We just concluded our last instruction session at Camp Raven Knob yesterday. We had 9 Scouts and after a short history lesson and safety brief, we spent the rest of the day shooting. As always, we started out with the patch round ball guns but quickly moved over to Civil War muskets and minie balls. Targets were a progression from easy to much more challenging. The first targets were plain paper plates and we were looking at shooter form and technique to start honing their offhand shooting. By the end of the day, every one of those kids were quite capable of hitting a "mustard pack" (nicknamed Col Mustard) at 25yds offhand with an iron sighted musket. Ever see an apple get blasted with a minie ball? It's impressive.
Next on our agenda through the winter months is to setup a system to get adults trained and certified. We're going to codify what we've done so anybody can replicate it at another camp. To get certified in any firearm, you first have to take the basic course. In muzzleloading it's particularly challenging because it's not just rifles, but rifle, pistol, shotgun and covers everything from matchlocks all the way through Civil War style muskets and small arms. If you've never done much with those guns, it's a lot of information to assimilate. Then there is the actual instructor level course. After shooting a qualification component, the course material is on how to instruct. We plan to hold the first course Oct 9 at Camp Raven Knob. Anyone who's interested in helping is welcome. I'll say it again, we wouldn't be able to do this without the generous support from Schutzen Powder, Lodgewood, S&S, and other individuals interested in seeing kids get a safe and fun education in shooting muzzleloaders.
I got a few pix from this last session as my photographer is out of action for a while. So here we go.
One of the racks of the guns we had the kids shooting. A couple of these were for teaching purposes only.
Pathfinder conducting the flintlock part of our history lessons. The kids are really interested in how a little chunk of rock can make a gun shoot.
And the popular Volley Fire finale...
READY!!!
AIM!!!
FIRE!!!
And a group shot of the kids with the volley fire results. Accuracy wasn't on the agenda here, just lots and lots of holes in the target.
Next on our agenda through the winter months is to setup a system to get adults trained and certified. We're going to codify what we've done so anybody can replicate it at another camp. To get certified in any firearm, you first have to take the basic course. In muzzleloading it's particularly challenging because it's not just rifles, but rifle, pistol, shotgun and covers everything from matchlocks all the way through Civil War style muskets and small arms. If you've never done much with those guns, it's a lot of information to assimilate. Then there is the actual instructor level course. After shooting a qualification component, the course material is on how to instruct. We plan to hold the first course Oct 9 at Camp Raven Knob. Anyone who's interested in helping is welcome. I'll say it again, we wouldn't be able to do this without the generous support from Schutzen Powder, Lodgewood, S&S, and other individuals interested in seeing kids get a safe and fun education in shooting muzzleloaders.
I got a few pix from this last session as my photographer is out of action for a while. So here we go.
One of the racks of the guns we had the kids shooting. A couple of these were for teaching purposes only.
Pathfinder conducting the flintlock part of our history lessons. The kids are really interested in how a little chunk of rock can make a gun shoot.
And the popular Volley Fire finale...
READY!!!
AIM!!!
FIRE!!!
And a group shot of the kids with the volley fire results. Accuracy wasn't on the agenda here, just lots and lots of holes in the target.
