Well really you can start anywhere . Take classes, even go to a trade school .
But for myself it all started with a love of history and muzzleloading specifically .
Now I want to say here , that I don’t know it all and in fact when it comes to others like myself I would have to say im only average in my knowledge and skill .
But anyway , I started reading , gathering and collecting books of any and all kinds . Basically anything pertaining to muzzleloaders . We didn’t have the internet and the information was sometime very scarce
Learning to build was even harder if you did not have someone around who had the experience and was willing to teach .
Today we are lucky and those much of the information concerning rifle building ,contained in bits and pieces, in all the books have been somewhat consolidated into building book .
Books like
Recreating the American Long rifle by Shumway
The Gunsmith Of Grenville County by Peter Alexander
Recreating the Double barreled shotgun by William Brockway
Just to name 3 . There are others as well and with the advent of the internet the historic information explosion is about unlimited .
Now days we can just jump on line , go to a web site like the Traditional Muzzleloading association , American Long rifle Association . Or even web sites like this one and find answers to questions we may have ..
But when I started working on muzzleloading pieces I had no such options nor any such money .
As such I started out converting center fires ro muzzleloading . My first was an Old 6 # 03A3 that had been scrapped . Then I converted a 30 .30 marlin that been shot out . If I recall I actual bought that rifle for 5 bucks at a yard sale when I was 15 .
But anyway back in those day the rendezvous seen was big and heavy . Lots of folks . One of those events was considered small if they had only 150 shooters that’s where I go introduced into the differences in muzzleloaders IE production guns and customs. During those days there were few customs but the ones that did show were simply wonders to the eye . The reliability of the flintlocks was amazing . But again while today the price of a custom rifle back then seems cheep . The cost was actual has hard to swallow as it is today . So I was out of luck .
See I grew up under some different circumstances the many folks but the same type as some others .
My father worked for the Government and made back then 375 .00 a month .
We didn’t really have anything .
But we had family . My mother was American Indian and really played a big roll in my life .
As children when we went to town and my sister and I wanted candy , my mother would show us how to make our own . Later when I wanted a slingshot , my dad showed me how to make my own .
My grandfather would tell me . Charlie , everything you want is in your head . The ability to make it is in your hands . Never let the want in you hart out run those two .
Ok so here is my point . Maybe we cant aford a high end currly maple , English walnut in presentation grade or a good piece of rock maple or cherry .. Maybe we cant aford a new barrel , or what have you . But we have an old kit gun or CVA rifle . Maybe pistol that’s gathering dust .
All we have to do is use what’s in our heads . See what’s inside there is free , its easily filled , expanded.
The more that’s added to that space between our ears , the greater our imaginations can be . Remember that imagination is the maps our hands need to make that come true .
Was Tomas Edison born with the knowledge to make the light bulb ? NO . he filled his head with Knowledge. Which in turn grew his imagination. Which gave his hands the skill to do what he did .
Now what im about to do , some folks will say AHHHHHHHH you cant make a silk purse from a sows ear .
I will be the first to say , That is true . But you can make a real nice purse from a sows ear .
Frankly way would any of us want a silk purse anyway . Would look kinda silly im thinking . But ha, in this day an age , what can I say
So lets take say this Jukar old pistol . doesn’t look like much right now . The person who built it did a real poor job . The wood is less the quality . The lock is the same as is the barrel . But the important part is it shoots . This makes it a good candidate for someone wanting to learn to start out on . Or maybe you have a rifle that you want to change but need practice firsT” which by the way is a real good idea .”
So lets see what we can do with this . Over the next couple weeks im going to make some changes . we are going to strip the old finish of the stock . Clean the barrel up . Do some Pewter casting , refinish the stock . Do some engraving and maybe even a little gold leaf work , we will have to see how our imagination runs
I will add nothing to this gun in the way of cost IE IMO this pistol as is worth IMO no more then 15 to 20 bucks My plan here is to add no more the 10 bucks worth of material and maybe 20 hours in time tops . My hope in doing this is that it will stir your imagination as to what you can do
So lets get started shall we . Please feel free to ask any questions along the way .
If it just so happens you have something laying around and want to work along , Please feel free to do so .
Ill be glade to answer any questions you may have
So here is the poor abused animal we are going to pump new life back into . the first thing we are going to do is set back and just look at it . tell the point we get over what it looks like now and come to the place where our imaginations take over and that little light bulb above out heads clicks on .

