In 2001, I realized that I hadn't shot my .54 TC Hawken, at that time my only BP gun, in several years. I had made it from a kit, then put it aside in favor of other guns. I decided that the 4th was a good time to make smoke, so I dug it out of the safe and took it to the range in place of the modern cartridge firearms I usually shoot. Over the last few years this has slowly grown to a fun, informal, black powder get-together. I hope that this year the interest is still there. My interest in percussion firearms has grown, and I now use a '58 Remington repro as one of my CAS guns. I am also investigating the '51 Navy in .36 caliber for my next purchase. Reading this web site and others has helped with the research and has fueled my interest. I guess what I really need to do to celebrate the 4th in a historically correct manner is to get a repro of an 18th century flintlock. Maybe by next year...
58cal. 1855 Springfield & a .54 Lyman Plains pistol
probably do blank loads with the appropriate sabots
