A few weeks ago I grabbed my 118 year old ’86 in 45-90, threw some things into my Frost River Isle Royale Jr. pack that Santa brought last Christmas and hiked to a favorite rock house near the top of Middle Knob and made lunch.

Fire was made with flint, steel and char cloth.

My rifle is just a standard grade ’86 but the neat thing about it are the sights, a Lyman #4 ivory bead front and a full California buckhorn rear.

For lunch, I made some tea and baked some fresh bannock.

While the bread baked, I fried a ribeye in olive oil that I seasoned with a few spices. Just as it came off the fire, I drizzled some aged balsamic vinegar over it. At home I took Irish butter and mixed some chopped garlic and fresh parsley together. This was allowed to melt on the steak before eating. Cooked to medium rare, it was perfect.

Ive had my 45-90 for many years, of my four 86’s it’s my favorite. An of all the lever actions, the Model 1886 is hands down my favorite. I’ve killed a bunch of deer with this old rifle and she still has a lot of life left in her.

Hope you gentlemen enjoyed tagging along with a old fellow.

Tom Black