Hijinx riding out of Texas has asked me to provide some keen
insight on the guns that are used in the Cowboy Action Shooting
Game. I hope that all of you folks have taken the opportunity to
follow the link to SASS and get signed up with the biggest outfit
that ever was. Once you join up, you will be receiving a copy of
that SASS Shooters Handbook. It will guide you on what is legal and
what is not. As stated in the section "The Game", please be
cautious about trading away the very gun you may need down the
trail. Basically you can get going in this game with just a few
well chosen guns. The object of this article is to get you started
and think of a few common sense ideas that will save you grief in
the long run. Revolvers: I wish we only needed one, but the truth
of it is that match designers have chosen to have many stages
involving the use of two. So you may as well face it. You will need
two. If you live in an area or shoot with a club that designs their
stages for one gun. Hurrah for you! Travel to a big match with a
50-300+ shooters and you will need the 2nd revolver. That's a fact.
So if you happen to have two of different caliber's, no real big
problem. But sooner or later you will run into the problem of a .45
Colt on one hip and a .44-40 or .357 Magnum on the other. You will
forget the correct ammo sooner or later and be standing their with
an empty gun when the timer goes off. Sorry! So think ahead, go for
revolvers of the same caliber. One gun belt, same ammo. Along that
line, it makes much more sense to have both guns of the same make
and mechanism and handling characteristics. I own and shoot Colts
and Rugers. I like both. Taking it a bit further, should they be a
matched set? Sure looks good, BUT I strongly doubt that you will
ever get two revolvers (without adjustable sights) to shoot to the
same point of impact. Sooner or later the one that hits about 2"
high is going to get switched with the one that is dead on at 25
yards but throws 3" to the right. Oops! Missed target! How do you
beat that? Consider two different barrel lengths or two different
finishes or grips. Your trembling hand pulls that iron from the
holster, or scoops it from the table or hay bale, the brain goes
into overdrive and the hand tells your mind that this is the gun
that throws them 3" to the right...simple...no need to twist the
barrel, just aim 3" to the left. Bingo! You have hit the middle of
the target! Most of you are going to become reloaders of great
piles of ammunition. You will discover that by changing powder
charges, bullet weights, etc. that you can actually change the
point of impact. All part of the great fun of the game. If you
decide to shoot Modern category, you miss all these great excuses
for a miss. In the beginning of the game, seems just about everyone
was shooting Ruger Blackhawks, good strong guns, they just spun the
sights till they were zeroed. No problems. Then a funny thing
happened. The Traditional shooters ( without the sights )began to
grow in number. Seems they were having more fun. We are not
shooting at tiny targets a great distances. Lets say that if you
can hit a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper at 15-20 yards shooting a
shot every 2-3 seconds you will probably hit at least 75% of your
targets. Where do you get them? New Colts may set you back between
$800-1200. Replicas from a variety of sources. Sure do look good.
Wide choices of styles and finishes and calibers. Most will require
a bit of smoothing and perhaps a trigger job, and will give years
of service. Then there is the Ruger Vaquero. My Stetson is off to
Mr. Ruger. He saw a market and a demand and rose to the challenge.
For a bit over $400.00 you can get a Vaquero in .44-40, .44 Magnum
or .45 Colt. Choice of Blue with case color finish or the high
polish Stainless. Shoot good, look good, are good. Expect 2-3" 25
yard groups with all of them with any barrel length. Barrel length?
Too many arguments for me to handle. Great for campfire
discussions. Of opinion that 5 1/2" most practical. My 2nd gun is
the shorter 4 5/8". I know the 7 1/2" gives a nice sight picture
but it does take some time to get it lined up. Whatever you get in
pistols, work with them, fire them one handed and two handed. Shoot
them a lot. I really mean a lot. These revolvers should be like old
friends. Please don't tinker with them; trying to smooth them up.
That's why gunsmiths exist. Very simply, they know what they are
doing. Feel free to get the grips of your choice in the material
that suits your fancy. Get those grips to fit the gun frame. Much
more comfortable. Caliber choice. Again your choice within the
rules. If you can handle it, shoot it. Don't get over-gunned. You
have to control that iron, can't be done if hand size and strength
won't permit. Keep in mind that some clubs have stages that have a
mandatory knockdown for pistols in some or all stages. Don't expect
a .32 or .38 to do it all the time. You get some insurance with a
bigger slug. If you already have a pistol that is legal; shoot it.
If it has adjustable sights, no problem, register to shoot Modern
Category. It is not written in stone that you will be a Modern
shooter forever. It may be that you will see the light sooner or
later and do the Traditional way. Right now may be a very good time
to give a plug to a man down in Arizona. I have never met him, I
don't owe him any money..but he deserves a big hand from all of us
in this game. He has taken many hours to write a great book. If it
is not in your local bookstore, order it. His name is Charly
Gullett. The name of his book is naturally: COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING.
The Complete Old West Era Competition Reference. It is that. It is
published by Wolfe Publishing Company 6471 Airpark Drive Prescott,
AZ 86301 For your bookstore clerk here is a special number. It is
ISBN 1-879356-27-9. Charly will guide you through just about
everything that you will be thinking of. If you are getting
interested in the Black Powder game, you have to have this book!
Bucks well spent! Rifles: Will go into some additional detail in a
later month's page. Rifles seem to present a problem. The problem
is, they are hard to find. Remember the current rules call for a
least a .32 caliber with minimum bbl. length of 16" in a PISTOL
caliber! So Grandad's Winchester 94 Carbine in 30-30 (30 WCF) is
not going to do it just yet. But grab it anyway. Look for or place
an order for a Winchester Trapper or Wrangler or Marlin right now.
Set you back about $400 when you can find one. Think the moral may
be if you find it, new or used, and it looks OK, buy it. I am not
in business of selling them, but it seems more folks get held back
by not having one. What makes sense? Having the same caliber as
your pistols for sure. One less thing to worry about. Secret: Look
for Winchesters 1892's. They won't be around much longer. Consider
the Browning 1892 or the Rossi 1892. Now available in 45 Colt!
Consider the replicas. Many to choose from with wide choice of
finishes. Your choice seems limited by the size of your wallet.
When considering the extra fancy engraved models with extra grades
of wood, keep in mind that the gun will be placed on a nasty
variety of surfaces, ranging from a piece of rough wood to the top
of a hay bale with rusty wires. Shoot a lot and they will begin to
look like what they are. Used. They will not stay in pristine
collector's condition. Shotguns: Again the subject of another
month's page. Same moral, if you see one that is legal and you need
it, buy it. I can remember when Winchester 97's were in every gun
store. No more! The word is out, between the turkey hunters of the
South and the Cowboy Shooters of the World, they are going, going.
See One; buy one. The hombres will probably look for a 12 gauge.
Great guns. If all you can find is a Full choke 30" don't pass it
by. You can always have the bbl. cut. If you are really lucky, you
may find an old takedown from the 20's or 30's with a spare bbl.
The use of the Winchester '97 and '93 and some Marlins, has been
questioned by many, but it is legal. You will never feel quite
complete until you have one. So look for them. So much for keeping
it simple. Sooner or later you will be looking for a side by side
double. Perhaps with a short barrel; maybe even with exposed
hammers. Might as well be on notice. Some clubs only have matches
for the doubles. Great Fun! In the next few months we will look a
bit closer at the rifles and carbines, both old and new. Will try
to cover calibers, barrel lengths, choice of sights. Plan to share
some information about all these things called Side Matches. Do I
need a derringer? What is a belly gun? What is a pocket gun? A long
range single shot black powder Sharps? Where does it end? Until we
meet up again. Good Shootin! Tioga #1552 Duane Otis dotis@a.crl.com
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