Traditional Muzzleloading on the Cheap

In the Field => Gone Shootin => Topic started by: azwidget on April 05, 2013

Title: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: azwidget on April 05, 2013
Finally!!!! A warm spring day and the opportunity for the first firing of my beautiful Mongrel-made .36 caliber left-handed flintlock. IT WAS AWESOME!!!  Spectacular! Just about the most fun a girl could have!

With a French amber flint the lock produced a shower of sparks...not a single klatch!
I was shooting consistently low and to the right; I think it was the shooter, not the rifle, since I was able to correct it as I went along.

Since I was by myself at the Toledo Muzzleloader's range, it was hard to get decent pictures.
I was shooting offhand at 50 yards.

Can't even begin to say how happy I am with my little rifle!! OK, squirrels, beware! And I'll for sure be ready for the next paper shoot, boys  blah

(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b547/azwidget/IMG_0180_zps8fdb07bf.jpg)

(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b547/azwidget/IMG_0178_zps415e8b4f.jpg)
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: William on April 05, 2013
Very cool!  Glad you had a nice sunny day you could get out and enjoy with your smoke pole.  Tell us more about the load you were using.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: azwidget on April 05, 2013
Used a .350 round ball with .010 prelubed patch. Played around with the powder load - seemed to get good results with 40gr. I'll continue messing with that next time I go out.

Discovered that it would be really really really nice to have a short starter; working on making that this evening.

Took a basic handgun class a few months ago and have been shooting my S&W weekly. I didn't realize it would improve my rifle skills... or maybe I should give credit to Mongrel for building a superior product!   flwa
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: mongrel on April 05, 2013
The credit goes to quality components and an owner who can shoot. I only assembled the parts and sent the result along to the owner. thmbsup
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: azwidget on April 05, 2013
Makes me really glad I put up with all that teasing!   blah
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: Dogshirt on April 05, 2013
What teasing? ??? :mini-devil-28492:
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: azwidget on April 05, 2013
You all know who you are..... don't make me hafta name names  strpot
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: William on April 05, 2013
All kidding aside, Mongrel really put his magic touch on that rifle, it just looks good sitting there next to the target.  Kinda like cars, if it looks fast just standing still then it's a keeper for sure.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: flintboomer on April 06, 2013
Very nice, and when you start beating the guys at the range with it they probably won't have much they can say except "good job". thmbsup
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: gunmaker on April 06, 2013
How bout a pic of the rhinestone & sequin case Widget-----Good shooting,   ....Tom
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: Hanshi on April 06, 2013
Hey, Mongrel!  You do a bloody lot more than simply "assemble" the parts.  That's a very fine rifle and looks to be the scourge of the squirrel woods.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: bowcrazy on April 07, 2013
have to agree with Hanshi that is a fine rifle. squirrel's beware.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: CampbellClan on April 17, 2013
Yep I will agree with hanshi as well..thats ONE FINE looking rifle..
widget, thats pretty decent shooting for your first outing with a new rifle. I'd say it's a KEEPER for sure..
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: hotfxr on April 17, 2013
Quote from: mongrel on April 05, 2013
The credit goes to quality components and an owner who can shoot. I only assembled the parts and sent the result along to the owner. thmbsup
Wayyy too modest. From everything I have read on this forum, you seem to impart some kind of "Mongrel Mojo" into every piece that you build, thereby forcing whomever shoots one of them to greater accuracy.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: Hawken50 on April 17, 2013
 thmbsup Mongrel is strong in the ways of the soot lords.I have foreseen that many will be brought to the dark side of the soot lords by his cunning applications of the dark arts of Goex, I have.Many will be lured away from the heathen smokeless ones......
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: mongrel on April 20, 2013
Yeesh. Honestly, I don't do anything but put 'em together, occasionally bleed on one (okay, on pretty much all of 'em before it's all said and done). Maybe the difference is that the thought always uppermost in my mind is, "It has to shoot." That comes before making it pretty, making it PC, obliging someone's notions of how it SHOULD be done. The gun has to shoot. It's first, foremost, and always a gun, and it has to shoot.

Maybe the "mojo" is that focus and doing my best to involve the customer in every step from choosing components to watching the gun be built to finally knowing it's on the way. I don't know. But I do know my guns have to shoot.
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: azwidget on April 20, 2013

  MONGREL MOJO!!!   dntn dntn dntn
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: hotfxr on April 20, 2013
Hey Mongrel, when I come looking to have you build me the ultimate plains rifle, you won't hold the "mojo" moniker against me, will you?  :mini-devil-28492:
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: mongrel on April 21, 2013
As long as "ultimate plains rifle" doesn't involve use of the word "Hawken" all will be well.... ;D
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: gunmaker on April 21, 2013
If you think that's the most fun a girl could have---wait till you knock a big bushy tail off a limb the 1st time.  Way to go Widget. ....Tom
Title: Re: Review of my Mongrel-made .36 squirrel mangler
Post by: hotfxr on April 21, 2013
Quote from: mongrel on April 21, 2013
As long as "ultimate plains rifle" doesn't involve use of the word "Hawken" all will be well.... ;D
Thanks to my new family on this forum my misconceptions have been dashed to the rocks and I have been climbing the ladder of muzzleloader knowledge one rung at a time all the while realizing that the more I learn, the less I know. The only time the word "Hawken" comes up anymore is when naming rifle builders of the early 19th century or talking about a garden store that used to be around here. Of course I had to bite my tongue hard at the Rondy yesterday when amongst the shooters that name was bandied about most freely.