NC State Muzzleloading Rifle Association - Sept 23-25

[bones92]

Anyone here going to the NCSMLRA state championship this year?  It will be held at Lafayette Longrifles, near Fuquay Varina.

I am planning to take that Friday off and head over for my first competitive shoot.  Would be great to meet any fellow ALR members...

http://ncflintlock.wix.com/llr#!

[Robin Henderson]

Nope, I'll be at the Alabama state shoot at Brierfield Ironworks State Park.

Good shooting to you, however.

[bones92]

Well, I went yesterday and shot the Cornell Kemper flintlock.  It shoots very well, though I wrestled with misfires due to fouling obstructing the vent.  I was swabbing between each shot, but it kept misfiring and I suspected that I was pushing fouling down and blocking the vent. So I began reloading without swabbing and that seemed to help a lot. I also figured out that if the rifle is going to sit for 10 minutes or more it is a good idea to swab the bore because the next round will be very hard to load due to fouling.

The front sight had a bit of a glare which made it difficult to align the sights well at 50 and 100 yards. I was able to shoot several good shots at a hundred yards but fouling and misfires prevented me from getting off the last two shots in time.

So I probably won't be very competitive, however it was a tremendous learning experience. It was somewhat humid which kept a lot of the members from shooting flintlocks, and they opted for percussion instead.

My cheek is a bit swollen today, which reinforces my preference for a lot of drop at the comb.

[bones92]

My son also enjoyed the day... he loves the period camping tents and equipment that many participants had set up.

Note the shooting box (by our very own spiderman852), and the pulled PRB still stuck to the rod (a fitting image of how the day went).

Later in the day, a member of the club suggested putting a pick or feather into the vent hole before loading.   Will a pick or feather form a vacant "tube" in the packed powder after the loading process?

[nosrettap1958]

I never heard that or seen it done, but I usually pick the vent prior to shooting. Were you able to score your target or did you time out?

Great pic of your son Bones, he looks like a future champ!!!

[bones92]

It was a bit of a calamity.  I had 5 for 5 at 25 yards, a couple double shots at 50 yards (not sure if I shot them during practice or someone else), and I could only get off 3 out of 5 shots at 100 yards due to misfires, all 3 in the black.   30 minute relays, but that time can fly by when you're trying to work through misfires and pulling the ball.

I do think that once I can get this Kemper flintlock firing consistently, and the front sight blade darkened, I can be at least halfway competitive with it.

The humidity was pretty bad, which certainly didn't help, either.

[nosrettap1958]

How about your other rifles? Or do you want to stick with the one you have pictured.  

I competed with my Hatfield rifle for years and had lots of trouble with her. I wish I had purchased and used my custom rifle that I have now built by Nate McKenzie because the lock and triggers (RE Davis) is far more consistent and a lot better quality. Using his rifle I might have even qualified for the team. I live to far and I am a little to immobile to compete now.  Live and learn.

[bones92]

I think this Cornell Kemper flinter will be just fine for competition, if I just prepare properly.  I think my patches were a bit dry, and had I sprayed them with some Lehigh Valley Lube it might have reduced the fouling.   Also, letting the rifle sit without wiping the bore during the breaks between relays was a big mistake.

The Russ Hamm lock did well.  I can't recall any time it did not set off the primer, even though the primer did not always set off the main charge.

[nosrettap1958]

Competition is the only way to determine the worth of a good rifle in my opinion because its the ultimate stress on the equipment. Plenty of bad rifles fall by the wayside but the good ones keep on going. Hunting, you site in , possibly practice then a few shots in a year. Maybe at best a hundred rounds a year possibly. Competition you're shooting that any given month and that places a lot of wear and tear on not only your rifle but on your loading equipment as well.

At the time I'll have to admit it was stressful because I wanted to win. The highest I ever scored was third place in the aggregate but I cherished that third place and walked around like I owned the place.

Looking back on it though it was a lot of fun.  

[bones92]

I don't know if my busy schedule will allow for a lot of competitive ML shooting anytime soon, but as my son gets older, I can see spending more time burning BP at the range.  I want to get him a light, short .32 rifle that he can shoot without getting beat up.  Like a CVA or Traditions...

[nosrettap1958]

Time, we never seem to have enough of it.