Geocache hunt in Trinidad, CO and new perspectives on smokepoles

[4V50 Gary]

It included running around town, going to the range several times (start with shotgun, then go find your cache, then go the the archery or airgun range, pistol range, and finally the blackpowder). Prizes were ammunition.

Anyway, the rangemaster and I loaded the ML rifles for the shooters. We had a blackpowder coach instructing them and two people to pass the smoke poles between the shooters and the loaders.

It was very much like a Civil War or Revolutionary War battle where there was only one shooter and everybody loaded for them as fast as they could. Having a loading stand, powder measure, short starters make it easy for the loaders. Still, it gives you another insight into the those battles as you load as rapidly as it was safely possible and then passed the smokepole back to the handler. For one thing, it's easier to concentrate on one thing (shooters shoot at the gongs, handlers relieve them of their discharged smokepole and hand them a freshly loaded one, then hand the loaders the discharged smokepole, loaders then load and hand back a loaded smokepole).

Try it sometime when you have two or three buddies with you. Get six or so targets out there and one round would entail shooting all targets and having it timed. Trade places when everyone has performed each task. You can score it by # of shots and amount of time it took to hit all targets.

[Pahoo]

Anyway, the rangemaster and I loaded the ML rifles for the shooters.

Typically on large classes that we teach, we have dedicated loaders and that is all he does with little or no conversation on their part. It's just too easy to lose track. During this time, we use another safety rule/guideline that we refer to as the "Thank-You" rule. Whenever a firearm is handed off to another, the person controlling the firearm will not release it until the receiver says; Thank-You. Phrase communicates that the receiver, now has full control of the firearm. In the heat and noise of a battle, I Don't know how well this would work out. ......

Now then, on smaller classes and time allows. We allow a student to try his or her hand at loading. We really don't have many first time takers but every once in awhile you have a student that really gets turned on to the process. ..

Try it sometime when you have two or three buddies with you. Get six or so targets out there and one round would entail shooting all targets and having it timed. Trade places when everyone has performed each task. You can score it by # of shots and amount of time it took to hit all targets.

Now that sounds like great rendezvous challenge. ......



Be Safe !!!