Is traditional ML on the upswing?

[nkbj]

What do y'all think?
Has this inline thang swung to and headed fro?
Are GM drop-ins fixin' to be good as gold?

 

[Shine]

I think we are all riding the tail end of a dinosaur.

 

[Dave K]

I don't think so in my area. I see the same old timers with traditional guns and even some of them have gone to the other side blaming it on their vision and the need for scopes.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I think we'll see a slow decline in traditional muzzleloading over time. Another movie like Jeremiah Johnson or LOTM might cause a surge, but not a revival.

IMHO

 

[Jason Lewis]

i think it's going to become an actual sport for purists or "elites" for lack of a better term. everyone else doesn't shoot, they are just hunting and the inline is just a tool. what we need is a hunting show for traditional guns to spark intrest again. not nescessarily with the hunters wearing traditional garb, but to showcase the truth in the effectivness of the firearms.

 

[nkbj]

In other words, the cattle are in Hollywood's chute getting their brains dipped?
Yeah, maybe so. In a decade or so maybe reenactors will parade around with jezails.

 

[ohio ramrod]

In our area (Holmes county Ohio ) The number of people taking up traditional muzzle loaders is far less than the number of us who are dying. I figure in another five years the local rendezvous will be a thing of the past because there won't be any young'uns to pound in our tent stakes for us! It is a sad but true fact.

 

[Rogue River]

What is needed is some good Hunting Programs on TV like Shockey's programs only with Traditional Rifles and Pistols. Also Traditional only Muzzleloader Hunts!

 

[tg]

I don't think traditional MLing will increase, way back when shooters/hunters accepted a mix of old and new(mainly with the use of modern peep sights and modern bullets) as being "traditional" the back door was opened and an anything goes attitude took control of the sport, it has been the norm for to long to change now, as many do not even have a solid handle on the definition of traditional gear, and there is little effort anywhere to roll back the clock so to speak, and give the newcommers a real solid look at what "traditional" really means.

 

[Coot]

I wish that traditional muzzleloading would get on an upswing but don't expect to see it. It seems that almost all shooting activities - target, hunting and informal plinking are on the decline. The gun shows are getting heavier and heavier on black plastic pistols (not intending to offend any shooters of quality polymer frame guns) and short on everything else except hot sauces (and yes, I like my hot sauces too). With much of the school system, media and hollywood on a pretty consistent anti-gun message and the decline of rural america - where guns and the opportunity to responsibly use them were always more commonplace than in the cities, I don't see a couple of movies or a hunting channel show able to do enough to stem the decline. I have a friend & his wife that 'discovered' guns a few years ago when CCP became widely available. He is now talking about getting their first rifle & I plan to introduce them to a .50 flint. I think they will like it but, like me, they are not spring chickens and the shooting sport -traditional or otherwise needs young blood if it is to flourish.

 

[ozark57]

The shooting industry as a whole is doing well. The black gun craze has brought in new shooters and a younger group to boot. My friends who have turned to ML shooting have done so for the fun, and lack of expense. It is also an escape from a modern world that is not well defined. The last year I have traded several modern guns for traditional ML's, and have enjoyed them for a very reasonable cost of shooting. Try shooting all day with an AR15.
The inline guys are in general not enthusiasts
but hunters taking advatage of an extended season. Nothing wrong with that for them I guess.
As for us, we are here now, thats the way I see it. I think I will be very happy to enjoy the new to me custom flinter I picked up Sunday. Reckon I'll worry what the rest of the world shoots later

 

[Flint311]

I wish it was on the upswing. But, with present money and time crunches, I don't see it happening. One member of the family get a new muzzle loader, or the whole family get a new Wii? I have time crunches with our Michigan season and Christmas time. A new m/l'er for one, one weekend a year or a Wii for the whole year and family time?

But, being a Cadet counselor, I can see opportunities for young people that want to spend time with an adult (absent parents), but be prepared to supply everything.

Still wish it was on the upswing though.

 

[Don]

What the sport needs is more attention in the gun rags for the firearms we like to shoot. Many do carry a monthly artical on an antique or relic firearm but almost never on a traditional ML or builder. All the gun rags tout are the latest black rifle or the latest version of the 1911. Another obstical is that the average casual shooter doesn't want to do the cleaning regemine after a range trip. I tell people that its part of the fun and its another opportunity to handle and admire a fine shootin iron. I also try to point out the satisfaction of working on these beautiful yet simple tools. I think a primitive only season would help too. If the sport did resurge we might see more inexpensive entery level guns like CVA used to make, traditional guns now are all pretty expensive.

Don

 

[runnin lead]

While talking to one of the guys at the rink last fall I mentioned that I was going to take out my flintlock for elk in the CO 2nd rifle season.He told me that he could come up with a rifle for me to use. I told him I had a couple of sharps,a 45-70 lever action, some .308's.He said you like using the old stuff & I replied in a long drown out Y E A H H H H

 

[Coot]

What the sport needs is more attention in the gun rags for the firearms we like to shoot. Many do carry a monthly artical on an antique or relic firearm but almost never on a traditional ML or builder. All the gun rags tout are the latest black rifle or the latest version of the 1911. Another obstical is that the average casual shooter doesn't want to do the cleaning regemine after a range trip. I tell people that its part of the fun and its another opportunity to handle and admire a fine shootin iron. I also try to point out the satisfaction of working on these beautiful yet simple tools. I think a primitive only season would help too. If the sport did resurge we might see more inexpensive entery level guns like CVA used to make, traditional guns now are all pretty expensive.

Don

Good points all. The publishers seem happy to do glowing writeups for the companies taking out full page ads but the trad BP market is just not big enough to get much attention. As you say, the lack of entry level makers and the demand for maintenance free houses, cars and even guns contributes to the problem.

 

[doulos]

I think we'll see a slow decline in traditional muzzleloading over time. Another movie like Jeremiah Johnson or LOTM might cause a surge, but not a revival.

IMHO

I agree. the movie Quigley Down Under spurred an interest in black powder cartridge shooting quite a bit. Also if some of these hunting shows would ever have someone hunting with other than an Encore inline during muzzleloading season it would be refreshing.

 

[Jason Lewis]

While talking to one of the guys at the rink last fall I mentioned that I was going to take out my flintlock for elk in the CO 2nd rifle season.He told me that he could come up with a rifle for me to use. I told him I had a couple of sharps,a 45-70 lever action, some .308's.He said you like using the old stuff & I replied in a long drown out Y E A H H H H

we're not totally screwed, i was on an organised public pheasant hunt this winter using my type D and bumped into another guy and he said "That is the way to do it!" i showed it to him let him swing it. he loved it, he was about my age too and said he'd love to try a flintlock sometime. there is interest out there guys, my hunting buddy is looking for an inexpensive SxS to get started into BP. we just need to get out there, inlines were once the new kid on the block, now we are since our firearms are the minority. especially since the overall quality of traditional guns is much much better than days of old. yes they are more expensive than an inline but there are alot of guys who will pay for quality. someone said they hoped there would be a return of the inexpesive CVA type traditional guns. i think that is a mistake, there used to be sooo much cheap junk on the market, that a lot of guys like my dad who started in the 70's hunting and shooting BP used cheap guns that had indifferant reliability for a number of factors. a lot of those guys my dad included don't like misfires when hunting. just my opinion.

 

[larry wv]

TG I am getting to the point I will need a peep sight.Should I just quit? Guess a lot of older people will have to move to a zip gun and a scope. Unless some hunting shows get going or the seasons are changed to allow only an old time real black powder rifle the hour glass is running out Larry Wv

 

[MSW]

Claude, i wish you were wrong, but i'm afraid that you're right... the demographics of the 'traditional' (i.e. side lock, prb shooters) is getting to be a lot like the Roman Catholic church, where i understand that the average age of a nun is 68.

so, we should all resolve to intriduce the magic to someone at least a generation younger than ourselves.

just one guy's opinion.

 

[shootemup]

I don't know about an upswing, but I think there has been a bit of a spike. Maybe that was because of the failure of Knight, I don't know.

I do a bit of trading and swapping of traditional muzzleloaders, and have seen some of my sources dry up temporarily. By the way, guys, if you're interested in doing this, cruise not only the pawn shops, but the "general hunting" online forums that are local and don't cater to muzzleloading. Check the classifieds, you'll occasionally find some deals on old traditional production guns that are downright ridiculous.

I digress. :redface: This past fall, several of the pawn shops in my area were actually able to move some traditional style muzzleloaders (bad for me :haha: ).

:hatsoff:
Spot