Is traditional ML on the upswing?

[Dphar]

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.

This is true to some extent but the availability of GOOD rifles, the start of BPCR Silhouette and other competitions was what really caused it to take off.
Believe me, it was running wide open by the time Quigley came out.

In order to have the MOOLA to get real traditional MLs on the hunting shows would require the makers of barrels, stocks, locks etc for traditional guns to go together to have enough cash to furnish the needed advertising.
Then you gotta have someone that can hunt with a film crew in tow and get within RB range of what ever critter.

Dan

 

[Dphar]

"In the context of Newbies, if the rifle isn't an inline or an AR-15 or other center-fire, AND IT USES REAL BLACK POWDER, it's TRADITIONAL!"
EXACTLY and Well said!! :thumbsup:

Well, let's also assume that it doesn't have a stainless steel barrel, plastic stock and a scope. :wink:

A friend and I were discussing this very thing a month or 2 ago and he mentioned that the non-traditional ML shooters of our "youth", with the advent of the inlines, now think *they* are the traditionalists.
We had a giggle over it.


Dan

 

[olddog2]

Shooting at blackpower competition for years, I have witnessed the youth come in with their inlines and plastic stocks and leave shooting flints. You have to have an audiance before you can be heard, and if the inlines bring them in, I have no quams, so long as the shoot is not listed as traditional only.

 

[nkbj]

Hunting shows for muzzleloading? Funded by big manufacturers? Nope, it'd just be their infomercials. You don't need the big'uns.

As a successful example, has anyone watched lately how one man in Austin Texas is presently being attacked world wide for having derailed the global climate summit meeting? He didn't do it alone but still, he personally made the failure happen. He used the internet as an information distribution system to get out the message. Study his succuess with excluding the majors from control. And note that the majors only mention his success with a sneer or worse.

If you use electronic media to revive traditional muzzleloading then you will do the production yourself, your own way.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Call or email TC and request they have one of their pro staffers hunt once in a while with a TC Hawken rifle when they film a hunt. If enough of you do it, it may happen. After all TC does want to sell their Hawken rifles too.

 

[tg]

"But Ill tell ya you dont get Don Quixote to give up wind mills with simple logic."

Absolutely remarkable that those who know vertualy nothing of traditional ML guns&gear could use the term logic,in a sad attempt at rhetoric comedy relief.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

plastic stock and all, its guns like this that allow the average guy/kid to get into muzzleloading and upgrade some years later on.

 

plastic stock and all, its guns like this that allow the average guy/kid to get into muzzleloading and upgrade some years later on.

Nobody cares who uses a plastic muzzleloader, so there's no need to defend them - all they're saying is, they're NOT traditional.

 

[bkovire]

if need be, take lock, and brl off plastic stock, tie them down, on to a peace of wood, and you got a true smoke pole, oh ya take the sights off to.

 

[tg]

This is a good point to take a close look at,just because something is not traditional does not make it a bad thing,far to many people get their shorts in a wad if one suggests that anything they like to use is not traditional,pointing out the traditional status or lack off such of an item does not make it good of bad,it is as if being or using traditional gear was very important to them...if this is the case one would think it would be imporant enough to get it right,or as right as possible for the individual.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

"But Ill tell ya you dont get Don Quixote to give up wind mills with simple logic."

Absolutely remarkable that those who know vertualy nothing of traditional ML guns&gear could use the term logic,in a sad attempt at rhetoric comedy relief.

tg,

This post came from Wattsy, not I.

Dave

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

This is a good point to take a close look at,just because something is not traditional does not make it a bad thing,far to many people get their shorts in a wad if one suggests that anything they like to use is not traditional,pointing out the traditional status or lack off such of an item does not make it good of bad,it is as if being or using traditional gear was very important to them...if this is the case one would think it would be imporant enough to get it right,or as right as possible for the individual.

This is important for many reasons. First and foremost is being "Traditional" comes in many shades of grey, not just BLACK or WHITE! By this I mean so what if a hunter in complete traditional garb & rifle visits an out-house and uses toilet paper instead of leaves. Or the senior that has arthritis has a little plastic tube for powder or shot cause his crooked hands can't manage a horn safely anymore.

Traditional means being as traditional as you can be, given your finances, length of time in our great hobby, input from mentors on what to buy or make, your current health situation, as well as the correct time-line for your persona (if you have adopted one), and maybe several other things as well!

The wonderful thing about our hobby is that there's room for everybody! One of the clubs that my son and I belong to is a "Traditional Club", and my son's rifles' sights were "outlawed" because they were a rear peep. Since the other club that we both belong to doesn't care about peeps, we decided to keep the peep and to use it at the club that allows its' use! So while he was away at college, I bought him another rifle and found the regular "traditional" open iron sights for it. After sighting-in the new rifle, my son still wins some of the time, and he took home filet mignon from the Meat Shoot last year! They didn't make us buy everything all at once, so we hung around and enjoyed having fun and shooting with all of the other members of the Traditional Club. This past Christmas we each bought each other traditional hunting shirts for around $75.00 each. We already have possibles bags, as well as other misc. items. We're slowly working on acquiring the things that we need. In the meantime, other newbies to the club are just starting to get their own houses in order, so to speak. It's a continual process as the club grows and accepts new members. Nobody shows-up to the club and already has EVERYTHING that they need to be "traditional".

Anyway, that's my take on "traditional". A beautiful archival Black & White Photograph, with full spectrum brilliance, snappy contrast, clean whites, rich blacks and lots of great details in the middle tones! A true classic image, presented in a timeless manner.

Dave
Still trying-but not quite there yet "Traditionalist"

 

[tg]

"...if this is the case one would think it would be imporant enough to get it right,or as right as possible for the individual."

In case you missed it I quoted myself... many spend a lifetime getting traditionaly geard up some do not care for the concept at all, and some will not recognize some things that are plainly not(insert logic here) for what they are,as you said a splendid rainbow,the only "dark" colors are cast from the latter group who tend not to be good sources of info or influences on those who look to get it right.

 

[bkovire]

you hit it on the nail head, if you want to go full bore, and have the means to do so, then go for it, i'm one whom can not, do i yes, i have tried to do most things by hand, and for the time frame, it dose take time, reading, asking questions, and money, i am in the midst of making my own shirt, by hand, the pants will be painters pants, the boots are from the 1770's. the $$ will be my next rifle, a gpr or the t/c, 50 or 54 cal. but for now i have fun and fun is what is all about, make'n smoke! :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Sounds like you're well on your way!

I have 3 pair of painter's pants, sans the belt loops for the hammers and the label that starts with the letter "D"! No way was I going black for Summer play clothes...I do a tux on weekends at the job, so black--no way--no fun!

A little at a time!

Have fun and make smoke!

Dave

 

[bkovire]

try'n, fun and make'n smoke, what more could one ask for.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

LESS SNOW! :haha: :haha: :blah: :shake:

Dave

 

[tg]

Reaserching items and making those which one can has been a large part of the attraction of the traditional aspect of the sport for me.Many little things can be done at a small cost and they all add up as one goes along.Changing the modern sights on many production guns is usually a fairly cheap venture but adds a lot to the looks of the gun,there are a lot of little things like this if one looks,and is cheaper than a new gun.

 

[larry wv]

No hay to load out today so went to a gun show. Prob over a thousand guns there. 3 cap locks and maybe 5 or 6 zip guns. about5-6 bullet molds. 2 jars of pyrodex. Things are looking bad for our hobby. Larry

 

[chuck-ia]

I think in this sport to take an upswing, one has to have a general interest in the history of the muzzleloader, or history in general. I think we have converted 2 young this past year though, they were into the scoped inlines, then at our last shoot one of the young guys showed up with a perc. sidelock, now his older brother is looking for one, he shot really good with his new sidelock, I honestly think he had more fun shooting it than the inline. I work with a couple guys that have trad. style guns, but come hunting season out come the inlines, I guess to them sucess is measured by how many tags are filled. So, I would say around here trad. muzzleloaders are not on an upswing, but pretty much hit rock bottom. To me a traditional style gun would be caplock or flintlock, maybe even a synthetic stock, I allso don't think one has to dress in period clothes to be traditional either. flinch