AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: hortonstn on May 31, 2013, 03:20:30 AM
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any body going to friendship? ive been in sept what should I expect?
paul
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I work the Running Boar range. I hope to see you shooting there! That goes for everybody at ALR who will be there.
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I am planning on going there Saturday the 8th. Never been to Friendship before. I just started shooting muzzleloaders two years ago (other than for hunting). I think I will be a spectator and visit the vendors this trip.
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Friendship in June is identical to Friendship in September.
Always hot and now primarily a gathering from Ohio,Indiana,
Illinois,Michigan. I remember when it was much better and
bigger.
Bob Roller
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Need to include Texas, Penn, KY, Georgia, Alabama,Colo, Calif, Missouri,AZ,AL and others I,m not remembering now.
Still the best place to shoot everything that loads from the muzzle in the world! And lasts for 8 days! Novice to expert there is something for you to shoot.
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I am going up next week for a couple days.
Is there a seperate vender area...
Are motel rooms hard to find.
I will be taking a tent and hammock so is there places to camp.
Having not been there before is friendship a large town or can one find their way around pretty good. I have a heart problem so need to park as close as I can to vendor area.
Hopefuly I will be riding my motorcycle so maybe parking might be not so bad.
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I am going up next week for a couple days.
Is there a seperate vender area...
Are motel rooms hard to find.
I will be taking a tent and hammock so is there places to camp.
Having not been there before is friendship a large town or can one find their way around pretty good. I have a heart problem so need to park as close as I can to vendor area.
Hopefuly I will be riding my motorcycle so maybe parking might be not so bad.
Someone have to agree with Bob. I think the circle of participants might be slightly larger than he's thanking although with gas prices what they are. It does seem to shrink, but don't let that affect you. Come on down have a good time stop by 34 rowdy Row at place, we affectionately call the flats and we will have a good time. If there's nobody home there come down by the chunk gun range and see if you can find us. Just be sure to get around and talk to everybody you can.
To answer your questions iloco the vendor area is right at the range. The nearest motel is probably 20 to 25 min. away. However, that tent & hammock may come in handy. There's lots of places to camp. Friendship is a very small town. My guess is the population is less than 200 in the town proper. If you will come through the town of friendship when you see the main range, there will be a parking area immediately off to your left and then shortly thereafter, another one off to your right, both of which are very short walk to both the shooting and vendors. There are two flea markets running during the shoot either one of which would prove to be somewhat of a walk but at any rate come down and enjoy yourself.
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just a thought, it seems it likes to rain everytime i look at a tent
paul
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Are motel rooms hard to find.
Rooms are generally booked in advance and finding one is not guaranteed. Depends on "when" you go.
I will be taking a tent and hammock so is there places to camp.
Are you a member of the NMLRA? This determines your options. I may be mistaken, but I think you have to be a member to camp on the grounds. Again, campsites are reserved in advance, but probably enough left to get one. Once you pay for your campsite, you will get a badge allowing access to the grounds. This would allow you to enter the main area with your cycle and park close for free. There is a mess hall with daily specials or fast food. Other places to eat are 20-30 minutes away.
If you are not a member, then you will have to depend on private campgrounds and parking, daily access fees, etc.
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I am not a member. This will be my first year at friendship.
Will see what takes place when I get there.
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Expect to have fun! Lots of shooting, lots of vendors, gun making, primitive crafts and supplies. And more shooting. I'll be there all week on the offhand range. Straw hat and a flintlock. ;D
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The first half of the week will be the busiest. Monday evening is called "Shooter's night". Vendors will be open after supper till 9 or 10 or so. The theory is that shooters can shop without taking their range time to do it. Some vendors will be packing up by the middle of the week.
Everything seems to be going on at once. You can shoot about anything at about any time. The only exception to this is that I don't think they can run the woods walk and the running boar at the same time.
As you come in, the primitive shooting is across the creek to the south. The paper matches will be in front of the club house and vendors. Shooter registration and target sales are in the club house. Powder is sold on the primitive side up behind the administration offices. I don't remember if you must be a member to buy powder.
Hope you all have a good time. I'll be there from Friday to Wednesday pm.
Regards,
Pletch
PS TrentOH, I'll try to look you up.
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Yes, you have to be a member to buy powder. I will be there Wed. thru Sunday on the pistol line. I will have
time to kill. Wife is going to do all the shooting. I'm not walking too good right now. I'm the one with the
blond with the kinky hair.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi119.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fo127%2Fprizzel%2F0033-1.jpg&hash=d8b077c5f629cf26cd82d1357abdd8df8c90eee1) (http://s119.photobucket.com/user/prizzel/media/0033-1.jpg.html)
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ALL BOB WAS PIONTING OUT WAS THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE SHOWING UP.YES SOME COME FROM EVERYWHER.GOOD LUCK ON A MOTEL FRIDAY SAT OR SUNDAY FOR A LONG WAY WAY OUT
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Madison which is about 25 miles south is a good place.
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What I am pointing out is the fact the NMLRA has about 10,000 fewer members
than it did in 1989. Motels are no problem,Lawrenceburg which is closer than Madison
has an abundence of them.I remember seing cars for far Western States and Canadian Provinces
but the loss of people and high gas prices are what they are.
Bob Roller
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The HUGE problem with Friendship is the distance! If it was 3-4 hours away I'd LOVE to go, but ain't no way in #e!! I can go THAT far for ANYTHING! That would be further than Sturgis, and I ain't goin' there either!
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The Missus & I will be there Friday morning & probably stay through Tuesday. Wouldn't miss it for the world!
Hessian
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Make sure to bring your rain gear with you.It has stormed on the average of four days a week since the begining of Spring, many times for the whole 24 hrs here in Central Illinois.Many of the fields are in weeds and our gardens look like rice paddies.
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If I don't make it there this Saturday (June 8th) is there anything worth seeing say Wednesday or Thursday of next week? Will there still be vendors there? Black powder availability?
I still want to try and make it Saturday.
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Black powder will be available all week. Magazine open noon to 2:00 p.m. after the 1st Sun. Venders will begin leaving Tue. though some like Log Cabin and others are here all week.
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Just got back from Friendship - wow! Wished I had more money to take down there. I just got to the magazine in time to purchase some powder.
Didn't like all the flea market and yard sales strung out next to the shooting grounds - the traffic was really heavy. I realize though that the locals need to make money too. Friendship is really a place you need to arrive on a Thursday or early Friday and camp and plan on being there for at least three or four days. I don't know how long the flea markets last.
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I was there on Friday with a friend but most of the vendors were not there or just
getting set up when we left.That flea market came into being in 1969 and presnted problems
with thieves coming to the range and I recall one big van load of ladies of the evening coming
from Cincinatti to ply their "trades".The Indiana State Police arrested some of them and their customers
so that was taken care of.
The NMLRA has lost a huge number of members for whatever reasons and according to Muzzle Blasts
there are now fewer than 16,000 members and few new ones signing up.I saw a lot of Geezers like me,
old !@#$% in their seventies and beyond.
Bob Roller
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Definitely an older crowd. I sure hope the NMLRA can get more kids interested. Maybe appeal to the states 4-H clubs and boy scouts and girl scouts.
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My first time there I was a little disappointed. Not as many venders I had expected.
I did meet some nice people and had a good time. I was going to stay two nights but after getting there on friday afternoon and looking around I saw all that was to be. I left at 12.30 on saturday on my way back home after getting some much needed powder.
I was able to buy two Frank house knives. Not many knives of the type I was looking for there.
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It ain't what it used to be that's for sure.Declining membership,high fuel costs
and a weak,uncertain economy do not bode well for any hobby groups unless
they are those who can spend millions on a major classic car.
Bob Roller
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I was there on Friday with a friend but most of the vendors were not there or just
getting set up when we left.That flea market came into being in 1969 and presnted problems
with thieves coming to the range and I recall one big van load of ladies of the evening coming
from Cincinatti to ply their "trades".The Indiana State Police arrested some of them and their customers
so that was taken care of.
The NMLRA has lost a huge number of members for whatever reasons and according to Muzzle Blasts
there are now fewer than 16,000 members and few new ones signing up.I saw a lot of Geezers like me,
old !@#$% in their seventies and beyond.
Bob Roller
The first thing that comes to my mind is treating the entire west as a redheaded stepchild! They don't seem to grasp that this country goes coast to coast. That and the magazine has nothing to offer us out west. Just what do WE out west get for our money? Nothing as far as I, and many others can see.
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I don't expect the magazine to include much of us out west. Look at the state membership numbers. I would focus on those area also. We have a short history out here simply the Fur Trade era. Shortly after that the breech loader came west. Everyone I have dealt with at the NMLRA have treated me great. That includes all those I deal with here and the cottage vendors. I will make it to Friendship as soon as I retire. I'll also not miss another Dixon's Gun Fair. Bob
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Has this lack of interest in the Western part of the country been brought forth
to anyone who might be able to do something. I heard at one time that the
buckskinners got mad about something and quit the NMLRA enmasse. Does
anyone know what really happened. I can remember when the primitive camps
were loaded and I remember some of the best meals I ever ate were on that
side of the creekThe NMLRA must be remade into an atrractive idea for the younger shooters
because they ARE the future of ANY organization. I have heard more than once that the only
thing "National" about the NMLRA was the Muzzle Blasts magazine so maybe if more westerners
would be willing to submit articles that would get it out of the 18th century and into the 19th
which was the first focus of E.M.Farris,Bill Large,C.R.Ramsey and the others that ponied up 50 cwnts each in 1933
and got the whole thing going.
Bob Roller
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I attended Saturday. Was it perfect? Nope! But it is a gathering of like minded individuals. And most had the same color hair as mine (gray). But I did spend some time watching a couple young men (late teens) shoot at the offhand range which was great. As far as vendors, I heard what booths cost and am not suprised that more don't set up there anymore (I remember when they were full). Seems if they were to make the price less to rent space more would try to ply thier treasures or wares. The thinking of charging more for space because there is less vendors seems counterproductive but there are things going on that I am not aware of behind the sences.
I probably should just be quiet about this issue.
Iloco, these gatherings were originated as the Spring and Fall SHOOTS. They evolved into a shopping venue. I enjoy the shopping aspect, because I can always find something I need.I go more to see the craftmanship and to replenish any supplies I may be low on, and to talk with old and new friends.
As far as western
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Bob...........I first went to Friendship in 1977, the year we got into the barrel business. I did it twice each year for a week at
time, spring and fall shoots. Did a lot of business there, but the greatest things I got out of these shoots was the number of
friends I made, many of them are now gone. The drop in membership kind of follows the tremd of many organizations. Even
our Masonic Lodge keeps keeps going down. If I was still shooting, it would be a fun place to go for a week, if you had a good
campsite. Like you Bob, I sure had a lot of fun doing it...............Don
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I got back yesterday after camping Friday and Saturday night. I attempted to shoot chunk and had a good time on the woodswalk on Saturday. I've gone to F'ship for several years, but never camped or shot. I found it was much more fun camping and shooting, even though I should have camped another night or two, so that I was in better shape to do more matches and/or be better at the ones I did -- it takes some time to adjust to sleeping on a rock, even with an air matress :). The campsites seemed pretty full on Saturday.
The elephant in the room is the demographic, but I actually saw some signs of hope. Yes, the average age is high, but there were several young families with two or three kids each in the campsites around us and the woodswalk seemed to attract a little younger crowd (which makes some sense). The shooting lines seemed a bit sparse compared to what I've observed in the past, but it could just be the schedule I was on. My observation firsthand and from talking to other people in the "less than 65" group is that you need to know/go with someone older several times to get full benefit of friendliness from many participants and most vendors (they are the worst for it, with several notable exceptions) -- my impression is that everyone under 60 is treated like a criminal until proven innocent or vouched for; maybe they do spend money on feeding and clothing their children rather than at your booth; if you treat them as cheap or shifty, they won't be back when they have money and time for what you are selling. My suggestion for that is for everyone to take a little time to guide the "youngsters" and try to make them feel welcome, not to treat them like they are breaking into some kind of exclusive club and soiling the carpet... Risky, yes, but I know that if I had not had the guidance of several F'ship experts, I likely wouldn't have even considered going back a second time. It simply isn't worth the hassle to go and buy stuff you can (for the most part) find on the internet, it needs to be an experience and learning opportunity, esp. for those of us with the most to learn...
PS. Totally unrelated. L&R has gone to forged springs on new production and the locks they had in their booth are looking a lot better than a few years ago -- seems like they are addressing past issues in an honest manner.
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Yea,verily,bgf speaks the truth and speaks it well.
The comment about L&R is a truthful one as well.
They are trying their best within the limits of whatever
foundries they deal with to upgrade their products.
Also,sometime ago I ordered some parts from them,sent a check and that was that or so I thought.
Bill Cox sent me a $14 refund check about 3 months later and I called and asked him what was that for.
He said he was going over his paper work and found he had made a math error on my order and the check
was a refund.They are trying to address past problems and I for one wish them every success in this endeavour.
I use their external parts for the Ashmore,Manton and Egg locks and the quality of the parts I get is excellent
and I don't hesitate to tell anyone what I use. Bill Cox and I have a good arrangement,mutually beneficial and
I hope to use it for a long time.
Bob Roller
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I used to go years ago when I was younger and had more time. Its been about 30 years since I've been. My youngest daughter has a fancy for gun and bow shooting. I told her last winter that we should run down during the spring shoot because she would get a kick out of it. So we're going Wednesday.
From my recollection, there also used to be primitives/reinactors across the road from the range behind the parking lot. Is this still there? I remember seeing tipis set up back there. Is this area open to the public or do you have to bee NMLRA members to get in?
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If you're not a member, you will have to pay a daily admission fee.
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BJF is spot on about needing someone one whos been there done that! I went alone 3 years ago...
Never got that warm fuzzy feeling while there...No problem with vendors it was more the shooting end of things.
Glad I went once but never again!...I'll save my nickels for the cla show in Lexington.
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Has this lack of interest in the Western part of the country been brought forth
to anyone who might be able to do something. I heard at one time that the
buckskinners got mad about something and quit the NMLRA enmasse. Does
anyone know what really happened. I can remember when the primitive camps
were loaded and I remember some of the best meals I ever ate were on that
side of the creekThe NMLRA must be remade into an atrractive idea for the younger shooters
because they ARE the future of ANY organization. I have heard more than once that the only
thing "National" about the NMLRA was the Muzzle Blasts magazine so maybe if more westerners
would be willing to submit articles that would get it out of the 18th century and into the 19th
which was the first focus of E.M.Farris,Bill Large,C.R.Ramsey and the others that ponied up 50 cwnts each in 1933
and got the whole thing going.
Bob Roller
I always thought or heard it was the in-lines that wanted a part of the NMLRA and the traditionalist wanted to keep them out.
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I don't know about any "Modernist/Traditionalist conflict but I remember
one former NMLRA president saying that "If it loads from the muzzle,we represent it".
We need ALL the help we can get.I'm a traditionalist but won't condemn a newby on
his/her choice of guns.
Bob Roller
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I thought that a state out west was in an argument over their ‘muzzleloading' season. The in-lines wanted in but some traditionalists were saying that it was a ‘Primitive’ muzzleloading season and in-lines weren’t welcome. Idaho maybe? I remember one game official saying that the animal “still lives in the stone-age and has little chance of getting out of it” and voted overwhelmingly to keep the in-lines out of the season. I think that the NMLRA took the in-lines side in this argument @#$$%&* some traditionalist off over their stance.