First visit to Friendship
- Thread starter FelixD
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My best advice would be to try and spend more than one day. There's just too much to see!
When you go in the main gate veer to your right and look for the small cabin. That's Gunmakers Hall. Go in there and drool over the rifles on display.
Do some shopping in the sheep sheds. Bring plenty of $$$ 'cause there's lots of stuff you'll want.
Walk up and down the shooting line and check out all of the different matches going on. Everything from silhouettes way out yonder to pistol to shotgun.
Walk across the street and cross the little bridge. Keep going until you get to the primitive gate and go in there and do some more shopping.
Go up to the top of the hill behind the block house and watch some primitive matches going on.
Stop and talk to the guys you meet and make some new friends.
Look up a guy named Jethro up there on the primitive side and introduce yourself. :hatsoff:
If you have time go check out the museum.
Decide to spend a couple more days 'cause you didn't see everything.
Try and go the first weekend instead of Tuesday next time. Some of the vendors will be gone by then.
Do some shootin' next time. It's more fun.
When you go in the main gate veer to your right and look for the small cabin. That's Gunmakers Hall. Go in there and drool over the rifles on display.
Do some shopping in the sheep sheds. Bring plenty of $$$ 'cause there's lots of stuff you'll want.
Walk up and down the shooting line and check out all of the different matches going on. Everything from silhouettes way out yonder to pistol to shotgun.
Walk across the street and cross the little bridge. Keep going until you get to the primitive gate and go in there and do some more shopping.
Go up to the top of the hill behind the block house and watch some primitive matches going on.
Stop and talk to the guys you meet and make some new friends.
Look up a guy named Jethro up there on the primitive side and introduce yourself. :hatsoff:
If you have time go check out the museum.
Decide to spend a couple more days 'cause you didn't see everything.
Try and go the first weekend instead of Tuesday next time. Some of the vendors will be gone by then.
Do some shootin' next time. It's more fun.
Snakebite
45 Cal.
First time I went I spent about an hour talking to Homer Dangler. Great people there, lots to see. Have fun.
ohio ramrod
75 Cal.
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WARNING! Don't take any money, or checks, or worse yet credit cards. You will spend every cent you have or can charge once you see all of the goodies there. :hmm: :hmm:
S.Kenton
58 Cal.
This was my first year going to Friendship...and I can tell you it will NOT be my last! I spent a little bit of time trying to simply figure out the layout of the area, it was a bit confusing at first. There are two parts of the event, the modern flea market..then the primitive side. I spent all my time at the primitive side in the sheep barn area. I met up with Fred Woods AKA "Woody" from this forum, along with Ken Netting, Mike Lange and then talked some time with Tip Curtis, I wondered around and met up with Tim Tressel of the Davis Lock co.and chatted at some length with guys from The Log Cabin Shop.Also found my local Black Powder supplier there, S&S Muzzeloading.It was a neat experience talking to these fellows. Ohio Ramrod is correct in saying LEAVE the credit cards, debit cards..and checks at home! I know if I'da had more money I'da surely spent more!! Next year I will try and get there a little earlier and leave a little later, OH and bring more $$$ with me (if the wife allows.. :redface: )
:shake: :shake: :shake:
You missed out on the best part!
The flea markets aren't really part of the NMLRA at all. They're just flea markets.
The sheep sheds ARE on the modern side.
Next time you go, go up to the primitive side. Sounds like you missed that all together.
You gotta go out the main gate and across the road, walk over the bridge and up the road and you will see what looks like the front of a fort. That's the gate to the primitive side. Whole nother doin's goin' on up there.
This was a great trip. I did some walking and visited all the ranges. Went into the primitive area and did some shopping along the commercial area. The ladies in the target house were really helpful in laying everything out for me. This was the most relaxed group of competitors I have ever seen. The advice, suggestions, directions, and honest friendliness have to be experienced to be believed. I even had one person in the commercial area suggest I see his competitor for a product! I shall be back with a gun next time. Thank you to everyone who gave advice.
S.Kenton
58 Cal.
I was there too...I considered that part of the "primitive" side.. I didnt wander over to the " modern" flea market side is what I should have said...
Friendship can be a great place and a great time. I took my 14 year old son again for his 2nd time.
There are mostly nice folks, but there certainly plenty of shooters and range officers that are way too full of themselves. My son wants to experience quite a few of the different shooting events so we were at the trap range, skeet, quail walk, sil., woods walk, long range.
We had a trap shooter move our stuff on the loading bench when the range was closed for lunch time so that he could have that spot. A range officer at trap over react when my son was doing what another range officer told him to do. This had nothing to do with safety.
I have found that if you are a new shooter in certain areas and they dont know you then the regulars in that area are very teritorial.
We knew quite a few of the skeet shooters since we camp next to them. The skeet shooters were very welcoming to us as new skeet shooters, and we also met some really nice trap shooters and one range officer at trap that went out of their way to make us feel welcomed at their range.
fleener
There are mostly nice folks, but there certainly plenty of shooters and range officers that are way too full of themselves. My son wants to experience quite a few of the different shooting events so we were at the trap range, skeet, quail walk, sil., woods walk, long range.
We had a trap shooter move our stuff on the loading bench when the range was closed for lunch time so that he could have that spot. A range officer at trap over react when my son was doing what another range officer told him to do. This had nothing to do with safety.
I have found that if you are a new shooter in certain areas and they dont know you then the regulars in that area are very teritorial.
We knew quite a few of the skeet shooters since we camp next to them. The skeet shooters were very welcoming to us as new skeet shooters, and we also met some really nice trap shooters and one range officer at trap that went out of their way to make us feel welcomed at their range.
fleener
Guest
I think my first trip to Friendship was in 1969.
That said, this past week was the first time I’ve camped there for most of the week. For several years back in the eighties I would go down on a Saturday and spend the night in a lean-to set up for supplies for several different camps, but that didn’t really count as camping. As an aside, with the exception of Dale Black, who sets up the basket making demo just inside the walk-through gate on the main range, and the late Jim Kreimer, I haven’t seen any of the other guys from that camp circle at Friendship in well over twenty years.
I think my biggest surprise for the week was the persistence of the infamous “Friendship Brown”. When I arrived Friday evening I had an unfired, bright and shiny North Star West Officer’s fusil. It didn’t remain unfired very long. It didn’t remain bright and shiny very long either. Even after oiling everything after cleaning it the first day I shot it, the next morning it looked like I rubbed on degreaser (instead of oil) and laid it outside in the rain. The lock on the trade gun was even worse. I had steel wool in the shooting box but no RIG. Thank God for commercial row. Even with generous application of both afore mentioned items, the fusil now looks like a veteran of numerous campaigns. Oh well. It will be nice when hunting season rolls around.
With the exception of the storm that blew through Thursday morning, the weather was nice all week with only an occasional brief shower a few times.
A little disturbing to me - and probably anyone else who can remember the Friendship of the 60s, through the nineties, is the decline in the number of vendors on Commercial Row. In its heyday every booth space in Commercial Row was occupied. Not only that, there were tents set up between the gate and the sheep shed and tables were set up in the aisles between all the permanent buildings. And for shoppers, the last Saturday was almost as good as the first Saturday. It was almost impossible to not find something you needed on commercial row. In the last several years there has been a steady decline of vendors, and many of those who are there the first weekend pull out before the second weekend. Some of the decline is pretty simple. A number of the vendors of days past no longer exist. This is certainly true of two that got a lot of my business, K&W Horns and Buffalo Enterprises. But there are enough vendors still around to fill the spaces if it is made attractive enough. Lower rental and gate admission for a few shoots and see if things don’t improve.
All in all it was a great time. Got to talk to some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and wouldn’t have if I’d just been down for a day, did some shooting, and discovered a few refinements I need to make with my camp gear.
I first joined the NMLRA in 1970 and was a member for 23 years. When I resigned in 1993 I was so mad that I swore I would never be a member again. I joined last fall to attend the Southeastern and a special event at this year’s spring shoot. It was intended to be a one year only membership. There are still some things I would like to see changed. Members down for the day should be able to park free. At the least, the charge could be discounted against the cost of registering to shoot. Apparently there are some problems with camping fees if you are just down for the weekend. All in all though I’ll give ”˜em another year. It’s the only way I can continue to shoot in the forum woods walks.
That said, this past week was the first time I’ve camped there for most of the week. For several years back in the eighties I would go down on a Saturday and spend the night in a lean-to set up for supplies for several different camps, but that didn’t really count as camping. As an aside, with the exception of Dale Black, who sets up the basket making demo just inside the walk-through gate on the main range, and the late Jim Kreimer, I haven’t seen any of the other guys from that camp circle at Friendship in well over twenty years.
I think my biggest surprise for the week was the persistence of the infamous “Friendship Brown”. When I arrived Friday evening I had an unfired, bright and shiny North Star West Officer’s fusil. It didn’t remain unfired very long. It didn’t remain bright and shiny very long either. Even after oiling everything after cleaning it the first day I shot it, the next morning it looked like I rubbed on degreaser (instead of oil) and laid it outside in the rain. The lock on the trade gun was even worse. I had steel wool in the shooting box but no RIG. Thank God for commercial row. Even with generous application of both afore mentioned items, the fusil now looks like a veteran of numerous campaigns. Oh well. It will be nice when hunting season rolls around.
With the exception of the storm that blew through Thursday morning, the weather was nice all week with only an occasional brief shower a few times.
A little disturbing to me - and probably anyone else who can remember the Friendship of the 60s, through the nineties, is the decline in the number of vendors on Commercial Row. In its heyday every booth space in Commercial Row was occupied. Not only that, there were tents set up between the gate and the sheep shed and tables were set up in the aisles between all the permanent buildings. And for shoppers, the last Saturday was almost as good as the first Saturday. It was almost impossible to not find something you needed on commercial row. In the last several years there has been a steady decline of vendors, and many of those who are there the first weekend pull out before the second weekend. Some of the decline is pretty simple. A number of the vendors of days past no longer exist. This is certainly true of two that got a lot of my business, K&W Horns and Buffalo Enterprises. But there are enough vendors still around to fill the spaces if it is made attractive enough. Lower rental and gate admission for a few shoots and see if things don’t improve.
All in all it was a great time. Got to talk to some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and wouldn’t have if I’d just been down for a day, did some shooting, and discovered a few refinements I need to make with my camp gear.
I first joined the NMLRA in 1970 and was a member for 23 years. When I resigned in 1993 I was so mad that I swore I would never be a member again. I joined last fall to attend the Southeastern and a special event at this year’s spring shoot. It was intended to be a one year only membership. There are still some things I would like to see changed. Members down for the day should be able to park free. At the least, the charge could be discounted against the cost of registering to shoot. Apparently there are some problems with camping fees if you are just down for the weekend. All in all though I’ll give ”˜em another year. It’s the only way I can continue to shoot in the forum woods walks.
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