Pilgrim going to first ML shoot

[dmills]

I am planning to go the the Texas MLRA spring shoot in Brady, Texas next week. Never been to a shooting competition of any kind. I understand that there is a newcomers shoot and that would be the obvious choice for me to enter.

No period attire required.

For those of you who have been to these type events, can you share any tips, tricks, or traps. I do not have a mentor so I am a pilgrim in the wilderness as far as this is concerned.

 

[bwhoffman]

...did the same thing a few months back..
be certain your gun is clean and ready to shoot, no grease in the breech, wipe with an alcohol patch maybe, good caps or flints, dry powder and possibly a target load of powder versus an "elk" load of major grainage!
Have fun, and shoot away. typicaly you cap or prime on the firing line, dont feel rushed, have fun, learn from others, take your tools for issues(plugged nips ect, have fun, bring a blanket prize(you never know!) have fun, learn from others.

OH, did i mention have fun and learn from others?
being your first shoot, DO NOT FEEL INFERIOR. We all have to start somewhere!

Enjoy,
Brett

 

[CrackStock]

1. Find the range officer

2. Ask for a safety briefing

3. Listen carefully for commands; pay attention to them and ask if you are not sure.

4. Have fun.

What are you planning to shoot? Events and type of gun?

CS

 

[dmills]

Good points. I will be shooting my T/C Hawken, and I have read here in posts by John Hinnant, that rifle is popular at the Brady shoots.

I am so green, I do not know what events or offered. I plan to spend a lot of time watching and learning before I sign up for any shooting.

 

Can't add much to the advice you were already given other than to stress not to get intimidated. You're there to have fun and meet other people who enjoy muzzeleoading. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and above all, enjoy yourself!

PS: Let us know how it went.

 

[RC]

well they've pretty much covered it, except that i would add "offer" to help, set up, take down, clean up, score,anything, as shoot dir. for our club i can't get enough help...and that "many hands...." is true, usually doesn't take much effort or time,is appreciated and a great way to meet people...and it can be fun,we do it at every shoot we go to big or small and it's always appreciated..beats the dickens outa somebody whining...not that you would,but there's seems always to be one, and it's usually the one watchin everyone do the work...but most important have fun,don't take it too serious and i'd bet it's not the last shoot you'll attend...just my 2 cents... RC

 

[mike alexandre]

Make a list of everthing you might need and pack it all at the same time in the car.
Have yourself a system so that you dont end up with powder and no ball down the barrel or worse, the other way round. Get as much ready as you can before the shoot starts, cap the gun off(if its percusion) and dont load it untill you know the nipple is clear.
Keep your gun pointing down range, is amazing what people forget when they get a bit excited. Waving a gun around will not get you asked back.
Try not to talk to people shooting( unless its agreed thats ok). Some folk take this really seriously.
Make sure you know exactly which target is yours if you have individual ones. If someone shoots on yours be polite, just dont shoot on theirs.
Have fun, we all had to go to our first shoot. Hope I havent overstated the obvious.

 

[Matt B]

If'n you make a mistake....always folks willig to help you out.

Most common thing that has happened as a family shooting......forgitting to put powder in.

So a ball discharger is helpful, usually the range master will have one. Or a worm screw is a must. But fix it on the firing line and hold your hand up for the range officer.

Have a hoot. Oh the blanket prize is a good suggestion. I'm sensing the outfit will come in time. :hatsoff:

 

[CrackStock]

You will need powder, patch, balls and caps. Some cleaning patches, water and a cleaning jag that will fit your rod are needed to clean up. Your Hawken breach has an area that the cleaning jag will not get to. You need to have a smaller bore brush to wrap a patch around to get down in there and clean. I do not remember the size as I do not shoot T/Cs much anymore and I have a few of the brushes in my box.

T/C makes a wedge puller (looks like the claw of a carpenter hammer) and tapper multi tool. It also has a nipple wrench -- do you have flint or cap?. Most T/C shooters get one of these as they are handy.

You need somethnig to preserve your bore after cleaning and drying. I have used alcohol to dry and used RIG2 Sportsman's Oil. You will hear other suggestions and they likely work also. Consider them all. I like RIG because I lived in the swamps of Louisiana and this product did well on fishing, boating and hunting gear for my family for many years.

Something to carry all of this in would be helpful.

2 basic categories:

range oriented target shooter.
We like a box with a flap sticking out toward you from the bottom that has a half moon cut out to hold your gun up and a notch for a range rod and hole for a short starter. Some router a groove to hold 5 rounds of their caliber as that is the most common number of shots fired in most competitions. Many people pue a piece of a car tire on the ground as a pad for the butt to rest upon. Almost a tradition in some places. A nice fellow from Arkansas saw my rifle butt on the cement in Louisiana and gave me a spare piece of his tire. I have it -- somewhere.

woods walk/long hunter.
These guys pride themselves on getting or making a fine leather or canvas bag to carry the minimum gear that will get them through events. The irony here is that the bags of most old timers seem to get smaller as they rid themselves of junk that they have found not as useful as they thought when they acquired it.

Sorry -- typed yer eyes out!

CS

 

[dmills]

Thanks for the responses. A couple of you mentioned taking a blanket prize as if I should know what that might be. What is it? You see the complete lack of knowledge I have about such events.

I am very familiar with shooting at ranges and am getting more and more comfortable with this rifle. But I'm re-aquainting myself with open sights--haven't used those since the early 1960s. I have a range box that I keep stocked for a session at the range.

Your points about .....uh.........having fun are well taken. I'll try.

 

[bwhoffman]

Hey DMILLS !
I started this ordeal with my first official shoot in january and my first rondy in february.
The blanket prize is essentially a thing where you enter the shoot and you provide a prize. typically you bring a blanket prize and you pick a prize off the blanket at the end of the shoot, high score going first ect. Most shoots, I am told, you have the option of participating or not and some shoots its mandatory.
The prize usually has a set value, be it 5,10 dollars, whatever. You will see lots of related stuff such as primitive gear, lead ingots, copper mugs, ect. Theory being something you yourself would want or use. knives, guns, clothing are other items I have heard being on the blanket. I posted a question about 2 months back for clarification and you are now getting the feedback I got. Its a lot of fun and generally, outside of bragging rights, the blanket prize you may win will be the only tangible reward outside of braggin rights and self esteem. Have fun with it!

Brett.

oh ya, have fun with it!

 

[akapennypincher]

I am planning to go the the Texas MLRA spring shoot in Brady, Texas next week. Never been to a shooting competition of any kind. I understand that there is a newcomers shoot and that would be the obvious choice for me to enter.

No period attire required.

For those of you who have been to these type events, can you share any tips, tricks, or traps. I do not have a mentor so I am a pilgrim in the wilderness as far as this is concerned.

Ask questions, and remember there are NO Dumb Question, only stupit mistakes because you forgot to ask a Question before doing something unsafe. Safety at Shoots in the Number One Priority.

Have Fun....

Report back on you First Shoot :bow:

 

[Runner]

Club shoots are often blanket shoots. Sometimes they are money shoots with the winner taking the pot. More open gatherings where there are vendors and you pay to enter the shoot are different. The prizes come from the entry fees and from vendor donations that are either required of them or heavily encouraged. Just go enjoy yourself. If it is a blanket shoot, buy a can of powder from the club and put it on the blanket. Relax! You are going to enjoy yourself.

 

[mmahlock]

You may need to get a shooting bag. Many of the Rendezvous shoots require shooting from the pouch or bag. If you don't have one there will most likely be several sources once you get there. Don't get anything too ornate or expensive to start. You can always use it as a blanket prize and upgrade latter if you want.

If you are intending on geting into the period thing, talk to everyone you can about what they are doing. Don't make any decisions about other purchases at the Rendezvous. LEAVE YOUR WALLET HOME. Remember the 7 Ps (proper prior planning prevents p### poor performance). Think long and hard about what you want to get into. Most Rendezvous don't dock you for not dressing period and if all you want to do is shoot then a a simple suit of clothing will do just find.

Most of all, have fun and meet people.
:thumbsup:

 

[dmills]

My understanding is that this is not a rendevous, just a shooting competition at the gun range and that shooters just come as they are. I do have the bag and horn and will have those along, just probably will not need or use. Thanks for the tips.

 

[CrackStock]

For my first shoot, I had a Mexican blanket in my truck which I used as my blanket prize contribution. The guys laughed and said that it was the first time that they had a blanket to spread the blanket prizes out on.

Somebody claimed it; everyone grumbled and I donated another one the following month.
Just a thought.
CS

 

[bwhoffman]

Dmills,
Let us know how it went for you and what you thought!

Brett

 

[rabbit03]

Howdy Dmills. I am offering to take you under my wing on the shoot if you like. Look for the 05 Black Chevy Dually which will most likely be on the left of the range if your looking at it. Ask anyone for Toney Urban and they will be happy to point me out. We are all family there so don't worry, like everyone has said we will be more than willing to help you out in hopes of gaining a new shooter. Bring a friend, wife, grandkids or any one else you like (Family atmosphere) they will have a good time. There are several motels in town or you can camp there for a small fee for electric and water. There are mens and womens shower rooms, toilets and sinks to clean up. Lots of folks bring their campers, pops ups, motor homes, RV's or otherwise with some bringing tents. Oh by the way don't call Tom Tom's Tepee a tent please!

Make sure to bring all your stuff like I did when I first showed up. Brought my crisco and precut patches and asked so many dumb questions I thought they would never want me back. Come to think of it some hate to see me show up! :blah:

I will be the tall good looking guy with a mustache outshooting most everyone :rotf: :rotf:

Tell me how far do you live from the shoot? What will you be driving? We can always look up ol' John L. and see how bad he is doing out there, you know the poor devil can't even see past the 25 yd line. You will definitely qualify for the first timers event which is about the best place to start. I will repeat what has already been said above. Please don't prime the gun untill you are standing at your firing position and polnting down range, don't point the rifle or anything else your shooting except straight up or straight down (nothing gets folks nervous more than having something pointing at them). Don't blow down your barrel like Davy Crockett before loading, and don't walk out in front of the other shooters to get your target untill the range has been called safe and "shooters go forward score and post your targets"---don't ask why I even bother to tell you those last two things I WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT WHEN I STARTED OUT.

Ok that being covered, do you know how to get there?

rabbit03

 

[dmills]

Rabbit03, I'll look you up. I should be arriving late Thursday afternoon. I will be driving an O2 Durango pulling a 1965 SilverStreak 14' trailer (hard to miss that).

I am familiar with the campground and have even camped there before to attend one of my wife's family reunions in Brady. I will be coming down alone, as my wife has to take care of some family business.

Look forward to meeting you there. Don Mills.

 

[rabbit03]

:rotf: Hey bug, if your going Thursday I will notify some of the others to be on the lookout for you. I may not get there till Friday but not sure yet. Look up Daryl and Rhonda they have a big red Ford and a travel trailer and oh yeah two kids that are black, furry, and low to the ground. They look like dogs to everyone else but please refrain from calling them dogs or you will insult the parents. :rotf: :rotf: Rhonda is my sister for all practical purposes for now but we are doing DNA as we speak to make sure. Her dad and my mom grew up together :shocked2: :rotf:
can't miss Daryl, he will be holding a beer and be in overalls (Dickies)

Go say hello to everyone and I will be there as soon as I can,

Toney