My first post in this forum. I am a complete novice on Black Powder weapons, so I will hopefully get some guidance here. My great-uncle I was visiting with in California were talking about firearms the other day. He has some great older weapons, which I will be inheriting some day. He said he wanted me to look at a firearm an old friend gave him, and it has been collecting dust in his wine cellar (On a farm, he owns a vineyard, and it is an actual wine cellar, longer story). He brought out an older muzzle loader, which did not function as is. The barrel is heavily pitted on the outside, the wood is not great, there are parts missing. He says if I want it as a project, it is mine. Not wanting to shy away from a project, much less liberating a rifle from California, I take him up on it. He also gave me some collectibles from WWII, especially a bayonet that was brought back from Germany by my Grandfather, his brother.
Anyway, the rifle, after some internet research, is a Connecticut Valley Arms .50 Black Powder, HAWKENS, and made in Spain. ("Spain" right on the barrel.) I was able to tear it down after visiting some decent youtube videos, and determined that the firing mechanism was just fouled, due to loose bolts. There are various parts missing, which were easy to find, and I ordered.
So my question: What to look for to make sure it will work, is it worth it to put time and effort into this rifle, and if it is worth it, what items do I need to buy and or use to start shooting a black powder rifle? I am kind of excited to break into this type of shooting, and this was the push I needed.
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