NMLRA Solicitations

[roundball]

I just received a solicitation from the NMLRA as part of a large scale mailing campaign and their suggested "minimum donation" was $50. I mailed their solicitation form back to them with the following statement written on it:

"The NMLRA Longrifle Record Book was established for the purpose of celebrating and recording significant accomplishments using traditional muzzleloaders...to level the playing field by setting apart those accomplishments from modern day, longer range, scope mounted, rifles...and this includes modern made, scope mounted, plastic stocked, stainless steel rifles made today under the guise of being a "muzzleloader".

Until you remove the recently entered Jim Shockey "records" from the Longrifle Record Book that he acheived using these modern, scope mounted, plastic stocked, stainless steel "muzzleloaders", and restore the record book to it's originally intended purpose, it's difficult for me to justify any continued support for the NMLRA at all. Go back to your roots and do the right thing.

 

[doverdog]

I haven't received the "gimme" letter yet by I did drop my membership about 6 months ago, for the very reasons you stated in your reply to them.

 

[bob1961]

well said :applause: :applause: :applause:.....................bob

 

whelp they will get two letters with your wording becouse im going to send mine back as well LMAO
useing your wording of course :master:

 

[gordy]

L have to agree with Your statement 100%!Just went back and reread the N.M.L.R.A. -platform- Understanding of and ability in marksmanship with "early American muzzleloading firearms". Match promotion for the purpose of advancing fine accuracy with "these arms " and to prmote standard practices for competition. (And of corse) greater safety with all firearms,especially with muzzleloading rifles,pistols and shotguns.If the N.M.L.R.A.Officers and Executive Committee feel that They need to compromise the Historic past of this great org.by allowing hi-tech moderen weapons to invade the Historic integrity for wich it was founded,Then there will be many traditionalist who will drop their memberships. :imo:

 

[Holley]

If it wasn't for the fact that my number..005229..lets me scream at them, I would too. But every so often I have a bone to pick with them and without being a member...I cannot gripe. :: :: However, if they raise the dues one more time, they can count me out. The magazine just isn't what it use to be. Too bad the old Buckskinn Report died and the Rendezvous mag only went to 6 or so issues. But we do have the other mag. out of texas.

:m2c: :m2c: :results: :imo:

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

Sent a similar email to them with my renewal - got an answer back saying they appreciated my input and will pass it on... :yakyak: Perhaps a few more emails and letters might wake them up? I doubt it... look at all the advertising dollars at stake.

 

[gordy]

Tipis: are You reffering to Muzzleloader Mag?? Someone? told me that it was no longer published? I have a few old copys,and it's full of many good articals on Trsditional Muzzleloading,quite simular in content to Muzzle Blast, but a little more down to earth.The projects were more geared to what those of us of less talent,time and money could make.I also have three of the Buckskinner manuals,hope to aquire the rest. :thumbsup:

 

[Gary]

Muzzle Blasts is the magazine of the NMLRA.

MuzzleLoader is from Schurlock Publications in TexArkana.

Both are alive and well... And both are publishing articles by me next year. ::

 

[tg]

",Then there will be many traditionalist who will drop their memberships."
Been there......done that, many years ago.....I would much rather hang alone than in the company of those who compromise the values that something once great was built upon.... ( just for whoever was going to throw in the good old hang together or hang alone razzmatazz)

 

If the N.M.L.R.A.Officers and Executive Committee feel that They need to compromise the Historic past of this great org.by allowing hi-tech moderen weapons to invade the Historic integrity for wich it was founded,Then there will be many traditionalist who will drop their memberships. :imo:

This "traditionalist" dropped his N.M.L.R.A. membership 3 years ago 'cause they was jump'n on tha modern inline band-wagon.

"Long live Muzzleloader Magazine"!! (the magazine thet still has integrity!) :thumbsup: :redthumb: :imo: :m2c:

 

[Ohio Joe]

I agree that Jim Shockey should be removed from the book. He did not earn a place in its pages among those who used traditional muzzle loaders and deserve their place in the book.

However, to boycott the NMLRA over this matter in my opinion
is the wrong solution to this problem. We can not afford to lose the NMLRA over inline issues.

I'm a traditionalist who has supported the NMLRA for 25 plus
years and I have no interest in inlines or use for them whatsoever.

I do have an interest in the NMLRA however. What would happen if we lost the largest muzzle loading voice available to us? Would the NRA step in and pick up the pieces? Possibly? If that happened we would all see inlines embraced by our biggist voice of all, the NRA.

I will make a donation to the NMLRA. I will keep my NMLRA membership. If I quit the NMLRA as a traditionalist, it is
just possible that someone who supports those inlines may take my place, and the NMLRA will have one less traditionalist, and one more modern inline plastic thumper. eace:

 

[Zonie]

I've got to agree with Ohio Joe.

The NRA is not going to set up anything special to support Muzzleloading. If they did, it would be 90+% Modern Muzzleloaders because that is where the money is.

For the Traditional Muzzleloaders out there, if you walk away from the NMLRA you will have the same amount of "voice at the meeting" as all of the other folks who "didn't go to the meeting". In other words, if your not a member, they have no reason to listen to you.

As for the NMLRA magazine having ads for Modern Muzzleloaders, that doesn't bother me. Those ads are supporting the only National organization for Muzzleloading in the USA and IT does support ALL of the traditional forms of muzzleloading.

Articles in Muzzle Blasts about Modern Muzzleloaders also don't bother me.
I learned a long time ago that I don't have to read any article which does not interest me.
That others are interested in the subject is fine with me.
I firmly believe that as Modern muzzleloader shooters get further into muzzleloading, they will become more interested in the Traditional styles, just like a number of you who shot precussion guns are now getting really interested in the older Flintlock styles.

As for the NMLRA ranking game which was taken with MM rifles, I agree, it is unfair to have game taken with traditional weapons ranked against game taken with Scope mounted Sabot shooting arms which are capable of taking precision 250 yard shots. If they want to include game taken with these arms, they should do it in a seperate catagory made just for that type of weapon.

If you really feel this way, then JOIN the NMLRA and let your feelings be known!

 

[Dave Poss]

In-lines are the bastard sons of Muzzleloading. Years ago, a rage went up over records that were shot with Pyrodex instead of black powder. People dropped out of the NMLRA because of it. Now Pyrodex is used and discussed with only a hint of disgust and is considered by many "traditionalist as a viable substitute for BP. I personaly hate in-lines and view them as a way for modern weapons shooters and hunters to have another shooting match to try or an additional hunting season to participate in. I'm not trying to stir the water, I just feel that dropping out of the NMLRA is like saying "here, it's all yours!" In-liners are the British and they have fixed bayonets. Do we break and run or stay in the battle and fire verbal shots from the woods? Before you IL's jump me, there IS a place for you...I just feel it should be in the NRA and not the NMLRA.

:imoh boy...I bet I regret posting this one!

 

[Wayne Combs]

Zonie,Longknife, I gotta agree with you all 100% on this one.Powell Crosley,Boss Johnson,Red Farris,and Walter Cline kept the sport of traditional muzzleloader shooting alive by forming the NMLRA in the 1930's.I would think that they would tolerate the inlines,if they were alive today, if it promoted the sport and kept it growing.I seem to remember a similar argument back in the70's when T/C and CVA Hawkens first showed up.BTW I've never owned a caplock,let alone an inline,so no one can say I'm an inline shooter,it's been flints all the way for me.Sorry for ramblin' on,just :m2c:.Wayne.

 

When I quit tha N.M.L.R.A. probly more'n 50 inliner's took my place and ther "welcome to it". I fully unnerstand the asso's. greed fer more advertise'n money, AND,.... they ain't gonna miss my "few bucks" anyhow with all tha "big money" roll'n in from modern inline folks. :m2c:

 

[shmrck1]

Zonie,
:agree: with you without the NMLRA we would have no voice in our endevors at all :imo: though i belong to both the NMLRA and the NRA i would not count to much for support for us traditional b/p from the NRA. they only have a limited ammount of money and i'm afraid b/p people might be somewhere around the bottom of a long list. i would guess lobbyist would be somewhere around the top :imo:

snake-eyes :m2c: eace: :thumbsup:

 

[Keith]

I dropped the NMLRA years ago. The magazine was totally uninteresting. If you are interested in gun rights NRA is the big boy on the block, NMLRA doesn't have a voice by comparison. If NMLRA goes under will the NRA take up the slack, not really. They might add a few matches,but as has been stated they will basically follow the MM money.

How hard would it be to start a Traditional Blackpowder Association? :hmm: Is that a viable alternative? Just throwing that out for discussion.

 

[tg]

"How hard would it be to start a Traditional Blackpowder Association? Is that a viable alternative? Just throwing that out for discussion'

That is a great thought but probably impractical, as defining "traditional" is a problem, as seen around here, things seem to gravitate towards the "anything goes" line of thought so as not to discriminate against some one.....much like the NMLRA's position toward the modern stuff.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I was member 14103 and let it expire 15 years ago. Since getting more involved here I re-upped (they wouldn't re-activate my old number - I asked). I was disappointed to see when I signed up that they were giving away an ATV as a sign-up prize. I took that as a very bad sign. Twenty years ago it would have been a custom flinter.

If I get one of their solicitation letters I will return it with similar comments to Roundball's. I have already nasty-grammed Cabelas for featuring 18 in-lines vs. 2 cheezy sidelocks in one of their recent fliers. Maybe if they sold better quality traditional muzzleloaders in the same price range as the top-end in-lines, people would actually buy them.

I'm afraid in-lines are to muzzleloaders what compounds are to archery. Junk food. Who has time to devote to mental discipline and physical conditioning, and actually develop skills, when you can open a box and start shoting. We've tasted the apple and can't go back to the garden. :cry:

Be all the more happy that we have this site and can share our love of the traditional and beautiful "artful" weapons with like-minded members.

I'm going to give the NMLRA a little more time and see if I can't work on "them" from inside.