- Joined
- Dec 3, 2022
- Messages
- 331
- Reaction score
- 309
Well guys, I became a member here this morning. A lot of very good information on here for sure.
I made a thread that I thought was going to be posted on the trad forum, but I wound up posting it somewhere else. So, considering trad ML has held my interest for many moons now, I wanted to repost most of it here.
So far, I've owned a TC Renegade 54 cal which I wish I had never gotten rid of. It shot RB very well. Back in the early 80's.
Also had a .50 cal TC Hawken. That thing shot Maxi Balls very accurately. Late 80's early 90's. Killed a few whitetails with it.
Bought a Black Knight way back when but I don't have much use for it. Love the old side hammer ML.
Now have a TC New Englander .50 cal. I haven't shot it in a long time. Been into the archery hunting gig but my "want bumps" started itching way bad so I'm back in the ML mode once again. Purchased this smoke pole new in 2004 for an elk hunt. Scored an elk with it and have not used it since. Not into target shooting all that much but I am a die hard hunter. Best of my memory it shoots a Maxi Ball pretty darn accurately. My loads have been 80 grains of 3F black powder, 370 grain hand molded Maxie Balls, and a magnum cap.
Now here's where things just changed for this ole boy. I dug my ole smoke pole out a few days ago and when I looked through the sights, they were fuzzy. Yep, my aging peepers has degraded some since the last time I fired my old smoke pole. I gave some serious consideration to installing a scope on it, but I just couldn't make myself do so. Nothing against scopes, nor anyone that may have one on their smoke poles, but it kind of puts a burr in my saddle thinking about installing one on my personal trad rifle.
All of this called for some serious head scratching. So, looking back on when I first purchased the rifle, something came to my memory. When I first got it, I was hoping to shoot round balls, but that was not to be. Try as I did (many times) I could not for the life of me get it to shoot accurately. Different patch thickness, brands, varied the powder charge, 490 and 495 RB, etc. So not sure what was going on, I purchased and installed a Williams Peep sight for it (I think it is). For whatever reason, I switched back to the original iron sights and put the peep in my ML box.
This brings us up to date. A couple days ago I got out my box of ML toys and accessories (possibles) and took out the peep. Removed the old rear sight and installed the peep once again. I had kept the fine fiber optic front bead I had installed years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can see through the peep just fine, the front bead is plain and crisp, and, for the first time in my life, I can actually see to shoot with both eyes open. I aimed down the hill into the woods behind my house and I can easily keep a good bead on even somewhat smaller objects 80 yards + away. And better yet, I am shocked that I can actually see both sights and whatever I am aiming at from that distance at darn near dark thirty. I would have never thought that could be. I suppose that's one reason the older military rifles of WW2 was equipped with peeps.
Now I don't need to be getting the cart ahead of the wagon because I have not shot it yet, but I have high hopes for something I had figured was darn near a loss cause. Not sure if its the size of the peep or what, but I am happy as can be.
Guys, meet Mr. Magee. First name.........Hershel.
I made a thread that I thought was going to be posted on the trad forum, but I wound up posting it somewhere else. So, considering trad ML has held my interest for many moons now, I wanted to repost most of it here.
So far, I've owned a TC Renegade 54 cal which I wish I had never gotten rid of. It shot RB very well. Back in the early 80's.
Also had a .50 cal TC Hawken. That thing shot Maxi Balls very accurately. Late 80's early 90's. Killed a few whitetails with it.
Bought a Black Knight way back when but I don't have much use for it. Love the old side hammer ML.
Now have a TC New Englander .50 cal. I haven't shot it in a long time. Been into the archery hunting gig but my "want bumps" started itching way bad so I'm back in the ML mode once again. Purchased this smoke pole new in 2004 for an elk hunt. Scored an elk with it and have not used it since. Not into target shooting all that much but I am a die hard hunter. Best of my memory it shoots a Maxi Ball pretty darn accurately. My loads have been 80 grains of 3F black powder, 370 grain hand molded Maxie Balls, and a magnum cap.
Now here's where things just changed for this ole boy. I dug my ole smoke pole out a few days ago and when I looked through the sights, they were fuzzy. Yep, my aging peepers has degraded some since the last time I fired my old smoke pole. I gave some serious consideration to installing a scope on it, but I just couldn't make myself do so. Nothing against scopes, nor anyone that may have one on their smoke poles, but it kind of puts a burr in my saddle thinking about installing one on my personal trad rifle.
All of this called for some serious head scratching. So, looking back on when I first purchased the rifle, something came to my memory. When I first got it, I was hoping to shoot round balls, but that was not to be. Try as I did (many times) I could not for the life of me get it to shoot accurately. Different patch thickness, brands, varied the powder charge, 490 and 495 RB, etc. So not sure what was going on, I purchased and installed a Williams Peep sight for it (I think it is). For whatever reason, I switched back to the original iron sights and put the peep in my ML box.
This brings us up to date. A couple days ago I got out my box of ML toys and accessories (possibles) and took out the peep. Removed the old rear sight and installed the peep once again. I had kept the fine fiber optic front bead I had installed years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can see through the peep just fine, the front bead is plain and crisp, and, for the first time in my life, I can actually see to shoot with both eyes open. I aimed down the hill into the woods behind my house and I can easily keep a good bead on even somewhat smaller objects 80 yards + away. And better yet, I am shocked that I can actually see both sights and whatever I am aiming at from that distance at darn near dark thirty. I would have never thought that could be. I suppose that's one reason the older military rifles of WW2 was equipped with peeps.
Now I don't need to be getting the cart ahead of the wagon because I have not shot it yet, but I have high hopes for something I had figured was darn near a loss cause. Not sure if its the size of the peep or what, but I am happy as can be.
Guys, meet Mr. Magee. First name.........Hershel.
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