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As I have gotten older my comfort level has shrunk. Right now it is between 70.1 and 72.8.

I had to put my darling little dog to sleep yesterday. Her various systems were rapidly failing and the Doctor told me that a period of four days before she died would be a miracle...so I ended it all then and there. More story.....maybe..... later. We'll see. One of the newer veterinarian nurses wished her a RIP. The senior nurse, who has known Trinket since we first got her, stopped everyone in middle of the conversation. "NO! NO WAY AT ALL. GOD WOULDN'T ALLOW IT. She will be fit and young again, loving every one around, chasing cats, playing with other dogs and all the people she could reach, wagging her tail and sitting with Daddy to get rubbed and scratched. She will bark for joy and stalking doves, pushing turtles with her nose, chasing her toys, going for walks, and taking naps. She will hide her Vita Bones all over the house and go hunting for them days later. Trinket and Mama will get to know each other again and go for rides with the windows down, hide from thunder and heavy rain, and just sit side by side doing nothing but being there together, hip to hip. Dogs, and most other animals and people, deserve more than Resting In Peace." She looked at me and said "Can you even imagine Daddy Tom not playing with her, fooling with his guns and shooting, loving Mama and Trinket, racing cars, or going for walks around the neighborhood or up some trail down by a lake? I can't." You could have heard a fly fart, then everyone got more joyful. Not because my baby had died, but because they could see her being live and vibrant again. Thanks Joanne. I owe you a big one for a new view of what may happen when we die. I hope you are right and can someday join all of us again. God bless. Good bye, Trinket. I'll miss you a lot.

Nope. I have been retired since 2005 and there is no reason to get up before 8:00am.

Posted with moderator permission. This past Friday morning at the Southwest Regional Championship, aka Hell on the Border, in Fort Smith Arkansas, there was some severe weather. Heavy rain and wind destroyed four vendor’s tents and damaged a significant portion of their wares. The vendors who were impacted were @Scarlett, @Riverboat Red, SASS #71733, @Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 and @Nellie Blue #54399. (Red lost a significant portion of his paper inventory and Nellie lost 100% of her soap inventory due to the storm.) For the record, Red sells leather items, tumblers, and paper products, Nellie was selling her homemade soap, Possum was attempting to sell his 3D printed reloader accessories, and Scarlet was selling her normal inventory. Other than Scarlet (https://bulletsbyscarlett.com/). Nellie-Blue’s website is nellieblue.com (She will not have soaps for about 4 weeks to allow them to age.) I do not know the others websites. Please reach out to them and consider buying something from them to 1) offset their losses and 2)offset their travel costs which their match sales help cover. It is just the Cowboy Way. Thanks, La Sombra

Memories

Howdy All My Old Pards! Sixgun Shorty Here..at last! My good Pard Lumpy Grits called me a few days ago to tell me some of the old timers that would still remember me had been inquiring as to my whereabouts and why I haven't been active on the Wire like I was for 15 years or so! Briefly, I had to leave Lake Tahoe in 2024 where I had lived for 40 years and return to Atlanta where my daughter , granddaughter and family live due to grave health concerns; I have been literally fighting for my life due to blood infections and and a small hole in my esophagus..not to mention a subdural hematoma in my brain and assorted other med issues, I am finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and finally recovering..after a 3 years struggle ! My brilliant surgeons and Docs at Emory in Atlanta , after 6 times telling me I was dying, were dead A** wrong and I made it in spite of their disbelief! Not quite ready to shoot cowboy again although I have been putting in some range time at a Shooting Club I belong to in Atlanta. I bought a house in Marietta GA that's only 2 minutes away from my Daughter so my family support has been incredible ! I miss My SASS Pards and SASS in general as it was( and is) such a big part of my life and where my old friends are! My living room in Atlanta is lined with SASS pictures and memorabilia as quite a few of my beloved Colts are on the walls as reminders! To those of you that remember me, I am glad to announce I am back at least in a SASS 'old member'role but slowly regaining enough strength to soon start showing up at matches and SASS events! To those of you that remember me ,thank you for the SASS individuals that have given me support over the past few years of illness. Now it's time to make some new memories along with my old SASS Pards! Thank you All and it's good to be back! Sixgun Shorty SASS # 35717 Life, Range Officer, Posse Leader, Duelist..and Colt fanatic!

Multiple squibs isn’t necessarily a sign of intentional low charges. I know!! It is however grounds for a match director to require a change of ammo.

When Perfect Pattern first came on the scene I was intrigued so I bought an 8 pounder to play around with. I did some chrono work with it. I found that when loaded with similar charge weights as my tried and true Clays and Titegroup loads it performed very well. All my chrono work was done with multiple fired brass and bullet weights in 105 and 125gr. The standard variation was pretty low for that scenario and it burned cleaner than my normal Titegroup load. It also metered very well through my Dillon measures. As always caution always needs to be taken when dealing with unpublished data but at the end of the day your playing with 3'ish grains of shotgun powder and if you already make good ammo most hand wringing can be put to rest. Once I'm through with my 20 pounds of Titegroup and the little Clay Dot I have left I'll be transitioning to Perfect Pattern for both my .38 and 12ga. needs.

Now, oil changes are generally not challenging. I’ve been doin’ ‘em for over sixty years. Pretty simple, usually; heck, we used to teach our Cub Scouts about oil changes (although now they have to be “Boy Scout” size). The difficulty level ranks about alongside installing new bootlaces or bathing a friendly dog. So, that said, I decided to give “Ol’ Blue” (my new-to-me 1994 Ford F-150) an oil change. Simple. Easy-peasy. Heck… since it’s a 4wd it sits high enough I wouldn’t even have to mess with jacks or ramps. Okay – for starters, get the oil and filter. Ordered a 6-pack of Mobil 1 10w-30 from Amazon. Got an email that my order had been delivered. Looked outside… filter here, but no oil. Called Amazon – Oil had been delivered to someplace in Pennsylvania; refund issued. Re-ordered – price had almost doubled. Sheesh! Oil delivered – wrong oil. Received a 6-pack of Mobil 1 0w–20. Grumble… well, rather than return it, I’ll just give it to the Kid; he’ll use it in one of his newer vehicles. Hied m’self on down to Wally World and bought two 5-quart jugs of the 10w-30. Took it home. Crawled under the truck and drained the old oil, replaced the plug. Simple. But then life decided to take a Homer-esque turn. (Homer of Odyssey fame, not Simpson). The filter. Could not access from underneath. At 5’ 10” I’m not exactly “stumpy,” but lack my son’s six-three wingspan reach… so, although I could access the filter from above, it was not comfortable. But do-able. Or should have been. To wit... it seems that the cretin who had last changed the oil had used a wrench to tighten the filter. And really “put the hooey” to it. That suckah was NOT going to budge! (The Kid sez he knows the mechanic who did the last change, and was not a bit surprised - he's known for screwing up). It literally took hours to get the danged thing off. I started with a simple strap wrench; no budge. Then a variety of “plier” type wrenches, clamp wrenches, more strap wrenches, an improvised wrench made with an old web belt and large box-end wrench, a chain wrench… even a hammer and long chisel on the base rim. No joy. FINALLY after a ton o’ effort and a lot of words not normally part of my vocabulary, I found in the back of a toolbox drawer a BIG-a$$ed pair of Channelocks that haven’t seen the light of day in mebbe two or three lustrum. It worked! By assuming some completely unnatural body configurations, I managed to get a grip on the crimped-on base of the filter. With the aid of a bunch more colorful phrases and all the weight I could muster, I got it to budge. Just a little. But after moving one or two degrees at a time, it eventually gave up its barnacle-hold on the engine. Eureka! Success! Well… almost. It seems that the 9th generation F-150 with the 351 Windsor engine has two oil filter configurations – the standard (which I had a filter for), and the non-standard… for engines fitted with an “external oil cooler.” Which takes a shorter, fatter, metric filter. Which, as it turns out, Ol’ Blue has. Which is a good thing, of course… but it meant another trip to town for the proper filter. Which went on easily and properly – NOT permanently torqued on. Dang, but it sure felt good to finally get it done! I deserved a reward of an adult beverage! But dangit… got distracted and plumb forgot. Mebbe tonight, after Kiwanis. If I remember. Prob’ly won’t. And a Pox on the Houses of Bonzo mechanics and gunsmiths! “Ol’ Blue” The old filter, after extraction "Tools Of the Trade," all used

Just got back to the camper from the Indiana state awards banquet. I can’t say enough about how great the match was and the job that the Westside Renegades did in putting on their first state match. First class all the way. The Renegades have a strong core group of workers that know cowboys and what they expect in a match. I could name a bunch of the folks that run things, but would hesitate doing so because I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out. If you’re looking for an exceptional match and being treated like you’re one of the family, then you need to put this one on your schedule. I’ve got a feeling that this match will reach its capacity and have people on a waiting list within a couple years. I do know, that at the banquet tonight it was announced that the state match next year would be held here also. Watch this winter for the Spring Roundup applications to come out and get on board as quick as you can.

Disagree with assuming which are rifle and which are pistol targets. Write up should designate with P or R which targets are which. Shots on the targets with wrong firearms are all misses.

The Cowboy Hat You can toss it on a coat hook But never on the bed The best place to toss it though Is right up on your head It will warm your head in winter In summer, a bit too much It will ward off wind and snowflakes And skeeter bugs and such You can take it off to wave it And shout a big Yeehaa And at the dinner table So said my dear grandpa If your cayuse needs some water You can fill it from a stream Then put it back and it will cool Your head off like a dream Take it off to kiss your sweetie Put it on if there’s a fight Put it on to break a bronc each time And pull it down real tight Take it off in your horseless carriage If the headroom’s kinda slim Use an old beat up tea kettlle To customize your brim Don’t think it’s just another hat It’s more than that you know Wear it with respect and pride Go ahead, put on a show It’s a hat that says ”America” When you wear near or far From Timbuktu to London town They’ll know just who you are Now I could go on a lil bit longer But I’ve already wasted time So put yours on with a cowboy smile And I’ll do the same with mine 😉

She did an awesome job! https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1284873447117677&id=100063484626702

I just got off the phone with Maria from the SASS office. I had a question about getting my SASS number on a badge. She wound up taking the order on the phone! Easy peasy. If you want to order something and you’re not real computer saavy or have a question about any merchandise don’t hesitate to call them. Maria was friendly knowledgeable and a delight to talk to! 🤠

The other thread got archived. They ought to bring it back! I ordered a new T-shirt last night! Lawdog Dom put me onto it and I just couldn’t resist… 🤣🤣🤣🤣WHADAYATHINK?🤣🤣🤣🤣

This Winchester Model 1894 was built in 1905 with a barrel threaded for a silencer. Prior to the introduction of the National Firearms Act in 1934, a silencer, now more commonly called a suppressor, could be purchased over the counter like any other firearm accessory. https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAWz1tHJKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Besides celebrating the fracas in Mexico in 1862, May 5 is also John B. Stetson’s birthday, 1830. 😃 In his honor, my Stetson rack.

It’s time for the Derby!😉

The Rider-Ericsson Engine Company of New York was founded in 1897 and these engines were (from reading) quite common. For this model I made a new timber plinth for the engine as well as a larger copper water cooling reservoir, reshaped and straightened the copper piping, cut some brass and made some brass bolts on my lathe and scraped the red paint from the outside of the brass flywheel. Does anyone ever remember seeing one of these full sized Rider Ericssons?

Appreciate the support! 🤦🏼‍♀️ Tommy and I have been vending for TWELVE YEARS all over the country. The only place we do not set up our own tent is End of Trail. We know what we are doing. Weather similar to what happened in Arkansas has occurred however, we have NEVER had our tent break away from the tie downs, much less travel 200 yards on the wind. We are not so ignorant as to not check the weather. We checked it all day. We checked it before we left the range at about 7-7:30 Thursday night. We continued to check the weather before we went to bed! There were NO high wind advisories or thunderstorm warnings in my weather app. @Riverboat Red, SASS #71733, @Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 @Nellie Blue #54399 lost a lot of their hard work - that they make themselves. My stuff got wet and was all over the place. To imply that this was just something that happened that they should just get over it pisses me off. They are each fine cowboys and cowgirl who give a lot to this sport. If your comment was only directed at my post? I’m too polite to say what I want to say… so I’m not gonna say anything. Next time, how about not saying anything. Scarlett

The summer of '69 I was thirteen years old. Rode my Sears catalog five speed bicycle from Grahamsville, NY and spent the entire week. First time I have been back. Many, many memories have come back. Long live Rock and Roll Chas B

I am a Californian. This is my home. I will stay, and I will fight to defend my home. I am not alone; listen to the Gunslinger radio show; we've been broadcasting a firearms friendly show out of Los Angeles, for SEVEN years now. https://am870theanswer.com/radioshow/the-gunslinger-show. And the tide is definitely turning; watch the upcoming race for governor in California. It requires a single visit to the computer to ship a firearm to California. You are taking more time to read this thread than the time required to transfer a firearm legally to a California FFL. Why let the monkeys win? Cheers, FJT

???? What's the point of your post? Are you looking for someone to tell you not to be so cheap? OK. Don't be such a cheapskate.

After 20 years, my Dillon XL650 feels brand new again......the last 'X' amount of months I have had some major frustrations. Today I Googled how to take apart the Case Insert Slide and found the below problem. Took my spare parts kit down off the shelf, found the replacement spring and wow am I happy! Feel like a goose though, should have done more detective work months ago

Testing.....testing...............This is only a test.

Stage four cancer is still very treatable in many cases. Schoolmarm has stage four breast cancer which means that the cancer started in her breast and metasticised, (spread) to her bones. It was discovered late in 2014 and was aggressively treated. She has been in total remission and cancer free for more than ten years. Here’s hoping that we see similar results in Mike’s case!

I belive that A. He has put on weight and B, he is probably wearing a vest I do not wear body armor myself but I have been looking in vain for a Kevlar top hat. 😝

I've been watching a lot of HFY stuff on YouTube recently. Just heard a profound truth: "Peace is only possible when our enemies are too dead to threaten us."

Capes are allowed BUT they need to be properly coordinated with facial hair.

We visited Tombstone tuesday. Author Ben Traywick's widow (Mary Delores Traywick) is my wifes cousin. We toasted Ben with Doc Holiday's (and Ben's) favorite rye whiskey. We had a great time.

Draw, you Skunk! My best Christmas as a small boy.