What was your first and how did ya get started????

[Don]

My first rifle was a TC Hawken in 45 cal.  An excellent quality rifle and it shoots quite well.  For encampments though I usually take my Bess  or my 32 cal Dixie Tennessee flint as I mostly do F&I and Colonial.

[Renegade]

 been a civil war enthusiast for along time. so about 5 years ago I finally bought a 50 cal. T/C Renegade. Been hooked ever since.

[Swampman]

In the mid-1970s I built a CVA Kentucky Rifle kit that I bought from J.C. Penny's in the mall.

[William]

In the mid-1970s I built a CVA Kentucky Rifle kit that I bought from J.C. Penny's in the mall.

That brings back memories!  I was always fascinated with those items in the catalog, but too young to order one.

[david32cal]

when i was a kid my squirrel gun was a single shot 1913 Stevens 12.Ga that was held closed with a wire coat hanger. my grampa had given it to me and every time i left the house with it my gramma would get mad at him and tell him "one of these days that things going to blow open and take that boys head off" wich was always reasuring to hear, anyway for my 18th birthday my gramma gave me a CVA squirrel rifle and a .36cal cap and ball revolver she got at a garage sale. been shootin' muzzleloaders ever since.

[quigleysharps4570]

In the mid-1970s I built a CVA Kentucky Rifle kit

That was my first too.
Was in 1975...a guy at work had one and got me started on my own kit...been at it every since.  ;)

[Mongo40]

I've always been interested in Mountain Men, can't begin to tell you how many times I've watch Jerimiah Johnson and Mountain Men, What we always played in the woods growing up. For my 15th birthday my father bought me a TC Hawkens 50, I'm 44 now, that was my only rifle for a long time and growing up on a farm, that gun barked a lot of squirrels, knocked a lot of rabbits, and untold numbers of ficticius Bufflow, It still looks as good as the day I got it, I"m kind of anal about taking care of my guns, Oklahoma has a seperate primitive firearms hunt for deer so ML gives you an extra week to hunt, I usually just hunt that week anyway plus a lot of places that are shotgun only hunting areas also allow ML. I picked up another TC Hawkens .45 for $100 at a gunshow awhile back and I've been redoing it for my son making it a little more traditional looking, I also have a Lyman GPR .54 so we have some fun.

[William]

Let us see your rifles if you get a chance, we're all eyes.

An aside note, the film changed the name and left out some details about the characters life and real name, as he was known as "liver eatin'" Johns(t)on for reasons I think are obvious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson

[kit_carson]

Let us see your rifles if you get a chance, we're all eyes.

An aside note, the film changed the name and left out some details about the characters life and real name, as he was known as "liver eatin'" Johns(t)on for reasons I think are obvious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson

he was also known as the "crow killer" you should read the book by the same title.
anyway wheni first started i got a cva kentucky pistol and a remington revolver back in 79, then left it alone for a long time. a couple of years ago a buddy gave me this traditions kentucky flintlock rifle and i was hooked again! sense then i rebuilt that traditions and gave it to my daughter, started building guns and im off and running! the pic shows some of the rifles in my house.

the top one is an issac haines lancaster im trying to finish up for its new owner, the second one down is an Ithaca hawkens, a true replica of Kit carsons gun. the next down is my GPR flinter that i built! great gun real work horse! and the bottom one  is my daughters(my first rifle) traditions .50cal.

[William]

Very cool set of rifles you got there, and now I understand your screen name.

[kit_carson]

read the book crow killer by thorpe! its a great read!

[Thumper]

My wife started the "addiction" about 17yrs ago. She gave me an old and well worn Italian brass framed 51 Colt (still have the original cylinder left). I feel in love with the mechanic's, style and simplicity of the cap and ball era and went out and got a T/C Hawken 54cal and a T/C inline. The inline went bye bye the same year (way too practical and modern), and the Hawken stuck around till I found an older T/C Renegade LH 50cal, which is the best shootin' rifle I've ever owned. Boy, we could really make this a long thread by changing the name to "List How Many Have You Owned Since You Started".

[carbinecasey]

What got me started was my father. He built and collected all types of muzzleloaders and ever since I was a kid they have been a big part of my hunting and shooting. When most boys in school got a new shotgun, my parents got me a new UltraHi 45 caliber flintlock, (and I still got it). I always wanted a Brown Bess and an Underhammer (got the Underhammer a few weeks ago, see my post and range report), and as I got older I studied everything about the French and Indian War to the Mountain Man Era and started collecting and using those weapons of the era,(a few Civil War weapons have sparked my interest, I got the revolvers revolvers). The old ways are hard to change I still find myself looking for all types of muzzleloading and blackpowder weapons. This year I will get my Bess if the funds get better, (Oh and another Underhammer)

Carbinecasey

[voyageur1688]

First rifle? a 30/30 winchester ranger.... (sold about 6 years ago)
First sniper rifle? Mosin Nagant 91/30 sniper (went 5 years ago)
  Oh ya meant my first Blackpowder?  LOl..
My first Bp was a CVA kentucky rifle that my brother had built from a kit back in the early 80's. I helped him a bit when he would let me. I was only about 12 when he built it.
In 92 when he was killed in a car accident it went to me -as his wife and kids were no where to be found after the funeral. His kids are now back and the gun is going to his oldest son.
Voy

[Red Badger]

My first BP is my only one (yet), a Hawkins in .54 cal

How I got started - I was teaching Hunter Education in Colorado and when I left I was presented this beauty as a going away present...