Social Media Has a Blast at Our New Educational Musket Range (Pun Intended!)

To say I was “excited” about our social media team trying out the new educational musket range would be an understatement. Sure, the point was first-hand experience to better answer questions from our followers…but as an American historian and farm girl, I was pumped. #Christmasmorning

I’ll say from the outset that I have previous experience with firearms (when you’re born and raised in rural Kansas, it comes with the territory), but I decided to approach our visit to the range like a complete newbie to provide the most helpful insights to you, faithful reader. So let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

The first step is getting tickets, and you’ll do that onsite at either the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor’s Center, or the Greenhow Lumber House Ticket Office. Round up everyone in your group and go purchase tickets together, because each individual has to show identification and sign a waiver. If you’re hoping to just be a cheerleader from the sidelines, no dice. The range is strictly limited to ticketed guests, with the exception of one parent/guardian accompanying anyone under the age of 18—and you must be at least 14 years-old to participate. Some folks have questioned these restrictions, but safety is our priority. Would you really want it any other way?

With your tickets secured, the second step is meeting at the Williamsburg Lodge at the appointed time. A driver will pick your party up and shuttle you out to the range, where range officers and firearm instructors—easily recognizable by their red vests and camouflage tricorn hats—will be waiting. They start by introducing themselves, the range, and safety guidelines that everyone must obey.

Like countless other ranges, the CW musket range uses safety flags. A red flag means the range is “hot,” or in use, and no one is allowed to cross the firing line. A green flag means the range is “clear,” and that it is safe to cross the firing line. “Cease fire” can be called by anyone at the range, at any point, if they see a situation they believe is unsafe. All activity will immediately stop, and the Range Safety Officer will assess the situation. There are no exceptions to these rules.

Next comes the safety equipment: eye and ear protection. They’re cool with you bringing your own shooting glasses (I have a little face, so I brought mine), but everyone else was happy with the ones provided, which also fit over prescription eyeglasses. Stick with CW’s hearing protection, though. These electronic earmuffs block hazardous noise from the gunshot, while a built-in directional microphone amplifies voices and environmental sounds. This makes it easy to hear range commands and ask questions, and they don’t interfere with shooting. As a long-standing member of the “earplugs on a string” brigade, I found them quite fancy, indeed.

The weapons you’ll get to shoot are replicas of two of early America’s most important firearms: a “Brown Bess” musket and a fowling piece.

Used by both British and American soldiers, the “Brown Bess” short land service pattern musket was the bread and butter weapon of the American Revolution. This muzzle-loading smoothbore was the most common firearm on the battlefield, but it was not without its shortcomings. Long on loading time (compared to modern weapons), short on accuracy, and unreliable in damp weather, it’s easy to see why military leaders welcomed percussion cap technology in the 19th century. Yet shooting one is an experience every self-proclaimed history buff must try.

I thought I knew what to expect, having read about these weapons and their use in graduate school. I was still surprised by its weight (and I thought my Dad’s WWII Mosin Nagant was heavy…), the burst of smoke, and the smell of the burning powder. That visceral experience also extends to the fowling piece—a precursor of the modern shotgun. It was much lighter, and I found it more fun to shoot.

I’ll add that while firearm instructors load and reload the weapons for you, you can prime it yourself—if you want. My boss elected to have our instructor, Ryan, tear the paper cartridge and pour the black powder into the pan. Yet as Rooster Cogburn declares in True Grit, “I was born game, and I intend to go out that way.” So I did it myself—and got a mouthful of black powder for my trouble. That cartridge paper is surprisingly hard to tear. Needless to say, it was not tasty, and since I don’t know the side effects of ingesting black powder…I decided it was better to look tacky and spit it out.

I laugh every time at that weird roaring noise I make when learning I was not right on target—a reality I’d encourage all competitive/Type A people to brace themselves for. It’s a lot harder to shoot a smoothebore weapon. I ultimately hit the target paper on 3 out of 4 shots (you can expect to shoot more than this, we were working at the same time), but even if you’re less than thrilled with your performance, there are nice parting gifts. Everyone gets to take their paper target, as well as a small musket ball to remember the experience.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. 10/10, would musket range again. I can’t wait to take my dad for Father’s Day. But don’t just take my word for it! Here’s more from the rest of the social media squad.

Rachel West

After going through Militia training and shooting black powder, I was ready to shoot ammunition. I’m glad I was already used to holding the musket with my right hand instead of my left (I’m left-handed), so I felt a little more comfortable out on the range. I’d also like to credit my previous training with me hitting the target all eight times I got to shoot—four with the musket and four with the fowling piece. The lighter weight of the fowling piece surprised me, and I had a much better aim than with the musket. I had so much fun at the musket range, and the instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and fun!

Jessica Ross

Who knew a musket was so heavy? That was my first thought as I heaved the massive gun up to my shoulder and tried to steadily aim it at my target. After overcoming my initial awkwardness at balancing it (and accepting the fact that I need to get in better shape), I was ready to fire. And let me tell you, there is something mighty powerful about firing the same weapon our militia did in the 18th century. I’m not talking about the kickback. I’m talking about the feeling that comes over you. You can’t help but shout with excitement after pulling the trigger, seeing the flash, and breathing in the smoke and smell of black powder. Then, if you’re like me, you can’t wait to load the powder and shoot again. And again. And again. I shot the musket twice as well as the fowling piece. Sadly, there were no holes in my target when my instructor brought it back as a souvenir. But that’s okay. Today wasn’t about winning.

Oh, who am I kidding? I only say that because Jenn and Rachel totally kicked my butt! This is way more fun if you go with friends or family and turn it into a little friendly competition. Another bit of advice? Make sure you master that slo-mo option on your iPhone. If there’s ever an excuse to use it, this is it!

Sheri Wood

“Make sure to lean in with your shoulder and brace yourself.”

Those were the first words that came out of my husband’s mouth when I told him I was going to be shooting a musket. Those cautionary words brought back instant (and not-so-fun) memories of long ago when I attempted to impress him and my future father-in-law by shooting a 12-gauge shotgun on their family farm. The gun produced such a jolt that it hit me square in the jaw and I landed hard on my behind (I can still hear their laughter in my head).

Needless to say, I went into today’s shoot with some hesitation and nervousness after my not-so-successful shooting attempt, but was soon put at ease by our wonderful instructor who was both knowledgeable and patient as we ran through a brief history of the guns, range instructions, safety precautions and ammunition loading. He answered all questions and I was especially happy to hear that the guns we would be using would not knock me to the ground! Bring on the shooting! I was now ready.

Did I hit my target? No. Would I ultimately become an expert shooter? Hardly. But my fears and anxiety quickly vanished as I pulled my first musket trigger and I knew I wanted to do it again—and again, and again!

Penna Rogers

I really enjoyed the social media team’s outing to the musket range. Our firearms instructor was Kate Van Dunien, and she did a great job giving us a history about the weapons and answering our questions. After relaying the safety procedures everyone person should follow, and providing us with ear protection and eye wear, it was time to shoot. Katie first handed me the musket, and showed me how to balance the gun in my left hand and half cock the hammer. I then filled the pan with powder, removed the leather cover from the hammer stall, fully cocked the gun, took aim at the paper target, and fired. We repeated the process for the fowling piece—which was lighter and easier to fire.

After everyone finished shooting the musket and fowling piece, our firearms instructors retrieved our targets. Mine was safe from harm! Which is to say, I did not hit the target at all. But it motivated me to go back and try it again until I get it right!

Allison Heinbaugh

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the shooting range. The instructors were knowledgeable, reassuring and helpful, and clearly enthusiastic about period weapons.

In a past life, before my library degree, I did Civil War reenacting and worked as an intern at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, so I’ve had some experience with muzzle-loading rifles and muskets, including loading and firing them. I’ve never gotten to shoot one with ammunition and a target to aim at, though, so this may be a new experience even to seasoned reenactors! I am happy to report that while the Brown Bess and fowling piece we shot do pack a punch (the noise is impressive even through ear protection), the kickback is not enough to seriously shake even someone of my slight stature.

Many thanks to the social media team for letting me represent the library (as the Foundation’s librarians, we do our best to stay current on new programming so we are prepared for questions and research inquiries), and to the range instructors and safety officers. They were knowledgeable, reassuring and helpful, and clearly enthusiastic about period weapons.

In the end, we all liked the musket range for different reasons, but agree it’s an experience that everyone will enjoy! Check it out yourself, and tag us in your triumphant photos with the hashtag #CWmusketrange.

A special thanks to CW photographer and friend to the blog - Lael White. We convinced her to set down her camera and give it her best shot!