this gentlemans website. what a great read!
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/index.html
in one article he talks about useing his flintlock rifle to start his charcloth to make his fire.
"I'd rather be happy than right." Slartibartfast
- Ridgerunner
- Posts: 5278
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:08 pm
- Location: SW, Ohio
- Contact:
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
Nice link Daren. The guy was born 200 years too late
I love the colonial garb and he has some beautiful black powdwer rifles. I saved the link for future leisure reading but enjoyed his "special turkey" story. His charcloth directions are inline with some on this site. 


"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up".....Thomas Edison
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
Great site, thank you Daren
Just kidding.....I don't have enough time to keep on reading all his interesting field stories
but I will come back to them
here is one that I really enjoyed:
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/RainyDayTom.html
RR, be sure to read it!!!!!!



http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/RainyDayTom.html
RR, be sure to read it!!!!!!

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
if i've done the math right, Mr. Spencer was born in 1933. (same year as my father, who taught me to shoot and hunt). that would make him 77 years old now. i hope he is still out there walking around his 200 acre farm, giving the squirrels and bunnies what-for.
i've read through all his "musings" now, and i'm working on his technical info on blackpowder shooting.
i love my blackpowder rifle and will never again hunt with anything else.
here in Canada we don't have quite the same level of firearm history as y'all have in the USA. in your "Colonial Days" we were still digging in the ground with a sharp stick. (personally, my ancesters didn't get to this part of the world till 1895). but, i somehow feel just a bit more "right" when i carry my Hawken rifle in the woods while wearing knee-high moccassins.
up here we don't have hunting seasons for squirrel and rabbit. they are considered vermin and can be taken at any time of year.

i've read through all his "musings" now, and i'm working on his technical info on blackpowder shooting.
i love my blackpowder rifle and will never again hunt with anything else.
here in Canada we don't have quite the same level of firearm history as y'all have in the USA. in your "Colonial Days" we were still digging in the ground with a sharp stick. (personally, my ancesters didn't get to this part of the world till 1895). but, i somehow feel just a bit more "right" when i carry my Hawken rifle in the woods while wearing knee-high moccassins.
up here we don't have hunting seasons for squirrel and rabbit. they are considered vermin and can be taken at any time of year.
"I'd rather be happy than right." Slartibartfast
- Ridgerunner
- Posts: 5278
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:08 pm
- Location: SW, Ohio
- Contact:
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
Another good read Zelph. He definitely has a knack with the pen! You can almost envision being there. I enjoy hunting in a light rain as it allows the hunter to be very quiet but that works both ways for the huntedRR, be sure to read it!!!!!!



Daren, is your Hawken a flintlock or percussion?
"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up".....Thomas Edison
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
Lots of thing make a trip memorable for sure...........we can pass on the yuk!!!!! experiences

Yes, it was interesting to read the part that was "Zen" like.....................the mist/fog being created while he was watching, kinda lifting him off into another world/ realm of time. And then he's brought back to reality.He definitely has a knack with the pen! You can almost envision being there.
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
she's a percussion. .50 cal, 28" barrel, rifling is 1:48 twist, so i can shoot either patched ball or conicals. here's a pic. i'm very proud of her.Ridgerunner wrote:Daren, is your Hawken a flintlock or percussion?

the lock and trigger group:

i've had this rifle for twenty years and it looks like it just came off the shelf yesterday.
"I'd rather be happy than right." Slartibartfast
- Ridgerunner
- Posts: 5278
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:08 pm
- Location: SW, Ohio
- Contact:
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
I should take more pride in my Hawken
I built it from a kit about 25 years ago and instead of blueing the barrel, I decided to brown the barrel to hopefully blend in with my surrounding better without giving a glare. The browning process turned out very nice. I have not hunted witsh it for a three years and my wife had relocated it to the basement
. It needs a good cleaning and when I took the sling off, the brass showed a lot of green deposits
. It is a ThompsonCenter 50cal. Hawken. I can see myself in the traditional colonial attire but that would end up being one more hobby and expense.
I've taken half a dozen deer with this rifle; some with round ball and some with a maxiball. It will definitely get the job done. I have never fired shot from it and at one time was considering a smaller caliber muzzleloader for small game. I can remember years ago when you could buy a Hatfield Kentucky long rifle with a curly maple stock for $500-$600 from either Gander mountain or Cabela's but now it would cost you 2 to 3 times that.



Now, I think I will give the ol' girl a good cleaning up so it will be ready to pass down to a grandson some day.










Now, I think I will give the ol' girl a good cleaning up so it will be ready to pass down to a grandson some day.

"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up".....Thomas Edison
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
- Ridgerunner
- Posts: 5278
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:08 pm
- Location: SW, Ohio
- Contact:
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
Daren, did you read his Stearman Biplane page? Notice the car next to the plane in the first picure. He has some nice toys plus a nice sailboat. 

"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up".....Thomas Edison
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
"Live Life....Love Life....Ask More !
Re: how to waste a day (or two)
no i haven't got to the airplane and sailing pages yet. i will though.Ridgerunner wrote:Daren, did you read his Stearman Biplane page? Notice the car next to the plane in the first picure. He has some nice toys plus a nice sailboat.
RR, that TC Hawken is a highly sought-after prize! keep her clean and make sure the bore doesn't rust.
there are rifles and muskets out there still being used after 200 years of service! and they have iron barrels!! our more modern guns have steel barrels but still need to be looked after.
"I'd rather be happy than right." Slartibartfast