NMLRA
Since 1933, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association has led the effort to preserve the history of the United States through muzzle-loading shooting sports, living history events, and traditional craft education.
At our headquarters in Friendship Indiana, we host event and matches year-round, but twice a year we host our national events. The NMLRA Nationals and NMLRA National Championships are 10 days during which the sleepy village of Friendship Indiana roars to life as thousands of black powder enthusiasts flock to our grounds. Recently, the NMLRA Board of Directors began moving forward with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to initiate range and grounds renovations through the Pittman Robertson Wildlife Grant process. If approved, this partnership will allow the NMLRA to update its facilities and host a broader range of events for everything related to shooting sports.
Education is important to the NMLRA. In 2010, we completed construction on the NMLRA Education Center, a state of the art building designed to host classes, lectures, and more. We’re working with a growing group of traditional craftspeople to bring the quality of education seen in our world-class NMLRA/WKU Gunsmithing Seminar to another location.
Our Muzzle Blasts Magazine has published living history, muzzleloading, and how-to articles since we started in 1933. In 2019, we began taking the quality of Muzzle Blasts to a variety of media including the Muzzle Blasts Podcast and a new series of videos hosted on the official NMLRA YouTube Channel. We’re all concerned about the aging demographics we see at shoots, rendezvous, and trade fairs. At times, it feels like everything we love is dying, but at the NMLRA, we’d argue that it’s evolving. We are seeing more and more young men and women in their late 20’s begging to do something with their hands, to reconnect with the past and so something real. These young men and women didn’t grow up with parents interested in history or muzzleloaders, they didn’t have shop class or hunter’s education in school, but they are drawn to everything this great hobby has to offer. They just don’t know we are here, yet.
There have been a lot of ups and downs in the last 87 years of Muzzleloading history, but the NMLRA will always be here to share our love of American History with anyone wanting to learn.
For more information please visit NMLRA.org
