Attack of the Darksiders

Fiddler Green · June 21, 2009, 11:14:29 AM

When the CVSS gather, it's not uncommon that Springfield Slim and I are the only ones shooting real black powder. Yea, there are a few that fill their cases with the smokey, smokeless stuff, but, we're the only ones touching off charcoal based stuff.

So, when you're outnumbered, their two ways to go, you can hide in the corner or you can attack. We'll yesterday, we launched our two pronged attack. It was stage three and chemical shooters were still trying to figure out what we were supposed to have been shooting in the last stage; out came the muzzle stuffer! We had the element of surprise in our favor. We started pouring powder down the barrels of Slim's 50 Cal. Pistol and my .54 Cal. Plains rifle (Graf 2F to be exact) before they even noticed.

By the time the chemical shooters realized what was happening; it was too late. "At the sound of the beep, pick up the muzzle loading rifle, cock it and shoot the gong.

Then, pick up the pistol, and shoot the blue circle". You then moved on to the "regular guns".

"What? A muzzleloader?

I've never shot one before! "

The usual comments: "I've got one of those, never fired it though", "will it knock me on my ass?", "Will it shoot that far", "How much hold over will I need for that 40 yard gong?"

"Don't worry guys; I'm putting in a real light load".

I set the powder measure for the lightest load possible.

The first shooter missed the gong by 5 feet. "You're sights are way off!" said the angry shooter. He did hit with the pistol. The next 12 shooter all hit the gong. Sights must have corrected themselves when that first shooter dropped my rifle on the table! Note to self: bring something to break the fall! Also, stage the muzzleloaders at a table where you can access them as soon as the shots are fired. I had to wait until they dumped their 10 rifle rounds and shoot gun before the shooters move to a second station to shoot their pistols. That gave me little time to reload to muzzleloaders.

After the match was over (stage four was a "dump stage" so it went fast) several shooters took the chance to try it again; this time with a full load of BP. Most we're impressed with how nice it was to shoot. "It was really mild!", "I though it would have more kick" and "that's not bad at all" all the same comments you hear every time someone shoots one for the first time. Several people talked about brining out their "Wall hangers" to next weeks long range shoot. Their will be a muzzle loading class and it might have just gotten bigger.

Bruce

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · June 21, 2009, 11:30:08 AM

Maybe, sometime soon, you can add a bonus target for a knife or 'hawk.

Fiddler Green · June 21, 2009, 11:33:04 AM

Quote from: Sir Charles deMouton-Black on June 21, 2009, 11:30:08 AM
Maybe, sometime soon, you can add a bonus target for a knife or 'hawk.

I'll leave that up to you.

I'm just trying to get move converts to the dark side. (there really needs to be a smuged face emocon, huh?).

Bruce

Springfield Slim · June 21, 2009, 08:41:15 PM

I actually brought my wife and kids to that shoot yesterday. I had never shot that ML pistol or Hawken before, so I figured might as well do it at a match. The Hawken was actually my wife's. I had bought it for her a couple years ago and never fired it. When we were loading it I said to my wife" we're loading your rifle and my pistol for this match". She said "my rifle is over there in the rack". So I said" not the lever gun, this muzzle loader" . Why is that mine? 'cause I bought it for you. How come I have never seen it before? I showed it to you just last week and said it was yours. I don't remember that! Looks like my plan is working, guys, buy so many guns she don't know what is what. Much easier to sneak in new stuff that way!

Fiddler Green · June 21, 2009, 09:51:19 PM

Sorry you couldn't stick around, Slim. After the match was over, Cpt. Jim, Pokey Bob and a few others gave the Plains Rifle a try with a full load: They all liked it!

Bruce

Dr. Bob · June 22, 2009, 02:07:41 PM

Way to go guys!!!

Fiddler Green · June 25, 2009, 02:37:45 PM

Quote from: Dr. Bob on June 22, 2009, 02:07:41 PM
Way to go guys!!!

It ain't over yet!

I'm working on doing the same thing with the two other clubs I shoot with (I'm not counting the Santa Cruz Muzzleloaders and they ONLY shoot BP). I've got the stage designer for the Sunnyvale Regulators thinking about it.

Bruce

Dick Dastardly · June 30, 2009, 08:08:29 AM

Thank you Sir Green.

I forwarded your great idea to our match director at the Rock River Regulators. I think it has legs.

DD-DLoS

Fiddler Green · June 30, 2009, 11:26:08 AM

Quote from: Dick Dastardly on June 30, 2009, 08:08:29 AM
Thank you Sir Green.

I forwarded your great idea to our match director at the Rock River Regulators. I think it has legs.

DD-DLoS

I've got the Sunnyvale Regulators looking at it now too. They shoot at a very anti-BP range so it's not going to be without some issues but they liked the idea.

One thing to point out: I shot the match that we did this at and it was real tough to get everything set up for the next shooter. You'll want to have a stage where the shooter moves away from the ML so you can grab it and re-load it for the next shooter. Or, you'll run your ass off like I did.

Bruce