Muzzleloading the sport, hobby, or what you call it needs

Rifleman1776 said:

Give talks on the American Revolution at local schools

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I have been giving Rev. Rifleman talks since 1976. I gave many in schools. But the 1,000 foot rule pretty much stopped me. Then I found out the Revolution isn't even taught in history classes anymore. Even many adults have never heard of the American Revolution. Last school presentation I gave was about four years ago in a private Christian school. Good on you for doing what you do. :thumbsup: My Rev. Rifleman speaking days may be over.

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Maybe they stopped teaching the American Revolution because it is time for another one!

My grandson doesn't get out much but he does like shooting and will get out for that. I haven't yet shown him how to shoot BP but I will soon. Hopefully I can get him into it but like others have stated allot of people find it too much work and boring. I helped one guy at work get into it and he loves it. I just need to work on the younger crowd.

I don't know of any Black Powder clubs around here. I know one guy that hunts with flint and another that hunts with a cap gun. It is a dying sport here. Those of you with better participation had best try to maintain it. When the middle age hunters are gone so will Muzzle loading. Larry

It may seem like it is going under to you guys but in other parts of the world b/p is moving forward , gaining in interest a lot . It would seem that those that think b/p is on the decline at best only hunt , where as those of us elsewhere socialise much more and compete with our 'b/p guns and don't restrict ourselves to only one b/p intrest or passtime. The key is probably due to our extreme laws which have only left those determined ones in all of the shooting pastimes so those left are the ones determined to survive , the pisscutters and coulda shoulda woulda's are now long gone mostly . So buy trying to get rid of us the anti's have culled the breed and left only the strong at heart :wink: :grin: that backfired on them .
So get off your collective arses get involved and get along with each other or your GOOONE .
If you think I am wrong then since my last post there have been another 11 replies and not one of those has got it

:bow: :bow: :bow:

You can choose to believe that Muzzleloading is thriving or dying. But the truth is that perception becomes reality.
The choice is yours.

I wish all states would ban in-lines from muzzleloader seasons. Here t is the hardest tag to draw for elk, bull a resident has like a 2-4% chance at a tag! 25 years ago it was like 40%. Then came the modern and those that need scope and 209 primers overtook the "sport". I want a flint lock PRB season only for deer, may have to write to my AZGFD spokespersons!

Just ban the scopes. Without the scopes, the inlines have no reason to exist.

From what I have seen, muzzleloading, and particularly reenacting, hit the high point in the early-mid 90's when I was just starting (as far as numbers of people participating in some way). It seems to have gone down from there. I think there are several reasons. One of which, simply, is economics. All this stuff ain't cheap, and even driving to an event costs a fortune now. So, this hobby gets put on the back burner. Further, to many of us, EVERYTHING is very serious now. Too much bad stuff is going on, and many people see the future as being pretty bleak, so reenacting is just not something they can focus on anymore. Also, truth is, the demographics of this country is changing RAPIDLY. So many people here now have zero attachment to American heritage and care nothing for it, or are even quite hostile toward it.

And it's just a different age. "We" are getting older. I was 20 in the 90's when reenacting was hot. Now I'm 43, beard turning white, aching, and seriously behind the times in every way (I don't mind that last part... :grin: ). When I was a kid, I played outside with Hot Wheels cars and "guns" made out of sticks found in the woods or made out of scrap pieces of wood from my grandfather's woodworking shop (oh, to go back!). Not kids today. This is the digital age. White smoke and sparks simply cannot hold the attention of a child "raised" on modern video games and bombarded with pop culture daily. YES, if you have children or grandchildren, teach them! But realize that most won't. That sort of hands-on traditional parenting is definitely out of style. Most kids today simply do not grow up shooting, or fishing, or going out into the woods (if there even are any woods left around for them to go into). Even if they do shoot something, their interests are going to be pretty much focused on black rifle, tacticool, military type stuff... not on old fashioned "musket guns".

Sad to say, I just do not see any kind of traditional muzzleloading comeback in the future.

I like your thinking. We are small growing club, we started with 6 shooters each month and now between 10 and 12. We shoot and have lunch and go home. It is really simple, invite anyone in with an interest, NOT MATTER what kind of muzzleloader they have! We have helped people with originals, inlines, civil war muskets and everything in between and are glad to have them visit . I have answered more emails and had more phones calls in the last year than the previous 5 years.

Michael

If we cannot learn, we cannot teach.
Focus on the solutions, not the problems.

If we cannot learn, we cannot teach.

Have ya looked into today's Curriculum? "They" are teaching (and voting) yet "they" have not learned and so goes it. They change history in an attempt to shape a future "we" don't want?

I see todays kids involved in our way have DADS behind em. Too many fathers have careers they cherish more than their families and to many families have dads that are fully out of the picture or once a month dads who "buy" their respect and love with electronics and McDonalds.

Rant complete.....carry on

colorado clyde said:

If we cannot learn, we cannot teach.
Focus on the solutions, not the problems.

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:thumbsup: :hatsoff:

Reply is to no one in particular

I think a lot of the sense that muzzleloading falling off the map may be because we have become more educated about our sport. I got back in to muzzleloading a couple of years ago. I bought a few used guns and now Im having my second custom gun built. I never bought a new gun from T/C, CVA or Lyman. Now my off the self guns are all sold or going back on the market soon.

We research and want a more H/C and P/c correct gun. I don't think that there has ever been as many custom gun builders or demand for there talent.

When you look a pictures of old Rondys people were shooting just about anything and having a great time. That is what has been lost. My club is a pre 1840 club and frowns on caplocks. People are allowed to shoot them but to be in the click you need a flinter.

24 years ago when I started shooting black powder with a cheap 45cal and a CVA 32cal I did not know anything about custom guns and had never seen one. With the internet and so much information at my finger tips I do not want the common off the shelf guns and have not supported the companies that supply them. I would say that economically that I am on the lower side of people on this form. Even if I have to struggle to save and sell lesser guns to buy custom guns because the off the shelf guns are not as interested to a more educated black powder shooter.

Pedersoli's line keeps growing and T/C and CVA quite making traditional guns all together. Just shows no is spending big money for guns that are not H/C anymore.

When we learn about the past we learn about ourselves.



Some people never learn who they are.

gard72977 said:

Tinker2 said:

akapennypincher said:

Finding real black Powder is hard for sale.



IDEAS?????

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Get Congress to remove the hasmat fees. Get them to removed it any way we can.

I remember when the anti-gun crowd first started talking about it as a way to infringe on some guns;
it was a dived and conquer, one type of gun at a time plan.

There is no place in my whole state that someone starting out can buy a can of blackpowder.
That makes it hard for anyone to get into the sport.

I wrote this as best I could to not sound like any of the forbidden subjects.
If it comes across that way it was not my intentions and Mods please remove as you see fit.
Thanks



William Alexander

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Order in bulk. I just bought 25 pound in 1 pound cans for 13.90 each shipped to my door. You will get decent prices at 10 cans. Split it with a friend if you have to.

I plan to need a re-order this year!!!!

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You missed my point, I do buy in bulk.
For someone thinking about a flint lock and not able to buy black powder local, only ordering in bulk is a turnoff.

I have seen them pass on buying because of not being able to buy a can of powder.

hasmat fees = control and it is working.


William Alexander

Gard72977 I agree with you I got my first m/l in 1978 it was a cva kaintuckey kit. Went to my first roondy the next year a local club had about 40 people with wives and kids probaly 15 shooters ALL shooting cap gunnes. All over the counter guns now at the same roondy you will have a hard time to find a cap gun with the most custom gunnes now flint locks. Unless a person is doing a late mountain man persona . I have seen that same vous grow and shrink and regrow over the years. But most of the people now are old graybeards (even some of the ladies). Every couple of years new folks join. This club does alot of small towns living history events so it gets our hobby out in the public eye they set up a few camps put on demo's. A fellow member on this froum is in a large part responsable for this . I would mention his name but I know it would embrass NitWit so I won't mention it. So is the sport/hobby growing or dying who knows. Pay attention to your state laws use or borrow a phone to tell them how you feel if YOU don't THEY will take all of our shooting hobbys/sports away. And this discusnning will be moot. Just :2

azmntman said:

Too many fathers have careers they cherish more than their families and to many families have dads that are fully out of the picture or once a month dads who "buy" their respect and love with electronics and McDonalds.

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Why blame people who have no interest in what we do, for the demise of the things we care about? If there just aren't enough of us, that's life. By all means, promote it, but don't blame people for not being interested.

Why should they care more about muzzleloading than something else they enjoy? Perhaps they are disappointed with us because we aren't supporting the video game industry or paintball, or stamp collecting?

What happened to letting people make their own choices? Isn't it their right to choose video games and TV if they wish?

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Jack Wilson said:

What happened to letting people make their own choices? Isn't it their right to choose video games and TV if they wish?

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Or NASCAR, :shocked2: