Grapeshot: I can understand how you can't find many "primitive guns" up your way if your regs don't call for a traditional gun. For many hunters they want to go with the most reliable and accurate equipment out there, and those modern inlines deliver reliability (sealed breach so the powder won't get wet) and accuracy out to 200 yard.

Comparitably, there is only a handfull of us "traditionalists" that like the added challenge of a primitive weapon. It's more of a personal thing to know you just harvested an animal with an ol' smoke pole.

We have traditional hunts here in Idaho that call forthe rifle to beopen breach loaded withblack powder or pyrodex and apatched round ball. That synthetic Lyman flinter would actually qualify for that hunt, but I think it would be better suited as a boat anchor.

Even with that, the market is pretty week as far as finding traditional weapons on the shelves. We had a great gun shop here that stocked a lot of good traditional guns and accessories, but the owner died and his widow shut the place down. A freind of mine (and primitive gun builder/shooter) and I were talking. I suggested he start up a shop. He said that there just isn't the market for it, especially when everyone seems to want to get the modern guns. Plus he said it is even harder to compete with the internet shops, where a guy can get just about any type traditional gun made if he looks hard enough.