And so it beings

It’s the first day of competition of this two-day national championship. It’s always a pleasant welcome to the quaint village of Friendship, Indiana, when you’re anticipating the smell of black powder. The NRA National Muzzle Loading Championship is unique and fun in its own way. The atmosphere is very relaxed, yet it maintains the prestige of being a National Championship. One aspect that makes this one of the more relaxing championships that the NRA puts on is the fact that infiltration squadding is used. For those who are not aware of infiltration squadding, you go in where there’s an open spot. You shoot what you want and when you want it.

The championship consists of 52 fired matches or aggregates fired at 25, 50, 100, 200, or 500 yards for rifle, pistol, and skeet and trap events at 10, 16, and 20 yards. There are many champion categories to compete in. There are open, senior, woman and junior champion categories for Civil War, Hunter, Pistol, Offhand Rifle, Revolutionary War, and Round Ball disciplines. They were expected to start at noon but so many shooters came out early that they started at 8 AM. That just goes to show the excitement this event brings to muzzle loader shooters.

Out to take some pictures.