by James C. Fulmer | Past President, NMLRA
The Blue Ridge Rifles, Inc.—one of the largest ranges in Pennsylvania—will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary in 2016.
This year, the 40th anniversary of the founding of Blue Ridge Rifles, Inc. will be celebrated near Summit Station, PA, May 26-30. This is one of the largest muzzleloading clubs in the state. Many clubs were started during the Bicentennial and this was one of them that has survived 40 years. Many great muzzleloading shooters have competed there over the years. During the height of muzzleloading shooting in Pennsylvania there were over 200 shooters at the Memorial and Labor Day shoots. This is one of many National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association Charter Clubs that I have shot at and supported over the years. This year in May, I am going to help celebrate their milestone by putting on a steel target shoot on their main range.
I was introduced to shooting steel targets 40 years ago at ranges that were shooting Woodswalks. Here is where, as a muzzleloader, you better be able to load, fire, and maintain your muzzleloader with everything you can carry with you in your hunting pouch.
Woodswalks are a series of steel targets on a trail going through the woods. A range officer leads a group of anywhere from one person up to a dozen to shoot at steel targets hanging in trees that swing when hit. These events are nothing but fun. Most are simple hit or miss with either an X for a hit or an 0 for a miss. Ties, which are fairly common, are decided by longest string of continuous hits or certain targets may have more value than others. Most are decided by the dreaded paper target—one shot closest to center. The one shot paper target can make or break a match, turning a perfect score on steel from a first to a fifth in one shot.
My oldest son was born 37 years ago and so was a set of targets I made that I still use to this day. The three animal targets shown in the picture are that old and you can see the impact of bullets from many shoots. I made them out of ½-inch-thick hot rolled steel with a 1½” wide base welded on these knock over targets. I made five each of the squirrel, crow, and buffalo. I cut them out and Mike Herring welded them. The steel made it easy for the range officer to score as the targets were shot and the group of shooters could move on to the next set of targets while a target setter (usually one of the shooters) would set them back up for the next group.
Muzzleloading rifles with their low velocities would mark the mild steel but would not destroy it. It was discovered early on that 3/8 mild steel was too light because it would bow from impact and 5/8 mild steel wasn’t needed and was just too heavy. I have been using ½ mild steel for years for my muzzleloaders. These targets will also handle any modern non-magnum pistol caliber to a .72 caliber muzzleloading rifle with a reasonable powder charge and soft lead round balls. However, a modern high velocity rifle is too much for these mild steel targets. I have seen a full jacketed bullet from a modern rifle, shooting velocities over 3,000 feet per second, absolutely destroy these mild steel targets.
The top three targets are 1/2 mild steel and the bottom row is made with AR500 steel by MGM (notice the bullet marks in both).
The bottom row of targets are all made out of AR500 steel which is made to handle the higher velocities of a modern rifle. The round targets are knock-over targets made out of the AR500 steel along with the two self-resetting targets on the ground. A muzzleloading rifle shot at 50 yards will make no mark on these targets; only the paint is removed at 25 yards. You can tell it was shot if harder lead was used such as wheel weights, which you shouldn’t be shooting in a muzzleloader anyway.
There are numerous steel target manufacturers now and they make a wide variety of targets from knock over to the resetting kind. The ones that reset are the ones I will be using at Blue Ridge Rifles this Memorial Day weekend. The beauty of these is one range officer can score as the shooter calls his number and target he is shooting. With score sheets that match the order the targets are placed in, it is easy to keep track of the match and when the last shot is fired, the competitor signs his score sheet, and the match is completed and scored.
When shooting steel targets you must wear safety glasses and whenever you are shooting you should wear ear protection. All steel target manufacturers have recommendations on how close you can safely shoot their targets—read them. They know what they are doing. They don’t want their targets destroyed either. Steel targets are fun to shoot for novice shooters as well as the expert. If you have a safe range, you might want to try Woodswalks and steel targets to bring in more shooters. One of the many reasons I am replacing all my mild steel with AR500 is the 75th anniversary of World War II and 3-Gun Matches are starting to use .45 ACP pistol, M-1 Carbine, and as-issued shotguns. These targets are perfect for these matches.
Various steel self-resetting targets on the range.
The National Rifle Association Annual Meetings and Exhibits will be held this month May 19-22. The NMLRA will be at booth #3908 at the exhibits held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, in Louisville. If you’ve never been to an NRA convention you need to come to one. You must be an NRA member to attend. Many vendors who advertise in Muzzle Blasts attend this event. This is also a great place to see the latest in new products from firearms to steel targets. MGM Targets and Challenge Targets will be there and offer a chance to look at steel targets for your range or yourself.
At the NRA convention there will be the annual NRA Foundation Banquet and Auction. This is a benefit auction to raise money. The NRA has many great benefactors who generously give money to the NRA through the auction by paying a lot more than what the item is worth. The NMLRA benefit auction is notorious for an old bird house and pies that fetch up to a thousand dollars to raise money for a good cause.
Many clubs and organizations do this, so don’t be afraid to bid. The picture shown of the steel targets has two firearms: a pistol which is a Kahr Arms CT9 9mm and a Pedersoli .72 caliber Kodiak double muzzleloading rifle. I bought both of these arms at benefit auctions—both by accident. I was trying to bid the price up to get more money for the two different organizations. One bid too far and I owned them—best money I ever invested! By giving money to my favorite charities I got firearms I would have never bought otherwise. The .72 cal. shoots one hole groups out of each barrel at 50 yards, about two inches apart. The Kahr modern pistol shoots excellent also, and it introduced me to a set of iron sights that I can shoot accurately and easily with. I plan on getting some of the same sights to put on my muzzleloaders. It is a white dot front sight and a white post placed in the center of the rear sight.
There is a lot going on in the shooting sports in May—get out and enjoy your hobby. Get out and shoot!
