# Old school musket



## DaleH (Jun 5, 2015)

Here's my latest acquisition! A Leonard Day 62-caliber English matchlock, with a walnut stock, a tapered octagonal to round 42" smoothbore barrel, with no rear sight. While she looks ungainly ... she's light for her size, balances well (at lower forend entry) and hangs well whilst pointing.

My tastes vary from building a match or space gun AR one day to building a flintlock rifle the next. But I get the BIGGEST kick out of taking one of these 'old' guns to the range, setting 1"'dots out at 25-yds and then knocking them off the paper ... all offhand shooting to boot! 

Meanwhile, young guys who grew up on video games or other tactikool wanna-bees will be likely on either side bench of me ... shooting pie plate sized groups ... at 50-yards, from the bench. They have NO CLUE what real marksmanship is about ...

If you've never experienced a matchlock, they are a faster form of ignition, alleged as fast if not faster than percussion arms (as zero lock time, the lit match is introduced right to the powder ...)


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## Johnny (Jun 5, 2015)

good score !! LOL - yeah, the younger generation only know what they see on TV
these days. They never get out to see a battle reenactment or actually handle the weapons
our ancestors depended on for their daily survival.
I inherited my uncle's 50cal Hawkins complete with powder horn and a 50 pound box of reload stuff.
Not being a hunter nor having space for it, I gave it to my brother. Now I wish I had it back.
I have seen the matchlock fire, but never pulled the trigger myself. AWESOME shooter !!


My father was a self taught marksman. He was particularly proud of how he could drive
16d nails at 10 yards with an old single shot .22 bolt action.
Fortunately, my brothers and I inherited his outdoors spirit.

Good Luck in your next Space Age Flintlock AR !!!


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## DaleH (Jun 5, 2015)

... and with my aluminum transom rebuild ... me thinks you might fire that Hawken before I fire this matchlock :shock:


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