Ever since I was a child I have had a hankerin' to shoot the old Kentucky rifles that I had seen in such great movies as The First Rebel & The Big Sky but it wasn't until very recently that I got the opportunity to actually do so.

I had been down to the farm where I shoot my .72 cal. Cape Gun -affectionately known as, 'Big Medicine'! with my brother, Andrew, and we got to talking about the Kentucky rifles & he mentioned that he knew where there was one for sale cheap. So, without further ado, he and I along with our friend, Paul, scooted on over to Chris Johnson's in Harrogate. I'm sure that Chris is familiar to many of you, but if not, then let me take a moment to explain who he is. Chris owns a shop that sells just about everything you could possibly need for the western scene. He has blank firing revolvers, deactivated percussion & flintlock pistols and a whole host of unusual shotguns - including shotguns that had been rifles!

This was the case with the Kentucky. It was in .45 calibre and had been rifled but it was now a smooth bore and, therefore, perfectly legal to own on an ordinary shotgun certificate. When Chris brought the gun from out the back of his shop, I just knew I had to have it. The woodwork was superb and the brass furniture was good but needed a little TLC. The sights are the standard buckhorn rear and blade foresight.
Well, in the blink of an eye, the deal was done and we were on our way home from Chris's shop in Harrogate.

After a terrible traffic jam ridden nightmare journey back home o'er the shinin' mountains o' the Pennines, I immediately cleaned up the gun and checked it over thoroughly. All was well & I could hardly contain my excitement at the thought of shootin' the new smoke pole the very next day down at the farm. Bright & early the next mornin' Andy & I went to the farm armed with the new Kentucky & Big Medicine. Once at the field, the guns were loaded & all was ready for the first shot from my new gun. The target was selected - an old plastic bottle, and the distance spaced out…the gun was pulled into my shoulder as I sighted down the barrel & cocked the hammer…BOOM!!! The air was filled with the rancid smell of gunpowder and the bottle - a full twenty-five yards away - was no more…a dead bottle with a clean headshot!

~ Another Kentucky Variation~

To say that this ol' child was mighty pleased would be something of an understatement. I was as happy as a beaver in spring! Many more shots were fired that morning and all of them gave me a shinin' head rush! The thrill & the smell just being out there and able to shoot such a fine gun is a pleasure for me beyond words. If you've never had a go with one of theses little 'squirrel' guns, you don't know what you're missing. They are great fun and cheap to shoot too being as you only need about 35 to 40 grains o' gunpowder to achieve reasonable accuracy. Shoot one and you'll see what I mean.

…If ye ask me nicely, I might even let ye have a go wit' mine…

Details of this gun will appear in a future edition of the Newsletter. Until next time, hold on ta yer topknot!

Poncho.