For me it was the very first real rifle I shot. At the time I was a kid with a pump-up pellet gun. A neighbor took a few of the local kids out and let us shoot his 58 caliber Springfield muzzle loader. It was a genuine civil war vintage flint lock which had been converted sometime in the distant past to percussion cap ignition. He gave us light loads to shoot, but I remember that it made a terrific noise (no hearing protection) and a LOT of smoke. It must have been impressive 'cause I can remember the event in detail more than 60 years later.
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