Boy Scouts and flintlocks

[SRV]

On Saturday our local gun club showed 178 Boy Scouts how to shoot 22's, archery, shotgun and my favorite flintlocks. Each Scout loaded and shot four rounds each, offhand at a paper target 25 yards away. We had one instructor (five of us) per student. It kept us buzy for 7 hours. I was surprised by how many said that shooting the flintlocks was their favorite of the lot. Most of the Scout leaders also shot. I think there was more than a handful that got the itch to try again.

 

[hthomso]

It's not surprising to me the flintlocks would be their fav. When I was that age, It would have been a huge thrill to get to shoot something like that. I'm sure you have supplied the spark to ignite the powder in the pan that will become a lifelong hobby/passion for some of those fine young people.

 

[Norinco]

Thank you for introducing scouts to shooting. I was a Boy Scout all the way up to Eagle and still help out in my troop and work at a scout camp over the summer. It sucks though that official BSA shoots are limited to .22LR's and 50 ft ranges.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

On Saturday our local gun club showed 178 Boy Scouts how to shoot 22's, archery, shotgun and my favorite flintlocks. Each Scout loaded and shot four rounds each, offhand at a paper target 25 yards away. We had one instructor (five of us) per student. It kept us buzy for 7 hours. I was surprised by how many said that shooting the flintlocks was their favorite of the lot. Most of the Scout leaders also shot. I think there was more than a handful that got the itch to try again.

Congratulations and a big THANK-YOU from the bottom of my heart! I've been there doing the same thing with 3 caplocks being used for over 200 Scouts as well as some of the adult volunteers that brought the Scouts to the range as part of a Camporee that I participated in a while back. I had my Eagle Scout son Andrew, and his friend Tim (also an Eagle) and myself, so it was just the three of us to do all of the work. We all were so exhausted by the end of the day, that all we did was sit and have a coffee in the Campmaster's quarters during the fire ring ceremony when the awards were given out. There wasn't an award for our station, just a participation credit, so we really didn't need to be there.

Each Scout took a turn loading & firing our percussion rifles. We had 50 grain loads for the regular Boy Scouts, and 25 grain loads for the Cub Scouts and some of their Moms . Most of the Scouts got to load & fire 3 shots, some got 4, depended upon how big each group was that visited our station at the range, since only a limited number of minutes are available per group at each station in the Camporee format. My son is also a Life Member of the NRA, so we had our NRA emblems showing proudly too! What a great time we had doing it!

I think that you did a wonderful service to the shooting community, and I wish you well in your future endeavors! :hatsoff: :thumbsup: .

Nothing quite like "Paying it forward" :bow:

Dave
Eagle Scout Dad
NRA Life Member
NRA Distinguished Expert/Muzzleloading Rifle
NMLRA Member

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Always nice to say hello to an Eagle Scout .

Congrats on your achievement and your willingness to work at a Scout Camp. A true leader in the shooting community! And an excellent role model!

Happy Easter a couple days prior!

Dave

 

[SimonKenton]

At Philmont one of the most popular activities is shooting a flintlock at the range. :thumbsup:

-Ray

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

SRV

Thanks for introducing both kids and adults to shooting in general, muzzleloaders and particularly flintlocks. I've done the same many times as well and it always tickles me when the boys have sisters, other young ladies in the Venturing Crews, and all the adult leaders and chaperones showing up to shoot as well.

It sucks though that official BSA shoots are limited to .22LR's and 50 ft ranges.

The Guide to Safe Scouting used to specify that the use of muzzleloaders was limited to percussion guns and black powder substitutes. Don't know if it's changed since I retired as a Scouter but it was pretty much ignored everywhere except at BSA Camps.

 

[atki]

I put on a mountain man rendezvous for older (14 and up) Boy Scouts in San Diego. We get about 350. We teach them knife and hawk throwing, blackpowder, trap setting and a lot of history.

I am told that most feel this is the best scout activity of the year.
WWW.VarsityRendezvous.com

It feels real good.

WB

 

[matt denison]

I and four of my Mtn. Man buddies have done the Bitterroot Valley BSA Mountain Man Rendezvous for years now. We do flint and steel, Knife and Hawk, display trade goods and of course let them shoot our cap lock guns. The big brass in the BSA will not allow flintlocks! :cursing: They claim that they are too dangerous. We do some flintlock shooting as display only. We have snuck some of the older (Eagle) scouts into the flintlock line when it looks like no one is looking.... This is the biggest attraction for the scouts in the area. We get near 200 boys each year. The leaders enjoy the shooting as much as the kids. It's great fun, they feed us well too. I suggest that everyone get involved to promote the shooting sports and to get that fuzzy feeling that you are doing something for the youth and future of "the gun culture" in the good ol' USA. With the current notion in our society that guns are bad this is one of a very few chances to get to young people and show them the truth about shooting, safety, and responsibillity with firearms.

Remember that this generation doesn't have exposure to the same influences we did. No Danial Boone on TV, John Wayne movies, Cowboys & Indians or Gunsmoke.

L.Dog

 

[rafterob]

Remember that this generation doesn't have exposure to the same influences we did. No Danial Boone on TV, John Wayne movies, Cowboys & Indians or Gunsmoke.

Yep, now it is all "Gangsta" and Grand Theft Auto. Nothing like glorifying gratuitous violence,take what you can steal and relegate women to the roles of strippers and Ho's. The foundations of a grand civilization for sure.
I have suggested a few times to my club to take on some scouts, I think it is a great idea.

 

[Norinco]

At Philmont one of the most popular activities is shooting a flintlock at the range. :thumbsup:

-Ray

When I was there in 2007, it was percussion.

It sucks though that official BSA shoots are limited to .22LR's and 50 ft ranges.

The Guide to Safe Scouting used to specify that the use of muzzleloaders was limited to percussion guns and black powder substitutes. Don't know if it's changed since I retired as a Scouter but it was pretty much ignored everywhere except at BSA Camps.

Yeah, only camps absolutely have to follow those requirements. Right now it's percussion and inline only, but they allow substitute powder.

Remember that this generation doesn't have exposure to the same influences we did. No Danial Boone on TV, John Wayne movies, Cowboys & Indians or Gunsmoke.

Yep, now it is all "Gangsta" and Grand Theft Auto. Nothing like glorifying gratuitous violence,take what you can steal and relegate women to the roles of strippers and Ho's. The foundations of a grand civilization for sure.
I have suggested a few times to my club to take on some scouts, I think it is a great idea.

Yep. I work in the Scoutcraft area at camp but on my days off I'd go to the shooting sports area. I go to shoot my guns, help out the shooting sports staff, and allow the scouts to try out my guns.

Even though the camp is in Goshen VA, the staff and scouts (myself included) come from the DC Metropolitan Area. A lot of the scouts have no experience in guns other than video games. When they see a scoped .22LR, they call it a sniper rifle. They start talking about video games like Call of Duty when they see my AKM or Mauser. We are quick to correct them.

The only muzzleloaders the camp owns are inlines, but there is nothing stopping staff members from bringing their own guns. My friend brings his Hawken that was built by a family friend while in a bodycast recovering from an auto accident. The scouts love that. This year I'm going to bring my flintlock down there.

 

[Robert Wolfe]

Hey Norinco - I worked at Goshen (Ross, Lenhoksin, and Bowman) for 10 years in the 70's to early 80's. Two years of that was at the mountain man camp where we shot flintlocks with real black powder. We had one caplock (TC Senica). Sorry to hear that flintlocks are out.

 

[Len Graves]

I have been honored to do some instruction with the scouts also Hawk& knife, and especially flintlock shooting. I am not a scout and didn't know about the ML rules of the brass scouts. None of the scout leaders there mentioned anything either. I don't think they really knew we were violating dangerous rulings. I do know no one got hurt, and by the smiles and repeat shooters I think they enjoyed it. Perhaps not as much as I did. I have done this kind of thing several times at different clubs and no one ever said anything about flinters. I will mention this discretely to some of the leaders, if only to keep someone out of trouble. My club also has a Ladies day where the gals shoot every thing Pistol, semi auto rifle etc. and of course muzzle loaders. After the course they often come back through and shoot the smoke poles again. We had a hundred gals shoot over 8oo rounds of .50 cal. ball last year. Many of those gals had never shot a gun before. Still don't know who had more fun. that kind of stuff is contagious.

 

[Norinco]

Hey Norinco - I worked at Goshen (Ross, Lenhoksin, and Bowman) for 10 years in the 70's to early 80's. Two years of that was at the mountain man camp where we shot flintlocks with real black powder. We had one caplock (TC Senica). Sorry to hear that flintlocks are out.

Nice, I work at Bowman. Should I look for you on the Bowman staff pictures? I may be going down there for the Centennial Camporee to staff it. This year me and my friend at shooting sports are going to introduce cap/ball revolvers.

I have been honored to do some instruction with the scouts also Hawk& knife, and especially flintlock shooting. I am not a scout and didn't know about the ML rules of the brass scouts. None of the scout leaders there mentioned anything either. I don't think they really knew we were violating dangerous rulings. I do know no one got hurt, and by the smiles and repeat shooters I think they enjoyed it. Perhaps not as much as I did. I have done this kind of thing several times at different clubs and no one ever said anything about flinters. I will mention this discretely to some of the leaders, if only to keep someone out of trouble. My club also has a Ladies day where the gals shoot every thing Pistol, semi auto rifle etc. and of course muzzle loaders. After the course they often come back through and shoot the smoke poles again. We had a hundred gals shoot over 8oo rounds of .50 cal. ball last year. Many of those gals had never shot a gun before. Still don't know who had more fun. that kind of stuff is contagious.

Most reasonable scoutmasters don't care for those nitpicky rules of the BSA. Either they themselves know flintlocks are perfectly safe or they know that the instructors know what they are doing.

 

[Mulebrain]

I have been with the BSA for quite awhile. I always arrange a shooting session for the leaders, and boy scouts.

I love introducing the youngins to BP :thumbsup:

For many of them coming from this burb, lib, cess pool, they have never held a gun. Till I came along :thumbsup:

Me showing our Scout Master the ways of the Colt

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

To EVERYONE: I'm REALLY PROUD to belong to a forum where so many give so much of themselves in an effort to spread the word about the recreational use of firearms, especially those that belch smoke!

Continued success to all in these endeavors :hatsoff: :thumbsup: .

Dave

 

[silent sniper]

i to am also an eagle scout. i try to introduce anyone i can to traditonal muzzleloaders. i have taken a couple finters to campouts and let the other boys shoot them and they all love them. there is nothing enjoyable quite like a flinter. cheers SS.

 

[ohio ramrod]

It was through boy scouts that our local club picked up it's last two families. As they say " Try it ,you'll like it!"

 

[ohio ramrod]

Ah! Good old Philmount. I haven't been there since the early sixties. ( Or was it late fifties) the mind is the first thing to go. (Actually in my case it was the back )

 

[BillinOregon]

Ohio: I went to Philmont first in 1968 as a Life Scout. Hadn't Eagled yet. I am happy to say I took my daughter there for a "civilian" visit about six years ago, then stopped in again three years ago with my father, also an Eagle. It is always great to see the Tooth of Time, and the Ernest Thompson Seton Museum. That's where I learned of the roots of the movement, with Seton starting things with his Native American-based Woodcraft movement being absorbed by Baden-Powell's more militaristic scouting movement.