Burbank Muzzleloaders July Newsletter
Burbank Muzzleloaders Newsletter July 2018
On June 24th, we had a work party, where about eight members turned out to contribute. Tom, Jannu, and Sam raked and hauled leaves. Eric relived his past life as a mountain goat and painted the 500, 415, 400, 385, and 300-yard gongs. (Yes, there’s a “new” gong painted and cleared out of the weeds at 300!) Tom, Sam, Josh, and Jannu cleaned out the target lines and removed dirt from the pipes. A bigger group (Sam, Jannu, Kent, Joshua, Mike, and John Reeves) repaired and put new cardboard on the target frames. Sam and Jannu cut up cardboard boxes, and last but not least, Eric and Jannu repaired the “cave bell” also known as “Marty’s bell,” which had taken a hard hit and fell in the last trail walk match at the hands of Tom. Thanks everyone! We kept working past 10 a.m. and really got a lot done.
The following Sunday, July 1st, Burbank Muzzleloaders celebrated its annual Fourth of July picnic. We expected a small group but still brought plenty to eat. Sam barbecued some good hotdogs and toasted buns. Thanks, Tom, for bringing out the propane. Eric made some homemade guacamole for us. Joshua brought chips to go with that, and Tom brought an “improved” potato salad. John brought out some nice condiments to go with it all. Joshua finished it all up with some homemade Ralphs pie. A hearty appetite made all the food all the better. Great conversation y’all!
We also got in the Fourth-of-July spirit by competing in John Clevenger’s flintlock match, in which four patriotic soldiers shot at bottle caps, pennies, popsicle sticks, and toothpicks, the latter being almost impossible to see. Also, playing cards at the top of the frame had to be completely split. He who successfully shot one of each with the fewest shots was declared the victor. Jannu won the match with an amazing two hits on first shots and then another amazing two hits with second attempts. The toothpicks humbled him, however. Second, third, and fourth were John, Eric, and Joshua, respectively. It was a great flashy match, John; thanks for putting it on.
July 8th was Burbank Muzzleloaders’ “Any Gun Benchrest Match” hosted by John Clevenger. It was a hot day with everyone telling horror stories of the extreme temperatures we all had suffered the Friday and Saturday before. Sunday was a bit more moderate but still miserable. The sweat dribbling down in our eyes during the match attested to it! No one could agree on how warm it was, but the thermometer by Sam measured 97 F, the one by Tom 103 F, and Tom’s car thermometer measured 108 F. Let’s just go with the 108 F; it’s more impressive that way. John Clevenger came in first, Lee second, Sam third, Tom fourth, and Jannu fifth. John provided useful prizes to keep us shooting addicts at our best: powder, musket caps, lead, patches, and a few other practical items were just the things we shooters needed. Thanks, John, for a great match.
At the end of this month on July 29th, Burbank Muzzleloaders will have a fifth Sunday trail walk match. Come on out and be a rifleman on the trail just like in the movies- 25 shots for 25 bad guys on the hill. Do your part and help clear the hill of the enemy! Also, the next match to be held on the second Sunday in August (the 12th) will be Silhouettes. Show up and clang steel at 50, 70, 80, and 100 yards. We’d love to have you. Well, that’s all for now, and don’t forget about Burbank Muzzleloaders- the place to shoot!
