Why don't more people shoot muzzleloaders???

[jethro224]

Many of us here are in our late 40's or older and we've seen this cycle before. A number of TC's & cheap flintlocks sold after the bicentenal, just to sit in closets around the US. Same thing happened after the movie "Jerahmia Johnson"... there was a big spike in Black Powder sales in the mid 80's, then the sport seemed to peak and die off.( Most of the clubs that formed in the 70's that I shot with are long gone...)

I mean it's our sport. Do we need thousands more at the ranges to be hip or cool? I've seen this sport grow, develope, and mature over most of my life.

With the internet and places like this, it's much easier to take up this hobby that when I was a 13 yead old greenhorn ordering a Indian made soothbore carbine with my Moms help.(She had to sign the "I'm over 18 form)

The BiCentennial was in 1976 and "Jeremiah Johnson" was in 1972. I don't see how they could have caused a spike in sales in the mid 80's.
Deer hunting had a jump in popularity in the 80's, maybe that could explain it. :hmm:

Popularity of interests does run in cycles, no doubt about it. Look at skateboards, bell bottoms, yo-yos, and many others. Seems like traditional muzzleloading is in a bit of a slump right now. I think it will come back around tho.
Reminds me of when compound bows came in to the picture. All of a sudden recurves and longbows were on every yard sale for dirt cheap. Now, 30 years later, those old recurves are selling for big $ and are hard to find.
Buy up all the cheap sidelocks now. They will be worth a fortune when the inline craze is over.

The internet does make ordering supplies handy but I remember the 70's too. Every K-mart, JCPennys and corner shop had CVA kits, firearms and accessories for sale over the counter and in stock. They didn't hassle a guy with ID, registrations, background checks, waiting periods, etc. either.

 

[ryoung14]

Evangelizing can have a negative effect; it did on me. I shot and reloaded centerfire for a couple of decades, but never made the jump to BP. I'd considered it several times, but was having enough fun with the CFs that I never followed through.

Then while working in Indiana, I started considering it again. A guy I worked with, who was a thorough-going buckskinner, found out and tried the evangelizing approach with a very strong traditionalist bent. I thought, "Geez, do I have to be like this guy to shoot M/Ls? I really don't want the beard, the long hair or the clothing and I don't want to pretend I'm living in the 1800s. Don't want to get into custom guns either.". So I let the matter drop.

A couple of years later Natchez had Black Diamonds on sale with a 'starter kit' and I bought one. I really enjoyed shooting it. About that time the buckskinner picked up a Knight and he had a lot of fun with it. He turned out to be a very good source for many of my M/L questions and we started shooting together. I got into the sidelocks when a local shop closed down and a slew of new T/Cs were sold at clearance prices.

I guess my point is, if you're going to evangelize, be laid back about it and don't be surprised if your convert wanders off what you consider to be the 'straight and narrow'. The buckskinner was very helpful even though I was shooting one of those danged inlines.
FWIW
Bob

 

[3 stinky dogs]

It is getting more popular then folks think. I was at the range this weekend and noticed three cap guns rather then the normal one cap (brother's) gun and one flint (mine) We also end up letting the other guy's shoot ours before we go home as well. I also was at Gander Mountain the other day getting some arrows and over herd a fellow asking the gun dude is it would be possible to order a few T/C side locks and another complaining that they had no Goex. Hang in there because the pendulum is swinging back in the "traditional" direction again.

 

[gmww]

IMO if the ML industry wanted to increase it's popularity they should try and get a movie like Quigley made using a ML.

Tom Selleck's movie put the Sharps back on the market big time. Just ask Shilo Sharps.

 

I'd certainly agree with that statement! There was a movie made just a couple of years back pertaining to Flyfishing. I don't recall the name thogh. But it created quite an interest in the sport. Hollywood does have a big influence, but unfortunately it's usually not positive. Michael Moore?

 

[3 stinky dogs]

I think it was called " A River Runs Through It "
I went and bought a fly rig after Brad Pit's fight with that trout my self. Did any one notice a Serge in Flint sales after the Patriot or Last Of The Mohicans ?

 

[David Teague]

Don't forget..

The Alamo, Master & Commander: The far side of the World, The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Patriot...

There have been a number of popular movies with flinters in them in the last few years.

These movies must be helping... based off of all the new cool models of firearms now being offered by the fine folks at MTVC, LA and MH. :thumbsup:

heck even the Italians are looking at making a 1st model brown bess.

Cheers,

DT

 

[gmww]

As a follow up to my other post. I think a Movie would need to feature the rifle and its positive aspect. In Quigley, his rifle could reach out to where ever it's inteded target was and do it's job cleanly. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

FWIW, by contrast I thought the movie mountain man did a disservice having Robert Redford appear to suffer such a huge, ridiculous reaction from the "recoil" of "a big .50cal" rifle that he made a point of acquiring

 

[Rebel]

Wrong movie Round ball. :grin: That was Jerimaih Johnson. The Mountain Men was Charlton Heston and Brian Keith. But Robert Redford did overdo the recoil factor didn't he? Nice elk though. :grin:

 

[RedFeather]

I lke muzzle looaders because you can do all the loading right there in one spot. Powder in, projectile in, cap or prime. More satisfaction than buying a box of .30-30's from WalMart. I also like old .22 pump rifles. They are nostalgic to me. Of course, you don't see a lot of pumps these days. Guess most people don't share my enthusiam for them. That's probably why you don't seem so many people shooting ML's, for that matter. You have to be a certain kind of individual to cater to them. Of course, you get the folks with inlines, but those are only a few steps removed from cartridge guns. Yes, it's too bad more people don't try front stuffers, but that's just life I guess.

One thing I will add. Here in the surburban/urban areas, there aren't a lot of places to shoot ML. Can't at all if you're restricted to an indoor range. We have monthly shoots where everyone's invited and offer loaners with instruction. It's still a fairly small subset of the regular crowd.

 

[mmahlock]

Short Start, I have to agree. This is the kind of hobby you have to sneek up on em with. Be laid back. Have fun. Show em its nothing but just plain old good fun with some challenge to it. Then if they're intested start talking to them about dressing up. Explain the options (all ten thousand of them)and encourage them. Slowly but surely they will dig themselves in deeper and before you know it they're hooked.

BTW I shoot with several that don't own a singel piece of period clothing from any period other than last year. They shoot regularly and participate heavily in the club affairs. You don't have to dress up to shoot a muzzleloader. IMHO it just adds to the sport and the fun.

 

[Dave_B]

The last time I went shooting, there were several people shooting clay pigeons with newer shotguns and a ways away was about a dozen or more folks with muzzle loaders. The local black powder gun club was having an outing and I was surprised to see how many women were shooting. The targets were stapled to tree stumps about 25 yards from the shooters. The smoke cloud from a dozen or so people shooting black powder is pretty impressive.
That was the first time I saw muzzle loaders out numbering the cartridge guns.
Dave