Unique shoot worth the wait

I finally got to do something I’ve been meaning to do for about a year or so. Time constraints because of other commitments and the often poor winter driving conditions (plus being a 50-mile roundtrip from my house) had kept me away. But, on Tuesday evening of last week, I made the effort and was able to enjoy a pleasant few hours shooting my blackpowder handguns indoors at a regularly scheduled shoot.

The Matanuska Valley Sportsmen’s Noel B. Woods indoor shooting range, located on the Glenn Highway south of Palmer, is the site of a monthly blackpowder handgun competition from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The types of handguns used are: side-lock, single-shot percussion; side-lock, single-shot flintlock (these first two are commonly referred to as Kentucky-style pistols); and cap-and-ball revolver. A few in-line single-shot percussion target pistols are also used by a few of the competitors.

I happen to own a pistol representative of each type mentioned, except the target-style pistol. But, here’s the catch, I’ve never fired one of my two side-lock percussion pistols, nor have I fired my flintlock pistol. My revolver has only had maybe four or five cylinders worth (five shots per cylinder) ever fired through it. My one side-lock percussion, which has been fired, was last shot probably about 20 years ago.

I’m primarily a rifle shooter — with a little smoothbore musket mixed in — when I compete in blackpowder shooting matches. I got the pistols to compliment my outfit when shooting the rifle. My main competition rifle is .50 caliber and the complimentary pistol in that same caliber is the one last fired 20 years ago. I also have a .54 caliber flintlock rifle which has never been fired. I’m planning to use that gun in future flintlock rifle competition once I work up a good load and become more familiar with the flintlock (or flinchlock) firing system.

My other side-lock percussion and the flintlock pistol are both .54 caliber, with the flintlock complimenting the aforementioned rifle and the side-lock as my “finishing” pistol when hunting with my .54 caliber percussion hunting rifle. Obviously, I’ve never had to finish anything with the pistol since it was unfired until that Tuesday evening competition!

I arrived at the range, paid my shooting fees, and settled into a loading and shooting routine on the range. Loading the single-shot pistol is similar to loading a muzzleloading rifle, only with a shorter barrel! I use the same round balls, powder granulation, percussion caps, and patching material as my rifle. I had some load notes on the .50 caliber pistol, but still asked a couple of the regular competitors what they would suggest for a powder charge. I tried their suggestion and have now written a new note incorporating that suggestion. It worked as well as my old load and was lighter in recoil to boot. I asked for a suggested load for my .54 caliber pistol from these same shooters as well.

On my first 10-shot target with the .50 caliber at 25 yards, I kept all 10 shots in the scoring rings, with three shots in the black, one being an X. To my surprise, my second 10-shot target, using the .54 caliber percussion, again at 25 yards, was an even better score! By then, I had run out of time to shoot a third target. When the scores were tallied, I took fourth place in the percussion category out of nine shooters. I was pleased since I really hadn’t intended to compete that evening. I was hoping to just start developing a load and get the sights aligned properly. I still maintain it’s better to be lucky than good!

I’ve been shooting blackpowder muzzleloading firearms for the better part of 50 years and muzzleloaders are the friendliest, most helpful bunch of competitive shooters I have ever encountered, regardless of the importance of the match being shot! My two “mentors” with the load suggestions were Pat Reed, who took third place in the percussion category, and Mike Kelly, who took first in the revolver category and first in the “green bottle” shoot.

This particular evening, there were 12 competitors. At the risk of offending a couple of the guys, we were mostly the “gray hair” brigade. Mike Kelly’s oldest son, Shawn, was our sole “under 30” shooter. Shawn took first in the percussion category. A year or so ago, Shawn was the Junior National Champion in rifle competition at the home range of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association down in Friendship, Ind., so the kid knows how to shoot!

I brought my flintlock pistol but never took it out of the case. I had left my revolver home. I figured two or, at most, three pistols would be more than enough to have to clean when I finished shooting!

If you’re looking for something different to try or you have a blackpowder handgun but, like me, haven’t shot it very much, plan on coming out to the indoor range the evening of the second Tuesday of the month and try your hand. If you’re new to the sport, don’t be shy, the guys are more than willing to get you pointed in the right direction!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.