We went to Bass Pro today and they had the Traditions Lightening there, blued, $99.95 or something like that. I think that's the regular price, actually. There was nothing about "marked down" or "sale". It's just that same Traditions cheap rifle they've always had. It looked nice enough, I reckon. I mean, it was an in-line, plastic black stock, .50 cal, and the twist is 1:28, I think. The barrel looked no more than 24 inches long. Being as I already have the Cabela's Hawkin Hunter Carbine with a 1:24 20" barrel, I felt buying the thing would be redundant even though the price was very tempting. Frankly, I prefer the Cabela's rifle, more traditional with left handed cap lock, side hammer Hawkin styling. Mine had a very pretty cut checkered walnut stock with recoil pad and quick connect sling, etc. It's a very nice looking gun compared to that Traditions rifle. I have the adapter on it for using small rifle magnum primers rather than percussion caps, which are very much more reliable and more water resistant.
So, anyway, I didn't buy a blessed thing in the mall or at Bass Pro. I thought about buying some powder, getting low on Bullseye, but the price is better locally. Bass Pro ain't no bargain, gotta pay for all that overhead I guess. I did point out a cooking set I want to the wife with hints about Christmas. It has two cast iron frying pans, a griddle, and a 6 quart dutch oven for 50 bucks. I've wanted a dutch oven for all my life and never had one. I played it up to the wife, too, LOL! I probably shoulda bought it, but I wasn't in a spending mood. But, I really don't want that Traditions rifle. I can't see where I'd use it considering I like that Cabela's Hawkin a lot. I don't know, but I've really not warmed to in-line percussions anyway. I mean, if I wanna shoot modern, I can shoot my .308. We don't have much of a special muzzle loader season in Texas, just in some counties that I don't hunt anyway. I'll probably stand hunt my place some more and hopefully will finally take something with that Hawkin and there's a public area in east Texas, year around hogs, but black powder only. That's really the only hunting I'll likely do with black powder. If I buy another rifle, I'd like either a .31 or something with a different rifling twist than what I have for round ball. That Traditions was just too much a similar application to what I already have. Nice enough looking rifle, just don't need it.
