SDMB Black Powder Thread

[Johnny_L.A]

@brownie55

Would you part with that Smith?

I once had a 16th Century wakizashi. I needed money, and a friend of mine coveted it; so I sold it to him. I wish I hadn’t.

[Spavined_Gelding]

@brownie55

Would you part with that Smith? Guns are made to be fired, IMHO. There are hundreds of originals getting fired on any given competition weekend. The originals are tighter and shoot better than all but the most expensive reproductions. I’d love to step up to competing with one.

Sorry, man, no. I got the Smith from my father when he died. An elderly lady patient gave it and the Colt pocket police to him. They had belonged to her husband and he had gotten them from his father who supposedly had actually carried both as a Ohio Volunteer cavalryman during the Civil War. I say supposedly because I can’t imagine that when the volunteers were mustered out at the end of the war they were allowed to take any government property with them, be it horse, saddle or firearm. The Colt was clearly not government property so maybe the old guy had it as a personal weapon. I suspect that he picked up the carbine as war surplus – the same way you and I can buy an M-1 rifle from the government.

Incidentally, occasionally a 1861 Springfield will turn up in some old barn – probably purchased as a hog killing gun from federal or state surplus.

The tumbler on the Smith is busted, but I see that I can get a replacement (maybe original parts) from Dixie as well as reload cartridges.

[jayjay]

My parents both used to shoot black powder rifles (several-times champions in their gender categories at the Pennsylvania state competitions). We used to go to shoots every weekend in the summer. Unfortunately, I never had the patience to actually practice, and I didn’t like the noise very much, so I never got into it myself.

My parents used to shoot Thompson Center percussion mostly. That’s all I know.

[brownie55]

@Spavined Gelding

Sorry, man, no. I got the Smith from my father when he died. An elderly lady patient gave it and the Colt pocket police to him. They had belonged to her husband and he had gotten them from his father who supposedly had actually carried both as a Ohio Volunteer cavalryman during the Civil War. I say supposedly because I can’t imagine that when the volunteers were mustered out at the end of the war they were allowed to take any government property with them, be it horse, saddle or firearm. The Colt was clearly not government property so maybe the old guy had it as a personal weapon. I suspect that he picked up the carbine as war surplus – the same way you and I can buy an M-1 rifle from the government.

Incidentally, occasionally a 1861 Springfield will turn up in some old barn – probably purchased as a hog killing gun from federal or state surplus.

The tumbler on the Smith is busted, but I see that I can get a replacement (maybe original parts) from Dixie as well as reload cartridges.

I understand you not wanting to part with it completely, but I had to ask.

One of my other teammates has his great great great whatever’s Spencer that he carried in the CW. Not entirely sure what the mustering out procedure was, but many a firearm seems to have end up in civilian hands.

[Johnny_L.A]

Just a note on Uberti. Apparently they make guns for other familiar names. According to an email from a customer service rep at Uberti, Uberti BP guns may be marked Taylor, Cabela’s, Cimmaron, Stoeger Industries, Navy Arms, EMF, or Dixie .

I did not know that (except for Dixie).