MASSEY: Learning Black Powder Skills

Last weekend I was at the Davy Crockett Boy Scout Camp in Whitesburg for black powder safety training. In all my years, even in having been a Boy Scout, I had never been to the Davy Crockett Boy Scout Camp. My friend, the late Ronnie Lail had been a leader in the primitive camp there. He asked me several times to come help. The problem, as I informed Ronnie, was that I had that j-o-b thing. Ronnie quickly reminded me there were evening and weekend activities, but nope, I never made it to the camp. Even with the name Davy Crockett, I never made it to the camp.

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) has moved to have insurance covering those who participate in firing black powder weapons at SAR events. That brought about the need for a proper and uniform training program. They asked the Overmountain Victory Trail Association (OVTA) to provide the training. OVTA has been at the forefront, working with the Park Service and others to develop a comprehensive program to educate black powder participants. They used long accepted guidelines set down by the National Rifle Association, and the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. OVTA took those guidelines in association with the park service recommendations developing a program suitable to instill safe practices into their trainees.

The U.S. government and others offer gun safety programs online as well as on-site, but working with black powder is a very different animal. The U.S. government doesn't consider black powder weapons as firearms. However, they can be just as dangerous and just as deadly if used improperly.

I know that is confusing, so I consulted the internet for the official version. The federal law (1968 Gun Control Act) that covers the sale/transfer/ownership of guns says this: "Made before 1899, or a flintlock, matchlock or cap lock that uses loose powder and shot — is an antique firearm, not a firearm. That includes a ball and cap revolver. As such, they can be sold by mail, do not require a background check, etc." That includes modern replicas of those firearms that we use.

The easiest way to put this is that law enforcement considers anything firing black powder without a metallic cartridge a non-firearm. For concealed carry, most state laws do not distinguish between an antique firearm and firearm. That's a totally different set of laws.

The weapons we use are late 1700s-era reproductions. The internet is filled with places and individuals selling black powder weapons. Many of these are modern arms with scopes that are used by modern hunters during special and regular hunting seasons. The rest of us, a small minority, use ours in historic programming, reenactments, grave markings and other occasions where a period color guard is part of the event. We can compete in shooting matches and even use them in hunting.

However, many of the weapons on the market are foreign made and can be a danger to the user as well as those around them.

For years reenactors showed up at events with all sorts of period-era firearms, with powder cartridges, with little or no training, except maybe reading about drill procedures. Safety checks were not always performed, sometimes never. Things changed in the last few years with mass shootings, although not related to back powder weapons. We used to tear the cartridge and pour the powder down the barrel, then tamp the paper down with the ramrod before returning it to its proper position on the rifle.

Tamping the paper down packed and held the powder tight making a louder noise with more fire and smoke exiting the barrel. Then at Gettysburg during a Civil War reenactment this fellow forgot to return his ramrod. When he fired the ramrod shot out of the barrel like an arrow, striking another reenactor. It was not a fatal wound but easily could have been and brought about a change in policy, no more ramming the paper cartridge into the barrel.

Just last year, an accident brought about the SAR's looking into insuring the color guard at official events. A gentleman brought a loaded weapon to an event. Apparently, he was unaware it was loaded. Why it would even be loaded is a good question. It was not found in the safety check, if they had one. When they fired the volley outside a library, the ball went through a 4-by-4 post, though a wall, and lodged in the ceiling.

It's interesting to note that modern terms still used today come from the flintlock era. "Going off halfcocked" is when the rifle fires before the shooter is ready. A "flash in the pan" is when the powder in the pan of the lock ignites and fails to set off the charge in the barrel. You get the flash, but no boom. "Lock, Stock, and Barrel" meant you were getting the whole thing, a complete rifle.

Long before folks were locking their doors, just using the "latchstring," Swiss/German immigrants in Pennsylvania built amazing "locks" for firearms, giving them the name "firelocks." These locks are an amazing piece of work forged by a master blacksmith. They use a combination of flint and steel to make a spark that causes the weapon to fire. They forged barrels and then drilled them out all by hand. It is amazing to see where these primitive craftsmen's works measure out almost exactly in dimensions using modern technology they didn't have.

That is some background on why we were taking the training course, and a bit of information about the weapons we use. They are fun to fire, and it's fun to line up at events to fire a volley in unison with others. It is fun to engage in a war scenario where one fires to their heart's content. That too seems to be going away with new rules and regulations. It is not fun to clean a long rifle. As I tell folks, two seconds of fun leads to half an hour of work.

When I arrived at the scout camp, there was a familiar feel as the first people I saw were Steve Ricker and Dalton Wade. Steve said to me, "what are you doing here? You've been doing this for 30 years?" As I told Steve, I was getting certified for SAR. At the same time, I was updating my OVTA certification. Cliff Kent, the state SAR color guard commander, was there as well. He had coordinated the training with the OVTA.

I knew everyone in the room from SAR, as well as the OVTA folks David Doan who led the training, Jane Doan, firearms safety officer and instructor, Tom Vaughan, Dalton and Steve, who are are also OVTA safety trainers. It was much like a family reunion, except no fried chicken.

Dalton, David, Tom, Steve and I are all members of the Watauga SAR. We had one additional Watauga member there, his name is Syd, and Syd had zero experience with black powder, at least like this. I sent the notice out to all our chapter members, and Syd decided he wanted to be able to be a part of color guard activities.

To start the program, Cliff Kent welcomed everyone and presented SAR certificates of appreciation to all OVTA trainers. Dave Doan then opened a PowerPoint presentation asking if we had seen the insurance commercial with the Three P's? Dave related that the day's program would revolve around the Three S's- Safety, Safety, Safety.

We were shown a series of slides with images of what happens when folks have not minded those Three S's. There was a photo where someone fired an antique rifle with modern powder and the barrel looked like ribbons. There was a photo of a powder horn that had exploded. Putting powder in the powder horn is another big no-no. One spark, and it becomes a grenade.

I see lots of photos and have visited old homes where the firelock is hanging above the fireplace and the powder horn is to the side. Pioneers never hung a rifle over the fireplace. Over the cabin door, yes. Rifles were kept loaded and that powder horn, as I said above, just needed one spark. The heat coming off the fireplace would also dry out the rifle stock making it brittle. They usually kept the rifle close, whether working or sleeping.

As David Doan scrolled though his training slides, Dalton Wade demonstrated the various correct ways to handle the firelock. Positions of drill were discussed as these commands, mostly unchanged from the time of Washington's army, are still used. The training classroom portion lasted about three hours and concluded with a lively discussion about various arms, proper handling, cleaning, and even clothing. I believe all questions were answered to satisfaction.

It was emphasized that at an event if any weapon is deemed unsafe, which can include not being cleaned properly, the person will be asked to secure the weapon in their vehicle. Anyone who has not had the safety training will not be able to participate in these events going forward. When a weapon fails to fire on the line, it will be treated as a loaded weapon, being removed to a safe area to be checked by a certified instructor/safety officer. There is also a "hangfire" where the weapon fires five to six seconds after the trigger is pulled. Because of this, guardsmen will remain in the firing position with the barrel elevated for 10 seconds. These rules are stringent and should be.

The first rule emphasized was that you never point a firearm at anyone whether loaded or unloaded. It should always point toward the sky or toward the ground, always. Safety items now required on all rifles are a stallcock or hammer stall, which is a piece of sewn leather that slides over the frizzen to keep from accidental firing by not allowing the flint to strike the metal frizzen causing a spark. The other item is the flash guard, it keeps hot powder residue from hitting the person standing next to them. I've had my face burned more than once in a line of fire, including last year. A new rule is to stand at arm's length from the person next to you, instead of shoulder to shoulder.

In a nutshell the four cardinal rules of gun safety and proper handling of a firearm: Always Keep the Gun Pointed In A Safe Direction, Always Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Ready To Shoot, Always Keep The Gun Unloaded Until Ready To Use, and Always Assume Firearms Are Loaded.

After the classroom session we went to a grassy area where we lined up and practiced the accepted procedures for safely while lining up to fire a volley. We drilled several times using the new rules as adopted by the SAR and taught by the OVTA.

New safety rules dictate that those on the firing line not bring their own powder cartridges. I know back in the good old days, some people, and I'm not mentioning any names, liked to load heavy to get more boom, fire and smoke. One fellow, whose name I will omit, fired so heavy at a flag raising in Rogersville once it rattled the windows of the courthouse and triggered the alarm.

After drilling a few times, no marching, just going through the motions of safely performing each part of the firing procedure, we divided into two groups. This allowed the trainers more individual time with each participant as they loaded and fired their weapons.

I mentioned our new guy Syd. Tom Vaughan loaned him his rife for this part of the exercise while he spent extra time helping Syd through the procedures. At the conclusion of the firing, Tom, Jane and David Doan worked with Syd and some of the folks from the scout camp as they learned to fire properly.

Back in the classroom, Cliff Kent and David Doan signed certificates made out for each participant. Since I was also renewing my OVTA certification Jane Doan gave me my updated certification card.

Inside the scout camp boundaries is the Cobb Cemetery. Pharoah Cobb and sons William and Jesse are buried here. Cobb was a Revolutionary War veteran. In 1780, he served under Col. Isaac Shelby at the battles of Musgrove's Mill and King's Mountain. His sons are veterans of the War of 1812. This cemetery was moved to its current location when TVA flooded Cherokee Lake. Commander Kent and several of us SAR members went to the cemetery, placed new flags on the graves and, using our newly minted training, fired a volley of salute to honor the Cobbs.

It was another great day of doing our bit to study and honor those of the past. We learned new ways and methods to safely honor them using the same technology they used. As we approach 2026, more activities will call for the colonial era to be demonstrated, and a part of that is rifle volley salutes. Trailing the past calls for us to do so safely.