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One of my favorite "Plainsmen" long guns

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Big Goose:
 Howdy,
  figured I'd share a couple pics of one of my favorite long guns. It's a Liege, Belgium contract musket produced sometime between 1790 and 1810, built in the pattern of the French Charleville 1777 model. For being some 220 years old it still shoots well and  I was able to harvest a nice buffalo cow with it this fall.  Our muzzleloader season starts tomorrow, hope to connect with a fat whitetail doe...
   Having used several of the 69 caliber smoothbores, ( have a decent 1816 Springfield as well) for many years, I think back in the day I'd have kept my big old musket . They shoot pretty well out to 100 yards or a bit more, and can always be loaded with shot as well.
 My thoughts anyways.,
Big Goose

Niederlander:
Nice!  How far was the shot?

Big Goose:
A little over 75 yards,  she was the lead cow . I was tucked up against a cut bank on the side of a steep coulee; there were several buffalo that were on either side of me, some as close as 20 or so yards. But they were bunched up and quartering almost straight away, and offered no decent shot.
 This part of the herd were all running at first, but hadn't seen me and the big lead cow out in front slowed to a trot and then a walk. I figured she was about 75 yards away and centered the front sight blade down the barrel just in line with the right-hand edge of the tang screw slot. It settled just above and a touch forward of her elbow on her right front leg, and I squeezed the trigger.   She had been getting a bit farther with every step.
   That massive lock throws sparks like a dragon ,and  the old musket belched almost instantly , ShhBOOM.  I lost her in the smoke for an instant but could hear the distinctive Kerrslap of the ball striking flesh. She kicked the air like a donkey and leaped over the far side of the rise.  I reloaded quickly,  with buffaloes streaming past me on both sides,  As it turned out the ball broke a rib on the way in,  went through her right lung and right through the top of her heart, through the left lung, and edge of the left shoulder bone , was puckered in the hide on the far side.  Cool thing about those pure lead projectiles( well, mostly pure is probably about 50/1, just enough tin to cast nicely.) it started out at 433 grains, still weighs 427.  I believe I may hammer it round again and use it for another hunt.  She only took two or three big jumps and collapsed.

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BlackButtes:
That's pretty awesome. Would you go into more details on the hunt?

Jake MacReedy:
GREAT gun, Big Goose!  Wonderful to see that old smoothbore still out there taking game!  Way to go, sir!

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