The upcoming blackpowder territorial shooting matches

This week sees two significant events happening in my normally rather mundane life; first, I’ll be six weeks after surgery on my left shoulder and beginning physical therapy to regain a full range of motion; and second, the 2025 Alaska Territorial Black Powder Shooting Match will be held at the Mat-Su Shooting Range in Palmer.

Let’s start with the second item first. The National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA) sponsors this multi-day event in any state that wants to participate every year and has done so for decades. A series of matches using many distinctive styles of rifles and smoothbores are shot and the scores from each of usually three or four matches are grouped together and totaled to see who won the match aggregate.

There are aggregates for percussion or cap lock rifles, flintlock rifles, inline rifles, benchrest rifles, military rifled muskets, smoothbore long gun, sighted smoothbore long guns, percussion revolvers (cap and ball), sidelock percussion pistols, flintlock pistols, blackpowder cartridge rifles, and anything else that is recognized as a legitimate blackpowder firearm by the NMLRA.

Over the years I have participated, I’ve fired almost all the types of firearms listed in their respective aggregate matches. Over that time, I’ve developed a few favorites which I try to use every year. However, with the ongoing aging process and various infirmities I’ve suffered along the way, I’ve been reducing the several types of guns I try to shoot each year.

I gave up on shooting the various handguns a long time ago because I’ve never been a great handgun target shot. I do okay with a handgun in the field but not so great on a paper target. I enjoy shooting with the two types of smoothbore long guns, but in recent years, I’ve only been participating with my sighted smoothbore gun. I also enjoy shooting my military rifled musket when I’m able (that means enough money for match fees and time for the many relays necessary to get all the matches fired).

I’ve also been working on “match” loads for the various long guns. I’m a hunter at heart so most of the loads I’ve been shooting are hunting loads. For the most part, these loads are overly powerful for target shooting. I’ve been working off and on over the years trying to develop lighter loads for the various guns, but I’m still a long way from being done with that aspect.

With my shoulder condition greatly restricting my offhand shooting ability, I’m down to only being able to shoot matches which allow benchrest shooting. For me, that means inline rifle and blackpowder cartridge rifle matches. As my shoulder heals and I regain motion, over the coming years I hope to start adding back some of the aggregates I’ve had to skip for lack of offhand shooting ability.

The Territorials will be held, as I mentioned before, at the Palmer shooting range, on the Glenn Hwy. south of Palmer. They will be held, I’m told, starting Wednesday, June 25, and will run through Sunday, June 29. The first day usually gets rolling around noon and the last day’s shooting is also done around noon. Shooting on the middle days gets going around 8 AM and wraps up by 5 PM. Final scoring and any match scoring protests, along with the match awards event happens Sunday afternoon.

Several of us shooters are NMLRA-certified Range Safety Officers (RSO’s) who serve to run the various matches in a safe and fair manner. Since I’m not yet “cleared” for competition by my surgeon, I won’t be shooting; however, I’ll be spending my time helping with scoring, timing various revolver matches and serving as an RSO to keep things moving along in a safe and timely manner.

I’ll also spend some time talking with the guys—getting caught up on life since I last saw some of the folks and just “hanging out” with a great group of guys and, hopefully, a lady or two. I’ve been shooting muzzleloaders for over sixty years and some of the best folks I have ever met have been through the blackpowder shooting sports.

If you get a chance, stop by the Palmer range and watch the doings. Shooting blackpowder is an addictive activity and you will soon either love or hate the process. Most people love it, I think, for the great people associated with the activity as much as the actual shooting and history involved with the sport.

The shooters encourage questions and are happy to talk about the doings.