The New (old) Guy

[Frank in Fairfield]

Hello, I am 75 years old. I have been shooting traditional muzzleloaders for about 30 years. I have a TC Renegade .54 that I built from a kit and a Ruger New Army .45. I have a friend who I shoot adult air rifles with and he recently joined the muzzleloading fraternity (sorority) because he wants to try his hand in a muzzleloader only hunt here in California. He asked me to join him. I tried shooting .54 caliber sabots in my Renegade but they were too hard to load (I have never had to use a hammer with lead bullets.). We must use only copper bullets here in California. So I shot his CVA Optima and enjoyed it very much but I am a T/C man through and through. Along with the Renegade I have also owned a T/C Hawken and Patriot. I have a Contender as well, with many barrels. I am retired from the USAF and FAA where I was an air traffic controller and facility manager. I live in Fairfield, CA (home of Jelly Belly and one of the Budweiser locations). I am married with two sons and one grand-daughter. I grew up with guns and carried a Daisy Model 25 BB gun everywhere I went growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD. We all had them (except for the funeral director’s kid who had a Sheridan pump) and even took them to school with us. The teacher lined them behind her desk until the end of day school bell rang. In addition to black powder I shoot adult air rifles and enjoy a trip to Wyoming for antelope season as well as trying to control the hordes of prairie dogs. I look forward to learning a lot from the shooters on this forum. I belong to other airgun related forums as well as a traditional muzzleloader forum. So, today I bought a T/C Triumph..

 

[GM54-120]

We must use only copper bullets here in California

Welcome but that is not exactly accurate. You can not use LEAD projectiles. There are other non lead options even for round ball but they are not cheap.
https://www.ballisticproducts.com/ITX-50-cal-487-non-toxic-roundball-12-balls/productinfo/TXRB50/

 

[HC]

To the brotherhood.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Welcome Frank.

 

[Caniborrowsomeammo]

Ah, my adult airgun Brother. We're both here to learn. I can't wait to shoot your new gun.

 

[Cobweb]

Welcome Frank! Right cool forum here! I seldom post but read this each evening.
I'm right smack dab in the middle of Missouri and have been in muzzleloading since the mid 70's. Shot competivitaly for years until my health has just about stopped my shooting because of manuverability issues.
Keep up the shootn' .......

Big John

 

[Rainorshine]

Welcome! Enjoy your new Triumph!

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Ah, my adult airgun Brother. We're both here to learn. I can't wait to shoot your new gun.

Anytime John cause you have the goods..

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Welcome Frank! Right cool forum here! I seldom post but read this each evening.
I'm right smack dab in the middle of Missouri and have been in muzzleloading since the mid 70's. Shot competivitaly for years until my health has just about stopped my shooting because of manuverability issues.
Keep up the shootn' .......

Big John

Thanks John. I refuse to grow up. With Diabetes (Thanks to you know who) high blood pressure (42 years of talking to airplanes) and high cholesterol it will soon come to an end, along with the rest of the world but, I am going out fighting. My partner in Kansas is planning an antelope excursion and prairie dog killing spree for 2021 and I have airgun field target to keep busy all year long. I also shoot silhouette and now another John (see earlier response) has gotten involved in blackpowder again. As they say you will be dead longer than you are alive so enjoy what time you have. I do and I will. Stay safe.

 

[snapbang]

Hey Frank, welcome. I have Type 1, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and probably a couple of other things. Take your meds religiously and and I think you can live a normal life. I see the Doc. about every 4 months to go through a battery of tests. I consider myself healthy with the help of modern medicine, I do anything and everything everyone else does. Everything you named can be controlled and kept at in a normal healthy range.

You do want to avoid things like smoking, chewing, drinking, etc. Or if you do go lightly and or just enjoy a little. Our real threat is if we get a secondary disease like cancer or such. Having diabetes makes those other diseases way more difficult to combat.

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Hey Frank, welcome. I have Type 1, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and probably a couple of other things. Take your meds religiously and and I think you can live a normal life. I see the Doc. about every 4 months to go through a battery of tests. I consider myself healthy with the help of modern medicine, I do anything and everything everyone else does. Everything you named can be controlled and kept at in a normal healthy range.

You do want to avoid things like smoking, chewing, drinking, etc. Or if you do go lightly and or just enjoy a little. Our real threat is if we get a secondary disease like cancer or such. Having diabetes makes those other diseases way more difficult to combat.

Thanks for your comments.
Actually, I have talked about other diseases with my wife. I developed Type II Diabetes because of Agent Orange and I receive some of my retirement pay from the VA because of that. I started taking medications in 2005 for that and 2007 for the rest. For 42 years I never so much as took an aspirin. I see the base (USAF) doctor every 6 months (telephone now). They do all the lab work. I am tiring of it so if they say I have cancer I will almost welcome it because I am getting tired of the medications. I don’t smoke but I do all the rest. I eat red meat many times a week. I BBQ religiously (California, you know?) so when doing that you must hold a can of beer in one hand. If I have wine with dinner I drink the bottle. I weigh 285 pounds and I have done so for 30 years. All of my friends in the service are already gone so why I am here? In short I will do what I want to do when I want to do it...BTW...I have been treated by a civilian and military hospital for the diabetes and not one of fthem has ever given me a diet or have told me not eat certain things. Dr. Oz says we are to drink two drinks of alcohol a day to maintain a healthy heart. I try to comply. I get my nd shingles shot on January 5th. I suspect when the COVID vaccines start coming they will make me wait for the shingles shot

 

[gman57]

Welcome to the forum Frank, enjoy your time left.

 

[L W SMITHY]

Welcome to the forum Frank, enjoy your time left.

Frank I am 74 years young have type 2 diabetes,in remission for lymphoma large Bcell cancer of the skin .I have had 54 treatments of radiation all on the top of my head (no hair but who needs that ). I like you I do as I please but I do exercise and watch my diet(pretty much). Take care of yourself and enjoy muzzle loading and this forum for a long time

 

[Pathfinder60]

Hello, I am 75 years old. I have been shooting traditional muzzleloaders for about 30 years. I have a TC Renegade .54 that I built from a kit and a Ruger New Army .45. I have a friend who I shoot adult air rifles with and he recently joined the muzzleloading fraternity (sorority) because he wants to try his hand in a muzzleloader only hunt here in California. He asked me to join him. I tried shooting .54 caliber sabots in my Renegade but they were too hard to load (I have never had to use a hammer with lead bullets.). We must use only copper bullets here in California. So I shot his CVA Optima and enjoyed it very much but I am a T/C man through and through. Along with the Renegade I have also owned a T/C Hawken and Patriot. I have a Contender as well, with many barrels. I am retired from the USAF and FAA where I was an air traffic controller and facility manager. I live in Fairfield, CA (home of Jelly Belly and one of the Budweiser locations). I am married with two sons and one grand-daughter. I grew up with guns and carried a Daisy Model 25 BB gun everywhere I went growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD. We all had them (except for the funeral director’s kid who had a Sheridan pump) and even took them to school with us. The teacher lined them behind her desk until the end of day school bell rang. In addition to black powder I shoot adult air rifles and enjoy a trip to Wyoming for antelope season as well as trying to control the hordes of prairie dogs. I look forward to learning a lot from the shooters on this forum. I belong to other airgun related forums as well as a traditional muzzleloader forum. So, today I bought a T/C Triumph..

Welcome Frank... interesting place here! I'm a 61 yr old veteran myself with a long history of a whole lot of things that I both enjoy and am told aren't good for me. I find worrying about what is or isn't going to kill me is worse than all that **** they day I shouldn't do. Nobody gets out of this life alive and when the God of my understanding decides my time here is over, I'll not kick about it one bit. Just keep doing you and you'll be fine!

 

[UndeadPoet]

Welcome from NC!