Crossing the Rubicon

[Eggman]

Some of those very interesting nostalgia posts in the forearmless Daisy string got me recollecting the events that led to my own entry into blackpowder and then skirmishing. Skipping past the BB gun and .410 and .22 phases, my blackpowder interest didn't begin until I was all grown up and was teaching high school in Minnesota. One day on a visit back in the hometown I happened to pick up a copy of my father's "True Magazine" and stumbled upon an article about cap and ball revolvers. Two things struck me: the absolute beauty of the guns (mostly the Colts) and the fact that they could be fired as cheaply or cheaper than a modern gun of equivilant caliber. I'd heard the shop teacher in the high school had some experience with black powder, and through him I ordered a Remington and a Replica Arms 1861 Navy from Gopher Supply inf Faribault. Naturally I elected to keep the Navy. Soon I was at a black powder shoot and at least the blackpowder part of the deal was sealed. I met Gene Wilson around '90 and soon made the leap into skirmishing, finally crossing the Rubicon.
I'm certain every skirmisher has a story like this. Are there lessons we can derive from our own experiences we can use to recruit new members?? In my case the road to skirmishing seemed quite long.
Later I became an adult education person for a community college in Iowa. So most of the new folks I started in the blackpowder hobby I recruited via adult ed classes I set up focused on obtaining and buliding muzzleloaders. Dixie Gun Works would give us 40% off on kits in those days.

[Maillemaker]

Myself, I've been a life-long shooter since I received my first firearm for Christmas at around 10 years old - a Ruger 10/22. I've hunted a bit, but mostly I have enjoyed target shooting.

About 10 years ago I saw some CVA "1851 Navy" "everything you need" blister packages for like $150 and I bought two of them, one for me and one for my father. I shot it a few times but found it messy and slow compared to cartridge shooting so I quit shooting it. My dad eventually gave me back the one I gave to him as he never shot it, either.

With the prices of ammunition getting so expensive, I had all but stopped shooting. It was not uncommon for me to spend $150 on ammunition just for an afternoon's worth of shooting, and it was hard to justify literally burning up $150 for an afternoon of entertainment just for myself when I have a wife and two kids. The cost of shooting is what drove me to start reloading for my .45.

I've always wanted an Enfield musket, and about a year and a half ago I finally bought one off of Gunbroker. Part of my motivation for going "back" to black-powder shooting was the fact that being so slow to shoot compared to modern firearms I could go and shoot all afternoon and have an enjoyable time even though I only fired a quarter of the shots I would shoot if I was shooting cartridge guns. 100 shots out of my musket is an afternoon of fun. 100 shots out of my .45 is maybe a half-an-hour.

Only after the fact did I start searching around on the web about black powder shooting and discovered the N-SSA.

I suspect most people these days get into shooting with modern, cartridge-shooting firearms. So I would think one easy way to "recruit" would be to print out flyers and put them up at shooting ranges, and ask to leave flyers on the counter at gun stores. Vista Print lets you make a free order for like 500 business cards - you could go get some N-SSA cards made up for free and ask to leave those on the counter at gun stores, also. But the biggest place you will find young people today is on the internet.

Steve

[Eggman]

Yeah I think you hit on exactly what our leader, Kommander Kowdoc does. He puts fliers out at the local gunshops, and once contacted invites them to a nearby skirmish, usually at Statesville. Iredell Blues membership has gone from three active to I believe around twenty-eight (hard to keep track) mostly from this method. It's helpful when the person talking to the new recruit has a personality which Kommander Kowdoc (and Mrs. Kowdoc) do.
I wonder if we could get the big outfits to provide N-SSA fliers with their ML sales. Or do we? Or maybe get the mfgs. to put a flier in the box with the gun.

[Maillemaker]

I wonder if we could get the big outfits to provide N-SSA fliers with their ML sales. Or do we? Or maybe get the mfgs. to put a flier in the box with the gun.

That's a cool idea. I know in the S&S Firearms catalog just about every other page has a blurb about either the N-SSA or the NRA. And the Pedersoli web site has a big "N-SSA Approved" stamp on its N-SSA approved arms.

Steve

[Phil Spaugy, 3475V]

When I was the National Recruting Offcer in the late 80's and early 90's we provided return mail cards to many of the suppliers of skirmish firearms, equipment and also to some of the major publishers of Civil War books. When the cards were mailed back to me I took the info off the returned cards and sent it to the regional commanders for their use. I know that our current recruting officer, Craig Stanley is in the process of revitializing this system and we should have these cards avaialble by the end of the year.

[Jim Barber]

At the Pleasant Hill Skirmish we put on last weekend, Greg Ogden (bless his heart) helpfully brought an arsenal of guns for the general public to try out. I have considered donning a disguise so that I might shoot his beautifully prepped, immaculately maintained weapons without ever having to clean them. As a teammate and a gentleman, he really should hand over that Henry. It would be a win-win for me.
Anyway, whilst lurking about and shirking my duties as a host of the skirmish, I noticed the mortars set up next to Greg's small arms demonstration area. Half joking, I commented to Jerry Smith that we ought to let interested members of the public torch off one of those things. What a rush THAT would be! He said something like, 'ya know, I don't think there's anything to prevent that happening. We'd have to charge a small fee for it-- the cost being what it is-- but that might just work.' Show the interested public all the ins and outs of it, let them get in there and do some sight adjustment... maybe not give them expensive friction primers, but let them touch off a fuse once they agree we're lined up. General Public Winner gets a prize, maybe. What a hoot! I doubt we'd acquire a slew of artilleryists (cannoneers? mortarmen?,) but I bet the experience would stick in potential members' minds! Where else would you stand even a remote chance of (legally) firing live artillery outside the US Army but the N-SSA?! I think it's worth checking the legalities and liabilities with the experts to set up something like this for any team that wants to participate. We're a hands-on group, and what is more hands-on than a flippin' mortar? Okay, a cannon. That's just as hands-on. But you get my drift...
My $.02
Jim B.

[Southron Sr.]

I have always thought that the National Recruiting Officer should ask Dixie Gun Works to include a page advertising the N-SSA in the back of their catalog.

Skirmishers already purchase a lot of guns and shooting supplies from DGW and the argument that IF a regular black powder shooter joins the N-SSA HE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BUY A LOT MORE STUFF FROM DGW.

[Muley Gil]

I was born at the end of the Davy Crockett craze and remember seeing the reruns at a very early age. I wanted a muzzleloader! Later, the Daniel Boone series came on the air and I really, really wanted a muzzleloader!! I was somewhat aware of the Civil War Centennial, but I only remember the Disney show on the Yankee thieves that stole a fine Confederate train. :D

1969 was a great year for me. I had been asking for a gun for several years and that year brought me a .22 Ithaca M49 single shot, the one that looked like a levergun, for my 15th birthday. I was also given my granddaddy's Stevens .22/.410 over/under that he bought at the beginning of WW II to keep the rabbits out of his garden.

I went to a gunshow at the American Legion hall in Damascus MD with my stepdad-to-be. One of his Legionaire friends was there in uniform, Buster Miller of the Washington Blue Rifles, and another WBR member, Frank Hayes. After lusting after the guns, Frank invited us to the Fall National. The only problem was he told us to go to GainesVILLE, Virginia, NOT Gainesboro, Virginia. My Pappy (as I called him when he and my mom married) had a travel trailer, so we loaded up the family-him and my mom, my grandmother, me, 8 year old brother, and the dog, in the station wagon and headed to Gainesville.

There weren't NOTHING connected to the War Between the States going on in Gainesville that weekend! I reminded Pappy that Frank had said something about the event being near Winchester and he turned to rig north. We got into Winchester at about dark and we had no clue as to where to find Fort Shenandoah. Then I spotted a pick-up towing a cannon and hollered, "Follow that cannon!" We did and found the Fort and Blues campsite.

The next day I was wandering thru Sutler's Row, drooling near (not on) muzzleloaders. I spotted a Zouave Hunter, the halfstock carbine based on the Zouave rifle, for $90. Of course, I had a grand total of $10, so I went and found Pappy and did some begging. He in turn found Buster Miller and we showed him the gun. He said no, let's look at some others. After he examined a few Zoli Zouave rifles, Buster picked out one and said, "Get this one". My Pappy paid for it and I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

I did spend my money on a kepi and later that fall we went to Buster's home and I got to shoot it for the first time. Buster told me to kneal as he loaded the rifle and when I shot it, it knocked me back on my butt and that kepi turned sideways! He and Pappy laughed and told me that he had added a little "extra' powder to the load. I just grinned and waited for a more "standard" load. Buster taught me how to load it and I was on my way. The next year, Pappy and I joined the WBR and I've owned at least one muzzleloader ever since. He and I moved on later and became charter members of the 12th US Regulars.

I went off to college down at Auburn University and there wasn't as much N-SSA action down in Alabama back then. Went into law enforcement and didn't have the off time (or the money) to skirmish. A few years back, after retiring from LE and moving back to VA, I was directed to the 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, by some members of this board and I am now a proud Nighthawk AND finally wearing the grey and butternut that my GG Granddaddy wore.

Buster and Frank are both gone now. I still have my Pappy though. He and Mom bought land near the Fort in the '70s and moved there fulltime in '91 or so. He shot for a while with the 12th, but gave it up. However, he didn't give up the N-SSA. He and Mom joined the Gainesboro Ruritans and he and her worked many years in the food stand, until just a few years ago. I'm sure many of y'all have seen the tall older man with the "distinguished" looking ears behind the stand and my pretty mom cooking and serving.

God Bless all of the men that helped me along in my enjoyment of black powder shooting.