Your post has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Please try to stay on topic which in this case is helping a member find and buy a Christmas present.
Hoping to get some quick help
- Thread starter momof3
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
I like the idea of having a separate forum for modern muzzleloading but that is just my personal opinion. I visit both forums but spend 99% of my time on this forum learning more and more about traditional muzzleloading.
Some suggestions for Momof3: Connect with the National Muzzleloading Rifle Association (NMLRA) in Friendship, Indiana.
Type that title into your browser and go to their website. Among other things, they have a handout titled "Welcome To Muzzleloading" that is intended to help introduce beginners to the sport to the common types of ignition systems and how they work, basic loading and cleaning information and other tips. They're free, and designed to fold up into the users shirt pocket. There are more detailed sources of information that he can consult also, including this forum plus books available from the NMLRA, from Dixie Gun Works, and other ML supply houses, and also from bookstores and Amazon.com. The printed material will provide him with a handy reference source he can consult as often as he needs, make notes on, frame questions about, etc. The best source, as several others have mentioned, is folks who have been doing this stuff for more years than we care to admit and have made our mistakes, survived, have (mostly) learned from them, and are willing and eager to pass our hard-earned knowledge on to the next generations. One other thought: The NMLRA also sponsors Muzzleloading Hunter Safety courses that are required for most states' ML hunting seasons. The courses have a great deal of useful information for beginners and are well worth while. And of course, he'll have access to this forum, which provides access to many decades of muzzleloading experience and opinions. Especially opinions.
I also recommend the Dixie Gun Works catalog as a source of information. It's a wealth of lore on our sport as well as a good place to get just about anything a muzzleloader might need.
They have their stuff online too, but the paper catalog is a great read! Dixie is in Union City, Tennessee.
Good for you, for getting your son started.
Tanglefoot
Type that title into your browser and go to their website. Among other things, they have a handout titled "Welcome To Muzzleloading" that is intended to help introduce beginners to the sport to the common types of ignition systems and how they work, basic loading and cleaning information and other tips. They're free, and designed to fold up into the users shirt pocket. There are more detailed sources of information that he can consult also, including this forum plus books available from the NMLRA, from Dixie Gun Works, and other ML supply houses, and also from bookstores and Amazon.com. The printed material will provide him with a handy reference source he can consult as often as he needs, make notes on, frame questions about, etc. The best source, as several others have mentioned, is folks who have been doing this stuff for more years than we care to admit and have made our mistakes, survived, have (mostly) learned from them, and are willing and eager to pass our hard-earned knowledge on to the next generations. One other thought: The NMLRA also sponsors Muzzleloading Hunter Safety courses that are required for most states' ML hunting seasons. The courses have a great deal of useful information for beginners and are well worth while. And of course, he'll have access to this forum, which provides access to many decades of muzzleloading experience and opinions. Especially opinions.
I also recommend the Dixie Gun Works catalog as a source of information. It's a wealth of lore on our sport as well as a good place to get just about anything a muzzleloader might need.
They have their stuff online too, but the paper catalog is a great read! Dixie is in Union City, Tennessee.
Good for you, for getting your son started.
Tanglefoot
Sidney Smith
58 Cal.
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The best defense is a good offense. IMO the OP really should have done her homework before simply heading off to the gun store. In this day and age of instant information via the internet, she could have gone into things with a better grasp. Also she should have asked her son to provide some details as to what it is he might want. Of course done in such a way as to not spoil the Xmas gift. To go in blindly is a surefire way to toss money into the toilet.
I was at a gun store once, when a woman such as the OP walked in. She told the clerk something about wanting to buy a gun for her boyfriend so he could take it deer hunting. The clerk then asked her what it was she was looking for, rifle, shotgun, what have you. She was absolutely dumbfounded. She wound up leaving without purchasing a thing.
Going in with a little knowledge is key.
I was at a gun store once, when a woman such as the OP walked in. She told the clerk something about wanting to buy a gun for her boyfriend so he could take it deer hunting. The clerk then asked her what it was she was looking for, rifle, shotgun, what have you. She was absolutely dumbfounded. She wound up leaving without purchasing a thing.
Going in with a little knowledge is key.
Sidney she did the best she could. When the local gun stores failed ( first and biggest problem) she came here. I am actively assisting her off the board. Instead of criticizing her effort, spend some time educating the staff at your local gun stores so they can knowledgeably assist people who are new and don't know the questions to ask. Bet that clerk could have made a sale and a longtime customer if he made the effort.
Good for you! Let us know how things work out.
Sidney Smith
58 Cal.
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Pardon me, but its not my place to educate the clerk at the gun store. That should be the responsibility of the gun store owner wouldnt you think? Thats why so many small stores fail, because they dont take the time to get educated, or they hire people with no thought to whether or not the person knows anything about what theyre selling. At any rate, not my job to teach these people.
Again, as a purchaser, its your job to become educated as to what it is youre looking for.
Marinekayak
40 Cal
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Sidney people like you are reason the shooting sports are dying in the US. Shooting is complicated and perishable skill. Its not buying skies or a tennis racket. Its a lifestyle. If you can't support and help a neophyte please don't shoot on any range I am on. Gunstores are in business to sell guns. Shooters are there to shoot.
Sidney Smith
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Now hold on there bud! I never in any way said or inplied I would not help a new shooter. That was your incorrect assumption. I simply stated a fact that people should educate themselves before making a leap into something. And if you think thats somehow wrong, thats your opinion. I hold to my statement that its not my job to educate a gunstore clerk.
I have assisted many new shooters over the years so dont lay that crap about not teaching anyone at my feet, maybe you should lay it at your own.
And I have no reason to ever shoot wirh you anyway so feel confident that will never happen.
Sam squanch
69 Cal.
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The amount of gun store people who are knowledgeable about muzzleloading in this country might fill a small bathtub. They are there to make a SALE, so when they see an easy mark, it’s crank up the BS time. In this internet age, there is no excuse for being uninformed. Folks get in a hurry and don’t research the subject they are interested in.
GAHUNTER60
40 Cal
If your son is a history buff, then he would soooo much more appreciate a traditional muzzleloader. And as far as learning about how to shoot it, clean it, zero it, and fix it when something breaks -- that's the fun part!
Yes, as with anything new and unfamiliar, it can seem intimidating at first. I've been shooting muzzleloaders for 53 years, and I learn something new about them almost every day. The nice part is the answer to every question you, or your son, have is just a right click away, as long as you know where to ask it. And if you think it's hard for us, imagine what the Colonial farmers and trappers went through when they headed into the backwoods with rifles that would be counted on to keep them alive, whether it was for protection from the natives and predators, or to feed their families!
The members of this site have literally tens of thousands of hours of experience with muzzleloaders of every ilk, and most are more than happy to help newcomers to the sport (as you have already experiences with CTSShooter). In fact, we are eager to help! Only by recruiting and mentoring new shooters can we keep this sport alive.
Yes, as with anything new and unfamiliar, it can seem intimidating at first. I've been shooting muzzleloaders for 53 years, and I learn something new about them almost every day. The nice part is the answer to every question you, or your son, have is just a right click away, as long as you know where to ask it. And if you think it's hard for us, imagine what the Colonial farmers and trappers went through when they headed into the backwoods with rifles that would be counted on to keep them alive, whether it was for protection from the natives and predators, or to feed their families!
The members of this site have literally tens of thousands of hours of experience with muzzleloaders of every ilk, and most are more than happy to help newcomers to the sport (as you have already experiences with CTSShooter). In fact, we are eager to help! Only by recruiting and mentoring new shooters can we keep this sport alive.
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