Crawdad1
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Watch the second film when they fix bayonets, (at 7:14) they all have ramrods.
The Rendezvous is Fading Away
- Thread starter .308 Norma
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Cowhide Cliff
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Old guys from my generation and older grew up watching westerns and Daniel Boone on the TV, then went outdoors to play and portray what we watched. We grew up with an appreciation for the older style weapons and the mountain man or cowboy. Recent generations grew up playing on computers in the air conditioning and are pretty much too SOFT to go out and play in the woods.
I was always fascinated by the historical aspect of firearms, and attended a handful of Friendship shoots and rendezvous, but didn't shoot at them. I tended more towards 1886 Winchesters and Colt SAs for field and hunting use, and also was strongly interested in later time periods and areas of history. Theres only so much energy to pursue all that stuff I guess. I do think that the socialization aspect has waned over time, likely partly due to the socialization aspect of online forums and groups, being able to indulge ones interests with less travel and less investment of time getting to places. It does sadden me to see them rendezvous waning though. They were always fun and interesting to visit.
If one hasn't seen some of the custom guns being made today, holy cow! I saw some handmade Ferguson rifles online, they are nothing short of stunning. There are other masterpieces of gunmaking out there as well.
Another aspect mentioned that I think has some validity as to the interests of younger generations, "old guns" mean different things to different people. Many say an M16/AR15 have no history or soul, though Id disagree with that, and apparently so do many of the current shooting generation. At this point, peoples grandpas were using M16s in Vietnam and other places around the globe, much as people grandpas or fathers were using M1 Garands or carbines in WWII or Korea to those of us that were shooters in the 80s. They seemed old and steeped in history then, in the same general context that the "plastic and aluminum" guns do today. The M16 family of weapons is what many that have served in the military have used, and they have become far more common than in the past partly due to the desire to have and use arms they are familiar with. They were somewhat "fringy" 30 or so years ago, more of a niche market perhaps. Anyway, the point of the ramble is, theres a large number of ways to express interest in shooting and history, the period of American independence or mountain man period and place being only a couple of possible ways to pursue interests in the historical part of firearms.
I also liked guns of various periods, but wasn't all that into the historic clothes part of the entire package that comes with some areas of interest (says the guy that used to wear buckskins, carry an original 1886 Winchester and lived in a tipi a few years). I also, later, carried a Colt SP1 around in the hills and across my back riding my 1940s H-D motorcycle. No particular theme, and certainly no rules but my own, it was all just stuff I liked.
If one hasn't seen some of the custom guns being made today, holy cow! I saw some handmade Ferguson rifles online, they are nothing short of stunning. There are other masterpieces of gunmaking out there as well.
Another aspect mentioned that I think has some validity as to the interests of younger generations, "old guns" mean different things to different people. Many say an M16/AR15 have no history or soul, though Id disagree with that, and apparently so do many of the current shooting generation. At this point, peoples grandpas were using M16s in Vietnam and other places around the globe, much as people grandpas or fathers were using M1 Garands or carbines in WWII or Korea to those of us that were shooters in the 80s. They seemed old and steeped in history then, in the same general context that the "plastic and aluminum" guns do today. The M16 family of weapons is what many that have served in the military have used, and they have become far more common than in the past partly due to the desire to have and use arms they are familiar with. They were somewhat "fringy" 30 or so years ago, more of a niche market perhaps. Anyway, the point of the ramble is, theres a large number of ways to express interest in shooting and history, the period of American independence or mountain man period and place being only a couple of possible ways to pursue interests in the historical part of firearms.
I also liked guns of various periods, but wasn't all that into the historic clothes part of the entire package that comes with some areas of interest (says the guy that used to wear buckskins, carry an original 1886 Winchester and lived in a tipi a few years). I also, later, carried a Colt SP1 around in the hills and across my back riding my 1940s H-D motorcycle. No particular theme, and certainly no rules but my own, it was all just stuff I liked.
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.308 Norma
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I really liked your post, Malamute. And I think it shows a great deal of insight. Thank you for it.
The only sentence in your entire post I disagree with is the one I quoted. You see, I was familiar with a number of guns before I ever went in the service. Yes, while I was in, I became quite familiar with the M16. But I got out of the service in 1972, and didn't buy an AR15 until last year, just before the election. Yes everyone - I know I made a dumb mistake. So let's not harp on it, okay?
Anyway, getting back to my point - I was familiar with a few guns before I went in the service, I became familiar with M16s (and M60s) while I was in the service, and I became familiar with a lot more guns after I left the service. But I've never been interested in ARs, other than the political crap about them. I don't think my experiences are all that out of the ordinary either. Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure there are some folks who never even touched a firearm before they went in the service, so after they got out and wanted to buy a gun, they bought one similar to the one they learned with. But that doesn't apply to me, and I could be wrong, but I just don't think it applies to the majority of other gun owners either.
One thing I'm pretty sure of - given the chance, my 16 year old grandson would trade my pre-64, Model 70 Winchester for a cheap AR15 in a heartbeat. But that's only because to my 16 year old grandson, ARs are more fun. I'll be long gone before any of my grandchildren have a chance to trade off any of my guns though. So I don't worry about that.
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The Fur Trade Era Rendezvous of the United States was a very short lived period. The French-Canadian Voyageurs spanned centuries.
I've seen a mixture of people show up and quite frankly enjoy talking to all of them including women. From one woman I got the answer to a purse snap question that has been bugging me for a year. You can learn all sorts of things talking to reenacts who researched things intensely. Furthermore, being "the range slob" who shows up in street clothes I am happy not to be thrown out. I shot at the Primitive Range at Friendship during the National Shoot and me and my classmate were the range slobs.
BTW, saw a reproduction horn that was based on an actual F&I Era craved and scrimshawed powder horn. Per our rules I am not allowed to repeat the obscenity but if you have Drums A' Beating, Trumpets Sounding check out page 139, image 53 for the historical basis of the recreation.
Last, the lady who operates Crazy Crow was in the 9 day quill class taught by Lally House at Bowling Green's WKU (NMLRA sponsored). I asked Lally if the sculpture made by her and Frank of the Indian resting his head on his chin was inspired by Benjamin West's painting, The Death of Wolfe. It is their favorite painting and she told me that West took liberty with the colors of any artifact that he depicted (Indian quill straps, shot pouches, etc.). The sculpture however was not inspired by the painting.
I've seen a mixture of people show up and quite frankly enjoy talking to all of them including women. From one woman I got the answer to a purse snap question that has been bugging me for a year. You can learn all sorts of things talking to reenacts who researched things intensely. Furthermore, being "the range slob" who shows up in street clothes I am happy not to be thrown out. I shot at the Primitive Range at Friendship during the National Shoot and me and my classmate were the range slobs.
BTW, saw a reproduction horn that was based on an actual F&I Era craved and scrimshawed powder horn. Per our rules I am not allowed to repeat the obscenity but if you have Drums A' Beating, Trumpets Sounding check out page 139, image 53 for the historical basis of the recreation.
Last, the lady who operates Crazy Crow was in the 9 day quill class taught by Lally House at Bowling Green's WKU (NMLRA sponsored). I asked Lally if the sculpture made by her and Frank of the Indian resting his head on his chin was inspired by Benjamin West's painting, The Death of Wolfe. It is their favorite painting and she told me that West took liberty with the colors of any artifact that he depicted (Indian quill straps, shot pouches, etc.). The sculpture however was not inspired by the painting.
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