Muzzle loader info. needed

[flyingstick]

The first ML I ever owned is this .58 cal Antonio Zoli. My wife bought it for me 25 years ago from Biggs Sporting goods when they were going out of business. It has 3 wide grooves in the barrel for rifling and HY Score Arms on the lock. I figure it's a replica of something but I don't know what. Any info. would be great, I'm going to try and download a picture.

[mooman76]

Looks sort of like a Hawkins but many of the manufacturers made slight changes or creative changes if you will as a marketing ploy to get people to buy their guns. They even came up with ironious names for their new guns. I have a couple myself. I have a CVA Mountain rifle that looks just like a Hawkins except it has a nose cap at the end of the stock that is flat and looks a dull gray instead of brass. They are still built in the tradition of the Muzzle loader era in most case. I'm not saying yours is or is not and niether am I saying it isn't good, just the way it is. Could you give more information like length of barrel, gun and so on? It might help more!

[mooman76]

I looked up Antonio Zoli on the web and he is a Iltalian gun maker. The maker of very fine and expensive guns. Must have ventured into the ML's for a short while.

[StrawHat]

It was called a "Buffalo Hunter" and was not a copy of anything in particular but a "spoterized" Zouave rifled musket.

At one time imported by Navy Arms (manufacturer unknown to me) and used by Val Forgett on African safari to hunt the "big 5".

Not a bad piece, just not a copy of anything.

I always thought it odd that they reversed the triggerguard and had the sling swivel behind the trigger! And they did not put a forward sling swivel on the piece. (I am partial to slings.)

They were built for stout loads as I recall from an old Navy Arms write up of the safari.

Good looking rifle

[piwo]

somebody's wife did somebody well here! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

These well built black powder pieces are some of the prettiest tools created by man.... A double barrel Navy arms shotgun was my first venture into BP arms, and I've sort of gone the "flinter' way since, but a piece like this sort of kicks me out of my shell and says "hey, open your eye's "!

:drinks:

[flyingstick]

A Buffalo Hunter? Well that explains a lot. It sure does knock a big hole in a deer. Thanks for the information! I have never been able to find out what it was.

Piwo. I've since gone the way of the flinter also. I try to shoot my .40 a couple of evenings a week. I can load it down to 15 gr. of FFFg and shoot it in my backyard without bothering the neighbors (who are about 1200' up the hill). The .58 makes their windows rattle so I take it to the range.:)

[piwo]

The .58 makes their windows rattle so I take it to the range.:)

:-D I bet it does!

15 grains for practice.. that is and interesting concept.. Smallest I have is the .54, but I think I'd like a smaller caliber as well. I got more
"want" then bucks, that's my problem..:(:-D