My father passed away and I was cleaning his collection. (The Collection is NOT for Sale!). In this collection are 3 D. King percussion rifles. one looks like a youth model 38 cal barrel 1/2 stock. one is a full stock 45 cal. the last is a 58 cal 1/2 stock Hawken?? my mother says she has pictures of him with one of them from the 60's. I may have identified 2 of them from pictures posted on here. One of them is possibly missing a hammer, gotta find the black powder box again. For some reason all of the ML are missing their ramrods, not just these. I'm hoping to find them hidden in his collection.
Any info on replacing or making new ramrods would be nice
Sorry for your loss.
For USE one almost has to make the rod in shop and many you buy may be cross grained. For display its unimportant. Don tapered most of the rods to assure they did not stick with the metal on the small end. Muzzleloader Builder Supply is an option too.
I first met Don and the old Flintlock and Buckskin Rendezvous up the “Holler” from the farm house at Friendship in fall of 1968? Maybe spring of 69?
I would love to see photos of the rifles. Here are a couple of photos of some of Don King’s work about 10 years back at the Montana Historical Gun Makers Fair. Where he received the Pioneer Award from the CLA. I have most of Don’s records but unfortunately about 1970 he stopped recording builds. I asked him what and he just said he stopped. I and another friend inherited most of his remaining books and tools after he passed. I have two of his Flint Hawkens and some guns he gave me over the years. Including a pair or flint Hawken pistols he made for A J White. Don made mostly Flintlocks but he also made a few percussion Hawkens and some Vincent Ohio Rifles. And of course some others but most of his production was flintlocks.
He is now at the National Cemetery at Laurel, Montana. Don’t seem like its been that long….
