How to create more interest in traditional muzzleloading.

[Carbon 6]

People are always saying muzzleloading is a dying sport, or wondering how to create more interest in the sport.
I think one answer is to recreate an interest in, and to popularize small game hunting with a muzzleloader. Primarily the main focus has been on large game, but small game hunting opens up the door to greater possibilities.

Some advantages:
⦁ There are more small game animals to hunt than large ones.
⦁ Small caliber guns produce less recoil, and often less weight and report, opening the door to younger and smaller shooters as well as first time shooters.
⦁ Small game hunting is far more economical (less powder and lead, cheaper licenses and no processing).
⦁ It is easier to be successful hunting small game than it is large game.
⦁ Small game seasons are considerably longer than large game seasons.
⦁ Small game hunting with a muzzleloader is tremendous fun.

There is little competition in the small game market compared to large game. This opens the door to manufacturers to make and sell guns as well as sellers and makers of accouterments to fill this niche. Small game rifles translate very well to target or club shooting (another advantage).
Yes, I think small game hunting with a muzzleloader is underutilized and under popularized. I think it should be a key focus in growing the sport and is beneficial all around. It think it offers the possibility for appreciable gains.


Opinions, comments, ideas, all welcome.

 

[deermanok]

I would like to see a few clubs around the country sponsor a youth turkey shoot type of event.
Maybe some members could loan out a few guns for kids to try.
Hands on instructional type thing.

 

[Carbon 6]

I would like to see a few clubs around the country sponsor a youth turkey shoot type of event.
Maybe some members could loan out a few guns for kids to try.
Hands on instructional type thing.

A club I belonged to actually ran the turkey shoot. Club members did all their shooting with muzzleloaders. The shoot was open to all.
Oh, the look on their faces when they were beaten by a guy with a muzzleloader and they were shooting a modern scoped rifle.
Club members were more than willing to let someone shoot their gun.

 

[FishDFly]

I appreciate the thought you put into your post.

If it was a simple process to increase Traditional ML shooting, the NMLRA would have found a way.

Small game hunting is a challenge in finding a place. I will speak from the Texas perspective, land is Texas is 98% privately owned. There is very little public land from which to hunt large or small game. You have to pay or you do not hunt.

Small game hunting, there is not a lot of interest in squirrels and rabbits. The interest in is hunting and eating big game. There is not a lot of eye appeal in a picture of a squirrel or rabbit, but folks love to see a picture of large game, live or dead.

⦁ Small caliber guns produce less recoil, and often less weight and report, opening the door to younger and smaller shooters as well as first time shooters.
⦁ Small game hunting is far more economical (less powder and lead, cheaper licenses and no processing).

Most folks on the Forum here talk about large game hunting. 45 and up in size, that is where the interest lays. There is a shortage of small game rifles available today in the market. There are less and less places for a new comer to buy rifles today than there was in the 1990’s. There is a lack of places also to buy powder, caps, balls and other needed accessories

Enticing new folks to the hobby is going to be a challenge. There are less places to shoot now, lots of shooting ranges are gone along with clubs from the past. New folks need mentor’s and there is a shortage of mentors for small game hunting.

Another stumbling block is the single head of house hold now. Not many women are going to take their youngsters shooting and hunting. From the other side is the flack a Father gets for taking the youngster shooting and hunting.

School boy/girl athletics have hurt the shooting sports.

One of the things I hear from kids is the ML shooting is too slow and boring. If shooting at a range is too slow, hunting is worse.

In the past, most ML shooters were blue collar workers and they had the knowledge to do repairs and what not, that is not prevalent today.

Hate to be negative, but this has been discussed at the MLRA, TMLRA, various shooting clubs and in the industry without any real progress. The most progress I have seen is in 4-H shooting.

Wish I had a good answer.

 

[Grimord]

I was a big proponent of muzzle loaders for small game in CT on state land. It took me about 6 years to convince the powers that be that allowing small caliber muzzle loaders for small game hunting would open a new door for many potential hunters. The fear was always that people would shoot deer with their muzzle loaders. But me a few others prevailed and got new regulations that allow calibers up to 36 with patched round ball only for small game hunting on state land. It has been an eye opener for the state officials for their fears were not realized, and more new hunters got involved in the small game seasons.

 

[LawrenceA]

I think there is an answer but it is outside our sphere of influence. The answer may be in the movies. When cowboy movies are popular so is that style of everything.
I believe if we saw more movies like patriot, Last of the Mohicans and Jeremiah Johnson then the sport would grow.
The Other aspect is that muzzleloader use can be part of the activity like woods walks elcetera rather than the focus. Not sure that would get off the ground though.

 

[Sam squanch]

Muzzleloading shooting wil make a big comeback as people want to shoot, but aren’t willing to use up their modern ammo, as you can’t get any right now. I know more first time gun owners now than in the last 10 years.

 

[FishDFly]

The shortage is not going to pull new folks into ML, you gotta go buy lots of new stuff to start a new shooting venue.

There also seems to be a shortage of ML guns and supplies.

 

[LawrenceA]

Muzzleloading shooting will make a big comeback as people want to shoot, but aren’t willing to use up their modern ammo, as you can’t get any right now. I know more first time gun owners now than in the last 10 years.

I hope you are right. However to me, in this country, the use of blackpowder is by the experienced shooter after something else other than the high powered hit at 500 yards. Most younger shooters (under 40 and many over) have never learned to use open sights. That coupled with the modern popularity of playing sniper means ML is the more fiddly, less reliable and, can be, almost as expensive cousin.

 

[DocCasualty]

I think the next apparent Administration will initially make lever action rifles, double barreled shotguns and revolvers more popular. Ultimately MLs will ride in on that coattail.

 

[ord sgt]

At my local R/P club, I am an RSO along with another muzzleloader, we always attract attention with our rifles and pistols. The club runs a NRA "Women On Target" course and we have rifles on the firing line. The club is closed for members so the ladies have use of the range for the day. The ladies are separated into groups. Each group gets to shoot all types of rifles, pistols, shotguns and muzzleloaders. Our club president gets feedback from the women and after every event, the muzzleloaders get the most positive compliments. We only use our target loads, nothing very heavy in the powder charge, 50 grs in a .50 calibre.
Then there is the "Open House". Visitors and club members get a chance to try different firearms. Again, the M/Lers draw attention. We do the loading and let every shooter have at least two shots at the targets. Many ladies usually get three or more tries, the younger and cuter ones especially, depending on the line of other curious people.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

The best method is, like the guy above replied, movies. People could write books where ML's are a central factor.

Of course, taking friends shooting still works, I will try and take my great nephew shooting next weekend if I don't take him skiing.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Several of the local game officers along with the local range sponsored squirrel hunts a couple of times a year. It wasn't specifically for muzzleloaders, but did attract a good group including a lot of kids. They even had a few 22 rifles available for those without one. The morning started at 8:00 a.m. with a safety overview and an opportunity for sighting in. This was followed by breaking into groups of a few hunters with guides and RSO's for hunting on property available to hunt. Folks met back about noon for a free lunch that included demonstrations on dressing any squirrels shot and showing several different ways to prepare them. This could be easily adapted to a muzzleloaders only by a club.

 

[tenngun]

While we see some interest in things like ‘off grid’ and bushcrafting much of the push in outdoors spots is technological advantages.
Trail bikes, ultra light camping equipment ect dominate the outdoors.
Folks is lazy
Guns became popular because it’s easier to learn to shoot then become a traditional archer.
Then came suppository guns... and self loading at that. Scopes are a lot easier then open sights.
What sort of idiot, besides me/us wants to USS a flint and steel if you can flick a bic or use a fire rod.
Book sales are down because of e books... and you can get most any book read to you now.
Don’t need to learn how to cook, you can get a kit with pre measured spices and pre cut veggies and meat delivered to your home.
We are kinda in space of buggy makers wondering how we can generate more interest in buggies over them new model ts.
Or greybeard Hunter gatherers trying to figure out how generate more interest in hunting but everyone wants to go farm some barley.
Why would anyone want to live in those mud brick houses when their are good caves in the hills.
We grew up celebrating our culture kids today are taught to be ashamed.
This has been a crappy year but how much have you heard about the four hundredth anniversary of Plymouth this year?
I don’t know if it is possible to save our sport.

 

[Carbon 6]

Thanks guys, just a reminder my focus was on small game hunting with a muzzleloader, not politics.

 

[tenngun]

Hard to separate anything from politics and culture these days.
Close by for me is Branson and silver dollar city. When I first went there there was much on old hills life. A lot of how to do it.
A working blacksmith, candy shop, glass blower, all sorts of wood and needle work. Today it’s all about rides. There are still some old things, fine wood work and such and the food is mostly ozark, but the theme of the park is rides.
We have a cultural shift.
Muzzleloaders are a do it your self sport, but our culture has moved away from that.
Our politics uses any shooting sport as a club, to have a gun means your a crazy milita type, to look at guns and ask how we can make our streets safer is to be crazy anti gunner. Middle ground and reason lost.
It’s not just ml. How many traditional bows are sold vs high tech bows?
My Dad made his own skis as a kid, but I’ve never heard of traditional skiers today.
Getting more people involved is a tough climb

 

[Mulebrain]

It's always puzzling, when traditional guns are still selling

A local reenacting group, that used to go to public schools is not allowed any more.

I know, I think everyone should love them as much as we do

 

[ohio ramrod]

The movie Jeramia Johnson brought a lot of interest to muzzle loading. What we need is for Hollywood to make a movie where the mountain man shoots his ramrod through the heart of the vampire, and uses his powder horn as a molotov cocktail to blow up the vampires. Then we will get the younger people interested.

 

[JohnL]

I think small game hunting success with a muzzleloader would hook a potential shooter; I have a young man whom my wife and I have mentored in the past several years. He is beginning to show interest in muzzleloading, and said he’d definitely get started if I killed a duck with my muzzleloading shotgun. Time to pattern some loads!!

 

[longcruise]

The movie Jeramia Johnson brought a lot of interest to muzzle loading. What we need is for Hollywood to make a movie where the mountain man shoots his ramrod through the heart of the vampire, and uses his powder horn as a molotov cocktail to blow up the vampires. Then we will get the younger people interested.

Has potential, but maybe throw in some zombies.

I think the small game emphasis would attract some already active hunters if you can find a way to pull them in initially.