I didn't get into single shots until my early 30's. Even back then some of my friends thought it was an odd choice to want to own and shoot an 1800's single shot rifle. So you're right about it being something older, wiser men get into. But once I started, I found some guys who got wiser way earlier than me! Some had been into them since their youth, but usually because their fathers were into them, and they were raised to appreciate them sooner.

Dellet wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2021 at 2:07pm:



That’s exactly it. 

The promise of sex or money gets the young  people moving and without it you’re SOL. Best then and the only then that moved this world was Coors and their sponsorship of the single shots. My opinion is we need another similar type enterprise willing to stick their neck out in this totally antigun UnAmerican corporate America we inhabit.

What is actually sad is that Coors help build the Coors Range at the NRA Range and close to it being near Raton New Mexico. Yet no body wants to seem to attend the ISSA National Match still being held there any longer?  
Not to long back I believe there were some 179 who used to show up or there about's. I have no qualms about any of the folks who just want to be collectors. But when their  safe Queens are no longer worth anything so be it.
I find it abit odd that some of these same folks would not take them out of the safe and to let somebody shoot what they have. 

As Dellet previously stated, we need a MOVIE to generate interest in Schuetzen. 
If anyone could calculate the amount of dollars spent on Muzzleloading and black powder cartridge rifles ,and as a result, Schuetzen shooting by the movies Jeremiah Johnson and Quigley Down Under the amount would rival the budgets of major nations. The entire black powder industry and a great deal of the Schuetzen game owes its existence to those movies. I, along will all my friends , had to have a Hawken rifle after we saw Jeremiah Johnson. That led to an interest in old single shots, and pretty soon a trapdoor then a sharps, then a Highwall. By the time Quigley came out I was already well into the Schuetzen with my Sharps, but as we all know, that movie provided the interest to an entire generation of single shot rifle shooters.

The seed planted by those movies fell upon fertile ground. The generation of shooters that saw those movies were mostly baby boomers who grew up watching westerns every day on TV. Today's shooters do not have that background or interest in 
cowboys or buffalo hunts etc. However, a good movie will generate such interest. 
First, we need a good story. Something with a woman in a major role, maybe a story about Annie Oakley or a completely fictional character based on her story. Another option would be to base the story on one of the legendary Schuetzen shooters like Harry Pope or whoever, and make sure some female characters play important roles in the shooting. As long as we are making it up, we can write whatever we want. 
Then, we need to center the plot around Schuetzen competition.
We need some humor, which could be supplied by our members contributing humorous anecdotes from their experience over the years.

We also need a writer, a producer and lots of money. 
There are some people out there who might be willing to financially back the project, but we need a good product to sell.

I have the idea, but I am not a writer, producer, and certainly no financial backer, but hopefully there are people out there who would be willing to get involved. 

Joe S

JLouis wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2021 at 4:02pm:


Clint Eastwood

I think HM Pope has the type of life events that would make a great movie. If I remember correctly, his parents died when he was young so he was raised by relatives. That's good for movies. Intelligent, in car manufacture, Bicycles = years of struggle. Borrows from a famous gunsmith then perfects his system of rifling = success but no money. Moves to Frisco and lives through the 1906 earthquake. Winds up in LA for a while. Rescued by friends and moved back East where he marries and continues to make fabulous world class barrels, more struggle. Somewhere in there is his association with Stevens = big drama there is good.  Throw in a redheaded hottie which he survives = love tryst, a mandatory movie requirement.  Throw in some shooting matches with Doc Hudson and other notables = action drama. Ring a barrel = his human side.

My vote is for Burt Lancaster. 

Far as I've seen in new movies, there are no actors who could act their way out of a wet paper bag. Not in America anyway.