When did start? Wow, since the dawn of time men have strived to make a deadlier, more long range weapon. There are a group of poeple that always look back and have trouble moving forward in life. Thier mentality is "if it works why fix it". but the problem with that is we would be all hunting with muskets even now. Then there is a group that is never satisfied with medocracy, and always looks forward. I am a in between guy. Niether side is wrong or right. We need them both.

But to answer you question, i am sure you meant for it to be, Knight started marketing a easy to clean inline hard in the 80's and things have never been the same sense. Though rarely happening, and thru alot of fault of the shooters, a misfire here and there will cause people to change thier minds quick. I know when I hunted with a T/C hawken, I always quesitoned if I got out all the crud in the back of the barrel. I never had a field misfire but worried about it constantly. So I got my first MK, and loved it. From there everybody was buiding on that technology. From velocity, to bullets, to ignition. And here we are today. Shooting 200yards at deer.