Shot Show!

That’s right; I got 2 tickets to the GUN SHOW!

Ok, well I don’t actually have tickets and I only need one…It’s a joke, OK!

Anyway, I am finally getting to go to the Shot Show in Orlando this year and obviously I am very excited. For the uninitiated the Shot Show is the trade industry show for the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor industry. It is the 26^th largest trade show in the world and last year had almost 41,000 attendees, over 1800 vendors, and over 610,000 square feet of exhibit space. You can’t really buy anything at the show since it’s for all of the companies to display their new items, but you get to check out everything. I’m going with a buddy from work that writes articles for several magazines and is in pretty tight with people from several major companies. My buddy Mick is like Charlie San from the “Green Berets”, He gets tons of stuff for free and seems to know everyone so I’m looking forward to meeting some people in the business, doing some heavy drinking with some interesting folks, and seeing all of the new gun stuff before anybody else.

I will try and take notes so I can give all of you several write-ups when I get back.

Battle of the “J” frame

Since I carry one every day for my safety I thought I would weigh in a little on the topic. The first thing you have to ask yourself is why do you have it? Then what do you expect to do with it? And how is it supposed to function?

In my case I carry it in an ankle holster as a back-up to my main sidearm. So, I have it as a last resort. I expect to use it when I am out of ammo for my main gun, or a malfunction has put my main gun out of service, or I am injured and can’t use my main gun, or I’m in a position that doesn’t allow me to get to my main gun.

So tactically where would I be if any of the above scenarios happened? If I have distance the little snubby is going to be a pure defensive gun. I’m taking serious cover and anybody gets to close and “BAM!” If I’m in the middle ground when I have to use the gun then I’m moving and not waiting around to engage someone…in other words back to serious cover. Finally if I’m in CQB then I want quick solid hits. Like Hicks says “I keep it for close encounters”

So how do I expect it to function? Well I need to be able to transition to it very quickly. That means smooth draws and no snags. I am not going to use it at any great distance (over 10 yards). When I do use it I need to hit fast and hard. To me that means I need a hammerless weapon with a smooth trigger, big sight, and a powerful punch…therefore my .357 Magnum S&W 640.

Centennial J-Frame nirvana?

The Centennial line is the Smith & Wesson line of J-Frame revolvers meant to be conceal carried and have internal hammers so that the hammer doesn't snag on clothing or contaminated by the contents of one's pockets. Judge has got one of these guns and I'm sure he'll like hearing the high praise that his little 642 gets from revolver-smith Grant Cunningham in his post about the Battle of the J-Frames. (via Les Jones)

The Centennials also have one less part than the other models:since they have no exposed hammer, they don't have (nor do theyneed) the hammer-block safety common to all other "J" frames. Thatpart, which is quite long and rides in a close-fitting slotmachined into the sideplate, is difficult to make perfectly smooth.Even in the best-case scenario, it will always add just a bit offriction to the action. Not having the part to begin with gives theCentennial a "leg up" in action feel.

I've had this particular gun apart and worked on it for Judge and it never occured to me that the lack of the hammer block safety would make this a sweeter shooting revolver. Sadly, Copper Quincy's 637 does have the hammer block safety as it is a shrouded hammer model (exposed). Maybe you guys can compare actions sometime, I know I'd like to see if I can feel the difference.

The Texican

So I was looking for some gun parts for my nephew today and ran across this new single-action revolver put out by STI. In reading the description, I was very interested in that they claim that with their manufacturing process, all the parts are perfect and fit perfectly thus saving you from sending it to a gunsmith, because, well, its perfect.

The whole time I'm reading all the great things about this gun, I'm thinking "I wonder how much STI is charging?"  I figured that if it sold for under $800, they'd have guys lined up to purchase them.  If it were under $1,000, they'd sell quite a few.  I then saw the MSRP of $1,260.00 and thought "do they really think they can compete with Colt?"  I mean seriously?  If (and that's a HUGE if) I were to plunk down $1,300 bucks on a pistol, I sure as heck want Colt's name on the side so I know I can get that money back if I need it.

Forget it, I'll never spend that much for a gun I'll use at a CAS match, period.  Not when I can buy a brace of Rugers and have $300 left over.  The Texican might be the best thing since sliced bread, but I'll not find out anytime soon.

Maybe Judge can get ahold of one of these at the Shot Show and give us a report on what that action truley feels like.

Cordite

You hear from time to time when you do enough shooting. "I love the smell of cordite" Its one of those things you never really give much thought to, at least I didn't, I know that cordite isn't used in modern small arms ammunition and I'm not loading it in the cartridges I load, so what exactly is cordite? The Box Of Truth knows.

Essentially, it is gunpowder made into spagetti and loaded into cartridges like the 4" shell to the right. (via Les Jones)

Nuts!

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the famous response to a German surrender demand by Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, the Commanding General of the 101st Airborn Division who were surrounded in Bastogne France.  I couldn't possibly do the story justice, but you can read an account from a then Lt. Col. Kinnard.

We need a few Generals like McAuliffe right now and a political system that'll let them do their job.

New Rules

This time every year the SASS Territorial Govenors (TGs) vote on rules changes for the CAS game SASS sanctions. Some years its good, some years, well not so much. I think this year goes in the later grouping as the rules implemented don't make a whole lot of sense to me and in some cases are already rules and thus rendered redundent or confusing. Here's an item-by-item breakdown

• Item #1 gets on there seemingly every year. Whomever is manufacturing that gun is sure pushing it along (and likely lining some founder pockets)

• Item #2 Great, another catagory.

• Item #3 Many of these are reduntent and this is going to add to confusion during stages.

• Item #4 Tees and tank-tops are already banned

• Item #5 I guess this clarifies this situation and isn't bad.

• Item #6 I was unaware that this was previously handled differently. I suppose its a good thing they added this to prevent a did not finish or disqualified shooter to place.

If they'd have just voted in #5 & 6, I think I'd have been happy, but the rest are garbage and so bad they washed away any good they did with the last two.

The TG/Regulator at Thunder Valley (Vaquero Hayes) is proposing that they not vote on new rules every year at the SASS TG Summit which takes place during the SASS convention in Las Vegas. The argument levied against that is that nobody would come, which might be true, but I doubt it. The convention was pretty fun when Judge and I went and we aren't TGs and didn't care about the Summit.

I suggested that instead of voting on new items every year, they vote items in for a grace period and the following year, those items are ratified or let sunset. That way, mistakes are easier to get rid of, it breaks the climate that they feel they have to change something and gives TGs a reason to go to the convention. Just my 2 cents. We'll see what happens, my guess is that status quo will prevail and nothing will change. At least I didn't have to hear about Cap's latest whiz-bang gun that's so much better than anything else... blah blah blah.

Sorry lurkers, no cute pictures of Judge's daughter or poems or witticisms, just dry old SASS talk.

Ok You Lurkers!

Well I guess my wife figured out where this blog was located and she passed that information on to other members of my family so I thought I would provide you all with some much needed information as we approach the holiday season.

Xavier said it best so check out this article over at Xavier's Thoughts.

Merry Christmas

Future Young Gun

This little cowgirl needs some real pistolas.

Recently I’ve been thinking about the little one and what I should start looking for in the gun department. You see I would love it if she took up cowboy shooting with me. Now I know she is only 2 and she might not enjoy shooting at all, but just in case she gets interested I should be ready. Gun prices just keep going up all the time so if I come across a good deal on one of my gun choices I should snatch it up. With all of that in mind here are my gun choices for Sabrina;

A pair of Cimarron Lightnings; these little pistols are based on the Colt 1877 double action Lightning which has a birdshead grip and a smaller overall frame. They come in .38 and Redneck Rebel has proven just how far you can download one of these rounds. It should fit a little girl’s hands nicely and be very shootable.

Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .38; this rifle can be modified easily to make it smooth and easy to handle. I can also have the stock cut down if necessary to accommodate a shorter length of pull.

Stoeger Coach Gun, 12 gauge; I figure when the time comes I can give her my shotgun. Sure it’s a 12 gauge, but with feather light loads and a little practice she can shoot it just fine. Also it should be well broken in by then and open smooth and easy.

First Shoot, Last Shoot

There was a young man from Herne Bay
who was making some fireworks one day
but he dropped his cigar
in the gunpowder jar.
There was a young man from Herne Bay

-Ogden Nash

This poem reminds me of the very first CAS shoot Jose and I attended. I let him tell the story. Last shoot of the year tomorrow, wish us luck!

Injuries

Last month at our Department Range week I started having some pain in my right elbow. As the week went on it got a little worse each day. By Saturday my arm just plain hurt. I did a little research thanks to WebMD and self diagnosed Tennis Elbow. Now I’m not sure how I injured myself, but there you have it.

Jump forward to the last Thunder Valley main match. My arm had been feeling better so I thought I would give it a try. On the first stage the buzzer beeped and I picked up the shotgun…and damn near dropped it. I got a stabbing sensation all along my forearm and my fingers went numb. I made it through the stage but called it quits for the day right there. I figured I was either going to hurt myself more or drop a gun and I didn’t want either one of those to happen.

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.

I have no shooting goals for next year; I just want to get back into fighting shape and have some fun.

"I have made it a rule never to smoke more then one cigar at a time. "

-Mark Twain

That Just Ain't Right

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.

The funny or sad thing (however you want to look at it) was that the dad was darn near my size and when he pulled out his pistol on the first stage, I almost laughed while I was timing him. He was shooting New Vaqueros in .38 and he had those things loaded lighter than the women we usually shoot with load theirs. It was one of the most pathetic thing I've seen in cowboy shooting. I'm not one to stop a gamer from being a gamer, lord knows I'm thinking of buying Cowboy .45 Special Brass and loading it to get a lighter recoil, but damn! I'm pretty sure he had those Rugers short-stroked as well, again, that's fine, but its the whole package. At some point, you look at something and say "that just ain't right".

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.

Cooper on Glocks

"Shooting a Glock is simply shooting a single-action self-loader with no safety and a very poor trigger." -Jeff Cooper

A Good Cigar

Oh, 'tis well and enough
A whiff or a puff
From the heart of a pipe to get;
And a dainty maid
Or a bubbling blade
May toy with the cigarette;
But a man, when the time
Of a glorious prime
Dawns forth like a morning star,
Wants the dark-brown bloom
And the sweet perfume
That go with a good cigar.

-Norris Bull

PVR

So last weekend Judge and I went to PVR or Pleasant Valley Renegades range to shoot some cowboy action. PVR is in its first year and is located in Pleasant Indiana near the Ohio river at Madison. Its a two hour drive from my house and while that's quite a drive to shoot, its worth it. The best thing about PVR is the people, the folks running the place are the best. Nomore Slim owns the land the range is located on and Lizzy of the Valley and Randy Atcher pretty much run things along with Nomore. They epitomize what's good about SASS and I really enjoy being around them let alone privileged to shoot at the range.

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 match I actually made an effort to take pictures of shooters and decided to not do action photos because you only get the backs of people when you do that. I've posted them on my Flickr account so go see the kind of rift-raft I hang out with on the weekends.

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.

Range Week

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 Bloomington then Springville) I am the 10^th ever member of the Thunder Valley Rebels. Currently I rank 10^th in the Overall Cowboy contest at Thunder Valley, so that makes me a perfect 10!

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.

1000 Words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple of pictures of the Rock for you to check out.