What are you doing

Status
Not open for further replies.

dave951

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
671
Location
NC
Most folks just like pew pew and I get that. I used to play in that world in 3G, IPSC, USPSA, IDPA etc, but there is more to shooting than pew pew, so I ask, please read to the end of this post.

So onto my soapbox-

Muzzleloading shooting can be very challenging. FACT Muzzleloaders can be as accurate as most modern current factory guns. FACT. Muzzleloading is often an introduction to other shooting sports in a youth organization. FACT So where am I going with this? Take a kid to the range, give him/her an enjoyable experience with shooting, make a convert to the shooting sports. Expose the kid to as much of the shooting sports world as possible, get another "gun guy" for life. For many, that first experience is in muzzleloading in a summer camp setting. Even if you don't like muzzleloading, keep reading, it's still relevant.

In the Firearms Instructor world, the certification in Muzzleloading is pretty rare. Rarer still is an Instructor who is an active muzzleloading competitor/enthusiast. Many of the few with the credential only hold it to be able to perform their jobs in a youth shooting sports program. Our competition organization, the North South Skirmish Association is working to change that. For the youth to get the best, positive, fun muzzleloading experience, we believe that the Instructor must also hold enthusiasm for it. To that end, we just completed an intense Instructor training session at our home range, Fort Shenandoah and we now have 20 certified Muzzleloading Instructors who are also avid competitors and very knowledgeable in muzzleloading accuracy and marksmanship (didn't I mention we are competition shooters?)

We will be getting our new corps of Instructors organized and tasked to work with various youth camps/orgs to maximize our efforts.

Even if you don't like muzzleloading, we could use help in the form of donations or assistance. This effort is going to be expanded in the future. Our goal is to expose as many to the world of muzzleloading shooting sports as possible. If they stay with it great, if not but they move on to other shooting sports, that's still great, but NOTHING is going to happen without that first effort. Our contact website-

Muzzle Loading Youth Training – A North-South Skirmish Association Committee
http://muzzleloadingyouthtraining.org/

Please consider how you could help, even if only linking to our site.
 
With muzzleloading, I think finding young people who have an interest is probably as hard if not harder than finding an instructor.
 
In a summer camp setting, it's a very popular activity. From a marketing perspective, camps compete for kids and the revenue associated. That's facts. Have a great program, get more kids and more funding. Often the Muzzleloading program gets leftovers because of lack of instructors and the right personel. We're working to make it a much more enjoyable and popular activity. In the end, we might get some more muzzleloading shooters, but more to the issue, we get more into shooting sports.
 
Good luck. There is no N-SSA in my area (Southern Colorado). I am certified by the NRA as a muzzle loader instructor and can give quite a talk on the Civil War. Last talk I gave was on the Campaign to capture Port Hudson, LA.
 
In a summer camp setting, it's a very popular activity. From a marketing perspective, camps compete for kids and the revenue associated. That's facts. Have a great program, get more kids and more funding. Often the Muzzleloading program gets leftovers because of lack of instructors and the right personel. We're working to make it a much more enjoyable and popular activity. In the end, we might get some more muzzleloading shooters, but more to the issue, we get more into shooting sports.
The only summer camp anywhere near me (ironically, given the subject, about fifty miles north of Friendship) is a Scout camp in danger of being closed due to too few kids being involved in Scouting. Even in good old days when I was a kid I don’t think there was any shooting there. Archery, but not firearms.
Any time I have been around anyone of any age that showed a slight interest in muzzleloading I have made it clear that I’m there to help, to the point of providing loaners if needed. So far I have yet to see enthusiasm last longer than a day or two.
 
The shooting sports is a dying thing with the younger generation. I have been watching the decline for the past 50 yrs. in my area. I belong to 2 gun clubs, many times I have spent the best part of a day there, and not have another shooter show up. Thirty years ago at these same clubs you would need to wait to get a bench spot. I have seen it in my own family. Both clubs I belong to have tried many things as to entice enthusiasm in all shooting aspects , too only have a hand full show up. I do not know the answer, ill keep trying but it sure does not look good, may be it is a geographic thing.
 
The shooting sports is a dying thing with the younger generation. I have been watching the decline for the past 50 yrs. in my area. I belong to 2 gun clubs, many times I have spent the best part of a day there, and not have another shooter show up. Thirty years ago at these same clubs you would need to wait to get a bench spot. I have seen it in my own family. Both clubs I belong to have tried many things as to entice enthusiasm in all shooting aspects , too only have a hand full show up. I do not know the answer, ill keep trying but it sure does not look good, may be it is a geographic thing.

I'm not sure as to why, but if we don't start by taking a kid to a range and providing a safe, fun and enjoyable experience, it will only get worse. So this isn't about black powder and muzzleloading only, think bigger in that this is only an approach to deal with the problem be it shotguns, rifles or handguns. Kids need a safe and fun exposure to the shooting sports to create that future consumer and supporter of shooting sports.
 
The only summer camp anywhere near me (ironically, given the subject, about fifty miles north of Friendship) is a Scout camp in danger of being closed due to too few kids being involved in Scouting. Even in good old days when I was a kid I don’t think there was any shooting there. Archery, but not firearms.
Any time I have been around anyone of any age that showed a slight interest in muzzleloading I have made it clear that I’m there to help, to the point of providing loaners if needed. So far I have yet to see enthusiasm last longer than a day or two.

Read my comments to Bigstick. We have to do something and it might not be a case of where you can get personally involved, but I urge you guys to look for any and every opportunity, however slight to help in this goal. Either that or the disease in Virginia is going to metastisize to the rest of the country.
 
Agree with dave. We must recruit the young to sustain the interest in the shooting sports. Where I am at we have 4H, Trinidad State Jr. College (a major gunsmith school), Whittington Center.

North of me there is the West Pueblo Gun Club (never been there) which requires all members to be certified as NRA Range Safety Officers. It's actually a good practice as it reduces liability and puts every member on the same page when it comes to safety.
 
Last edited:
I believe we need another Jeremiah Johnson type movie, it seems like when Hollywood comes up with a quality watchable period piece the interest goes up. Look at what Dirty Harry did for Smith and Wesson sales. Jeremiah kinda kicked off quite a bit of interest in muzzleloader shooting. I too have seen a decline in our hobby, the club I used to shoot with had very few youngsters coming out, was mostly old geezers.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top