NMLRA??

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Alright guys. I live in Clear Lake, MN. It’s about 45 minutes north of Minneapolis. If we can get some people together we’ll put something together. Get some guys in and I’ll start a new thread for it. I don’t have a lot of resources to make it a big fancy thing but I have a couple places to shoot and I know there’s at least one member close to me that I think would offer to come help me get a little more set up. There’s a hotel in town and we can park some campers somewhere or something. Probably won’t be anything too fancy but I’m willing if others want to.
 
You know I’m all in for this idea. The southern boys all have there shoots it would be a blast to get a northern one together! Someday I’ll get to friendship but that’s a 15 hour drive.
 
Yeah I don’t think the wife and kids would really enjoy that drive too much and not at a place in life that I can say I’m going to burn up a bunch of my vacation to go to something like that by myself. But a day at the farm where other people want to come shoot is fine with me.
 
I looked it up about 12 hr. drive , believe I could handle that
 
If you venture into this - please communicate in your states local outdoor forum. You might gain some interest and possibly find someone to assist or even better, has a place already set up.
I have a longtime good friend Jim Westberg in Burnsville MN, who’s retired and owned Muzzloaderes Etc for years.
Best of luck and if you need targets, 45-70 and the NMLRA will help.
 
I had a response typed up but this is getting a bit off topic. Perhaps I'll start a new thread about it.
 
I deleted argumentative and confrontational comments going on in this thread. Any further post like this will be deleted and the thread locked.
 
whether you agree or dissagree with the NMLRA there is no doubt it is a good thing.This is gonna sound a little mushy. A person can find good or bad in just about anything or anyone. I learned a long time ago life is much more enjoyable if you look for the good. I try hard not to dwell on the bad.
 
whether you agree or dissagree with the NMLRA there is no doubt it is a good thing.This is gonna sound a little mushy. A person can find good or bad in just about anything or anyone. I learned a long time ago life is much more enjoyable if you look for the good. I try hard not to dwell on the bad.

I completely agree. And just to reiterate, I wasn’t trying to speak poorly of the NMLRA. It was simply an observation that I feel the platform is there for advancement and was wondering if it was being fully taken advantage of. That is all.

But hey, from this comes the potential to possibly host a MM get together if we can get some people interested. So that part is good.
 
Agree or not with their rules and objectives, im just glad Rick and Bob take the time to post here. Some of the older competition history stuff was great for filling in a few blanks.
 
Other than Customs there will never be a mass produced smokless muzzleloader built again. The reason being unless you double load a muzzleloader (powder bullet powder bullet ) you will not blow up a rifle with Black powder or black powder subs. Smokless powder is a whole different story. I feel that is the reason the NMLRA will never allow smokless. Myself personally i would never allow smokless either . Just not worth the risk.

The guys that host smokless matches are for the most part hosting a match for their own rifles. They have either built the guns or sold parts to have the guns built.(for the most part) It is pretty much is a select group of people that know what they are doing.

I can not say enough good about the NMLRA. I appreciate everything they are doing and have done. Sometimes there may be a little bickering but what organization doesnt have that ? If you add any kind of competition there will ALWAYS be complainers . Even though I do not compete with a traditional style rifle(YET !) I very much enjoy reading about them. I only wish i would of known about the NMLRA years ago.


You hit the nail on the head. Screwing up the load with black powder or a BP substitute is one thing and screwing up a load with smokeless is a whole other thing.

For instance, look at the loading data for Unique powder loaded in the .44 Remington Magnum pistol cartridge:

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...owderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=3&cartridge=33

44 Rem. Magnum 225 gr cast SWC GC Speer 1.635 7.5 CCI 300 Unique 11 1,259 -
44 Rem. Magnum 240 gr cast LSWC Speer 1.605 7.5 CCI 300 Unique 7 899 -
44 Rem. Magnum 250 gr cast (Keith) Speer 1.71 7.5 CCI 300 Unique 11 1,211 -
44 Rem. Magnum 200 gr Speer Mag JHP Speer 1.59 8.3 CCI 300 Unique 12.4 1,399 -
44 Rem. Magnum 210 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.6 7.5 CCI 300 Unique 12.5 1,392 -
44 Rem. Magnum 240 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.575 8.3 CCI 300 Unique 10.3 1,175 -

The smallest charge given for any bullet is 7.5 grains and the largest charge is 12.5 grains. Not a whole lot of margin for error at these weights.
 
I agree with you. Screwing up a BP or sub load has less consequences than a mistake with smokeless. But this is my point - rather than treat it like bad voodoo, why not acknowledge that it's a potentially growing trend in the market and at least try to provide some education on it. Then you open up your organization to a completely new group of people. I'm sure someone is going to say that there's too much liability but if he willing to bet that if you plaster that section of your materials with disclaimers you could cover yourself.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make this just about smokeless. That's not my point. My point is that I feel like they're shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to promoting the sport of recruiting new members.

Look at it this way. I'm new. I just got a muzzleloader at cabelas. The guy there sold me a CVA wolf because I was just trying it out and didn't want to spend money. Then he sold me a box of pellets and pack of powerbelts. All seems pretty reasonable, right? Now imagine that there was a business card in the literature or a square on a page in the manual, or even a small square on the box that says "check out the NMLRA." Then I would know I could go check out this organization that would help me out. Sweet. But there 's not so I don't check it out. Instead I go to the range and the my gun doesn't shoot well. Hmmm. Either I throw it away out of frustration or I go to the google. I search "muzzleloader help" and "muzzleloader won't group". Th at might bring me to a place like this. But I checked and it's not going to take me to a place like the NMLRA for help.
So after all this I get my muzzleloader shooting well. I think hey, this is pretty fun. The bug sets in and I decide I want to really dive into this. So I jump back on the google and decide I want to join a club, maybe get a sticker to put on the back window of my truck. I search muzzleloader clubs. I search muzzleloader groups. Guess what doesn't come up? The NMLRA doesn't come up because I tried.
Now we'ok really stretch it out and say that I actually know about the NMLRA ( which I probably don't because I've only been at this for a year and there's no mention of it anywhere). But we'll say I do and so I google NMLRA. Alright. Found a website. Click on said website. They (people that research this stuff) say an initial impression is formed on a website in about 50 milliseconds, or the first image the brain processes. Furthermore they say you have 10 to maybe 15 seconds for someone to decide if they'll stay on a website. I'm 10-15 as once I can't find a single thing that applies to my modern gun and decide that the NMLRA is a group for those old reenactor guys and leave the page, forever writing the NMLRA off. And just like that there's another potential member gone.
Check it out if you don't believe me.
 
wll i'm going to say NMLRA is not about reenactors and never was. I do like part about information.
 
I'm not saying it is. But if I didn't know better and just saw the website for the first time, I could sure be lead to that conclusion real quick and wouldn't give them a second thought after I left the page.
 
I'm not saying it is. But if I didn't know better and just saw the website for the first time, I could sure be lead to that conclusion real quick and would give them a section one thought after I left the page.
Also some people have had or heard from people that have had bad experiance so judged it as whole , but I can not give you an answer other then going to the National Match to see for yourself. I do know that from nothing to 4 or more matches for Inlines is great progress . Like this sight dedicated to Inlines they are dedicated to all aspects as a whole . I'm just not educated enough to explain. I myself wish they had a section like this sight , even in the Magazine. Maybe that is why people such as yourself should become members. They are always looking for articles written by members to put in the magazine
 
I wish i could write better. I would send a letter to the editor. Myself inlines have given me the bug . I have all kinds of inlines which lead me to some traditional guns . Now I own several very nice BPCR rifles, a Gibbs and some very nice Hawkin style rifles. My point is the inlines in the NMLRA is what got me started with this addiction. When comes to inlines and the NMLRA we are considered the ( red headed step child !) But... I think ( at least some) are trying to change that.

Overall I have said this before the NMLRA is a very good thing. They do a lot of good for very little money . Lots and lots of volunteers. I for one very much appreciate all they do . Many things the NMLRA does are way beyond what goes on at Friendship.
 
I think for me to join there would have to be a big push for inlines. $50 is More than pocket change for some of us. Before I first got into muzzleloaders I thought they were nothing more than “old guns” that people only shot for comedic relief. Think Elmer Fudd hunting wascaly wabbits. Fortunately someone was there to help me out and I can now say I appreciate all types. It wasn’t until the last few years where I really started looking around that I began to appreciate the traditional and historical side. And while I’m gaining an interest in the traditional side, my primary focus is still inlines. Probably always will be.
I’m happy they are promoting inline matches but I guess I’m saying there’s so much more than matches. I bet more than 90% of the muzzleloading crowd will never make it to friendship or a match. I bet that they would still join if they felt there was reason to. Look at the website. All it really talks about is a list of matches coming up and rules for them. Nothing for beginners. Nothing for improving skills. Nothing about muzzleloaders themselves. My whole point in all this is that it seems like they’re missing a huge opportunity at making an actual national muzzloading rifle association instead of a national mostly traditional rifle competition association. NMTRCA is kinda long though.
 
I do know they changed their website last year and it has improved, but not where they want it.. I imagine it will always be changing & improving. You'll find beginner, improvements and muzzleloaders themselves in the Magazine.
You can actually get the digital membership for $35, it allows you to see every past issue (as they are being uploaded).

You might want to go back and read my 1st post on this topic, #4 in specific.
You mentioned your CVA Wolf - let me know what CVA says when you ask them why they are not promoting the NMLRA?
 
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