Another Muzzle Loading "Club"

Dave951

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I saw the post regarding the Long Rifles, and it's great to see that muzzle loading seems to be growing aside from the modern stuff.

I'm a member of the North South Skirmish Association. We're a competition group comprised of teams. Each team represents a unit from the Civil War and wears a uniform consistent with that unit. At Nationals (we have a permanent range) in Winchester VA, each team puts an 8 man squad on the firing line for small arms competition. We compete with muskets, smoothbores, pistols, repeaters (Henry and Spencer), carbines, and artillery (howitzers, guns, and mortars). Many competitors shoot originals but repros are also commonly found on the line.

Course of fire for most events involve breakable target arrays. There's not arguing here, you either break it or not to count. Events are timed, all shooting is offhand, clock's running, fastest time wins, commence firing, no pressure:cool:. The main event is the musket match where the first part of the 5 relays is the pigeon board. 32 clay pigeons are mounted on a board at 50yds. The teams start firing on their respective boards, only broken birds count, fastest time wins. This is some challenging shooting, a clay presents a target aspect of about 5moa. Shooting offhand with iron sights, can you hold 5in at 100 offhand with clock pressure?

Ft Shennandoah is our permanent range in VA and is open to members. There's pretty much a Skirmish there twice a month for most of the year, but regional ranges host matches as well throughout the year. There are 3 teams nominally based in the NC/SC area and there is one range in Statesville and the range most accessible from eastern NC is in Capron VA.

We're on FaceBook, YouTube and have our own forum-

N-SSA.net

and website-

N-SSA.org

Come on out! We welcome visitors and spectators.
 
Dave951;n46154 said:
I saw the post regarding the Long Rifles, and it's great to see that muzzle loading seems to be growing aside from the modern stuff.

I'm a member of the North South Skirmish Association. We're a competition group comprised of teams. Each team represents a unit from the Civil War and wears a uniform consistent with that unit. At Nationals (we have a permanent range) in Winchester VA, each team puts an 8 man squad on the firing line for small arms competition. We compete with muskets, smoothbores, pistols, repeaters (Henry and Spencer), carbines, and artillery (howitzers, guns, and mortars). Many competitors shoot originals but repros are also commonly found on the line.

Course of fire for most events involve breakable target arrays. There's not arguing here, you either break it or not to count. Events are timed, all shooting is offhand, clock's running, fastest time wins, commence firing, no pressure:cool:. The main event is the musket match where the first part of the 5 relays is the pigeon board. 32 clay pigeons are mounted on a board at 50yds. The teams start firing on their respective boards, only broken birds count, fastest time wins. This is some challenging shooting, a clay presents a target aspect of about 5moa. Shooting offhand with iron sights, can you hold 5in at 100 offhand with clock pressure?

Ft Shennandoah is our permanent range in VA and is open to members. There's pretty much a Skirmish there twice a month for most of the year, but regional ranges host matches as well throughout the year. There are 3 teams nominally based in the NC/SC area and there is one range in Statesville and the range most accessible from eastern NC is in Capron VA.

We're on FaceBook, YouTube and have our own forum-

N-SSA.net

and website-

N-SSA.org

Come on out! We welcome visitors and spectators.

Sounds awesome. I've worked in Winchester many times. What carbines are welcome. Colt roots?
 
In carbines, from my limited knowledge, you'll see musketoons, Burnsides, Smiths, Sharps, Merrills, Stars, Maynards, and probably others. There is a list on the website of arms approved by the SAC (our arms committee). From what I know, to be approved, an arm must have been demonstrably issued to a unit in a quanitity over 100 guns. I might be wrong on that. The only one I think they don't like is that Colt revovler carbine and that's from a safety perspective.

On my team, there is usually on the line 1 Musketoon, 1 Maynard, 1 Sharps and 5 Smiths.
 
Dave951 said:
In carbines, from my limited knowledge, you'll see musketoons, Burnsides, Smiths, Sharps, Merrills, Stars, Maynards, and probably others. There is a list on the website of arms approved by the SAC (our arms committee). From what I know, to be approved, an arm must have been demonstrably issued to a unit in a quanitity over 100 guns. I might be wrong on that. The only one I think they don't like is that Colt revovler carbine and that's from a safety perspective.

On my team, there is usually on the line 1 Musketoon, 1 Maynard, 1 Sharps and 5 Smiths.
That Colt revolver carbine is the Colt Roots carbine. Safety because of chain fires?
 
Pretty much from what I was told. A chain fire on a revolver is scary, but you don't have a hand out there in front of it supporting the barrel. Try that on that carbine and you'll see why the troops weren't really fond of it.
 
Dave951;n49313 said:
Pretty much from what I was told. A chain fire on a revolver is scary, but you don't have a hand out there in front of it supporting the barrel. Try that on that carbine and you'll see why the troops weren't really fond of it.

That's why Remington's 1866 had the trigger spur instead of a forearm. Chain fires are preventable. The Colt Roots carbine is a fine firearm. I wish they made a repo.
 
Dave, are there ever N-SSA shoots closer to Raleigh? Would be fun to drag @toddje along to baptize these rifle-muskets.

Pat Kelly has been on me to join up. The hard part is that in order to attend a shoot at the main site in Virginia would mean an overnighter, most likely. Perhaps we can turn it into a camping event as well.
 
The Nationals are held at Fort Shenandoah in Winchester, Va. twice a year, May and October. Regional skirmishes are held there throughout the summer.
There should be regionals closer. Look on the N-SSA website for regional schedules. Yes, you should plan a trip to the nationals, its very large, with great sutlers.
 
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