First Frontier Militia Shoot - PHOTOS

[xring2245]

     First Frontier Militia held their monthly shoot today.  It was damp and overcast, but the rain held off.  The dampness caused some problems on the line, but everyone was able to shoot without major issues.
     I shot with Dale Atkinson, rifle builder and shooter from Allentown, PA.  We shoot at the Guthsville Rod and Gun Club and make the shoots every month.  It's always a great time.
     The Aggregate is a lot of fun.  There are 12 shots at targets from 25 to 50 yards and consist of pine cones, tiles, steel targets and the holey disk.  It's not as easy as it sounds.
     There is a nice variety of paper targets for flintlock only, rifle, and smoothbore.  Every so often, there are pistol targets for those who like to shoot the belly busters.
     I'm trying to figure out how to post photos.  Hopefully the links below will work.
     I am sure Roger Fisher will respond and he can provide contact information and the other necessities for those who are interested in coming.

James Grimes


Ollie Solt, President of First Frontier Militia, 97 years old


Winners of Team Match


Jim letting one off


Some of the targets in the Aggregate Match


The firing line

[xring2245]

The image links worked in the original post.  Here are a few more.


Dale Atkinson contemplating his next shot


Dale Atkinson loading


Roger Fisher, Match Director, and Brooks, Target Supervisor (fancy title, heh?) in the target shack


Ken Milburn, Range Officer


Dale Atkinson in the act of shooting his new .36 Cal. rifle that he finished over the winter

[smylee grouch]

Thanks for the post, its nice to see other ranges and set ups. Dont look like there is too much of a wind problem and I like your loading stations.  Smylee

[xring2245]

     Here are some more photos from yesterday's shoot.  
     For anyone interested in shooting with the First Frontier Militia, shoots are held the second Sunday of every month from March through December at the Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club located at 525 CLUB RD. PALMERTON, PA 18071.


Ollie Solt, Club President, age 97


Mike Jarnutowski runs the ML shoots at Langhorne


Roger Fisher at the loading bench


A view from behind the loading line


What's more important than the privy?

[xring2245]

Here are the last three photos from yesterday's shoot.


Show and tell... this rifle will be on presentation at Dixon's Gunmakers Fair at the end of July


Two lefties on the firing line


Ken Milburn and Mike Jarnutowski

[Leatherbelly]

  Good pictures! Great to see how other shooters have fun. Funny, Roger! You are almost exactly as I pictured you in my (feeble) mind! Gosh, I wish I could join your ranks. This sport has to be the most fun one can have with your trousers on! Thanks for posting.

[Daryl]

Yes- good pictures, James - tks.  At least some of the folks in the warmer climates are out shooting.

I see a bit of a trail walk, where loading from the bag would be requisite. The 'benches' kinda take some of the 'flavour' away I think. Yes- they are dang handy at times and we are thinking of putting a 'work' bench at the start of our trail for repairs, etc.

[Roger Fisher]

First off our thanks to Jim G for the photos and great PR. Ol Jim shot also and we thank him for that also.

Some few of you might consider yourself too old to stay involved when you get over the hump.  Have a look at good ol Ollie Solt still shooting at the young age of 97.  And we have no safety problems with him (we have a guy or 3 keeping an eye on him. Now if we can get him to dry the breech prior to loading his first charge

Those 3 ol geezers lined up bragging about the target we shot in our team match did win that match at 25 yds with a 10 on the crow a 9 on the bull and they made me shoot that invisable squirrel managed an x maybe it was good that is was near invisible. 

That tall bearded soul in the blue jacket was drafted quite a few yrs ago as our range officer (originally from Tennesee)  you will notice that he is eyeballing the line even when serving his own rifle.

We had 30 shooters this day paid meat prizes and prizes were fairly well spread thru the shooters.  Good time was had by all.  In my own case I was feeling poorly more dizzy than usual.  My "doctor' Arlene tells me after I explained the symtoms etc that it was a sugar 'drop.  pressure was 91 over 72 and pulse rate at 146 and that was after I crawled back to my 'cave' I swore that I would shoot if $#*! froze over.  The 3 lads sitting on the bench admiring a beautiful Vincent are all 3 builders and @!*% good ones. 

That left handed Gen Custer imitation in buckskins has been putting on shootsat Langhorne, Pa for 25 yrs and God bless him  We are heading there (hopefully) this coming Sunday 1 Hr and 35 minutes down the pike.

Daryl seems to think that RR tie bunker is the start of a W Walk actually it is the close part of our primative agg.  which changes every shoot.  pay down 3 places. You will notice the 6 x 6's laying just forward of the swingers.  This is to prevent lead coming back that 25 yds to the line.

We have been shooting here since 78 (1978 ) and hope to continue. Ifanyone would like to come in and shoot with us you can contact me via this post.  We love the game and welcome all comers (pole dancers come in free)

[Roger Fisher]

BTW: I did forget to mention good ol Fuzzy Johnson who is the actual butt kicker and shoot manager been with us forever and keeps us going.  Makes @!*% fine wine in addition to good Ol Ollie Solt who is our official wine maker.

P.S Also- That shot of me pouring powder to load shows me with a cigar butt shoved in my snoot.  Not so, it is actually a .45 caliber brass casing which serves me as a spout cover.  I don't know if I looked as bad as I felt that day.  Thats a good thing.

[Daryl]

Daryl seems to think that RR tie bunker is the start of a W Walk actually it is the close part of our primative agg.  which changes every shoot.  pay down 3 places. 

I was referring to the line of targets in the bush to the right of the 2 lefties (picture).

[Hank*in*WV]

Dale A has to have some of the most colorful patch material I've ever seen.

[Roger Fisher]

Dale A has to have some of the most colorful patch material I've ever seen.

Ol Dale stripped one of the fainting couches in one of the 6th street sporting houses in Allentown I do believe.  He uses a spray bottle on 'em.

[Roger Fisher]

Daryl seems to think that RR tie bunker is the start of a W Walk actually it is the close part of our primative agg.  which changes every shoot.  pay down 3 places. 

I was referring to the line of targets in the bush to the right of the 2 lefties (picture).

That line of targets are on the extreme right hand end of our 25 yd targets backers...

[Daryl]

OK- mighty fine shooting, by the way, Roger, mighty fine indeed. Perfectly centred on an invisible target- mightly fine. Perhaps the old cateracts weren't too bad, that day. By the looks of it, that's a FINE team to be on.

[xring2245]

Dale A has to have some of the most colorful patch material I've ever seen.

That stuff is $20.00 a yard.  Expensive stuff to feed a muzzleloader.  It does work for him though.  He's hooked on it.

James

[bgf]

P.S Also- That shot of me pouring powder to load shows me with a cigar butt shoved in my snoot.  Not so, it is actually a .45 caliber brass casing which serves me as a spout cover.  I don't know if I looked as bad as I felt that day.  Thats a good thing.

Too bad, I had imagined you were mumbling, "I love it when a plan comes together".  Assumed it wasn't lighted, of course, BP and all . 

[xring2245]

Roger said, "I did forget to mention good ol Fuzzy Johnson who is the actual butt kicker and shoot manager been with us forever and keeps us going.  Makes @!*% fine wine in addition to good Ol Ollie Solt who is our official wine maker."

Well, here is a photo of Fuzzy.  Now we can put a face to the name...

[Daryl]

It does look like Ken needs to relax a little bit - or perhaps just hamming it up for the picture. Tht is, unless he was seeing something amiss, lke Roger doing something dangerous, which is highly unlikely.

[hanshi]

Great photos.  But GOOD LORD!  I haven't seen that much gray since that Kingston Trio concert!

[dannybb55]

They sure favor some long lean rifles.

[Frank Barker]

This sure brings back lots of good memories. There may be some grey hair here, but under it there are years of muzzle loading wisdom. I always liked to hang around with the old guys because they knew how to shoot.