Getting more people into traditional style muzzleloading

[roundball]

Several weeks ago we were posting about trying to get more people aware of and interested in shooting more traditional styles of muzzleloaders.

I went ahead and posted an invitation on a state specific board offering to conduct a hands on intro shooting session to anyone within an hours drive, and the first session is planned for this coming Saturday morning.

Unless something totally unforseen happens, there should be another individual committed to shooting traditional style muzzleloaders by noon Saturday.

:thumbsup:

 

[ss1]

We need more people like ROUNDBALL. To all out there, don't turn your thumbs down, untill you think about this: there are people that shoot INLINES, syn powder, and powerbelts, or something simular.Be nice to them, let them shoot with you, SOMETIMES, put them in a different class. They are allready stuffing [putting powder and bullet ] down the barrel. It is a small step to a hammer on the side. If we could get just 10% interested in per or flint...... Just a thought. People want to join if they feel welcome. Sell them that ML that no one else wants :grin:

 

:thumbsup: I agree that we need more people interested in traditional muzzle loaders. Most people who buy inlines are only interested in hunting the additional season that ml season offers plus they are drawn by the addvertised performance that an inline is supposed to offer.
One thing that these people need to be taught is that with the right twist rate and use of the same projectile they can have a traditional muzzle loader that should match the performance of an inline. Then perhaps inline buyers will develope more interest in traditional muzzleloading.

 

[Halftail]

WTG Roundball!
You are a great representative of our sport! :thumbsup:

 

[scott k]

.

I went ahead and posted an invitation on a state specific board offering to conduct a hands on intro shooting session to anyone within an hours drive

Are you going to meet one person and do this intro session with him? Wow! How are you working this? :hatsoff:
Lehigh...

 

[Slowpoke]

Our club shoots at a big range.... every year the range offers hunters sight-in where (for a fee) anyone can come and sight-in their rifle. We usually try to have a match up there that day. You wouldn't believe the amount of interest we get in traditional shooting. We even let interested people step to the line and fire a couple rounds.

As our technology advances, a certain amount of people will long for the passed/simpler technology. It's this way with anything... old cars, fly fishing, trains, etc. The key is exposing them to it. WTG RB

 

[BLAHMAN]

We need more people like ROUNDBALL. To all out there, don't turn your thumbs down, untill you think about this: there are people that shoot INLINES, syn powder, and powerbelts, or something simular.Be nice to them, let them shoot with you, SOMETIMES, put them in a different class. They are allready stuffing [putting powder and bullet ] down the barrel. It is a small step to a hammer on the side. If we could get just 10% interested in per or flint...... Just a thought. People want to join if they feel welcome. Sell them that ML that no one else wants :grin:

Agreed......I always thought that when you have some guy (or lady) shoot one of your traditional muzzleloaders there's a greater tendancy to get them hooked.

There's a buddy that lives not too far from me that has spoken of it (involvement of muzzleloaders) but he claims it is way to complicated and he prefers simplier stuff....I'll get him hooked yet!

 

[Slake]

I received an inline from my bride for a Christmas present. I was so stunned and thrilled that she actually bought a firearm for me for a gift I was not going to pooh pooh it. It did take me until July to fire the thing for the first time. I could not believe how ridiculously accurate that rifle is. Wow. I'll bethca I can consistantly hit any target you ask me to hit with that thing more than any other rifle I own. Having said all that I still love pushin the round ball down the throat of my Kentucky rifle much better and I show many folks willing to learn both. I think traditional muzzleloaders tend to catch on better with hardcore gun enthusiasts. Inlines stick with the not so serious hunt once a year types

 

[roundball]

.

I went ahead and posted an invitation on a state specific board offering to conduct a hands on intro shooting session to anyone within an hours drive

Are you going to meet one person and do this intro session with him? Wow! How are you working this? :hatsoff:
Lehigh...

I'm having him meet me at my range for a one-on-one hands on Flintlock introduction / training session...we'll spend the morning, shoot a box of Hornady .490's and that'll be enough to work through all the main issues of lock cleaning, flint knapping, etc...want him to leave with a total conviction that Flintlocks are fast, reliable, and accurate.

 

[scott k]

:hatsoff: Let us know how it trues out. You could be on to something :hmm:
Lehigh...

 

[roundball]

:hatsoff: Let us know how it trues out. You could be on to something :hmm:
Lehigh...

Just imagine the number of people who might permanently get into this if for example every member of this Forum held a session with just one person a year.

My approach is that I would be going shooting anyway...why not drag along a potentially interested individual...and if the session is successful, the hope is that he'll talk it up and that might light a fire in someone else, etc

 

[rebel727]

Around here as well as where I'm originally from nobody wants to shoot bp except to hunt and then they want the unmentionables because it's almost the same as shooting a modern weapon. Seems like I'm the exception to the rule. Also there are no ranges to go to where other people can observe the fun you're having. When somebody wants to shoot they just do it in the back yard.

 

Congrats, roundball! I have gotten a few people into traditional MLing recently. One, my neighbor knew I was reenacting and showed up at a couple of events and decided that he liked it. Being retired, he was looking for some hobby. I put him in touch with a gunmaker friend who made him a very nice pre-Rev war smooth rifle for $800. Since then I have helped him learn to shoot the flinter and helped him get the 'duds' needed to take part in our club events. In a couple weeks we are going to OKla to hunt turkeys and he is using his smooth rifle....his only complaint is that we don't do it (shoot the trad guns) often enough! He is hooked. Every time we do a living history event we attract people with our period weapons and tweak their interest. Several have told me that they would like to try out trad guns and ask for advice. I think our club reaches quite a few people in a positive way about trad arms...

 

[scott k]

I shoot a lot of different military guns (yes AK types Too) and the only guns I shoot that seem to get questions are my black powder guns. Everybody that asks or show interest about my guns gets a chance to shoot it.
Lots of people take me up on a free shot with the black powder :grin:
Lehigh...

 

[Claude Mathis]

Around here as well as where I'm originally from nobody wants to shoot bp except to hunt and then they want the unmentionables because it's almost the same as shooting a modern weapon.

Do you folks think that most people don't have an interest in Traditional weapons because they have no interest in history?

Do you think Traditional Muzzleloading and history go hand in hand? Why else would people bother with a shooting system, that is obviously more involved and time-consuming, if not for the historical aspect?

 

[scott k]

Why else would people bother with a shooting system, that is obviously more involved and time-consuming, if not for the historical aspect

A horse is a bad way to plow a field or get around yet people still have horses. Sort of the same thing? :winking:
Lehigh...

 

[TANSTAAFL]

To each their own, but I agree with you whole heartedly, the traditional muzzleloaders are into the hobby for much more than just the bang.

I know I am being a wet blanket here, but, I have very little interest in becoming just another hoof in a thundering herd.

Be careful of what one wishes, you may get exactly what you asked for. History is replete with organizations and movements garnering many adherents and members, expanding until it becomes unwieldy, factionalized, splintered, and then implodes onto itself.

Although I very much enjoy associating with likeminded people on given subjects, I am not a joiner by nature. I have an inherent built in avoidance of large organizations, mass movements and overly structured environments. Exploitation of the whole by certain factions or individuals would be sure to follow if sufficient numbers were there.

 

[2172]

just had an email from a guy who'd seen our club ad...wanted to know if we allowed inlines...told him no, but if he'd like to try traditional M-L's as our forefathers did, I'd lend him one if he vistied...Hank

 

[Desert Rat]

I the past 4 years I've gotten 2 guys started in BP. I say I did something but it was more them approaching me about it. The one guy is interested in trekking and learning "woodsy" skills. The fact that he gets to carry a neat rifle that is fun to shoot is a bonus. He does have some historical intrest but it is not a priority. The other guy was looking to expand his hunting season, while I didn't trash talk inlines and acknowledged they may have advantages I showed him the wide range of traditonal guns out there. The idea of building a kit gun appealed to him and he took off from there. He since has added a pistol to his growing collection. So the short answer to your question Claude is that not everyone gets involved with historical motives. But I think that sooner or later they do connect

 

[riarcher]

Last summer I met a guy that was totally frustrated with a trad ML. Many miss fires, poor accuacy, nowhere to turn for info. and was about to scrap the whole affair.
Started talking with him, helped him get things going in a better direction, etc.
by the end of summer, he was hooked! Bought 3 more ML's if I remember correctly.
Looking forward to meeting up with him again this summer.
I think this "frustration factor" by the un- initiated to good info is a big reason folks shy away from the trads.
Our local gunshops have no interest in BP and offer negative opinions on the whole subject.