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Creating a muzzleloader club

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I've started clubs of different types before.
My advice is to incorporate, and have everything spelled out in your bylaws and rules. Follow Roberts rules of order when conducting business and meetings. and elect officers. The more professional you run it the less problems you will have. Make sure every penny is accounted for.
Disagree. If you read the OP, Tanker is already a member of a sportsmans club and has permission to use their range and property for a muzzleloading ‘club’. Why would a group of one (not sure if Tanker currently has other like interrested parties to work with) go through all the pain of incorporating and finding facilities to lease/buy when he already has the structure of his sportsmans club - written rules, BOD, insurance, etc? He just sets up muzzleloading shoots and a muzzleloading range under the rules of the existing club, just as they would setup a sheet or trap range and shoots.
 
Started the NMLRA chartered "Boone's Trace Muzzleloaders" here in Eastern Ky, through the Brethitt Co Fish and Game club, just the year. First, I am a member of the F&G club. We host shoots every other month so as to not overburden us in our first year. Also, no other Charter club shoot on same day. Important if you want attendees. Also, check your state Rep. for advice.
Can tell you from input of attendees, they like mix of woodswalks, line shoots. Also, blanket shoots are popular. We charge $20 line shoot which breaks down to $15 to club, $5 lunch. Blanket shoots are $10 prize , $5 to shoot ,$5 lunch. Youth under 15, shoot free. Also ordered ribbons to 5th place, and youth shooters ribbon for any youth shooter. All I can say is no complaints, and we are growing
 
Disagree. If you read the OP, Tanker is already a member of a sportsmans club and has permission to use their range and property for a muzzleloading ‘club’. Why would a group of one (not sure if Tanker currently has other like interrested parties to work with) go through all the pain of incorporating and finding facilities to lease/buy when he already has the structure of his sportsmans club - written rules, BOD, insurance, etc? He just sets up muzzleloading shoots and a muzzleloading range under the rules of the existing club, just as they would setup a sheet or trap range and shoots.

Best of luck, I've been down that road before. Even if you operate under another club and use their facilities, you should have your own identity, etc. It protects both parties.

If he is just a club of one or two people it may be of no consequence, but as his membership increases, it becomes more important.
 
Started the NMLRA chartered "Boone's Trace Muzzleloaders" here in Eastern Ky, through the Brethitt Co Fish and Game club, just the year. First, I am a member of the F&G club. We host shoots every other month so as to not overburden us in our first year. Also, no other Charter club shoot on same day. Important if you want attendees. Also, check your state Rep. for advice.
Can tell you from input of attendees, they like mix of woodswalks, line shoots. Also, blanket shoots are popular. We charge $20 line shoot which breaks down to $15 to club, $5 lunch. Blanket shoots are $10 prize , $5 to shoot ,$5 lunch. Youth under 15, shoot free. Also ordered ribbons to 5th place, and youth shooters ribbon for any youth shooter. All I can say is no complaints, and we are growing
That’s great that you had/have interested and growing numbers of participants at your shoots. Belong to a sportsmans club with 350 members or so for over 10 years. Have never seen a traditional muzzleloader, let alone a flintlock, at the range that was not brought there by me. I have to be content that I have a peaceful place to shoot virtually anytime I want. There is a AWI reenactment group nearby. When I talked to a few of them a couple of years ago, they informed me that they had never, nor knew anyone, that fired at targets with actual bullets. They invited me to come by and check them out, but not my cup tea.

Also agree with mixing up types of matches. Participate in monthly shoots that use, shall we say, more modern types of guns. Same Saturday every month, two separate matches (different weapons, targets, distances for example) at each shoot, and don’t even pair up the same two matches more than once a year. Group goes out of the way to invite all club members to participate at no cost. Club covers all costs, and non-club members are only asked to pay a range guest fee after their third shoot. Club members are encouraged to bring whatever weapon they have and they will shoot. If someone shows up without a gun, multiple members offer either a spare gun or to sit out the match so that the new person can shoot.
 
Best of luck, I've been down that road before. Even if you operate under another club and use their facilities, you should have your own identity, etc. It protects both parties.

If he is just a club of one or two people it may be of no consequence, but as his membership increases, it becomes more important.
I guess we will just disagree. Club within another club always, at least in my experience, has problems that almost defy solution. Tough to find a club or range that will rent you their range, and believe it is getting tougher every day. The alternative is to find your own property, but that requires a capital investment, but if successful, allows you to control things. It just seems that many, although not all, one trick pony clubs really struggle for members and ultimately, financial survival.

Not arguing the point here, just stating what I have seen. Know of more failed clubs than successful ones. Unless a club has deep pockets and/or free land, being part of an existing organization seems to be the best way to ensure a sustainable club. Not perfect, but traditional muzzleloaders are a minority in niche group of a the dwindling shooting/hunting community. Believe safety in numbers is the only way to insure long term survival of the sport. Just my opinion. We all have them, and some in the opinion of others, stink more, just like we all have a........
 
Ya, ass holes shot them full of holes.
Found it best to use AR500 steel, pricey, but will be more a-hole proof. Will stop everything up to the big centerfires until they start shooting AP. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Actually as luck has it, AR500 is tending to come down in price. Probably not as cheap as a guy with a torch and some scrap boiler plate, but "buy once cry once" applies.
All my steel is AR500. It will stand up to anything but AP because it IS armor. When it comes to soft lead from a muzzleloader, those bullets barely mar the paint. AGAIN you take the steel with you when you leave.

We had cowboy steel at my local range, stored in a metal shed. Some schmuck found it, pulled it out, shot holes in it, put it back. I showed up with my steel on the same day, after the schmuck left..., somebody called the club president and told him I was the one shooting club steel. I offered to drive over to his house with my steel and the video I made of my son shooting my steel on that day, and the club president took my word for it. ;)

The range committee instead of putting a padlock on the shed...simply banned all steel target shooting except at a scheduled event. Too much left-wing exposure even among some gun owners here (imho).

You can add a committee to a club, or you can lease property and be your own club (don't buy it as it becomes an asset if your club gets sued) . If your shoots stay tiny, you can "get the ax". IF like the CAS division at my range, you bring in shooters and thus some cash..., they won't get rid of you.

The key to "stretching" the steel is to use additional novelty targets. Such as biodegradable disks. You can use clay birds made that way, OR you can bake up a ton of ship's biscuit, with some orange food color added. Plastic spinning targets that are rated for modern rifles might also be an option.

LD
 
Our local club is an NMLRA charter club and is affiliated with a conservation club founded in the 1940's. We operate within the rules of the conservation club and run shoots within the guidelines of the NMLRA. We are also a register non profit and have a constitution and by laws. We've been on the grounds for more than 20 years with no hitches. We've built a roof over part of the range with loading benches, we've built a shooting shed for storage and scoring, participated in conservation club sponsored youth events and more. We are active and willing partner's in the care and maintenance of the shooting facility and it costs us nothing for rent, unless we reserve the clubhouse. It can be done successfully if an effort is made by both partys.
Mark
 
[QUOTE="
All my steel is AR500. It will stand up to anything but AP because it IS armor. When it comes to soft lead from a muzzleloader, those bullets barely mar the paint. AGAIN you take the steel with you when you leave. LD[/QUOTE]

The Hang Fast Target System makes taking the steel with you very easy. The target mounts on a standard T Post and can be easily installed and removed without tools. Multiple targets can be hung on the same T Post.

TBfuMyd.jpg
 
Tanker, I would be interested in your pursuit as with Loyalist Dave, I live about 1/2 hour from you or your clubs location. Pass through Mercersburg when attending events at Ft. Loudon Pa. Will be at the fort in late October, if I get home from a Wyoming antelope hunt in time. As I cannot speak for the rest of the gang I go with I would bet they will be interested also. Please keep informed.
 
I got a permission to start a muzzleloader club at one of my local sportsman. Not overly sure where to start. We have a shooting range we will use and there is enough room to set up a woods walk. We have a very nice club house that can hold a few hundred people. Any suggestions on how to how to proceed? I already run a disabled Vet fishing rodeo there so I do have some experience with running events but I am thinking a club and a event will be two different things. Any advice would be great. I did send a email to my NMLRA rep to see if he can give me advice. Waiting for a reply.
The NMLRA has had a recent series of articles in their magazine, Muzzle Blasts, addressing just this very subject. They'd be the helpful, go-to, organization to support such a project.
 
The NMLRA has had a recent series of articles in their magazine, Muzzle Blasts, addressing just this very subject.
I just joined the NMLRA and I will look at the back issues to find the article. I did contact my local NMLRA rep and he was very helpful. I go meet him next weekend so we can talk more and to see how his club runs things. Thanks for your input.
 
I'm very happy that you joined the NMLRA and chartered your club ( I assume, if not hint hint ). I write the Charter Club Chatter in Muzzleblasts, and what I assume are the articles referred to here. I just finished a series a couple of months ago detailing in length the planning and putting on a rendezvous. My very good friend keeps intense notes and they are the mainstay of the articles. Every club will do things differently and in their own way but what was written here works very well for us and forgive me for bragging but we truly do have an excellent shoot. Call the office and see if you can get the back issues that contain these articles. If I'm allowed (don't know much about these legal things), I have them in my computer and can email them to you. If I'm computer literate enough. The office can tell you how to get up with me.
 
see if you can get the back issues
I have been going through the back issues that are on the web site. I haven't found it yet. If you have month and year handy that would be great if not no big deal. I am learning as I go so it doesn't hurt. Do to me coaching kids soccer and life in general I will have our first meeting in October. That will give me time to learn more and try to start everything off correctly. I will plan on my first shoot in December or January. We have a way to keep people warm if need be. Our shooting line and our main building is only 20 yds apart.
 
Will do. I get both Muzzle Blasts, the publication of the NMLRA; all muzzleloading guys should join if they can; please go on line for NMLRA; they love to help, and maintain the tradition. I also get Muzzleloader magazine, bi-monthly, both great sources. More later.
 
I had some issues with the site and I posted the below post on a different thread. I copied and posted here to fix things.

I know I have received a few people interested in this club so I thought I would give an update. I meet with the parent club on September 16th to pitch my idea and set the date for our first meeting. It has already been approved I just need to set some guidelines down. I have about 10 people from the club who wants to help so if I am able to get at least half that to help we should be good. The financial chairman has already contacted me about some fund raiser activities. So all is moving forward as of now.
 
Tanker,
My club is heavy HP, so when I went to them in ‘97 to host ML matches - I used the NMLRA/NRA as leverage.. once they learned that my matches would be NMLRA/NRA approved they had no problems.
You don’t necessarily have to have approved matches, but I would certainly say your matches/events will follow in accordance NMLRA/NRA ML rules and range safety.
Good luck..
 
Tanker,
My club is heavy HP, so when I went to them in ‘97 to host ML matches - I used the NMLRA/NRA as leverage.. once they learned that my matches would be NMLRA/NRA approved they had no problems.
You don’t necessarily have to have approved matches, but I would certainly say your matches/events will follow in accordance NMLRA/NRA ML rules and range safety.
Good luck..
Thanks for the advice. I plan on using the NMLRA/NRA rules and range safety for the shoots and I will bring up them in my meeting. I doubt most have heard of the NMLRA before. I just found out about them within the last year or so. I could be surprised though, maybe it's me that is behind the times. Again thanks.
 

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