I am a National Match Black Powder Competitive Shooter with the North-South Skirmish Association. The May Nationals are just around corner and I am getting very excited. Its 5 days of shooting & camping…up at 6am, getting the uniform on, double checking firearms, double checking ammo and getting your butt up on the line by 7:30 am to make targets for each event.
We shoot Civil War era muskets, carbines, revolvers, breechloaders, smoothbores, mortars and cannon. Yes. That’s right. We shoot cannon. If it’s approved by the N-SSA, we can compete with it.
Lets get something straight…we are not, I repeat NOT, Civil War Reenactors. We are Skirmishers. We shoot our guns. We get dirty. We win medals.
Not that there is anything wrong with Reenactors. Just, please stop confusing the two.
We experience “Shenandoah Sunshine” more often than not…and we do shoot in the rain. Unless there’s lightning or high winds.
Before I started shooting, I used to go to the Nationals with my guy to support him while he competed. I’ll never forget the first revolver competition I attended…it was downpouring and the black powder smoke hung in the air clouding the targets. It was breathtaking. Literally. And so started my addiction. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I was full of mud up to my knees. I was soaked head to toe from the rain. And I desperately wanted to hold that revolver in my hand.
A few Nationals later I finally got my chance. For the first 4-person team event in Revolver, we have 2 minutes to clear 12 clay pidgeons on a backer. I hit 1. Which I thought was pretty friggin cool my first time.
Sounds like a gun time. I like rain, and smoke, and shooting. I wonder if anyone does that out this way, I can’t say I’ve heard of it — have not looked for it either.
Its so much fun…one of my team members lives in Texas…I’m sure there has got to be members out your way.
Pingback: Now This Sounds Like a Good Time | Eyes Never Closed