POWDER, PATCH, BALL

Home after a weekend of camping, swanning around in skirts, making rabbit stew and shooting flintlocks 1750's style.
Good, good fun.
This weekend was the Buckskinners Rendezvous in Williams, about 1 hour from home.
It was a small event and everyone was friendly and helpful.
We have friends -Bill and Jan- who have done much SCA but are more into the mountain man, French Indian War, American frontier reenactment these days. Their 15 year son Teeg was there and he and Hal got on really well and ran around being cute little frontiersmen together.

No son of mine is going to be a 18th century bootblack

They have the full camp, a spare tent and some clothes for us.
A couple of weeks ago we ordered some clothes from Jas Townsend, a store that supplies clothes and wares from the period 1750 to 1840's. I got two skirts, a bodice and chemise. Rob got a shirt, long socks and garters. We also ordered breeches but they weren't ready so he will have them for next time.

Walk softly and carry a big stick

We finally got to fire the Flintlock. Finally.
Rob and I shared it and it fires real nice like. Hal had his own for the weekend. One of Bill's son's spares.

Lock of the Flintlock

We did a walkabout target shoot. Metal targets set up in the woods. I hit 5 out of 12, Rob got 6 and Hal got 1. There were some close misses. Pretty good for our first time.
I actually tied scores with the other women so I was pretty happy with it all.

I hit this....I rock!!

Loading it is fun but I can't imagine doing it quickly or correctly under any kind of pressure or stress.
Powder, patch, ball....that's the mantra.
Don't do it in the wrong order and don't leave the ramrod down the barrel.

Coz go boom

Hal looked so cute in his outfit and was really good in listening and following orders about gun safety and procedure.

Hal and Bill

He picked it quickly and after a few shots I stopped watching him so intently.

On target

One of the shoots was a bunch of small pouches hanging by string. You had to shoot the string to get the pouch and a potential prize. If you shot the bag itself you were disqualified.
What did I do on my very first shot!? Put a neat hole straight through a bag.
Oh wells...I was chuffed I hit that small a target.
So I went back to camp and helped cook a very very nommy Rabbit stew for dinner.

Loading

Cleaning the gunne is a fairly time consuming process. Many, many cleaning patches down the barrel to remove all the residue gun powder. But it's part of the whole experience and its not too much of a hardship sitting by the fire and chatting away as you do it.

Cleaning with boiling water

Sunday afternoon they had the awards. Everyone had to bring a blanket prize and the various winners got to choose. Hal got to choose because he was a visitor and a good sport. One of the more experienced women (who is a crack shot) won a real percussion pistol but gave it up. She was impressed and wanted to encourage more women shooters. So me and a couple of the other women got to pick a card. Highest wins. Two of us tied so we drew again and I got the highest card. So now I am a proud owner of a $300 (ish) gun. Woot!.

The gun that I won...My precious

We are keen to go to more events. It's like the SCA but with more boom.

1750 family