The best with blackpowder

Today we’re into day two of the annual four-day Alaska Territorial Blackpowder shooting match being held at the Upper Susitna Shooters Association range at Mile 94 of the Parks Highway. This match is sanctioned by the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and is where all the official Alaska blackpowder shooting records are set or broken.

The various categories in which matches are shot include flintlock, hunter, unlimited longhunter, primitive, pistol, revolver, bench rest, blackpowder cartridge, smoothbore, musket, and various iterations depending on the sights used and the weight of the firearm. There’s even an aggregate of four matches where a modern, in-line, scoped muzzleloading rifle, shooting saboted bullets and using 209 primers, is legal. Women and youth shoot in their own categories as well.

Another entire series of matches are designed for blackpowder shotguns but, to date, there hasn’t been enough interest to offer these matches during this shoot.

I’ve written about this match several times over the years to let folks know about the shooting and to offer the opportunity for interested spectators to come out and watch the activities. I’ve also done a little bragging about my occasional winning or placing in various matches. However, I didn’t always tell the factors resulting in some of my medal collecting at the time. I guess I should finally come clean!

For instance, one year I swept the gold medals in the four military rifled musket matches and the aggregate because I was the only shooter in that category. Another time, I actually placed third in a smoothbore match without even hitting the target once in 14 shots (at 100 yards), again because there were only three of us shooting that category. Several other medals I’ve won over the years were actual legitimate wins or places where I shot better than the other shooters competing — occasionally I do shoot well!

Last year, I set three state records in the newly revised blackpowder cartridge rifle matches and aggregate, and there were enough shooters and honest competition to make these records legitimate. This year, I’m expecting to be displaced from my record scores because a bunch of the regular blackpowder shooters have decided to come after my records!

Since I haven’t practiced with the long guns at all and haven’t even fired my blackpowder cartridge rifle since last year’s matches, I have no illusions about the future outcome of that competition. To be honest, I’m not real sure how much actual competition I’ll participate in. I’m starting to “feel my age” in my shoulders and, while not horrible, the recoil from thirty shots for record with my 45-70 blackpowder cartridge rifle might be more than I want to endure.

I plan to bring an assortment of my blackpowder firearms to the match and shoot, but a lot of my shooting will fall into the area of “practice” targets rather than actual shooting for competition. I really need to get in some time adjusting sights; testing various loads, including different weight bullets or balls and varying powder charges in a couple of my guns; and just getting some general practice time in.

If my one rifle is still sighted in after I knocked it over the other day, or if I can get it sighted back in, I plan to shoot the unlimited longhunter matches with something not commonly seen at these shoots. I’ll say no more now and save the “suspense” for the actual matches.

A tradition that has developed over the years at this match involves a Saturday evening barbeque for the shooters and their families. Calvin Pope and company started this get-together so the shooters could get to know each other a little better, have a nice meal, and tell stories of their various adventures and unbelievable shots. It’s a great evening of companionship among the guys and gals and is thoroughly enjoyed by all diners.

Calvin can cook a mean burger, the hot dogs are just right, and the side dishes from the ladies are incredible. For a couple of years after dinner, firing an old-style mortar cannon (made out of a modern gas cylinder) using bowling balls as the projectile was the evening’s entertainment. Watching the ball rise up until it was only a tiny speck in the sky, and then following its progress down to the ground was quite a spectacle. Stop by over the weekend to watch the matches if you can. You should enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of blackpowder shooting.