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Black Powder Silhouette

A Black Powder Silhouette Match consists of shooting at (and hopefully knocking down) animal-shaped steel silhouette targets at four distances from the standing unsupported position using a traditional muzzleloader. The ammunition can be any caliber but is generally restricted to round ball only.  Propellant must be black powder or a equivalent substitute.  Metallic sights only.  Exceptions may be made at the match director's discretion.  The competitor will engage five animal silhouettes at each of the following distances: 40, 60, 77 meters, and 100 yards for a total of 20 targets to complete the match.  Muzzleloaders can be any traditional-style firelock, including (but not limited to) flintlocks, cap locks, wheel locks, match locks, and whatever else you can muster up. If you want to shoot your smoothbore Brown Bess, go for it!  Or if you want try your black powder pistol that's fine too!  You might find it helpful to have your piece sighted-in at 40, 60, 77 meters and 100 yards prior to the match since there is no sighting in period during the match (lane 5 at the rifle range has target stand holes at these distances for your convenience).  Paper bullseye-style targets may replace silhouettes at selected matches to change things up at the match director's discretion.  The match at SLSC is unsanctioned but generally follows NRA Rifle Silhouette rules.

Match Director

Match Description

  • A relay of shooters engages the five animal silhouettes at each distance and then rotates to the next station and repeats until all four stations/distances have been completed. More details are in the Course of Fire section below.

Who
  • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – all ages, under 18 with an adult.  All skill levels are welcome.  

Where

When

  • Third or fourth Friday of the month except where other matches conflict.  The specific Friday will generally, but not always, coincide with Federal Employee CWS days.  See club calendar or upcoming events section below for dates.
  • Setup starts at 0800, match starts at 0900.
  • Range is CLOSED for setup and match. 
  • Matches may be canceled due to weather or other events.  Be sure to contact the match director to be placed on email distribution for last minute changes and updates as well as scores and match reports. 

Cost

  • $5

Equipment Needed:

  • Traditional-style muzzleloader with metallic sights as described above. 
  • 20 rounds of ammunition and black powder or suitable substitute as needed to complete the match.

Course of Fire Details

    • One string of five steel targets at each distance:
      • Chickens – 40 Meters
      • Pigs - 60 Meters
      • Turkey - 77 Meters
      • Rams - 100 Yards

    • Targets are NRA Hunter Pistol targets and are designed to fall with a medium to light load. Any load producing a muzzle energy of 175 ft-lb at 100 yards should be adequate.

    • Targets are shot from the standing position with no artificial support.

    • Targets are shot in order and the shooter is limited to five shots for each string.  No extra shots are allowed. 

    • Each string of 5 targets must be completed in 30 minutes.

    • After all 5 targets at a given distance have been engaged, the shooter will rotate to the next station and repeat until all four distances have been completed.

    • No sighting shots are permitted during the match.

    • Silhouette targets may be replaced with paper targets at selected matches at the match director's discretion.

    Scoring

    • A target knocked over counts as one point with a maximum of 20 points per match.

    • A turned or nicked target does not count for score.  The target must fall off the stand to be scored.

    • Target dimensions are as noted below.

                                


    Results

    Sanner’s Lake Black Powder Silhouette Match Report – September 2026

    Ominous skies from a brewing nor’easter didn’t stop five shooters from venturing out to Sanner’s Lake on a crisp fall Saturday morning to send lead balls downrange at the September Black Powder Silhouette Match.  And although the rain held off, the wind sure didn’t, as frequent strong gusts kept everybody on (and off) their toes trying to stay on target.

    At the end of the morning, Ed Thompson once again came out on top with 10 targets felled, an admirable performance under such unsettled conditions.  Close behind were Emory Johnson and Dave Kelnberger, each with 8 targets dropped, with Emory taking the tie-breaker with his superior turkey score.  Great shooting!

    See all the results and details below:

     

    Place

    Name

    Rifle

    Cal.

     

    40m

     

    60m

    77m

    100y

    Total

    1

    Ed Thompson

    Jonathan Browning Mountain Rifle

    .50

    3

    4

    2

    1

    10

    2

    Emory Johnson

    Lyman Trade Rifle

    .50

    1

    3

    2

    2

    8

    3

    Dave Kelnberger

    T/C Renegade

    .50

    2

    3

    1

    2

    8

    4

    Keith Knoblauch

    Albrecht Flintlock Longrifle

    .54

    3

    1

    1

    0

    5

    5

    Mark Swierczek

    Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken

    .50

    0

    0

    2

    2

    4

            Notes:    5 targets at each distance, 20 targets total.

                            Ties are broken by the highest score on the most difficult targets, in order: turkeys, rams, chickens, then pigs.

    Our next match will be on October 23 -- if you’ve thought about joining us, this is your last chance this year!


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    Sanners Lake Sportmen's Club
    PO Box 1300, Lexington Park, MD 20653

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