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

[Heelerau]

Looks likeyou blokes are trying to pass on knowledge of black powder shooting whenever you get an opportunity. I had one a while back at a mates farm, got invited to bring my cannon over, I also took a .50 full stocked plains rifle and a cap and ball. There were over 50 people there, mostly families with young kids, a few teenagers. Lots of modern arms, and lots of interest in black powder!! gave numerous people shots with either the cap and ball or the plains rifle, the teenagers were most impressed with how easy and well it shot. Sometimes I find that a lot of youngsters know nothing of iron sights, only scopes, but once whewn how to sight get it pretty quick. Now I don't know if any of this weekend will bring to light another convert but at least it was a good opportunity. We just have to taking any opportunity that arises to promote out sport, and try to make it seem like fun. I also believe things are cyclical, and interests come and go, there were ver few people shooting BP in the 30s to 50s only a couple may be down under, then it took off in the early 60s.

Cheers

Heelerau

 

[Alden]

I think freedoms, historic event anniversaries' recognition, nostalgia, patriotism, and disposeable income have much to do with it.

This does not bode well for "this thing of ours" in America (anyway)...

...sorry.

 

[Shine]

Its needs more of me because im AWESOME. :grin:

 

[muzzleloader55]

I have a question for all, rather you belong to a club. Shoot at a range, it seems to be esp. in the mid west and else-where there is a decline in the interest of muzzle loading, American mountain men persona. Question How can we revive this hobby, get new {YOUNGER}people interested.

 

[onepaw]

invite someone to events, hand them a ML to shoot, let them camp with you, thats how i got hooked

 

[jferguson]

We are a homeschooling family. My boys are INTO ML because of rendezvous. Most communities have a "homeschool co-op" group where the local homeschooling families gather one day a week for fun, "enrichment" classes like music, drama, history, PE, karate, dance, science labs, etc. If you geezers were to locate and contact the local homeschool co-op leader and offer to do a demonstration, or invite the co-op to the local range and show them BP MLing up close, I suspect you would find a willing group of traditional, conservative youngsters AND parents who would be great prospects. I know re-enacting men who do this already, to promote their sport.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

THAT's BRILLIANT!

LD

 

[RonRC]

I showed up at a local muzzleloader club shoot and small rendezvous about 2 years ago. I am 67 as I write this, and every one there looked near my age. The youngest was about 50. Frankly, I was surprised, but really shouldn't have been.

Like others here, as a kid I dreamed of having a rifle like Davey Crockett and revolvers like the TV and movie cowboys. Let's face it, the real and imaginary weapons on the video games don't trigger a desire for an 1851 Navy, Single Action Army or flintlock. I wouldn't expect the young people to have the same desires I did as I kid.
This is my childhood dream gun that I still have. I worked a paper route for 2 years to save for it.

The holster wasn't original with the gun.

My son and I have been shooting together since he could recite the gun safety rules. He is 32 and shoots for fun and carries a duty weapon at his work. However, there is an enormous population of Americans who never shot or took their kids shooting. No way those kids will even think about shooting for fun.

I started a shooting club at the university I work. The only students who joined were from the rural areas. There wasn't one who was from the local cities!
Ron

 

[Wes/Tex]

Great post! Don't have most of my toys from childhood. My Mom was the kind who gave away things if not played with two days in a row! :wink: It was just her way of sharing with others. I don't really regret it, but it sure would be great to have a few of those things in a box! Thanks for the memories from another guy with 67 rings around his trunk! :thumbsup: :haha:

 

[pargent]

This last weekend a young man who turned up for a look at an August rondy last year showed up with his rondy clothes ,a DIXIE ten.mt. rifle in flint, hawk and knife.He hitched a ride with a senior shooter from 40mls away from where he lives to get there.During the matches he was having some reliability issues so all the flint shooters helped him out , that night we shared my rum ration.Also the wife of an older shooter who passed away brought in all his gear for sale cheap ,so that others could gain from his years of gear and clothes making .The newbe scored a priming flask some tools and a very nice wool coat for less than the cost of a carton of beer .

 

[shawn_c992001]

https://www.google.com/#q=Mountaineer+Flintlock+Rifle,+Hughes+Drive,+St.+Albans,+WV

Don't know anything about the club, but do know one member from WVSportsman.net who says he is a member. A few members from WVSportsman are personal friends with Mr. Bob Walden.

 

[Alden]

My Mom was the kind who gave away things if not played with two days in a row! :wink: It was just her way of sharing with others. I don't really regret it...

That means you regret it. As well you should! Are you starting to understand? Those vague "som'n jes feed Wes grits" memories make a little more sense now, in context!?

 

[lhw123]

My father took me to battlefields, forts, living histories and reenactments. He taught me that if you didn't know history then you wouldn't understand what makes us who we are. I am fortunate enough to know some great people in my age group who do "get it" or so to speak. Heck my wife never fired a gun until she married me! Now she puts some PRB's down range with my flinters now! I have daughter on the way as we speak gents and I will instill the values and teachings in her that I was taught.

 

[buzz]

Dropped the local clubs good guy and gals they let me come shoot if i want for a small range fee
Last shoot they gotton older boy scouts shooten
I donated some supplies mostly powder caps and patches
I personaly not a meeting kind of guy but i do understand the importance of groups in any hobby

 

[Ohio Joe]

I really believe the best route to take to promote traditional muzzle loading is to take a page from field archery and promote a 20 shot reactive target course over a three day event that requires a total of 60 shots. The course setup with different size and shapes of gongs at various ranges 25 to 200 yards.

Require open iron sighted wood stocked side lock ignition (two classes Flint & Cap)traditional muzzle loaders and patch-n-ball loads only. Also, load from your bag.

After a while of doing this you'd probably see some national support. Get these matches out on video and on Youtube.

The biggest drawing card (though many may not realize this) is that shooting gongs gives everyone a chance at potentially posting a good score. Forget the paper target bulls'eye shooting. Keep this traditional.

Just a thought. People like reactive targets, and people have more fun being able to compete in a sport where they actually have a chance at a good showing.

 

[jamesthomas]

I think taking the younger generation out shooting is the best way to keep muzzleloading alive. Even if they bring their .22's or other such guns if you pull out a muzzleloader there is going to be interest. They'll want to load it and fire it if only just to say they did. I shot my first muzzleloader at a scout camp. I took an interest and received one not long after. Another scout friend of mine later built one.

And even that's tough because of the .22 shortage. I have thought about putting a sign up asking about having a muzzleloader shoot at my club I know of a couple of folks on here that go to my club (you know who you are) if your interested lets meet up sometime and have a shoot. I think it would just take some (more) of us to stick up notices at our local shooting ranges asking about blackpowder shooters, you never know, there just might be a few folks in your area that you don't know about. I wouldn't exclude the inline folks either, just have to make it iron sights only. We might turn a few folks over to our side that way. A Lyman Great Plains Flintlock Rifle isn't much more than one of those inline rifles.

 

[RonRC]

All this talk about young people has me thinking. I am going to contact some of the local scout troops and offer to bring a flintlock and a percussion to a range time they have scheduled. Perhaps they might schedule range time just for that. A problem might be that with just me and a rifle or two, there only may be time to let a few kids shoot.
Ron

 

[azmntman]

My oldest got his black powder shotgun merit badge shooting my pedersoli 10 GA! Other scouts then HAD to try t. He was big they were not....none could shoot it good enough and I had no smaller gauge. Scouts seem to love that kinda thing though

 

[Col. Batguano]

You can bring a flintlock, (match lock, snap lock, snaphaunce, hand gonne, wheel lock et. al.) and demonstrate them, but the new BSA Shooting Sports manual specifically says that only percussion or in-line guns are allowed for Scout use, and that applies to Venture Scouts and Sea Scouts now too. I tried unsuccessfully to fight the fight with the NRA (to allow flint) and they just won't budge on that. They say that the incidents of accidents with flint et, al. are higher than with the percussion and in-line guns.

In my experience with Scouts, while they really like the charcoal burners, they really like the trigger time most of all. Question; Do you want to shoot 1-2 rounds in 10 minutes with this gun, or 10 rounds with a .22? They go for the .22 9 times out of 10.

 

[RonRC]

I am flexible about the whole activity. If they want me just to demonstrate, that would be fine.

Ron