Number of (traditional arms) black powder shootes?

[mec]

Number of (traditiona arms) black powder shootes?

Can anybody help me get a picture of how many people like to shoot the traditional style black powder guns? The NMLRA has about 25,000 members and there is quite a bit of organized shooting in England and Europe.

I know interest spiked during the Civil War centennial and the bi-Centennial but wonder how it stands now.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Darn good question. It's more than 25k though b/c in one year's time (about two years ago) the NMLRA lost about 7k members. I'd like to see the # of subscriptions for Muzzle Loader magazine myself.

One thing that baffles me is that there is an entire cottage industry devoted to the blackpowder shooter & gunsmiths. Look at the sheer # of guys who build these things for a living. For a living? I'd starve out here in California (even if I had the skill).

 

[mec]

actually, I yanked the number 25,000 off of the Muzzleloader(is that right for NMLRA magazine?)website. They were telling advertisers that that was their subscribed circulation not counting newsstand.

One real confusing factor would be separating out the traditionalists from all the in-line shooters who use those things because of the alternate or bonus deer seasons.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Muzzle Blasts is the mag of NMLRA. Muzzle Loader belongs to Shurlock Publications in TX and is bimonthly. I think MB is more open to non-traditionalist and ML is more traditional (and generally has a lot more things to read about).