Shooting all by one’s lonesome

[Ohio Rusty]

There is no one near me that shoots muzzleloaders. I live rural. I have had to shoot alone for the last 20 years. No big deal. I set up my own targets and have alot of enjoyment hitting what I aim at. Many times I miss by a little or miss by a mile.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Mike in FL]

From the get go I learned and shot and learned more on my own. But I might be different in that I despise unrequested advice about anything. Mainly because everyone is an expert, and the advice you get may very well put you in the wrong direction. Go at it with a confident attitude and be one of those persons who KNOW. Specific questions can be addressed onlineon forums like this. Read all the responses and judge for yourself who is going by real experience, thereby separating fact from opinion. Everyone has an opinion. The ones who think too highly of themselves are easy to spot. Commonsense and practical reasoning will always show your best path. If you need a very technical or specific answer, the same reasoning applies.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I shoot alone. My son is 17 and refuses to try my muzzleloaders. He’s shot the 1858 and 1860 a few times but has zero interest. He’s a heck of a shot with cartridge rifle and pistol. He will shoot those at the drop of a hat. He also will shoot his bow, usually several times a week. He’s definitely a marksman.

 

[Ballshooter]

I don't like clubs...I shoot alone mostly
or with my daughter and or son. Plus I like the view of the outdoors

 

[BlackRock52]

I am new to muzzleloading, and enjoying it very much! And like the newbie I am, I walked into an indoor range with my smoke pole. Big mistake! They looked at me like I was nuts, and promptly showed me the door. I located one of only two outdoor ranges, and taught myself how to charge and discharge my weapon. I was the only guy with a muzzleloader. I have been back several times, everybody was and is very cool, but I appear to be the only guy sporting a front stuffer. The club had one morning a month set aside for a bragging rights only muzzleloading match. But not anymore. It would be more fun to shoot with other black powder guys, but I take what I can get.

Question: short of a rendezvous, do most of you guys shoot alone?
Shadowalker

Yes, unless I can get my son to go. I'm retired but he's married with 3 girls under 8 years old so.....
Our range used to have BP shoots....not silhouettes as steel targets verboten..but paper out to 600 yards. COVID seemed to do those events in
More often than not, if there are others around they will come over to check out the smoker but front stuffers are uncommon.. Vast majority are inlines

 

[Walkingeagle]

From the get go I learned and shot and learned more on my own. But I might be different in that I despise unrequested advice about anything. Mainly because everyone is an expert, and the advice you get may very well put you in the wrong direction. Go at it with a confident attitude and be one of those persons who KNOW. Specific questions can be addressed onlineon forums like this. Read all the responses and judge for yourself who is going by real experience, thereby separating fact from opinion. Everyone has an opinion. The ones who think too highly of themselves are easy to spot. Commonsense and practical reasoning will always show your best path. If you need a very technical or specific answer, the same reasoning applies.

Ahh, yes.. common sense… the answer to all things.. but what is common sense?
Common sense is nothing but your personal life experiences to that moment in time. As such, no two people have the same “common sense”. I’ll just let that sit and soak for a while.
Walk

 

[gunnyr]

I shoot alone , only have to worry about what I'm doing and not what somebody else is doing. In fact I
feel safer by myself than with a group of people.
gunny

 

[Reds]

Use to shoot with my Granddaughter but she is away in college now. At 9 years old One day she was shooting her Cricket and a guy 3 booths down let’s go with a 50 bag. It had one of those howitzer style brakes on the end and the percussion knocked her hat off. I thought that was the end of her shooting but she smiled and said “I think we need to get one of those”. She still talks of that. They no longer allow those at the range and there are a few muzzleloader guys there on certain days for me to shoot with. Like many have stated everyone shoots there black rifles and is three keep the mosquitos away and answer all the questions. You would think with all the attention payed that some of them would show up with a smoke pile but no they always bring the Ars. This range is in Punta Gorda Florida it is Cecil Webb.

 

[Reds]

50 BMG. Hate auto correct!!!

 

[Daveboone]

I have a nearby range that I do most of my ML shooting at, and am usually the only one there. Seldom do I see another ML shooter. A couple years ago I looked into local black powder clubs, and found one about 45 minutes away. Now, spring through fall, every monday I participate in a BP league shoot. I greatly enjoy it and look forward to it. Like minded guys just burning powder and having fun. We have several open shoots throughout the year, and this past year I started participating in larger regional shoots. It has really kept my interest up.
Along with that, I have been able to keep shooting with my bp firearms, when all my friends are having fits over not being able to shoot their centerfires.

 

[S.Kenton]

I actually prefer to shoot alone, or with my wife. Although recently I’ve gotten my step son involved.
Im fortunate enough to have my own private range behind my house. When I’m out hunting I’m alone there too. I guess I can be a little bit of an introvert I spose.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

This was my most eager and willing shooting companion until she passed away about a year ago. I did a little shooting with the Midnight Sun Muzzleloaders here in Fairbanks. They were a friendly and encouraging group. Inactive now, to the best of my knowledge.

I miss mine too , every day.

 

[sheriff john]

Going to a new ML group alone feels like a junior high dance and you're the ugliest girl. Never know if they'll accept you or let you stand around. Every one I've been to is as different as the folks involved. If it's not fun, I don't go back. If it's not safe, I've simply gotten into my truck and left. Best times were with friends.

It's the same, no matter what shooting event...some welcome strangers, some leave you standing by the punch bowl.

 

[Shadowalker164]

Sheriff John…
Here I am, the ugly girl in braces! Good thing I’ve been her for too many years to count
I will look for kindred spirits, because I still think it would be cool! If I can’t find a group after all the leads you guys have provided, that’s all on me!
Shadowalker

 

[Doc]

Up here in far northern Ca. In a town of a few thousand It’s basically a rural community. But a hot bed of BP. Within a hour’s drive there’s 4 BP clubs with rendezvous and also monthly shoots.
I’m a happy camper
Doc,

 

[tgfrench]

Once I officially retired, I dusted off my Ml and found a small ml group I enjoy shooting with once a month. But I really enjoy going to the local range to shoot. Only see in-lines and ars. But the range officer is encouraging and follows along with my development.

 

[JB Books]

Shadow, I lived in Clearwater till last year and moved to 30 acres in the panhandle. is the range you went to the Antelope club? I used to shoot there years ago and usually I was the only one there with a smoke pole when I brought it. I stopped going for a few reasons, I bought my property 300 miles away so when I went there through the year I'd pack a bunch of guns and shoot them all, that range just got too crowded for me, sometimes you had to wait in a line to get a spot at the bench, and lastly....it was just plain dangerous, lots of idiots doing bad things.
one time a guy was there with his girl with one cheap semi auto pistol between them, it jammed and he swept me with the barrel as he was trying to rack the slide. that was the last time I went.

I've looked around and there's really no black powder supplies or clubs around me either. I did find some stuff at Bass Pro shop in Tallahassee
but when I asked the guy there about real black powder he walked me over to the Pyrodex. I said no, real black powder, he said, that is real
black powder....back and forth a few times and finally another customer came over and tried to explain to the guy I was looking for real black powder, not Pyrodex. after all that...he said...well, that's real black powder and that's all we have.
un-friggin believable, anyway, they did have Remington percussion caps so I bough some of them and haven't been back since.

My experience has been that the folks attending the sales counter in the gun dept of chain or big box all encompassing sporting goods retailers are just retail sales clerks and are limited at best in overall firearms experience, knowledge etc. The best LGS I ever experienced was in my home town ran out of a converted residential garage by a former LEO and fast draw competitor. He passed many years ago unfortunately. He really knew his stuff.

 

[nkbj]

Ahh, yes.. common sense… the answer to all things.. but what is common sense?
Common sense is nothing but your personal life experiences to that moment in time. As such, no two people have the same “common sense”. I’ll just let that sit and soak for a while.
Walk

It's uncommon.

 

[Shadowalker164]

Tampa/St Pete metro, over i million people but if there’s a BP club, I ain’t found it

 

[Shadowalker164]

And yea Bladegrinder the Antelope club is where I shoot