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October 19th, 2018, 06:13 PM #1
Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
Get your jawing, mowing, raking, worshiping, and chain sawing done by the end of October. Because the first Sunday of every November is a religion of sorts for folks who share a similar interest with suitable devotion:
ANNUAL FORT ROSS GATLING SHOOT
(10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.)
1451 Harmony Ridge Rd.,
Drumore, PA 17518
This event is always hosted the first Sunday of November
(my calendar says it's on Sunday, Nov 4, 2018) and
it's around twenty miles south of Lancaster, PA
on a beautiful farm with a Rev. War blockhouse. Dress for
cold weather hunting (you’ll undoubtedly remove some layers
during the day). Be sure to bring your shooting buddies, eyes,
ears, camera, and sling-back chair.
If you're bringing a NOOB or special person, heavy lap blankets are PERFECT, but please, NO TENNIS SHOES! (feet get cold and eventually, you'll leave early because of all the whining - and miss all the fun). There's a great pumpkin shoot at the end.
No admission fee, on-site bathrooms,
food & coffee (great hotdogs and sauerkraut) are free.
If you feel suitably fed, consider leaving a tip in the jar for the foodservice folks...
There’s usually between 10 – 17 Gatling guns that show up for
this event. It starts off with a 12lb Napoleon cannon (think
“Civil War” era) shooting length-ways though the engine block
of the target vehicle. Makes you really wonder how anyone
survived at Gettysburg…
And then they bring out the mortars just so you can get a little of that Civil War "Vicksburg" feeling...
Here's a link for the shot that starts everything (notice the recoil on the 2,800 lb Napoleon - remember it's "only" shooting a 12 lb. cannonball):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygStDZrZeU8
Be sure to set your clock back one hour on
Saturday night (“Spring forward -Fall back”
time change).
See you there…Last edited by bamboomaster; October 20th, 2018 at 02:31 PM.
- bamboomaster
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October 19th, 2018, 07:11 PM #2
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
Oooohhhh. I might have to talk the family into this one.
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October 19th, 2018, 07:44 PM #3
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
- bamboomaster
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October 19th, 2018, 08:06 PM #4
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
Opinions are like anal apertures. They all stink but mine.
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October 20th, 2018, 03:14 PM #5
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
This sounds like a fun event, have to see how things go.
Gender confusion is a mental illness
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November 5th, 2018, 05:04 PM #6
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
Well, a couple of things to report:
1. Best weather ever - sunny, 4-6 mph wind, around 52 degrees when the action got started.
2. About 400 folks there - vehicles appropriately parked by their owners for around 200 yds. on each side of the field.
3. Who showed up? Nobody from PAFOA that I know or other folks who asked "Now when is the November Gatling shoot?" But 11 Gatling guns showed up, four mortars, one 12-lb Napoleon cannon, and a Hotchkiss 1.65" light mountain gun, plenty of pumpkins, and of course, the target vehicle.
So it was a fabulous day and we sorta had a family reunion with our 1 YO bro' sitting on the Gatling with his folks around him who have attended this shoot the last 8 years (we've been attending this religious service for around the last 15 years on the first Sunday of every November). And there were grand parents, friends of grand parents, parents, siblings, sons and daughters, and their friends too.
Notwithstanding the fun I had shooting off the opened hood on the target vehicle (sneaky suggestion - aim for the hinges - easy to do when you're shooting at the pumpkin, miss, and hit the hinges), for the first time there in around 15 years, I was totally humbled/blown away.
Apparently last year, a new farm building in progress at the time was completed this time around.
Just want to let you know that a farm building (basically like the size of an ice hockey rink without patron seats) held over 60 cannons and other stuff that if you're a student of history, may have only imagined.
Ummm, no pictures were permitted/allowed and when I saw a dufuss taking them, I just pointed to the signs that were posted. He said he didn't mind having folks taking pictures of his "guns". Just told him that it's not about his collection, it's about what's being displayed here.
I've never seen a display like this before - mostly all were original - and in spectacular condition.
Honestly? It took my breath away in about five seconds after I walked through the door.
You lazy-ass folks missed out on perhaps the best display of Civil War artillery than you could have ever seen. It beat the Smithsonian by more than a country mile.- bamboomaster
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November 5th, 2018, 05:15 PM #7
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
Thanks for the report, nope, my lazy ass didn't go either. Maybe next year we'll get a couple together for a group visit.
Gender confusion is a mental illness
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November 5th, 2018, 06:58 PM #8
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
I gotta be honest, I completely forgot it was yesterday. I thought it was this Sunday coming up. Very sorry I missed it. The Mrs was even going to go with me. She's never gotten to meet you guys.
My lazy ass was humping up and down the PA Grand canyon with my daughter all day. It was a great trip, but not Gatling gun great.
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November 5th, 2018, 07:50 PM #9
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
No apologizes required from PAFOA folk. We all have families and are doing our best. Just wanted to extend this invitation (and free hotdogs) to other PAFOA members. Don't worry if you missed things - we ate the hotdogs...
While many of us are so accustomed to a PAFOA Gatling or other really cool machine-gun shoots, there's absolutely nothing like walking through this on-site barn and looking at cannon that are not only museum-worthy, documented, and taller (and thankfully, many times heavier) than most of us! No matter what books you have on the Civil War, what movies like "Gettysburg" you've ever seen, whatever national parks, battlegrounds/cemetaries, or military academies you've visited, if you know anything about history and the destructive confrontation of a Civil War, this walk-through just blows the socks out of your boots.
Whatever your favorite historical car/vehicle is, just imagine 60-90 of them in perfect condition, all ready to go. That's what it felt like for me for my first time through.
Enormously humbled in many ways...
While I recognized many of the cannon, I've never seen the magnificent quantity of originals in perfect condition - anywhere...- bamboomaster
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November 5th, 2018, 10:24 PM #10
Re: Annual Fort Ross Gatling Shoot - First Sunday of Every November
I was hoping also, but did not make it. I did pass it along to my BIL who lives a lot closer and suggested the kids would really enjoy it, so I hope they made it. I have not heard back yet.
Illegitimus non carborundum est
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