We've been busy

Several of us North South Skirmish Association members have been instructing in muzzleloading with the BSA at summer camp. There is a shortage of instructors in most youth shooting sports programs and it's even more severe in muzzleloading/black powder. At the camp we're working in this summer, I'm pretty sure the number could be counted on one hand with 3 fingers missing.

We're working in the Riflery Merit Badge program at the Mountain Man primitive camp. We go up to camp once a week, morning and afternoon sessions are at the primitive camp range. After dinner, we go back to the main camp to conduct open shoots at the main range. We get to instruct in positive 2A, firearms/black powder safety, and marksmanship. It's been lots of work, but very rewarding. The good folks at Schutzen powder donated powder and caps. S&S and Lodgewood have provided support to keep the muskets in top order. NSSA member PJ Kelly donated 5 muskets for this effort.

A few pix-

NSSA member instructing on various Civil War arms


NSSA member explaining Civil War musket operation

NSSA members instructing on marksmanship

While it's lots of work, we're also having a great time with the Scouts at camp. In the merit badge sessions, we'll take a kid who can't hit a paper plate at 25yd to center punching it with a Civil War musket. When they get to that point, it's time for the "Cracker Challenge". We hang Ritz crackers on wires at 25yd and it's on like Donkey Kong. The kids use their new skills to whack crackers with minie balls while we advise and keep score.

Evenings are spent at the rifle range in the main camp with an open shoot at 8in gongs. The Scouts are used to hearing a 22lr tink the gong, but once the first minie whacks the steel, they get excited. Even though we don't have time to instruct to the degree of the day sessions, most Scouts in the evening are fair shots and it's not unusual for a gong to get dismounted from a chain by minie balls. When that happens the kids start cheering and having a great time.

Our goal with this project is to provide instructors who are black powder competitors to fill a dire shortage in youth shooting sports. The greater goal is to positively influence youth about the 2nd Amendment all the while teaching safety and proper handling of black powder firearms. What we've noticed in the North South Skirmish Association is a decline in youth interested in black powder and firearms heritage. That's often tied directly to lack of education in school and lack of anyone to take a kid shooting. So we're doing what we can in our corner of the world and hope others will join in by becoming instructors in whatever firearm they choose.

FlSwampRat said:

Wish I could double, triple and fourple like this post!
Eagle scout here and glad folks like you are around helping another generation of future good citizens!

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Thanks for the positive comments! We've seen Scouts in our part of the program from South Florida, to Tennessee, to West Virginia, to Maryland and they've all had a great time and many learned to shoot pretty well with Civil War muskets. Next week marks the last week of camp and we'll be pretty busy as it's the second busiest week at camp. After camp sessions are over, we have requests to conduct merit badge sessions with muzzleloaders and more troop shoots. There are enough minie balls now in the backstop that the kids are "relic" hunting at the end of a session.

My sons both Eagled and I was an Asst Scoutmaster and taught a number of merit badges. After they aged out, I drifted away for a while like most adults, but I'm sure glad I'm back again. Nothing beats the great feeling of helping a kid go from not able to hit a paper plate at 25yd to whacking crackers almost every shot.