What have you done to further the muzzleloading hobby?

[dave951]

Tex, you make some fantastic points. Retention and cost being a primary subjects. You are right! .........Recruiting youth into these programs is difficult, getting adults involved is INSANELY difficult..................If we don't try, we won't get anything. But as you have observed, our long term yield is quite low with returning youth. Our adult volunteers though, are usually folks who were in the program as a youth. But they don't return until THEY have their own kids.

Here's what we did. Our little band of instructors mainly hail from the North South Skirmish Association and we sorta stumbled on the Scouting angle. What we've found, if you going to do a "cattle call" program where any kid can shoot, yes, you will be babysitting. We targeted the "Mountain Man" program as it also involves 19th century "life hacks" and crafts. The kids are 14 and up and want to be there.

Costs will always be an obstacle.

Darn skippy it is. Here's what we did. We were targeting working within and expanding an existing program, so some rifles were already at the camp. One of our fellow N-SSA members donated 5 "Zouave" muskets to the cause since it's close to his heart as well. "Zouaves" can be had fairly inexpensively within our org, outside, you'll pay more. We have support from Lodgewood and S&S to a degree on logistics keeping the muskets functional. Powder and caps are donated by Schuetzen, Goex wouldn't even return and email or phone call. Lead for bullets is bought out of monies either donated or given as honorarium for speaking engagements. We cast all the bullets. We are also always on the look out for cheap 50cal traditional styled round ball guns. The bores don't have to be perfect, just serviceable.

When we go to summer camp, it's once per week. On that day, the "Mountain Man" program is shooting black powder. The onsite staff will already have done the lecture work, we bring guns and ammo to supplement what's already on site. Because of our presence, many more kids get to shoot and in much, much higher volume. None of this 5 shots all day per kid stuff, we'll pull triggers till we run out of time. It's not unusual for our kids to get 30+ shots each with round ball and muskets. Because we vary the target materials, we've created a bit of a sensation amongst the adult leaders in the camp because we'll have kids whacking Ritz crackers at 25yd with Civil War muskets shooting offhand. We're not babysitting, we're actively teaching safety and marksmanship. We'll break for lunch and have the meal with the kids. They are always full of questions about the guns, the history and how to improve their personal marksmanship.


As for getting adults involved, many who might be inclined have either never thought of it, or maybe didn't know how acute the shortage of qualified instructors is. That's why we've created an NMLRA Charter Club- Yadkin Valley Rangers, that is dedicated to instruction. We welcome anyone holding an instructor rating, who wants to get an instructor rating, or who supports us to join.

 

[TexiKan]

Allright, long winded already, but you have me thinking again.

Thanks for your response and I am glad someone takes some of my comments seriously. Let's face it, not all of us promoting the hobby are "salesmen." Yes, that is exactly what one does when trying to entice interest into muzzleloading. Yet few think along those lines. ROI, WIFM and more. (Return on investment and What's in it for me.) ASK those questions and keep them engaged and your presentation interesting. Yes, safety is important but do not lose sight of what will make the hobby interesting enough for them to continue beyond that day. As in music, I never concentrated on the time spent in practicing scales, theory, and other boring aspects. Kids want to make music and have fun doing it. That is a huge factor in motivating them.

I suspect no one is paid to promote the hobby. I was paid to sell products (I was also into marketing, media advertising sales and audio visual equipment sales.) If I did not hone my sales skills, I did not make much money nor would I be successful. It was a numbers game, too. One or two sales rarely results in a sustainable profession.

When I said "follow up" I suspect we never asked those folks at our events why they never returned. That information can help future presentations and how to overcome those reasons. Anticipate and address those questions in the presentation to help eliminate doubt. What interested us is usually not the same for people today. Of course there are folks who will help to some extent but they do not see themselves as the sole promoter to keep the hobby alive. Yes, the WIFM factor, again. Basically, I am saying the traditional methods of keeping the hobby alive are not being as successful as in the past. If we are serious in this endeavor, then we need to think differently and do things differently. Of course, one size does not fit all parts of the country, but it is still a sales game.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Powder and caps are donated by Schuetzen, Goex wouldn't even return and email or phone call.

Another reason why I prefer Schuetzen/Swiss products over Goex.
They believe in helping the hobby stay alive.

 

[dave951]

Another reason why I prefer Schuetzen/Swiss products over Goex.
They believe in helping the hobby stay alive.

And I get vilified for daring to point this out.

 

[jdw276]

And I get vilified for daring to point this out.

I know right? I sent letters with pics of our events, links to videos to speer, hornady, goex and schutzen. Got one reply. None of the others had the courtesy to waste a 50cent stamp on a reply. Promote the sport, the business grows. I have heard it called reinvestment in business circles. But what do we know dave, we are just volunteers and was it leeches? Or parasites? From folks that have not posted what they have done to promote the discipline that i have found. Oh well, volunteers now when others support their efforts. Schutzen/swiss support here regardless of the quality of their product.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

And I get vilified for daring to point this out.

The truth generally sets one free.
Schuetzen & Swiss does support clubs, Boy Scouting groups, etc with powder & cap donations.
While others are willing to wait for a year or two for Goex, I continue to shoot my guns using Schuetzen & Swiss. The only thing that has slowed me down shooting is this lousy cold weather here in KY & not from the lack of powder.

 

[Robby]

Welfare, at first people are grateful, then expect it, then demand it. I did volunteer work for years, never expected anything, never got anything, well except for those intangibles that money can't buy.
Robby

 

[jdw276]

Welfare, at first people are grateful, then expect it, then demand it. I did volunteer work for years, never expected anything, never got anything, well except for those intangibles that money can't buy.
Robby

The smiles are a heck of a reward. An intangible thank you.

 

[dave951]

The smiles are a heck of a reward. An intangible thank you.

Time spent on kids is never wasted. They might not realize it in the moment, but it may well change the course of their life and the future.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Time spent on kids is never wasted.

I wish that were true in all cases. My two daughters grew up in a home that served wild game almost every night. Both were introduced to shooting sports and one was a hunter. Then they went to collage. The older one against my wishes went to Costa Rica on a student exchange. While there she was kidnapped and Raped. She came home and went to collage. Her friends in collage blamed us for sending her there, and they said teaching her to hunt fish, and shoot was akin to child abuse. She hasn't spoken to us for over 7 years. The younger one grew up shooting and fishing but never went hunting. After going to collage she listened to her sister and turned on us. Saying she was abused by us making her eat wild game and making her shoot. She hasn't spoken to us in 3 years.
My son was the middle child. He was raised the same and is an accomplished outdoorsman with two girls and loves us both and raises his children the same way he was raised.
You can only do so much. Our schools are cesspool's. Teachers indoctrinate children to think they way they think, and teach them to vote the way they vote. If a child knows how a teacher voted, that teacher is sack of cr@p, and should be fired.
I saw today that a group of elementary age students were protesting to get chocolate milk. Anyone want to guess how they act as adults? What will they demand then?
I wish it were as easy to teach them to hunt and life will be good. But in the real world its not that way any more.

 

[Robby]

A man can only do the best he can with what he's got. Stay the course Idaho Ron, God Bless.
Robby

 

[dave951]

Ron you have a sad outcome but in reality, kids as adults make their own way and life choices and not all of those choices are good ones

 

[Robby]

They'll be back, sooner or later, they'll be back, the river flows, branches off in places and eventually returns to its source. It never will and can never stop.
Robby

 

[dave951]

My daughter went to college and she came back a different person and a much more difficult one at that. We tolerated each other as she was living at home till she found a job. It was when she started on me about having a gun or two or three or... that I dropped the verbal gloves and held a "come to Jesus" conversation garnished with historic facts and the Constitution. I dared her to dispute anything I told her, but she better bring facts. It was that week she realized she was lied to by her professor. In many ways now, she's a hardcore conservative libertarian and I'm 100% ok with that.

 

[Lhopp93]

Started reenacting and taking my friends out with me.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Its a shame that history and methods and knowledge of such things are always destined to fade. We have encountered this same issue with our antique engine/equipment club. It, like muzzleloading and living the old ways, is a niche hobby full of old sages with the know how of the ins and outs of every intricacy. As these fine tuned wizards pass on, the bulk of that knowledge is inevitably lost to time. My take on keeping things alive and moving forward is to learn every single thing you can from said wizards and practice it daily....Keeping sharp on our memory work so to speak, for us traveling men....You never know when that knowledge channeled through yourself will draw someone in to be thirsty for more.

This modern world is also a killer to us. Like I saw mentioned further back in this thread, its a dirty sport that requires some elbow grease. This is a deal breaker for a lot of younger potential torch carriers. Its definitely not for those who are inclined to partake in instant gratification. I don't know how to change this other than at the parenting level, which is a worldly problem, and a technology problem. TK's manifesto had some good points, not gonna lie.

SulphurForkVagrant and I just recently spoke of starting up a traditional BP group in our local area. I think that exposure to the community is a big part of getting new blood in the sport. We've got enough rifles and spare kit handy for when we find someone new that wants to try it out. We are going to do our best to keep it alive.

 

[Eutycus]

The gun industry as a whole has recently gotten a bad rap.Let's improve our image. I'd say put on a sunny disposition and a smile. Show the public we are a friendly bunch and not some grouchy older codgers with guns.

 

[Flintlock]

The gun industry as a whole has recently gotten a bad rap.Let's improve our image. I'd say put on a sunny disposition and a smile. Show the public we a friendly bunch and not some grouchy older codgers with guns.

So lie. lol

 

[dave951]

Well summer is upon us and last week we got 5 more folks through the Instructor certification. It involves 3 NRA classes and a shooting qualification with muzzleloading rifle, pistol, and shotgun. We already have confirmed that we'll see at least 100 kids directly through the summer in our program.

We could see more if we held "open shoots" but we're limited on resources and personnel, mostly resources since because of the issue with Goex, Schuetzen has been taking up as much slack as possible leaving nothing available for donation to youth programs this year. So in a round about way, Goex is still a pain in the backside. But in a good way, Schuetzen is stepping up to keep as many of you Goex guys still shooting as possible. So you Goexheads owe Schuetzen. Because Schuetzen has stepped up in a big way for black powder shooters as a whole, they still have my complete support.

Because of some issues that have arisen in the N-SSA, we'll be training about 30 more new instructors this summer.

Guys, keyboard bravado is one thing but if you aren't actively taking folks to the range and giving them a positive experience in black powder or supporting those who do, then you are a symptom of the problem. I will never apologize for giving youth and others a positive black powder experience, nor will I apologize for a lack of manners or patience with those who don't.

 

[Bob McBride]

I’ve done less than many of you but somewhat more than those irredeemable old codgers who snarl at noobs for asking dumb questions. You know who you are…..

Oh, yes, and there ARE dumb questions, but none of them are half as dumb as the guy who calls them that. Like I just did….