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Is traditional ML on the upswing?

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I think the only way we will ever see a hunting show using a traditional muzzleloader, is if someone talked Tred Barta into doing one. He's not manipulated with marketing frenzy. He's the guy who likes to do things "the hard way, my way". After all he hunts with a long bow and home made wooden arrows. It would be great to see him pick up a patched round ball rifle and drop a Carabou with it.
Regards
Bob
 
"I allso don't think one has to dress in period clothes to be traditional either"

Agreed, the basic gun, sights, and projectiles make up the basic "outfit" as being traditional, often many try to say that one has to go all the way or nothing to be traditional,so no one is really traditional, so if you want to think you are, then you are, some of the rationalization I have seen has been so thin a 5th grader could see thru it. I suspect this is just a posturing to justify modern gear and still use the term traditional. period clothes are just icing on the cake for those looking for the feel of how it was in the past,gun outfits being equal I do not see that one who dresses period is more traditional than one who does not,the act of taking game with a technology and impliments from the past are what it is about.taking game with a gun that loads from the front but is rigged with modern components that reach out to 200 yds is a different story,and yes there were long range ML's in the past but most do not use these.
 
There was a traditional elk hunt on tv the other day. he used a tc hawken and i think a maxi ball. Pretty fun to watch.
 
Yep, I caught that program yesterday. It's the Elk Chronicles, it was on the Oudoor Channel. I think it's usually on at 4:00 PM on Sundays. It was refreshing to see a real hunt with a traditional firearm.

Bob
 
we need to be able to focus our childrens attention on heros that arn't bar hopping drug using sports figures. :v :thumbsup: [/quote]
Amen brother,Amen... :v
 
It is hard today to get young folk away from Cell Phones, X-Boxes, Texing, and other modern inventions. Parent, and Grandparent need to drag their butt to the shooting range for some real fun, like shooting smoke poles.
 
akapennypincher said:
It is hard today to get young folk away from Cell Phones, X-Boxes, Texing, and other modern inventions. Parent, and Grandparent need to drag their butt to the shooting range for some real fun, like shooting smoke poles.

I do just that every chance I get! That's why my Eagle Scout is a member of two clubs that shoot black powder and goes with me once in a while to yet a third!

I'm trying to do my part! So far it's working!

Dave
 
sunday was my shooting day, was glade to see some kids making smoke, one had a flintlock the other had a GPR 54. did darn good to, i hope to see them next weekend, been locking around have not seen many smoke poles for sale, new ones to, 54 seems to be the #1, side locks in kits, or the display ones, might be a good thing, even the caps are going fast. could not find .15 lubed patches, had to get dry patches, work out, went with a friend after the shoot, got even better grouping, for got the cams mem card, no pix.
 
"Dragging" kids to MLer {shooting} events won't ensure that they'll persevere and end up in the direction we'd like. My wife tried to "drag" me to her symphony events and after the first time, I no longer get "dragged". In fact, too much pressure will have just the opposite effect....exposure yes, but not... "you must do this". At my gun club we have overly enthusiastic, know-it-all members who actually "scare" would be members from joining. Sadly...most have gray hair and should know better, but are so wrapped up in "their" sport, that they no longer have any "common sense". Pushing someone, especially a younger person, into a past time that they didn't initiate, doen't produce a "new member"......Fred
 
could not have said it better my self, if kid"s are interested in this sport then by all means let them have fun, do not force it on them, my gf brother's son is now asking about bp, i hope his dad takes his time and tells him the history, not just make'n smoke part. i would love to be able to teach and learn with a kid. my gf dose not like guns, but she let me have 2, my rifle and 58rem, her hole fam was shocked that she let me bring them into her home.
 
As far as kids go, I tend to respectfully disagree somewhat Fred. Most sons and some daughters want to do everything that Dad does during a very impressionable time in their lives. Sometimes, while I was "charged" with the responsibility of watching my 4 year old, I'd go to a range and bring along his "little buckaroo" .22 LR Marlin boys rifle. It was a joy to watch him want to be just like me! The "trick" to the "dragging" at this point is to strike while the iron is hot! Later is when the dragging starts, after the firearms infection has already taken hold!

As my Eagle Scout was smelling perfume and gasoline at age 16, I would "drag him" to go shooting with me. I reminded him that he told me that he wanted to see this thing through and become a good shot at black powder. So I dragged him away from the computer & gameboy and we had some good father & son times. Now that he's made Expert in rifle, as a college junior he has renewed his efforts and been rewarded with a new revolver for Christmas last.

Sometimes a parent's job is to "steer the ship", instead of just letting it slam into the rocks near shore! My son already has spent most of his life around guns of all types, and has shown a keen interest at times. So maybe I wasn't really "dragging" him to do something that he'd hadn't ever done his whole life, but after being stubborn about going with the old man, as soon as he hit deep in the black, that wide smile would cover his face, and later I would always get thanked for taking him along.

These days I merely inform him of my shooting schedule at the three clubs that I belong to, and I leave it up to him to work around my schedule. More often than not, he plans on making smoke with me and the rest of the league where he knows he's treated like any other adult. So I've been able to give-up the "dragging" part.

Maybe the trick is goal-setting and just how you do the "dragging". And it doesn't hurt to teach the girlfriend how to shoot well either! Then instead of driving a wedge between them, you give them memories of enjoying each others company while having fun with the hobby. :wink:

Anyway, that's how it worked for me. Your mileage may vary!

Dave
 
Hello from Germany!

Here in Germany we make a development similar to the USA years ago. Here more and more hunters are getting interested in using traditional ML for hunting. When I say traditional I mean they want to have sidelocks, mostly Hawken style, and shoot PRB to harvest their game. Only our boar hunters won't believe in the PRB, they want lead conicals. One motivation here is that our gun law gets sticter and stricter and a trad. singleshot ML is still free to get, also the equipment. Only for bp you need a permit, which you get easy when having a hunting licence. With target shooting it is the same. I always tell interested new guys to start with ML if they want to get into bigbore shooting because all is free to get except bp, but this is also no big problem. You have only to shoot 6 months in a club and make a saftey and handling course for bp.

Regards

Kirrmeister
 
Sometimes I wish that some of the idiots that use BP would take a safety course first. But there goes more freedom when that happens I guess.

Glad to hear that traditional guns are in use over there! Do you have anything like our NRA or other group promoting youth shooting programs? Do they use ML guns?

All the best!

Dave

P.S.: I'm getting the hankerin for Kalbshaxen and weissbeer :shocked2: :haha: :)
 
Kids like fireworks.
Kids like to make things like pouring lead balls.
Kids like having somebody satisfy their curiosity and be patient and attentive with them.
Muzzleloading was a natural kid thing for us growing up.
 
smokin .50 said:
Sometimes I wish that some of the idiots that use BP would take a safety course first. But there goes more freedom when that happens I guess.

Glad to hear that traditional guns are in use over there! Do you have anything like our NRA or other group promoting youth shooting programs? Do they use ML guns?

All the best!

Dave

P.S.: I'm getting the hankerin for Kalbshaxen and weissbeer :shocked2: :haha: :)



Hi Dave,

we have several target shooting associations, but they are only for ML target shooting. Our hunting associations don't want to get involved with ML hunting. That is the problem four our ML interested hunters, they have no association which fights for their rights when needed. And their number is increasing.

I'm member of the NMLRA and try to built up a NMLRA-Gemany.

Regards

Dirk
 
Wow! I'm really surprised that someone from New Jersey would suggest that we need ANOTHER layer of bureaucracy added to the mountain of it already burying the Constitution! After all, New Jersey is a shining beacon of personal freedom. Considering the massive State government corruption, crushing taxation and dwindling job opportunities perhaps the citizens of the great State of New Jersey should focus on cleaning up their mess before spreading to the rest of the country. And before they start patting themselves on the back for electing Chris Christy, it should be mentioned that he does NOT believe that the second amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms. :bull:
 
bigmedicinewolf said:
Wow! I'm really surprised that someone from New Jersey would suggest that we need ANOTHER layer of bureaucracy added to the mountain of it already burying the Constitution! After all, New Jersey is a shining beacon of personal freedom. Considering the massive State government corruption, crushing taxation and dwindling job opportunities perhaps the citizens of the great State of New Jersey should focus on cleaning up their mess before spreading to the rest of the country. And before they start patting themselves on the back for electing Chris Christy, it should be mentioned that he does NOT believe that the second amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms. :bull:

First, I said what I said only because some idiots cause problems for the rest of us, not that I want more regulations!

As far as Christie being a RINO, yeah I know that already--you're preaching to the choir! And the preaching might not be allowed on this thread, due to it's being political in nature.

As for the rest of your explosive diatribe towards folks like me who still have to live & work here, CAN IT! I'm on your side, so there's no reason to be insulting.

Oh, and before I forget, welcome NEWBIE!

Dave
 
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