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Wow... I've been avoiding this thread, but finally waded through it.

My dad was an NMLRA member from the early fifties until his death in 1981. Neither he nor I have ever been to Friendship, although we talked about it while he was alive. My excuse since then is that I don't like being in crowds.

I have to agree with @sheriff john about Muzzle Blasts. I became an avid reader of it when I was about eight years old, almost 60 years ago. The magazines were the same dimension as now, but with fewer pages, and no color pictures inside. Black text on white paper, with "black and white" illustrations. They were great, and easy to read. The full color, glossy magazine now is somehow less engaging. Most of us who shoot muzzleloaders are "retro guys," and maybe don't need a fully modernized magazine format. I also find that print on paper with a glossy, patterned, full-color background is harder to read. I think the organization would save a lot of money if the magazine were simplified into a more "retro" format. I can't speak for anyone else, but I would appreciate it.

I have no problem with the membership/subscription cost, though. I think it's reasonable. I've had no issues with the subscription, either. The magazine comes every month.


Thank you, @fleener , for serving on the Board of Directors! Your comments (and efforts) are much appreciated.

I bought a copy of Mr. Woodfill's Hawken book as soon as I heard about it. The author and publisher did a good job with it. I would like to see the NMLRA come out with a few more publications. One I would really like to see would be a "John Barsotti Treasury." Mr. Barsotti was an artist, author, muzzleloading shooter and collector, and early Hawken enthusiast who penned and illustrated several Muzzle Blasts articles in collaboration with Bull Ramsey, Bill Large, and maybe a couple of others in the fifties and early sixties. They were humorous, informative, nicely illustrated with Mr. Barsott's pen and ink drawings, and always entertaining. If these were assembled and reprinted in a single publication, I think it would be well received.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

I may be the only one but I would like to see a book with a compilation of the Bevel Brothers articles. They are the "Myth Busters" of the Muzzle Loading world!

Walt
 
I am a new member of NMLRA (joined last December). The little I know about any leadership issues is what has been said in this thread. I will say this, if you want to run an ad and hire a marketing person from the open market, it will cost you a lot more than $40,000 / year - especially for a 1099 contract hire. Start at $50K plus benefits and you "might" get a response from low experience individual who has a clue (and a work ethic). I don't know if hiring Ethan was nepotism or not. I do know if I could hire a 1099 contract person for $40K per year to run/improve my organization's marketing dept., and that person had a clue and got results, I would consider myself very, very lucky.

The issue of whether or not Ethan should have been hired is akin to complaining about a scratch on your truck when it won't even run. What I gather from this discussion is the main problem is the president, the makeup of the BOD, and a perception that input from outside the BOD is being stifled. If enough people are really upset with how the NMLRA is being run (and feel they have no redress), then the only option is to contact the BOD and demand a change in the structure/rules or face a mass exodus of members. Either that or accept the status quo. The options seem pretty limited.
 
I agree, in an age of technology there is no need for leaders to be chosen just from people in a certain geographic region. If they claim to be a national organization then they should be. I hold membership in NMLRA and will continue being a member. I am only 51 so I have no problem with the tech change as many here seem to do. I am also a lifetime member of the NRA BUT am sick and tired of the whole Elitist leadership that has actually become embarrassing. Same thing with the NMLRA. Also as someone who is significantly hearing impaired with 5 vertebrae fused if I went to Friendship IN to shoot and had issues because of the ADA act I would actively take them to Federal Court and end that BS then and there. ADA is basic human rights, Period No Questions Asked! Simple respect for your fellow human beings.
 
I have been a member for several years and have tried to take some classes since getting back into the hobby/art after retirement from 33 years in the Air Force. I wanted to pick up where I left off some 35 years before. I have attended 4 classes at WKU and a well known makers class over the years but never got anything completed. I decided to keep trying but found them hard to get information on in a timely manner. When you live almost 1000 miles from any class location you have to plan in detail for a class lasting a week or more and know far enough out to make all the necessary arrangements. A couple of years ago, I and several friends discussed a problem with NMLRA classes and some others around the country that were never publicized in Muzzle Blasts, Muzzleloader or online. The only way you found out about them was by word of mouth or by accident. I contacted the NMLRA and voiced this problem and long story short, that is how I came to write the column in Muzzle Blasts almost monthly called “Schools On.” I contacted all the known venues that offered any form of classes across the country that would apply to the muzzleloading community whether as a hobby or art. There are a number of organizations, independent builders, and historical venues that I have included their information in the column and it has been hopefully very helpful to our community. During the pandemic, I contacted individuals with YouTube channels and got their permission and started including their information in the column while most were stuck at home and all could continue to learn. I have continually reached out to these different venues to keep their information updated but lately it seems they are starting to slip. They all have my contact information but very few are ever contacting me with updated information! It is like pulling eye teeth to get anything out of them. Some seem to be dropping out of doing classes at all possibly because the pandemic has hampered travel. But here is the big kicker, every since I have been doing this column since June of 2019, the NMLRA has NEVER contacted me for any upcoming class information for their very own sponsored classes! I think that is pretty poor for the organization that prints Muzzle Blasts. They have had several classes to cancel over the past years because they did not even publicize their own classes offered at Friendship. Also those in the Midwest or Northern tier of states that offer classes for say October through April are not taking into account those attendees that could get caught in winter weather. Finally, there are several well known muzzleloading suppliers that I have contacted several times that offer covert classes but have never contacted me to publicize them. I guess they have their little clique that are the only ones they want to attend is the only conclusion I can draw from their failure to want their information known. It is puzzling to me and others why anyone offering money making classes would not want their information included in an international publication with approximately 13,000 readers for FREE! Probably stepped on some toes saying this but if this community wants to thrive and grow, this petty junk needs to stop.
 
Someone mentioned local gun club issues. A few years ago the gun club where I shoot regularly had a mandatory meeting for all members to discuss a financial issue. After the usual back and forth between the officers-who are all volunteer-and the old codgers who don't want to change anything-I stood up and politely suggested that we were very fortunate to have the facility and the dues increase was very modest for what you get back in use of the facility. One of the old goats got right up in my face for "disrespecting" the work done by himself and other past board members. I don't recall any mention of him or the officers of the past, other then thanking them for their previous work.
I decided right then to not attend any more board meetings. This petty infighting was ridiculous.
I feel the same way about the NRA. They have done more to insure our gun rights then any other organization. For $45 a year you get 12 issues of a very slick and professionally published magazine, plus other benefits. Mighty cheap insurance for my gun rights.
I live in Indiana, but the trip to Friendship takes about 2.5 hours each way to attend. I dropped my membership after several years because the magazine published was full of stuff I didn't care about and amateurish to boot. This was before the change to slick paper, and color photography.
Oh and I'm 70 years old. I understand its not 1955 anymore. And it never will be again.
I' surprised they can get anybody to run for the BOD.
 
I don't believe the infighting of the NMLRA belong on this forum. At best it belongs in the supporter politics forum.

I do not like newbies with few post stirring manure on this forum and mods should revove this thread to a better place.

Stirring manure? It seemed like a very legitimate question regarding a national organization that is supposed to be dedicated to promoting our sport and hobby. I have asked these questions on the NMLRA Facebook page and had my post and comments deleted, I have sent e-mails to the BOD and received no response. Here, on this forum, we learn the truth, that membership is sick of the good-ole-boy network running the organization and engaging in suppression of any kind of dissent, and the BOD antics have resulted in a criminal investigation of the organization. Seems like info worth knowing.
 
I don't believe the infighting of the NMLRA belong on this forum. At best it belongs in the supporter politics forum.

I do not like newbies with few post stirring manure on this forum and mods should revove this thread to a better place.
If the NMLRA is having problems, the ML community has a right to know, especially when many here have supported it or belong to clubs affiliated with it.
 
I don't believe the infighting of the NMLRA belong on this forum. At best it belongs in the supporter politics forum.

I do not like newbies with few post stirring manure on this forum and mods should revove this thread to a better place.
Here’s another ‘newbie’…
WallyCline and this one will most likely be eating crow.
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Crow eater.
If your haven’t heard a decent argument- then you seem to be generating drama by signing up here to stir rumors.
With 21 BOD, I seriously doubt you emailed the board without a response. If you’re the one who deliberately lied about the same on their FB page, no response, and was called out - I wouldn’t blame any of them for ignoring your emails.
I’m heading to Friendship- please post the date and time you emailed the BOD with ‘no response’, I’ll ask.
 
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I don't believe the infighting of the NMLRA belong on this forum. At best it belongs in the supporter politics forum.

I do not like newbies with few post stirring manure on this forum and mods should revove this thread to a better place.
agree, especially since we are not fighting and this person is just stirring manure like they did with the rendezvous liabilities etc years ago (reason why they split legally to the living history foundation
 
If the NMLRA is having problems, the ML community has a right to know, especially when many here have supported it or belong to clubs affiliated with it.
Except the NMLRA is not having problems and this is just a vicious post and yes should be removed or someone from the board reply to it... I'm just a life member, range officer and cannon certified. I do not have time or inclination to be an officer.
 
Except the NMLRA is not having problems and this is just a vicious post and yes should be removed or someone from the board reply to it... I'm just a life member, range officer and cannon certified. I do not have time or inclination to be an officer.
The NMLRA won't give refunds, even for events THEY cancel. They put that policy in place 25 years ago after deciding they can't afford to give refunds under any circumstances.

To me, that is financial irresponsibility, and if they have been that way for 25 years, they have problems.

They also refuse to allow open disagreement on their Facebook pages, so expect to see it elsewhere. Members have a right to discuss what they see and experience. Attitudes like yours only lend credence to thoughts they have something to hide.
 
I stop my membership years ago just for the fact that everything seems to happen out west and they don’t have anything going on in the East here. How about a friendship over here on the East Coast so the members here could take a vantage. Oh well just my two cents.
Is Indiana really that far west? I know that in our woods walk group from this forum, MOST of shooters are from eastern states with a few that travel east from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri etc. They are traveling further east than anyone on the east coast would be traveling west.
 
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