NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING Newsletter...Winter-Spring 2013

Here is something new for NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING followers, a twice yearly Newsletter.  On or about April 15th each year, we will now distribute and publish our Winter-Spring Newsletter.  Then on or about October 15th, we'll distribute and publish our Summer-Fall Newsletter.

 

            The NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING website has now become America's No. 1 Source For Muzzleloader Hunting Information.

            By the end of 2012, traffic on the website topped 1.5 million, and the audience it reaches just keeps on growing.  Over the past 12 months (April 14, 2012 to April 15, 2013) more than 2,000,000 muzzleloading shooters and hunters have referenced the website.  All indications are that by year's end, muzzleloading hunters in the U.S. and Canada will call upon www.namlhunt.com 2.5 million times.

            Why the phenomenal growth in the number of muzzleloading hunters turning to the site?  The answer is pretty easy, they cannot find anywhere else a wider range of muzzleloader performance information and "how to" muzzleloading accuracy tips, load data, technical information, history, or updated details on the latest muzzleloader hunting legislation, which can and will dictate what you can or cannot hunt with during the Muzzleloader Seasons, than what is now published on this one website.

            Currently, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING is fighting an extremely non-serving muzzleloader hunting regulation in the State of Nevada, which makes it illegal for the modern day muzzleloading hunter to use one of the most popular muzzleloader hunting powders available today - Blackhorn 209.  For more on this, copy and paste this link -

http://www.namlhunt.com/blackhorn209-2.html    

            Since being first published on the internet in 2003, NORTH AMERICAN  MUZZLELOADER HUNTING has done more than the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION and the NATIONAL MUZZLE LOADING RIFLE ASSOCIATION combined to get such non-serving and often extremely discriminatory muzzleloader hunting regulations changed in order to allow ALL muzzleloading hunters to enjoy our sport.  Since 2006, that includes the legalization of riflescopes during the muzzleloader hunting seasons in Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin...for ALL muzzleloading hunters.  In 11 other states which still proclaim it is illegal to use a "riflescope" during such seasons, the federal government has since also mandated that these states MUST make special provisions for sight impaired muzzleloading hunters to use a scope - thanks to the efforts of NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING.

            There are still a few other non-serving muzzleloader hunting regulations on the books in several other states, which we fully intend to keep on tackling.

            In late summer 2011, the website went through a complete overhaul.  Beginning in late July of that year, we eliminated all older articles and reports...and started out with a clean slate.  Since then, we've built and published more than  100 information packed and well illustrated pages.  This newsletter is being put together and distributed in mid April.  So far this year, we've added 18 Feature Articles/Reports, plus added to the menu links to shorter articles, reports or news we've published on the four affiliated muzzleloader hunting blogs we also host.  NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING also has its own Facebook page. 

            The four more recent (April) articles and reports include a new page that looks at how Blackhorn 209 actually produces its best accuracy when the bore is NOT wiped between shots at...

(http://www.namlhunt.com/blackhorn209-4.html ) ...

            A feature written by our new Associate Editor Dr. Jim Clary, which takes a look at the benefits of the Harvester Muzzleloading "Crush Rib Sabot" and Scorpion PT Gold bullet at...

( http://www.namlhunt.com/mlperformance.html ) ...

            A look back at one of the most widely used saboted bullets of the 1990's - the 300-grain Hornady .452" diameter XTP hollow-point at...

(http://www.namlhunt.com/mlbullets11.html )...

            And how today's muzzleloading hunter can best determine his or her maximum effective range at...

(http://www.namlhunt.com/mlmaxrange.html ).

            Our goal for 2013 has been to add another 50 pages to the website by the time 2014 rolls around, and we're right on target to do just that.   In May, we plan to add several more great feature articles or reports. 

            One of the big arguments against the use of a riflescope on a muzzleloader has been that such optics were not used on "original" muzzleloaders - which is far from the truth.  Muzzleloading target shooter and hunter James R. Chapman is often credited for "inventing" and "perfecting" such telescopic sights, about 1840.  He wrote about such sights in his book, "The Improved American Rifle" - written in 1844 and published in 1848.  Those early "riflescopes" were made much like a pair of eyeglasses - for the individual shooters' eye sight.  Quite a few of the finest rifle makers of the 1840's and 1850's  also built these early telescopic rifle sights - with the help of a local optometrist. 

            A May feature to be published on the NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING website will take a good look at how the riflescope was developed hand-in-hand with the long range bullet rifles of the 1840's...leading to the establishment of the first ever riflescope manufacturing facility in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1855 by William Malcolm.  The accompanying photo shows a modern made copy of a circa 1855 Malcolm scope, mounted on a circa 1855 styled hexagonal bore .451 Whitworth long-range rifle.  The scope has been reproduced by Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics.

            The other feature scheduled for May will compare the long range trajectories of a dozen or so currently popular saboted muzzleloading bullets for the .50 caliber in-line rifles.  Check back to see if we include the saboted bullet you currently hunt with, or at least a bullet with a very similar ballistic coefficient.  Several new product test reports will also be featured through the month.

            Likewise, we plan to publish from 3 to 5 information packed Feature Articles/Reports each and every month.  While the majority of the materials presented on the website will continue to cater to the 90+ percent of today's muzzleloading hunters who have turned to the modern in-line rifles, we will also include a number of pages devoted to the muzzle-loaded hunting rifles and loads of the past.

            NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING will continue to be the leading source for everything that is Muzzleloader Hunting.  Go to the site at  www.namlhunt.com and save it as a favorite.  -  Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING 
 

Watch For The Summer-Fall 2013 NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING Newsletter About October 15th. 

NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING is a free site for visitors, no matter whose rifle, scope, powder, sabot or bullet they may load...shoot ...and hunt with.  Right now, a small handful of sponsors help keep this site on the internet.  For continued growth and to insure the site stays on the internet, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING needs a few more members of the muzzleloading industry or the hunting industry in general to pitch in and help cover the cost of building and maintaining this website.  Muzzleloader hunting is hunting, and more muzzleloading hunters keep up with their sport right here than anywhere else.