Gunsmoke

The only black powder firearm I own is an Italian copy of the Remington 1858 New Army .44 revolver. I'm sure some guys get off tamping down the minie ball down their muskets in their Zoauve uniform splendor, but the last time I touched a single-shot weapon, I was a penniless high school student stalking tin cans and woodchucks with Dad's Sears .22 rifle. (Well, there was the TC Contender in .45-70 that I fired twice, but that's a different story.) Out here in AZ, there's not much opportunity for Revolutionary War reenactments, but plenty of cowboy sports and even a Civil War bunch at Picacho Pass. At the range or plinking in the desert, I remain a faithful devotee to the axiom "anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice." This is where the .45-70 gets a pass as the exception. I don't want to fire that one ever again.

The cap-and-ball revolver revolutionized warfare and self-defense by multiplying the firepower an individual could wield. As a battle weapon, it screams for a place in my collection, but which one to get? The Cabela's catalog was my shopping grounds and Google fuelled my decision-making. A majority of Civil War images I found where a pistol was proudly displayed, it was a Remington. On top of that, further research material lauded the Remington's top-strap strength and ease of reloading. And I could get one for less than $200 (except that I sprang for the extra cylinder and BP starter kit). Decision made.

If I decided to get another BP wheelgun, which would it be? Either another '58 NA or a Walker Dragoon .44 just to have.

For other Civil War goodies: if I'm ever wealthy, maybe a Sharps carbine or Henry Rifle.

BTW: Does anybody have a clean scan of the Far Side cartoon in my banner? I have no XP driver for my ancient Epson scanner, so I tried working off a photo. Bad idea. All Hail Gary Larson.