January 2026 copy - Flipbook - Page 69
By 1870 Whitworth’s deeply
ri昀氀ed hexagonal bore and
mechanically 昀椀tting bullet,
together with designs by
other makers that followed
these principles, were being
supplanted by those of Metford and Rigby that used
shallow groove ri昀氀ing and
hardened lead bullets.
By 1878 there were calls
from within the ranks of the
NRA to abandon the muzzle loader in competition in
favour of the breech loader.
Given that many muzzle
loaders were still in the
hands of private persons,
it was considered that this
would destroy their value
and some would not face
the expense of new ri昀氀es,
with resultant loss in competition entries. Finally, the
NRA resolved that muzzle
loaders would still be permitted, resulting in a gradual phasing out of the muzzle
loading match ri昀氀e as the
breech loader gained popularity.
The Modern Revival
The Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain
(MLAGB) was formed in
1952 and is the Governing
Body for muzzle loading
within the UK. Its objectives are to encourage an
interest in muzzle loading
昀椀rearms; to promote, regulate and safeguard their
use; and to preserve their
freedom of collection.
During the 1960s the
MLAGB introduced long
range muzzle loading into
their calendar. This expanded into a series of National
Ri昀氀e Championship Matches that for percussion target
ri昀氀e are 昀椀red at 200, 300,
500, 600, 900 and 1,000
yards at Bisley, Surrey. For
the military ri昀氀e enthusiast there are also National
Ri昀氀e Championships for the
.577 muzzle loading En昀椀eld,
昀椀red at 200, 300, 500 and
600 yards. More information from: www.mlagb.com
Underpinning the MLAGB
is a structure of (mostly) regional Branches; the Long
Range Ri昀氀es (LRR) Branch
seeks to foster an interest in
long range target shooting
and members shoot percussion muzzle loading ri昀氀es at
ranges usually commencing
at 600 yards. The Branch
Members of the Long Range Ri昀氀es Branch of the MLAGB
shooting at 600 yards on Century Range, Bisley
Issue #1!
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