Teaching muzzleloading

[ord sgt]

Tonight, I have the privlage to teach a muzzleloading pistol class. Class members are people from my local range, Delran Junior Marksmen. This is the first step toward becoming NRA certified instructors. I have taught several ML rifle courses before, but it seems that the was very little interest in ML pistol until now.
If you get the chance, become an instructor and then you can share your knowledge with someone else. Let them learn the fun and frustration of muzzleloaders.
Spelling don't count, sometimes.......

 

[BrownBear]

Good job. We need lots more like you.

It's one thing to jaw about the fading fortunes of muzzleloading and the poor state of today's youth. It's another altogether to get off your butt and do something about it.

:bow: :bow: :bow:

 

[mykeal]

Last year I volunteered to teach the muzzleloader section of a state required hunter safety course for people wanting a hunting license for the first time. It was a great experience and I'm going to continue to do it whenever asked.

I have also been volunteering at the local Sportsmans' Club range for the last year or so. It has come to pass that I'm the senior black powder guy in the club, and I've been waxing eloquently every chance I get.

Turns out there are several guys who have black powder guns they've either never shot or shot only a few times and then put away. This is beyond the normal crew that own an inline for extending the deer season. They have all been fascinated (or at least somewhat interested) whenever I've brought my arsenal out to shoot; I practically shut down the range when I shot my Walker in the bowling pin shoot at our open house day last summer.

At any rate, I've agreed to conduct a black powder class in March and sponsor some black powder shooting events during the summer and fall this year. Since the emphasis is on black powder and not hunting I'm having to completely rewrite my outline from the hunter safety course. In doing so I'm finding some big holes in my knowledge data base that this forum is saving my bacon on. Nothing like standing up to act like an expert and finding that you don't have a clue about something.

If anyone's in the area it will be 2-5 pm March 29th at the Iosco Sportsman's Club Wurtsmith Range on Rea Road near Oscoda, MI (along the north boundary of the Wurtsmith airport). Cost will be $10. Shooting is not included although the range will be open, free to members and $5 per gun for nonmembers. Experience and equipment are not required. Y'all come now, y'hear?

 

[aragornelessar86]

Maybe I'm just a newbie, but what's to teach? I don't intend to disparage your work, I'm honestly curious. It all seems so straightforward to me.

 

[mykeal]

... what's to teach? ... It all seems so straightforward to me.

Well Cody, look at it this way: I've made all the mistakes you're going to make, and probably more than once. For instance, there are ways to greatly reduce the probability of a dryball. I can't eliminate the possibility, because we all do it at one time or another, but I can help keep the number of incidents down, and make recovery quick and simple.

There are people who want to know not only what to do, but why we do it a certain way; I help them understand the theory. Powder flasks come with a spout that doubles as a powder measure - using that, we can eliminate the separate piece of equipment, right? No, and I tell them why.

What equipment do you really need, and what things are just cosmetics? What's the difference between powders, caps, solvents, etc. There are dozens of different ways to clean your gun - what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? As a 'newbie', have you tried each one and learned, by yourself, what the 'best' way is?

That's just some of the stuff I cover in a 3 hour classroom and range session.

I hope my tone wasn't too strident; I tried to answer you just like I would in a classroom - you see, my students are as curious about black powder in general as you are about what there is to teach about it.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Sent you a PM about BP in NJ! Please respond! Thanks for teaching newbies "Tales of the Darkside"!

Chat soon hopefully!

Dave

 

[bwhoffman]

Maybe I'm just a newbie, but what's to teach? I don't intend to disparage your work, I'm honestly curious. It all seems so straightforward to me.

been in your shoes before! in fact, most of us have!

....have you dryballed yet?
....have you loaded up, knowing everything was right and it didnt go bang, 4x in a row?
....break your ramrod off?
...shot your ramrod?(thatsa classic!)

I learn every day, thats why I keep coming back here!
The biggest thing I learn from here, is how to make some great friends!

 

[bwhoffman]

So. tell us how the class went!
curious to know!

good of you to teach it :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

You know, it strikes me that teaching is such an important topic, there might be justification for making it a standard forum feature, allowing a place for teachers to talk about ways to teach and to problem solve.

As for what's to teach, lots and lots of folks need to see something done before they'll try it themselves and have their hand held while they do it. Not a bad reflection on them, rather it's a trait of human nature. You'd think fly tying would be a good one for self-teaching for example because there are so many books and classes, but I stuff classes with folks who need to see it first hand and have me look over their shoulder.

Same is true for loading, shooting and caring for a traditional muzzleloader. After all, isn't black powder an EXPLOSIVE and don't guns BLOW UP? That's the reaction I get when talking to folks about it, but it's easy as pie to get them started and settle their fears if you can just get them on the range to try it themselves. Lots of folks will respond to an advertisement for a class too, who won't simply show up at a range and ask for help as an individual.

Anyone else see value in providing a home for threads on teaching? I'm a past NRA instructor for other arms and hunter safety instructor, but it wouldn't take a whole lot of encouragement to get me to take up the teaching flag again for muzzleloading. It's sure a quick way to make converts while making sure beginners don't give us all a bad name by doing stupid things.

 

[ord sgt]

6 students, 5 male and 1 female, showed up for class. All are NRA certified range safety officers, so they do know their way around firearms.
Some already shoot ML rifle so touched on safety and then went into powder and ignition sources for the less informed members. Also talked about the different parts of the pistol and revolver.
This coming Saturday is practical time at the range. Just hope that it's not too cold to stand and shoot for a few hours.
By the way, the lady in the class, started shooting about 2 years ago. She went thru the women's firearm course that Delran Junior Marksmen club offers to the general public. She has taken courses and has become a range safety officer, so she is serious about firearms!

 

[jtmattison]

Keep up the good work.

If we don't pass it on, who will?

:hatsoff:

HD

 

[ord sgt]

Share your knowledge, don't keep it to yourself. Help our sport to grow.

 

[mykeal]

Yeah, I'd be interested in a teaching subforum. Good idea.

 

[curator]

I am one of the few NRA Training Counselors who teach instructors for Muzzle loading rifle, pistol, and shotgun. While there 15 "black powder" clubs in Florida I have only taught 2 of their total members (more than 500) to become NRA certified Instructors over the past 15 years. Most muzzle loading rifle/pistol/shotgun shooters are too busy enjoying their sport to share it with beginners. None of the clubs will man a "beginners table" at any of their shoots for lack of interested or willing instructors.

The Boy Scouts and 4H clubs want and need dedicated muzzle loading rifle or shotgun instructors. Most camp programs don't happen for want of someone who is "certified" in the shooting discipline. I run one each, weekend Instructor certification courses every year at our local Boy Scout Camp for all three muzzle loading disciplines and rarely have more than 6 candidates. I advertise on the NRA website, Scouting News, Boys Life, Florida 4H magazine, and local newspapers but have few takers.

What's the answer guys? Are any of you willing to give up a weekend or Saturday/Sunday to teach newbies to load and shoot muzzle loaders correctly/safely? Most of us learned the ins and outs of muzzle loading from an interested old-timer or relative, why such little interest in working with kids today?

Honestly, fellows if we don't pass this on to the next generation it will die off and Hillary and Obama can have their way.

 

[ord sgt]

I don't understand why ML shooters want to keep this sport a secret. Spread the word, muzzleloading rifles and pistol a loads of fun. Beats sitting in front of a computer screen!!!!!

 

[BrownBear]

"What's the answer guys? Are any of you willing to give up a weekend or Saturday/Sunday to teach newbies to load and shoot muzzle loaders correctly/safely? Most of us learned the ins and outs of muzzle loading from an interested old-timer or relative, why such little interest in working with kids today?"

In a heartbeat! I'm already doing it onesey-twosey with interested friends, and a group would be fun.

 

[aragornelessar86]

Agreed! I teach all my friends when I get a chance, but I suppose I'll understand the need for a class once I've had more experience in the manifold errors of ML shooting.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I wish that I had an answer better than these two:

1. Instructor classes are primarily held on the weekends, when most of the BP shooting happens. So the word selfish comes to mind, as you've already illustrated.

2. Certification of Instructors is usually only required when a group or entity such as a Club or the Scouts want to be instructed. Lots of one-on-one instruction takes place everyday! I'm a living example of this, and can point to my 18 year old competitive BP league shooting Son! As a person that has to work some Saturdays, scheduling a two-day (Saturday & Sunday) mandatory class knocks me out of trying to become certified before I even get out the check book to sign-up! Mind you, this is not meant as sour grapes, just a reality check! Most of the folks that belong to the BP clubs that I'm a member of also work some Saturdays, so that could be the real "root" of the problem!

If I could find an Instructors class in BP that was done in the evenings, and didn't require that I first take yet another class on the basics (on the weekends, too!) I would have been a "certified" Instructor a long time ago.

Up at Scout Camp a couple of summers ago, the Camp hired a 21 year old college student to run the rifle & shotgun programs. This person was a "certified Instructor" by the NRA...only thing is they never fired a muzzle loader themselves before, just "seen it done at the class". Meanwhile, I'm up there at Camp with almost 4 decades of shooting experience trying to teach the Scouts how to shoot so that they can hit what they're aiming at! Again, I illustrate this as an example to show only that sometimes groups will take a "certified" Instructor with hardly any real-life experience over a fellow like me because the INSURANCE COMPANIES like certifcation.

That all being said, I wish to personaly thank you for your efforts in trying to get more "certified" Instructors :thumbsup: , for I fear that without them, the crazy Insurance Companies :youcrazy: won't want to insure places where we so enjoy our beloved sport.

Writing this has fired me up enough to want to call my local NRA Instrucors to see IF we can have a weekday evening class! Thanks again!

Dave

 

[BrownBear]

It's not the NRA program, but here in Alaska a muzzleloader class is required of everyone (regardless of past experience) to qualify for the special primitive weapon seasons. It's part of their hunter safety ed program described here. The site provides no detail on the ML class, however.

Basically it consists of Friday evening and Saturday morning in the classroom, followed by several hours of range time with all guns and components provided. Shoot as much as you want of anything they have, then shoot for qualifying. Quals are pretty liberal, requiring a 6" group at 50 yards fired from any position you want. You have to get a passing score (90% as I recall) on a written test, too.

I bring all that up because the schedule is pretty relaxed compared to the all weekend session others are describing. 12 hours total I think.

Evidently there's some kind of interstate agreement, because getting the certification here qualifies you for other states' programs. And AK recognizes certification from those states, too. It might be worth checking into the hunter ed programs of your own state for something similar, rather than looking to the NRA.

 

[ord sgt]

Dave, find the name of the trainer counselor in your area. Most classroom time is usually done in the evening. At least ,in my club. The TC in my club hasn't been rated for ML's yet. He was in my class this past week. Like everyone else, he hasn't spent much time around black powder. He needed to learn first before he can teach.