Burbank Muzzleloaders Newsletter January 2020
Contact us at burbankmlrpc@aol.com
Happy New Year, folks! 2019 was a great year for the club, and the outlook for 2020 looks just as auspicious. To start off, Burbank Muzzleloaders’ pocketbook is in great shape, and as a result, our daily fee for shooting with us has decreased to $10 for members and will remain at $20 for non-members and guests. Additionally, the black powder shotgun shooting became of interest to some, and the club was able to host an informal match. Hopefully, 2020 will see a black powder shotgun match of some kind codified. Lastly, who’s onboard for a cap and ball revolver match this year? Remember, diversity is a strength!
On December 29th, Burbank Muzzleloaders held its final cumulatively-scored walkthrough of the year, and boy was it close! Eric Blakely turned out to be the victor of four Morgan dollars by ONLY one shot! He had started the match by being three precious shots ahead of John Clevenger, who actually won the final match with a score of 19. Eric Blakely scored 17 but etched out the win for the cumulative prize with that one extra shot! What a match and Eric feels so grateful to have earned those dollars for his budding coin collection. Tom Trevor, again, has been so gracious in offering up another cumulative prize for walkthroughs in 2020, this time with four Morgan dollars and a fascinating 1883 Liberty Head “Racketeer” nickel! Ask Tom for details if you don’t know the history behind this coin because, this time, the story really does add value to the item. The club’s first cumulatively-scored walkthrough for 2020 will be held March 8th. Then the fifth Sunday walkthroughs.
There’s more…let’s all extend a congratulations to Lee Bowman, who earned Shooter of the Year for 2019! Lee’s disciplined approach and poise with off-hand shooting is a sight to see for sure. Don’t underestimate the utility of practicing with snap caps as Lee regularly does. Additionally, could there be more of a gentleman among us than Lee Bowman? What a nice guy!
On January 12th, Burbank Muzzleloaders held its first match of the year hosted by Sam Baseman, which was patched round balls at 100, 50, and 25 yards. 100 yards had five shots at the bench, and 50 and 25 yards were ten shots each off-hand. John Clevenger scored an impressive first place since earlier in the day, his rifle wasn’t shooting well due to an inadequate front sight. Leave it to gentlemanly Lee Bowman to offer him a new sight just before the start of the match, and John Clevenger managed to get that new sight picture in order to become the victor. Jannu Lorentson scored second and Lee Bowman third. Sam’s prizes included powder, lead, and mattress ticking along with some other interesting items.
Burbank Muzzleloaders’ next match, to be held on February 9th, will be silhouettes at 50, 70, 80, and 100 yards. Should you try to use your roundball rifle from Sam’s match or go back to a trusty .45-70 cartridge?
As you can see, 2020 is expected to be a great year. How could it not be since we’ve continued to be blessed with such a great range and a good relationship with the new management at California Tactical Academy? Well, that’s all for now, folks, so don’t forget about Burbank Muzzleloaders, the place to shoot!
