Injuries
Last month at our
Jump forward to the last
I spent the rest of the day in hell working the stages and watching everyone else have a good time. Well I’ve bought a brace and I’ll give it a go again this weekend. I would hate to not be able to shoot anymore this year, but I guess we will find out soon.
Last Saturday we went down to Thunder Valley to shoot and while Judge's arm was too sore for him to shoot, I had myself a very good day shooting. I actually beat a guy who usually kicks my butt, however, I pobably did so because when I was timing him, I stopped him when I thought he'd only shot four pistol rounds when he shot five. Even so, it was a very good shooting day for me. I'd have finished first if it weren't for a shooter from KY that came up to Thunder Valley for the first time and shot very well. Heck the top three duelists shot within six seconds of each other.
The new guy brought his family which included a buckaroo and by my count, they were all very competetive, friendly and they worked hard at whatever needed to be done. That's all I ask of anyone that I'm running the posse for. Their Buckaroo was a pretty decent shooter and mostly safe but like all kids, has the attention span of a fruit fly. I'm glad the Buckaroo safety rules were adjusted so that some of the responsibility is out of their hands.
I suppose he isn't hurting anyone, so why bother? I guess at some point, I have to agree with our good friend Manatee when he criticized another large man shooting .32s. Though somehow I find that particular shooter OK, maybe its attitude of the person or familiarity, who knows. But I find one example of a larger guy shooting small guns to be OK and another to be utterly ridiculous. I think in the end, its how you approach the game, in one case, this new shooter is doing the bare minimum with respects to appearance to shoot cowboy (or it appears that way) and is very competitive. The other guy is more entrenched in the "Cowboy" feel of things and acts the part. If I had to say, I'd say that someone who acts cowboy in entirety gets a free pass on what guns he shoots.
BTW, I find that guys who shoot completely full-house loads in an attempt to show just how manly they are and are overly bragadocious about shooting the "big stuff" are just as bad as a guy who shoots .32s.
PVR makes you feel welcome and as comfortable as possible, providing bottled water and lunch for your $40 membership and $15 shooters fee. They also have a nice area where members can put cabins, Nomore and Randy have put a couple in for themselves that were prefabbed by an Amish guy. They look pretty cool if not totally cabin-like.
This shoot we had a great time with the nice weather, easy stages and good pards. I didn't shoot particularly well, but I'm having fun even though Gunfighter seems to be kicking my ass. I've also loaded up some brass shotshells and those are really fun to play with and I even decided to load up some smokeless shotshell reloads just because I had the stuff to do it.
After the shoot, we had a chili super that featured several tasty chilis and a deep-fried turkey. If you haven't had a deep-fried turkey, you're missing something awfully tasty! It is probably the best turkey I've ever had. So after stuffing myself, smoking cigars and a couple of beers, we headed for the homestead.
Jose really needs to update this page a little. Range week and a few things jump out at me. People can’t shoot one handed. People do not know how to manipulate the shotgun. People can not do a proper tactical reload. People do not know how to shoot around cover. Some are decent shooters, but bad gunfighters. Others are decent gunfighters, but bad shooters…pick your partner carefully.
Things you can do without shooting the gun:
Learn to manipulate your weapon; load, unload, clear malfunction, grip, draw, re-holster
Learn how to use cover; don’t crowd, don’t shoot over, change elevation
Learn transitions; CQB and weapons
Move, Shoot, and Communicate…Live Long and Prosper.
ZOMBIES!!!
From the actual police blotter
…..age 20, reported that she was attacked by zombies as she sat parked in her Land Rover in front of the Smallwood Apartment complex at 455 N. College Avenue. She was very upset that said zombies had gotten some type of purple goo on her vehicle and she was afraid that it would damage the paint. Officers found about 3 dozen zombies a few blocks away, but they all denied any involvement in the incident and the complainant was unable to pick out any particular zombie(s) in the group as being the ones who attacked her.
This is why you should always be prepared. For more information try here: Zombie Survival Guide.
10
Bo Derrick was a perfect 10, or at least Dudley Moore thought so. The Judge is a perfect 10 right now as well. What, you say? How can that be? Well since Jose stole number 9 from me (I guess mail is delivered faster from
On another note it looks like SASS has approved the Indiana State Shoot to be moved from the horrid July date to September! I couldn’t be happier. I had already decided if the dates were not changed I wasn’t going to suffer another miserable Shoot, but it looks like next year will be perfect…well it has to be better then +90 degree weather and +75% humidity like the last 3 years.
Let’s face it. If you want a custom firearm you must spend a ton of money and wait years for your little toy, but two fortuitous events happened recently that changed my view of custom guns forever. First, I happened to find a government model Rock Island Armory 1911 for a great price, and second I convinced a fledgling gunsmith known here as Jose Gigante to take the plunge and build a custom gun. The results are the RIA/GSE a custom shop gun for a root cellar price.
The RIA/GSE started life as a standard 5 inch government model 1911 in .45 ACP. This is a quality firearm with surprising accuracy right out of the box and it turned out to be an excellent platform to build this custom masterpiece. I sat down and talked to the big man about my goals with this firearm. I was looking for a custom carry piece that focused on reliability but provided close to match grade accuracy. I wanted a combat firearm I could rely upon and the RIA/GSE meets all of those requirements and more.
Caspian provided many of the internal parts replacing the extractor, firing pin, firing pin stop and slide stop. Chip McCormick was used for the tactical magazine release and the thumb safety. An Ed Brown grip safety and match trigger fit beautifully. A Smith and Alexander magazine well, an EGW 1 piece guide rod, Swenson magazine release lock, and a Wolff spring kit helped to round out the weapon. The true treasure on the gun however, is the Cylinder and Slide Tactical Match Trigger Set. This trigger defines “breaking glass” and puts the “Special” into its name.
Novak Low Mount rear sights and a Millet front sight provide the sight picture and a set of Smith and Alexander Black Rosewood Double Diamond grips grace the gun. The gun was all ready to be finished and I chose an old style parkarization process to give it that fighting look. The finishing job was a little out of Jose’s league, but he managed to find a local gunsmith, AJ Brown, who did a fantastic finish job in only a couple of weeks. Of course this wasn’t just a parts swapping job. Jose polished, cut, fit, honed, and prepped this gun all the way through the refit process.
When you look at the features on the RIA/GSE and compare them to similar guns you find a price tag topping out over 1800 dollars. This beauty will shoot with them best of them and cost less then half of that price tag. It shoots exactly as advertised quickly proving that John Browning’s design and a little elbow grease from a quality gunsmith can create a true work of art.
I’ve compared the RIA to a Kimber Warrior and a Nighthawk Talon. Both pistols have some very nice external features that comes from a quality shop with a milling machine and the ability to dot, diamond, line, and checker just about anything, but the feel of the gun is almost the same. The Trigger on the Warrior wasn’t even close to the RIA and the Nighthawk felt almost the same. Next week I’m taking the RIA head to head against the Nighthawk and I’m expecting big things.
Special Thanks to Jose for a gun that will be my favorite for a long time to come.
Takes the Cake!
Now I have heard of some dumb ideas before, hell I’ve even had my share, but this one takes the cake. It appears as though John Bianchi and EMF have gotten together to create what they are calling the Dry Fire Model.
The Dry Fire Model is a pistol designed in all respects like a Colt SAA clone, but made non-firing to facilitate dry fire practice. Great John feels that the pressure of dry-firing on a SAA is to much and therefore this model is needed to give shooters something to practice with. Oh, by the way, it sells for $369.90.
Now, I can find a Ruger Vaquero new online for $450 and everyone knows that the Ruger is a tank and you could not only dry-fire to your hearts content, but send some valuable lead down range. But here is where it gets good. For $299.99 you can buy a Colt SAA Clone made by Cabela’s called the Millinium. For less then 15 dollars you can buy 6 snap caps that will protect your firearm from damage during dry-firing. So, for $315 or less you can have yourself a gun you can actually shoot. That just makes the Dry Fire Model plain stupid.
PVR Main Match was yesterday and I continued my pursuit of Jedi Gunfighters everywhere. Call me the Sith Gunfighter. It was "one of those days" for me, in a bad way. I started horribly and stayed there for the better part of the match until I finally cleaned up on the last two stages. It had to be the syrup...
Since Judge was shooting B-Western, I loaned him my Marlin Cowboy and shot his '66 for the day, a gun that I admittedly should have bought myself, but that's old news. I hadn't shot it since I put in the whisper springs and short-stroke kit. They certainly make a huge difference in the rifle, I nearly knocked the butt off my sholder when I first levered, then I shot it like crap, oh well. The thing I suppose I figured out yesterday about the '66/'73 vs Marlin '94 is that the former require a bit of practice and confidence to shoot. They're kind of like driving a sports car, you can go fast, but you have to know what you're doing. The Marlin on the other hand, is very easy to pick up and shoot relatively fast.
All in all, I think I prefer the Marlin for a couple of reasons. The sight picture is better and the Marlin is easier to maintain. When shooting the '66 or '73, you lose the sight picture when the hammer falls and you have empty shell casings flying in front of your field of vision. As for maintenence, the Marlin is ultra-easy to disassemble and clean throroughly, on the '66 this is a chore, although less so on the '73 with it's inspection plates. The carrier is the part that gets the dirtiest on the Winchesters and is hardest to clean, bad combo.
Judge brought up the buttstock on the Marlin being more comfortable and forgiving, as well as a better comb. I don't disagree, especially with the former, but the comb is a personal thing to each shooter. There's also the weight of the Marlin being less than a '66 with the huge brass receiver, can't argue that point either, but it isn't such a horrible thing.
All in all, I'm happy with the Marlin, I just know that it'll be forever marginally slower than a '66, but its a lot of fun to shoot and dead reliable. Its just too bad Marlin doesn't make them anymore.
Jedi Gunfighter!
Well I’m not really all that good at this game yet, just don’t have the time necessary to either practice or shoot every weekend. So imagine my surprise when my name appeared in a thread on the SASS Wire.
You see, a fine gunfighter and world record holder, Widowmaker started a thread about forming a new SASS group called Jedi Gunfighters. First he put in the criteria for becoming a Jedi gunfighter which included winning a match as a gunfighter, shooting clean as a gunfighter, being a great guy and being a gunfighter…stuff like that. He then went on to list those people whom he made honorary members. And of course the big surprise happened when I found myself listed at number 11! (and you must pronounce “eleven” with a British accent)
I shot the Kentucky State Match with Widowmaker and found him to be a great guy. I managed to have my first ever clean shoot that weekend, and he must have remembered it. So I’m number 11 on the Jedi Gunfighter list and I love it. Jose aint gonna hear the end of it.
What's that you say? Haven't ever heard of such a round? Well now you have. Do to the constant lust to go faster and reduce recoil, some enterprising folks have created a new custom round called the Cowboy .45Special.
What is it?
It is a .45 caliber rimmed case with the overall length of .895 which is the same as the ubiqutous .45ACP and the same diameter and rim as the .45Colt.
Why's that so darned good?
Well, if you know anything about powder and case volume, you know that at lower velocity cowboy loads, the large .45Colt volume cause inconsistency and loss of accuracy, the Cowboy .45Special's smaller volume means less inconsistency and greater accuracy with lower recoil.
Will it work with Black Powder and Subs and the new "smoke rule"?
Heh he, this is the best. 15g of black powder will just fit under a 200g bullet. No fillers. This'll greatly simplify loading of BP and subs and allow you to use progressive loaders.
Will it work in my rifle?
Not in most. A Marlin can be modified to work with this ammo though, just a modificatio to the carrier.
OK, this thing's got to cost me an arm and leg, right?
Well, it does cost more because the round is new and not widely used. But it only costs $20-$30 more per 1,000 than the .45Colt.
Ah! but I have to buy new dies, right?
Maybe, do you have a .45Colt sizer/shellplate and .45ACP expander & seat/crimp? If you do, then you're set.
When you buyin' a bunch?
Well, that's a good question, I don't really NEED this new case and Schofields work mighty fine right now. But I sure would like to see everyone's face when I pulled out ACP sized rounds to shoot :)
This comparison is a .45Colt on the left, a 250g bullet and the new Cowboy .45Special on the right. Case volume is cut in half.
Pyle Lovett
Well Jose and I headed on down to
We tried to think of a name and Jose convinced him to go with Rick O’Shea, but of course there are like 4 Rick O’Shea’s in SASS. After the shoot we were sitting around the garage as usual and our two clown princes Vaquero Hayes and Smiley (AKA Sheepdip) came up with an alias for him. Pyle Lovett. It’s good, I like it, and I think it will stick. So if he ever shoots again I think it’ll be as Pyle Lovett.
On a side note the shoot was downright miserable. It was very hot and humid and we got stuck with the Posse from hell. We had five new shooters, Lorenzo Lain, and Chief Old Timer. That’s 7 out of 14 that didn’t really do a damn thing. I managed to shanghi Randy Atcher and Lizzy of the Valley for help and Redneck Rebel busted his but as usual, but we barely made it and we finished almost 45 minutes later then everyone else. But, a bad day shooting is better then most anything else.
Cheats!
It seams like if you write a rule someone will try and circumvent it. From my limited experience overseas and with people from other cultures it seems like that is an American trait.
Now before you go and bash me I guess I should explain myself better. As Americans we tend to try and find the better, smarter, faster, and easier way to accomplish a task. When people tell us we can’t do it that way we try anyway. When kept in check and devoted towards good causes that is an admirable trait, but when unchecked and applied in inappropriate situations….well that’s when at lot of us get pissed.
We start with little or no rules, everybody knows what we are trying to accomplish and therefore things run smoothly. Then along comes the cheat. This guy doesn’t like the way things are going because he isn’t getting ahead fast enough. So to win, he does something we didn’t think about; therefore we have to write a rule. The truly evil bastards just keep breaking the rule until they are punished, but the cheat tries something else, hence another rule and the cycle goes on and on.
CAS is about testing our skill against the next guy or gal. It’s about stepping up to the plate and swinging away hoping to knock one out of the park. It’s about your candle burning brighter then the next guys because you have practiced more, or are more gifted, or are just a little smarter. That’s the essence of competition, it’s not if you win or lose, but how you play the game.
And then there are cheats. They aren’t as devoted, they don’t have natural ability, but they are usually smart in a sly kinda way. They are looking for edges, loopholes, and chinks in the armor, whatever it takes to win and it don’t matter how they got there. They prefer to make their candle brighter by blowing your candle out.
Maybe you’re one of these guys. Hell, maybe these aren’t bad traits and maybe there is a place for the cheats, but not on my team. You see at the end of the day I could never look at myself in the mirror if it wasn’t a fair fight, and once I figure out who the cheats are I usually make them my number one targets and damn the game. I usually don’t care if I win or lose as long as the cheats lose.
Cavalry Charge!
Many years ago a buddy of mine was into Civil War reenacting. He almost drug me into that, but I somehow managed to resist. Since then I have always had an affinity for the re-enactors and as you have probably already figured out from reading this blog I’m into anything I can do stretch the experience.
While investigating my family history I found out that a distant relative was a Colonel in the Civil War. After the war he became a Justice of the Peace and while I ended up not using his name for my Alias it defiantly influenced my “character.” What I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that I have been interested in an 1876 Cavalry Officer Uniform for CAS since I started this sport. So for fantasy purposes lets take a look at what’s out there for an authentic looking 1876 Cavalry Officer Uniform.
The internet is amazing. I remember my buddy having a very difficult time finding the necessary items for reenacting. Now, with a few key strokes, you can find everything you need from specialty stores online. So let’s start from the ground up.
This is the Military Civil War Cavalry Boot. It was found on both sides of the war and was common up until the 1900’s. Civilian Stovepipe Boots or shorter Military style boots from the period would also be acceptable, but the well dressed Cavalry Officer would probably be wearing these.
The M1873 Trousers, Sky Blue were made from “Kersey” and for the cavalry would have had a 1.5” Lemon Yellow stripe down each leg. The stripe width varied depending on the rank, but since we are looking at what a Colonel might have worn we will go with the wider stripe.
Here is where things get a little interesting. First If I was shooting for an 1873 look I would probably have to go with a M1852 Pattern Civil War Grey Flannel Shirt. In 1874 they issued a slightly modified version and in 1875 came out with a Dark Blue Version known as the M1875 Dark Blue Experimental Shirt. Since 1876 is our target year then we’ll go for the Dark Blue Shirt. The shirts changed often and there are many variations including a white civilian shirt. The shirt doesn’t matter as much because the well dressed officer would be wearing a fatigue blouse.
http://members.aol.com/fbp1/page7.html
I'm pretty darned happy for a guy who finished 7th in his category. I finished overall 53rd out of 163 shooters, a top third for me is good. I shot very consistently within my class and was able to pull off a quick stage 7 to put me ahead of a couple of duelists that would have otherwise beat me.
I was able to stay ahead of some shooters from other categories that can or usually beat me, like Buffalo Dick, Randy Atcher, Manatee, Abu, Judge Mint Day, Hardscrabble & Graver. The only shooter that I would normally compare myself to that beat me is M'bogo and I've really no right to compare myself to him, but he's my goal and I'm even happy for staying within 30 seconds of him over 10 stages.
I'm improving and that's what I get out of the competition.
The match was ranked by category, so shooters are measured against other folks in their category and not all the other classes (except for the overall results). This sounds like a good idea, except that it isn't. In several categories there is not a large enough sampling of shooters to make rank scoring work, so I hope this is the last big match that does this. I don't think it would have changed Duelist much if at all, but I know it affected Traditional and FCD.
