By Randy Grunkemeyer.
This is an exceprt of an article appearing first in the March 2020 Issue of Muzzle Blasts Magazine.
Randy Grunkemeyer has been around guns his entire life. His dad was born in 1929 and raised on a farm in the small town of St. Mary’s, Indiana where he learned to shoot from a young age. He continued his interest in shooting and guns and took his sons to the range in his hometown of Batesville, Indiana, where Randy also developed the love of shooting sports. As he spent more time at the range, he became interested in the sport of muzzleloading. He noticed the comradery and friendship of this group of people who took the time to enjoy the history of these firearms, some dating back centuries. As his interest in these firearms grew, so did his desire to build one.
With the background of a tool and die maker, it was easy to look at these pieces and see the mechanical brilliance of their time. In 1999, Randy took up the challenge of building his first rifle. He chose to build a 50-caliber long rifle to take to the range and to the woods for deer hunting. As he worked on his rifle, Randy was fortunate to have the friendship of gunmaker Jack Haugh and his sons. When he would have a question or just feel the need for encouragement along the way, he would stop in at Jack’s shop in Milan, Indiana. Jack would always be brutally honest with his opinions and advice, encouraging Randy to make the best quality piece with as much historical accuracy as possible adding his own style.
Finishing his first piece only made Randy anxious to get started on the next one. After making guns for himself and his two sons, people started to see the beautiful craftsmanship that he was able to accomplish and wanted a build for their own collections. The requests became more and more varied from long rifles to Schuetzen rifles.
Read the full article now in the March 2020 Issue of Muzzle Blasts Magazine
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The NMLRA and Muzzle Blasts have been an authority on muzzleloading since 1933. This article was not sponsored or paid for, we feel it is our job to bring you the most up to date news as possible on the world of Muzzleloading, be it living history, competitive shooting, or hunting