The Hunters Match at Friendship

[Many Klatch]

There has been some grousing about the NMLRA allowing inlines to shoot on the woodswalk. Well a shooter by the name of Jim Pell took a close look at the rules and decided that the rules really allowed any form of ignition and balls or bullets as long at the powder charge did not exceed 60 grains.

He checked and the high score on the match was 9 out of 16. So he entered with his flintlock rifle and scored a 12.

Several of us felt that we needed to join in the fun and we shot the Hunters Match with flint rifles, flint smoothbores and Grizz shot with his Ferguson. I shot a 9 with my smoothbore and Lazarus shot a 10 with his flint rifle.

We were talking with the Chief Range Officer about allowing a matchlock to shoot in this match since it is a wide open "unlimited" match. More on this later. We may have to go through with a couple of fire extinguishers to get permission to use the matchlocks. Hopefully next year we may have a couple of those flaming smokepoles go through on the woodswalk.

Anyway, the NMLRA does not have a special inline match. What they do have is an unlimited match that also allows inlines with scopes. If anyone thinks that a scope will help split a card or shoot a small marshmallow off the top of a stick without hitting the stick, then they are welcome to give it a try.

Many Klatch

 

[jethro224]

the rules really allowed any form of ignition and balls or bullets as long at the powder charge did not exceed 60 grains.

...

Anyway, the NMLRA does not have a special inline match. What they do have is an unlimited match that also allows inlines with scopes. If anyone thinks that a scope will help split a card or shoot a small marshmallow off the top of a stick without hitting the stick, then they are welcome to give it a try.

Heck, I already knew that. I shot the Hunters Woodswalk 3 or 4 years ago with my open sighted percussion GPR. Didn't win but came in first in my group... me and 3 guys with scoped rifles... :grin:

Been meaning to do it with my flinter. There's just never enough time.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

They do have a special inline match on the main range. It is shot by regular NMLRA members who bought inlines just to have another match to shoot in. There are not that many of them. The NMLRA plan to draw in inline shooters from the public did not work.
On the hunters match the highest score ever was shot by a flintlock. The woodswalk is fun! I went through it four times while I was there.

Jethro won the first Traditional Muzzle Loading Forum Woodswalk challenge.

 

[tecum-tha]

Well, nothing new on that match. It was always clearly described as beeing open (up to 60 grains). The only inlines I have seen there, where at one vendors booth who sells used ML. There were plenty of percussion production guns and maybe 2-3 inlines. That was it.

 

[Big John]

On the offhand line,In the Unlimited Rifle Aggregate I've seen scoped inlines shooting sabots! Rules state any rifle,any sights and any bullet.Shooting an inline at Friendship is hurting our sport, if someone needs a medal that bad, they cost approx. $5.00, buy one. My 2012 woodswalk gold medal came from 1 walk thru with Open sights! Missed a easy shot on the last target (my fault) not my guns. 15 of 16 hits

 

[tecum-tha]

Good shooting Master Blaster.
My lack of hits was only me, messing up the shots. But it will get better. Not many options on adjusting sights with a file on a 275 year old rifle.

 

[msuspartan]

Here is something to think about.
Getting people shooting is the first step. Teaching them the enjoyment of a period rifle in flint or percussion is our quest.
Turning them to the 'darkside' is our duty!!! :idunno:

Cheers, DonK

 

[tecum-tha]

Correct! The only problem is, there are no cheap and decent flintguns available for youth. Not even in a kit. I mean something like cripplecrow has on the classifieds right now, just not with all the carving and super curly maple.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Grizz shot with his Ferguson

Fergusons are not muzzle loaders.

 

[tecum-tha]

So is a Lorenzoni System I hope to shoot in a few years. These systems even pre-date the wide use of the flintlock. So they're very historically correct. Ever seen the rifle which shoots square bullets?
The current muzzleloader definition led to the legalization of the modern ML guns in hunting seasons. That helped no-one.
It would be much better defined as a gun or gun replica which was produced pre-1863 with percussion cap or flintlock ignition and not using metal cartridge cases. That would outlaw most inlines pretty quick.....
And the Ferguson can be loaded from the muzzle,too.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

The Ferguson is not a muzzle loader, I was shooting the Ferguson as a comparison to one Ferguson Rifle against the three man Longrifle teams. This was not a part of the contest. During the six minute run I got off 14 shots but I did not match the winning team in hits. I would have tied with the third place team had it counted as a match score. In the past two years I had tied with the second place teams. But the Greenville match has only one winner.