A Christmas Story.....with a twist...

So, a couple of months ago, my 7 year old says to me "Dad, I want a musket rifle too so I can hunt deer with you". Now, this is a very intelligent young man who I have taken to the range multiple times with his .22 Chipmunk. I talked it over with the wife and she gave me the go ahead.

A couple of weeks ago I paid the Kenockee Tradin Post in Avoca, MI a visit and told Judy and Anson what I was looking for to get him started. They picked out the perfect .50 cal for him made by Traditions; it was unfired! Anson told me to start him off at 50 grains of powder and round balls. I set Christmas up just like the Old Man in a Christmas Story; I hid the rifle in a corner and after he finished opening all the other presents I looked up (with a glass of wine in my hand of course ) and said "hey, what's that in the corner?". He went over, unwrapped it, pulled it out of the case, and was smiling from ear to ear! I promised him that he can go hunting next season (Michigan has a special youth hunt) and we'll get out to the range here shortly to get him sighted in. He's a well behaved young man and I'm very proud of him. When his brother gets older (he's just turning two) I'll have to get him his own rifles too.

I apologize but I didn't want to reveal any personal information on the internet so I erased his face and some pics in the background; here is a picture of him holding it when he opened it. Also, here is the website to the Kenockee Tradin Post if anyone is searching for supplies; I can't recommend them enough.

http://www.kenockeetradinpost.com/

Thank you for all of the kind comments; yes, I wish I could have shared his smile too but these are strange times we live in. It was a glorious Christmas for the family in spite of all that is going on around us. I promise not to let him shoot his eye out either; Darren should have put down the newspaper and went out with his boy; I know I do! My son and I have been on so many hikes together, cooking out in the woods, looking at wildlife, etc. My wife and I are doing our best to raise our boys to be men; not so easy anymore. I wouldn't have bought him this rifle if I didn't feel he was mature enough; he's proven to me time and again he is. My son has told me repeatedly that "guns aren't toys, they're tools" and he knows firearm safety. I keep ALL of my firearms locked up (except when I carry; and yes, he knows I conceal carry) but my son knows if he wants to look at one of them he can with me or his mom there. I promised him I would take him squirrel hunting (he watched Meat Eater with Steve Rinella and has it in his head he wants to eat squirrel roll-ups); so my brother and I will take him either this weekend or the next.

Yes, we have plenty of time to get ready for next deer season and do some load developments. The rifle has Williams fire sights on it so it shouldn't be too hard for my son to get used to them. I know he has shot my .50 Hawken with a 75gr load and patched ball; that was a little on the heavier side for him but it has been many months and he has grown quite a bit. I'm more excited now for deer hunting than ever before now that he's showing an interest.

Here's a picture of it that's closer. It's not a stainless gun; I was told it was nickeled.