If you are interested in black powder shooting, I hope you will find a lot of fun stuff here. Because my experiences includes shooting flintlock and percussion guns, reloading of black powder cartridges for shotguns and pistols and Cowboy Action Shooting I should be able to contribute something here in Norway. I also enjoy making papercartridges for muskets and percussion revolvers. In addittion I sew holsters and cartridgepouches for my weapons. Perhaps you will find something you like if you click on the buttons above?

"Jonah Hex" shoots a mans gun.

Shooting Rendezvousstyle

In August of 1999 I partisipated in a Rendezvous in Perham, Minnesota. The shooting in this rendezvous took place under relaxed conditions. When we registered, we got animal papertargets which we marked with name and class. When we arrived at the shooting range located just beside the camp, we placed the weapons by some loading tables behind the shooting area. The range officer closed the range now and then so the contenders could set up and take down their targets. We shot on 25, 50 and 100 meters, and pop-up targets on 20 meters. Then the range was opened and we primed and shot 5 shots at one distance. There was no time limit so we could shoot in our own pace. The goal was to shoot 6 targets under the two days the competition lasted. So we shot a couple of targets and then got some food, shop at Traders row or something else. This suited me just fine because I spend a lot of time taking pictures, talking with people and do some serious shopping. I shot 4 targets the first day and the last two the day after. When the target was shot we gave it to the range officer.

During the weekend I also got the chance to shoot a primitive competition.The idea was to hit small targets like turtles (horizontal clay pidgeons), charcoalpieces, shotgunshells, pokerchips and splitting pokercards. Darned, those targets where small. Distance was up to 15 meters. I bagged a turtle, one shell and a pokerchip and that awarded me one prize from a table. The prizes included things as percussionnipples, t-shirts, cleaningjags and tools. I selected a combinationtool from Thompson Center. The one that has a hammer, nipplewrench and a wedgepuller.

A difficult target was to shoot through a 1/2" hole in a steel plate. A bullet that went through that hole set of a charge that send a tennisball 100 meters in the air. Fun!  Only three hit it and two of them was women. Got to practice more, I reckon. A Brown Bess shooter missed everything. He shot the target frame so the targets flew all around. He got a hit on a shotshell at last and the range officer was puzzled. He wanted to look at the shell and found the marks of three shot on it and he turned and showed the shooter his fist. The shooter got no points despite his words of periodimprovisation. But all laughed and he did it just for fun.

There was also possible to shoot with shotgun and pistols on some other part of the range. It was a lot to do ,but few did hurry. I only have good feelings about my first competition on american soil and want to go back to compete again.