Muzzleblast

[mike54]

I was going through my loading cabinet and found an old Muzzleblast magazine from May 1990.
It was a blast from the past when i competed and nice to remember old friends and campfire stories. It was quite possibly one of the best times in my life.

 

[52Bore]

I have to agree, if you were still going - they would be still.. lots of great people with common interest..

 

[Pete G]

That magazine was the only reason I was a member of the NMLRA. When they jacked the price up I quit being a member. I didn't like paying the bills so someone else could shoot.

 

[Rudyard]

Muzzle Blast was fine some poor but many good articles , I was a member for many years but left as the inline stuff came in. Hideous cheating rubbish in my rather traditional view, The guns I mean .I have for the last couple of years been getting both M, Blasts & Muzzle loader Magazine . A friend must have subcribed as I didn't . Not sure who he was . But clearly a kind thought and appreciated . If the ML Magazine is perhaps overly focused on a certain top end ? style .I had more in common with the Bill Scurlock style .(Previous editor). On occasion I wrote for both . But the current editor of ML Mag is too picky as to photos .

NMLRA are in a difficult position the traditional shooters long its mainstay are dying off the younger of today less interested as earlier generations where .And the damned BL in all but detail' in lines' are very numerous if just season cheaters who don't give a rats about traditional guns just want an extra season .But are so numerous that NMLRA feel they need to connect to them to keep going ..
In New Zealand there are NO seasons deer and wild pigs Thar, Chamios, Elk ect are deemed ' Noxious animals' (Bit like our anti gun Govt at present time) Since all are introduced . There being no four legged animals prior to European contact bar lizards and maybe rats & pigs the Polynesian earlier migrants may have brought . Accordingly there are no reasons to use or want inline rubbish . & unlike the UK . Muzzle loaders & BP breech loaders are along with bows various , recognised as quite capable of killing large game . Not that, that many do use purely MLs as I do .

As an aside the pig hunters most often only use dogs and go in with a knife or old bayonet not using a rifle since it deafens the dogs .This is positively Pre Medieval style ..Ive not heard of boar spears but all else is the same .
Rudyard

 

[Ben Meyer]

I'm a NMLRA, mostly because the Walter Cline range is a 50min drive for me, and it's the best BP range there is. My son and I have 5 traditional muzzleloaders between us.....and 2 inlines. They have their place. As do compound bows and crossbows in my opinion. That said, I enjoy shooting my traditional guns the most, and RARELY if ever do I see folks on the NMLRA range shooting inlines. I sighted mine in there and didnt get any dirty looks.

 

[52Bore]

Guess I’m fortunate to get to complete at the highest level with the best in both worlds.
The modern guys seem to enjoy shooting and Friendship just like everyone else. Even at Friendship you’ll see both modern and Traditional conversing about shooting.
Modern guys enjoy learning and shooting the good traditional rifles when the opportunity arises. I’ve found they just have never been exposed.
it seems only the Internet Traditional side has the problem.
I enjoy MB magazine more so than any other ML magazine I receive. The December issue had some nice articles including one by Chris Hodgdon shooting a nice deer - with his modern ML.

 

[Rudyard]

I guess its all a matter of taste or lack thereof. I find the modern zip guns an abomination. factory disgorged rubbish just to cheat the ML seasons . The MLF don't recognise them and that suits me . Rudyard

 

[Ben Meyer]

How is it cheating? It's still one shot. It's no different than rifle season, or shotgun only season. Is using a 3-9×40 scope and a rifled slug barrel and Hornady SST sabots that you can take 200+ yd killing shots at deer with "cheating" the shotgun only state seasons? Is a $2500 Raven 26 crossbow that fires bolts at 400fps cheating bow season? Heck, is my 12 year old compound bow cheating bow season?

The "spirit" behind shotgun and ML only deer hunting, like here in Ohio, is that rounds wont go for miles and possibly hit unintended targets. That was the case way back then when all slug guns were smoothbore and all muzzleloaders sidelock. Now, both are as good as rifles. They added straight wall rifle cartridges to the legal list(you can hunt with a 45-70 but not a .243, stupid huh).

If one says its cheating, hunting with an inline, they are missing the point as to why most people hunt. For the love of hunting, the outdoors, and conservation along with filling the freezer, helping to manage the deer herd, a connection to our heritage and the thrill of it all. That's why I hunt. What's in my hand doesnt change any of that. I killed deer with my bow and my Hawken this season. Last year, with my 30-06 and my CVA inline. Who cares?

I guess its all a matter of taste or lack thereof. I find the modern zip guns an abomination. factory disgorged rubbish just to cheat the ML seasons . The MLF don't recognise them and that suits me . Rudyard

 

[Carbon 6]

RARELY if ever do I see folks on the NMLRA range shooting inlines.

If that is true, then it should be of no significant financial or membership loss for the NMLRA to ban them and take a permanent traditional only stance. They would probably gain more members, as many like me seem to be averse to the idea of NMLRA allowing Modern guns.

 

[Ben Meyer]

It is true, but why does it matter? They DO have a primitive only range and area in Friendship. But the bigger question is, on that main range, where theres room for literally HUNDREDS of folks to be shooting at the same time, why would it matter to you if the guy 6 lanes down is shooting an inline? Doesnt matter to me.

If that is true, then it should be of no significant financial or membership loss for the NMLRA to ban them and take a permanent traditional only stance. They would probably gain more members, as many like me seem to be averse to the idea of NMLRA allowing Modern guns.

 

[Carbon 6]

The December issue had some nice articles including one by Chris Hodgdon shooting a nice deer - with his modern ML.

Advertorials

 

[Ben Meyer]

Both the Nov 2019 and Jan 2020 editions had nice articles on hunters tagging out with Flintlocks fyi.

 

[Carbon 6]

Both the Nov 2019 and Jan 2020 editions had nice articles on hunters tagging out with Flintlocks fyi.

Who wrote them ?

Regardless I think you're missing the point.

 

[Carbon 6]

It is true, but why does it matter?

Boils down to principles.

 

[Ben Meyer]

November had 2 deer hunt articles by Bill Allison and Dale Clemons and a squirrel hunt article by Pete Strack, January had an elk hunt article by Troy Sweeney.

And I do agree, I'm missing the point. I understand you dislike inlines. I prefer my sidelocks too. But have zero problems with inlines. Or rifle, pistol, modern archery, traditional archery, etc hunting or shooting. With hunting numbers greatly declining over the last 30 years, whatever gets people in the woods or out on the range is a GOOD thing IMO. That's MY point.

Who wrote them ?

Regardless I think you're missing the point.

 

[bud in pa]

I prefer to use traditional flintlocks. I would strongly object to someone telling me what to use, therefore I will not criticize what other people use. I feel that it would make me a hypocrite, doing to someone what I refuse to allow someone to do to me.

 

[Carbon 6]

But have zero problems with inlines.

Except for excluding them.

With hunting numbers greatly declining over the last 30 years, whatever gets people in the woods or out on the range is a GOOD thing IMO. That's MY point.

People have been saying that for the last 30 years and that way of thinking hasn't solved the problem one bit. In fact it has made it worse.

 

[mike54]

I don't care what people shoot as long as it helps keep the shooting sports alive.

 

[Carbon 6]

I don't care what people shoot as long as it helps keep the shooting sports alive.

“When the waterholes were dry, people sought to drink at the mirage.”

 

[Ben Meyer]

Excluding modern muzzleloaders isnt just "excluding the guns," its excluding PEOPLE. And yeah, I have, in this context, an issue with that.

Except for excluding them.

What is the "problem" that has been made worse? Stats dont lie; there are less hunters today. Because of that, licences cost more for people who do hunt, but it's way bigger than that. Hunting and fishing licence sales and taxes on guns, ammo, etc comprises the lions share of money that manages our parks, wilderness areas, fisheries, preserves, etc. on both the state and federal level. I have 2 teenagers who go to one of the biggest high schools in Ohio. I've taken my son hunting every year since he was 10(hes 18 now). I've asked him how many other kids he knows at school who hunt and he can count them on his fingers...out of 3300 kids! THATS a problem! If hunter numbers keep falling, what will happen to fund that deficiency in money(not to mention MORE expensive licences and taxes)is: land sales, logging, further oil/gas drilling etc on public land, etc. Which results in less land to hunt on, less habitat for game, less land management, more wildfires, more crumbling park infrastructure, and so on. Or EVERYONES taxes will go up. Lose lose, not to mention higher car insurance rates from increased deer strikes, higher produce prices from agricultural loss.

We NEED the next generation of anglers and hunters, way more than most people and govt officials will admit. Whatever gets them in the woods and on the water, I support.

Even inlines.