The upcoming Alaska Territorial Shoot

As I write this, I’m preparing to attend the 2024 Alaska Territorial Muzzleloading matches being held near Talkeetna. This shooting event is sponsored by the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA) and similar events are held nation-wide.

I’ve spent the day, so far, getting the small motorhome ready to drive up and stay in for the five-day duration of the shoot. Last year, I didn’t have the motorhome available, and I invested a lot of time and mileage (114 miles round trip) driving to attend the event.

I plugged in the unit to “shore power” yesterday to get the refrigerator running and cooled down to hold food and began loading the food today. I filled the freshwater holding tank and packed a small propane heater. I’ve been having problems with the heating ducts staying connected in the unit, and, until I can get back over to the motorhome repair shop, I’m reluctant to use the furnace. Given recent daily temperatures, overnight heat probably won’t be a concern!

Clothes are next, then shooting gear and firearms. I’ll probably only take three firearms to shoot three respective aggregates this year. For some unexplainable reason, I really enjoy shooting the sighted smoothbore aggregate. It might be that not many other shooters enter these series of four matches because they don’t have a qualifying firearm, so the competition is more relaxed. Whatever the reason, I enjoy shooting that gun.

My second aggregate will be the blackpowder cartridge rifle series. I use an Italian made Winchester High Wall clone chambered in 38-55 caliber with a period correct scope. I did my best shooting in that aggregate in 2021, when I set a state record score on the standing bear target in one of the four matches. The record still stands, but you know what they say about records – they’re made to be broken. I fully expect somebody will one of these years, but for the moment, I have the bragging rights.

My third and probably final aggregate will be shot using a modern-style inline muzzleloader with a modern scope. This is a relatively recent addition to the Territorial Match line up. There are a lot of blackpowder shooters whose only interest is in hunting, and they prefer to use muzzleloaders like their modern styled rifles. By establishing this aggregate, the hope was to attract these shooters using non-traditional muzzleloaders into the target shooting aspects of the blackpowder shooting sports.

I get to brag one more time here. I received a package in the mail the other day addressed to me. My wife is the one who usually gets all the packages, so I was surprised to see it. It felt like a paperback book and was from the NMLRA. After I opened it, much to my surprise, I found a small presentation plaque stating that I had scored second place in the inline rifle aggregate nationally for the 2023 series of Territorial Matches. The plaque referenced being a “Top Gun.” I was surprised at this unexpected recognition. Again, this is another aggregate that doesn’t attract a lot of shooters, at least yet.

I’m making sure to pack my Thermacell mosquito repellant units and plenty of refills. The bugs can be quite irritating where we shoot and, especially, where the motorhomes are parked. I also recently got a new pair of boots which I have yet to wear. I’ll probably bring them along to begin breaking in with all the walking back and forth to post and return targets to the scorer’s table.

I enjoy the comradery of shooting with other likeminded folks with similar interests. I also enjoy seeing the many other firearm types the other shooters use. I was originally attracted to the blackpowder shooting sports to take advantage of newly established hunting seasons. Only traditionally styled firearms were available in those days, so that’s what I started with, and which is still my first choice when shooting blackpowder.

I got my inline so I would be familiar with that style firearm when I was certified to teach the muzzleloading hunter education course. Almost nobody shoots a traditional rifle in these courses anymore and the state-provided rifles are all inlines as well. It’s always a good idea to know what you’re dealing with when teaching a course.

As usual, I haven’t gotten a chance to do any shooting this year, so my practice will be the actual matches themselves. It seems I always manage to get in this situation. Oh well, maybe next year.