Last winter I was in a local pawn shop and saw a little Bobcat hanging on the wall. The price tag said $79 and the rust around the breech made me shake my head. The fella said he would go down to $60. Well, I went home and read that guys had bought them new for that price and I kinda chuckled. Zip ahead to this last summer. I went back and asked them how badly they wanted to sell it and I think I p***ed the guy off when I told him what they went for new. Soooo... Fast forward to today. My wife and I were doing the crazy shopping day thing and I told her I was going to go check on that rifle. She shook her head as usual as I pulled in. It was still there. Once again he told me the price was $79. I explained how Id been looking at it for a year and a half and that if they were ever going to sell it they needed to come down. He said 50 and I told him I didn't mind waiting and that I would come back next summer and buy it for 40 and he paused... so I have a new $40 toy.
Like I said, there is some rust on the breech, but nothing terrible. I hooked up the drill and JB'd the bore and it shines like new. Tomorrow it will get the big test. I have some 295gr powerbelts laying around and some fff blackpowder that I'm going to stuff down it.
Its nothing pretty or fancy by ANY means, but for forty bucks if it makes noise it's worth it for a toy. If by chance it groups at 50y it just may go to the woods with me next weekend. Report to follow...
rw

I guess that's not a bad deal. Any gun is worth $40. But what concerns me is the buffing the bore with JB and a drill. That could cause some rounding of the rifling corners reducing accuracy. It's much better to use your own elbow grease and work that bore manually. Good luck with your new toy. Let us know how it does.

I have to agree with Bronko. The JB was a good idea, but I never use power tools in or on the rifles. I had a Mountain Stalker that I traded to FG and it was an excellent roundball shooter. It also shot sabots pretty good. I am sure FG could tell you a lot about loads for that rifle as knowing him.. he probably shot every kind of powder and projectile out of the thing that you could think of.

Yeah that mtn stalker loved the huge 360 sabots! The patched balls did great as well.

Hunt, is that a 50cal? Our bobcat loved the 295's with 80gr pyrodex rs.

Here is what it did. I tried 70, 80 and 90 gr fffg with the 295 powerbelts. It settled in with 90gr. It may shoot much better but with that heavy trigger this is the best I will do. The spread is about 1 3/4" and almost exactly 2" high at 50. I will take that for $40! Man, after shooting the big heavy Elite this thing rocked me! A little light to shoot all day with. I'm posting from my phone and having trouble posting the link to the picture. I will put it up from the computer later.
rw

#5 pound rifle. Yes it could really let you know it fired it. I took the butt plate off mine, and then vacuum sealed some lead shot in bags and filled that butt with lead shot. About a pound and maybe a little more. It sure too the bite out of that rifle.

My friend shoots a .50 Bobcat with roundball ( he purchased his after he saw what mine could do) and him and his kid use it in the muzzleloader season here. That is (as far as I know) their only muzzleloader. So it must work pretty good.

That powerbelt.. while some don't like them.. should work fine.