Conestoga Smith, SASS #18219

Howdy- When I was loading TB for my .45s, I found inconsistency with charge weights from my Hornady powder measure due to the fact that TB "bridges" so badly. The4 result was, of course, the classic varied report from one round of ammo to the next, and sub-par accuracy. The Hornady powder measure I use comes with two different rotors which can be used - one for big charges of rifle powders ( often extruded powders ) and another for the small charges of powder for ( most ) handgun use. There ARE exceptions for everything. A BIG charge of w296 for a .454 Casull will need the "Rifle" rotor in the measure, for the extra capacity. In my measure, I found that for ANY charge of Trail Boss, I got best results with the "rifle" rotor, as the bore of that rotor is of large enough diameter to prevent the large, doughnut like "flakes" of that powder from bridging the way they do across the far smaller bore of the "pistol" rotor. best RESULTS ( that is, most consistent charge weights ) where obtained with this powder using the large-bore "rifle rotor" , AND fixing a vibratory device ( mine is a "bug" used to soothe fussy infants )to the powder measure. Yes it IS harder to "dial in" the desired charge wt. for a pistol using the bigger rotor . Of course, cleanliness is next to Godliness . The result was worth the extra effort. Also found small charges of TB worked FAR better for me in Schofield brass, which worked fine in my original Vaqueros. Far more consistent- though NOT with bare minimum loads. ALWAYS did better with a charge closer to middle of specified range, on up. Just my personal experience, for what it's worth.

"When you fight back you win, nearly every time. " - J. Cooper

Howdy: The Modern Sight guns can not shoot in Classic Cowboy, Frontier Cartridge (?), Duelist, Gunfighter ( without looking, I'm not sure about B-Western ) BUT are fine for the regular "age based" catagories. I suppose you've discovered that this is a pricey game to get in on. Something to consider over the long run is ammunition costs. Big, Fat bullets cost a lot more than say, .38s. I know you are trying to get started with what you have. That BFR really is a bit much for this- yes, you can use it. You will also need leather for it , and speed of handling was not a consideration in it's bank vault like strength. There is a reason my Freedom Arms model 83 in . 454 will never see a SASS shoot , unless it's a side match . I started out with .45 Colt Vaqueros ( the original type, not the New Vaquero, which is Colt SAA sized ), and it was fun, but then I was shown how .45 Schofield brass could be used to better advantage ( for the game ) in the handguns, with the softball loads they made possible. Then there were the .357 Blackhawks I went to ( and needed new holsters for them ), shooting a 95gr. lead bullet cast for .380 Auto reloading , then the first several rifles in the search for the "perfect" .38 cal rifle ( with a new belt with loops for .38s instead of .45s )... and so it goes!!! Get a plan to get you started, and see it through. Get comfortable, and see where you want to go from there!

Howdy- Had the same problem ( well, of course! ). I found, at Home Depot, an answer that I didn't have to do anything to, except find a wall space to mount it. It is a row of 6 coat hooks mounted on a fancy board. Mounts flat against the wall, keeps our ( mine and the wife's ) rigs and shotgun belts off the floor, and out of reach of ...the cats!

Howdy- I have to differ with Keystone on an out and out prohibition on posting anything by non members. I feel it would be reasonable to maybe have non member not to be allowed to post items For Sale , but if someone is wanting to get into this expensive sport, they will be looking in the Wire Classifieds for offered items! I have sold to pards who were not yet members arms to get equipped for SASS, and , yes, membership followed shortly, although it WAS mentioned that without a monthly Cowboy Chronicle ( this was prior to the Quarterly edition which is another story ), not much benefit to membership was seen ( BEFORE you go and flame me for saying that, remember- That was something I'd been TOLD by a prospect, at the time. Offers for a VISA card with a not so favorable interest rate, or yet another Accidental death /dismemberment life insurance policy offer non-withstanding. Travel / Hotel discounts I can get from AAA, along with Roadside Service and Towing, which is actually useful, once every 5 years or so, without tagging myself as a gun owner, and setting myself up for theft ) . Just my 0.02 P.S.- my membership is current, though I still don't feel that I'm seeing improved representation from the increased membership fee. Something about the Founder's Ranch business comes to mind, not beat that horse again.

YEA, I recollect, back in the day, the argument was that Modern HAD to be eliminated, as there were TOO MANY categories . In retrospect, that excuse has been shown to be what it was- Bravo Sierra JohnHenryQuick hits it square-on; the format seems to attempt to set so many win/place /show opportunities, that those ribbons ( figurative ribbons, that is ) have nearly no bearing on whether a competitor actually did something noteworthy.

DITTO. Excepting .454 Casull- those pockets I clean. But then, they get loaded on my Rock Chucker.

WOW. Boy, is that ever appealing to my tastes! LOVE those older S&Ws . Have a habit of buying interesting K Frames as I come across them, and have yet to find one that has not shot well for me from that period before the left sided pimple ( lock). Even a few from the post Pinned Barrel era are still outstanding performers. GREAT find!

Sir, we do understand each other! There IS room in SASS for correct and authentic, as well as close enough for a great time without lookin' all "Urban Cowboy" like. I , personally, am well past attempting to lug a saddle over one shoulder, and the thought of trying to do this without a gun cart is, well, enough to have this older guy who could use Lasic Surgery considering just plinking. Agree that when it's too much like a job, it's too much work...unless someone gets into that! If we were to meet, I would happily reciprocate your courtesy!

Well, the "ayes" have it for Bond!! Back when I wanted a derringer for side matches, I too loved the Bond when I picked it up, but could not pay the tariff. I did subsequently find a used hardly shot America Derringer Company .38/.357 stainless that did not have barrels full of machining marks, and came in a "calmshell" case . Function is fine, never did devote any practice time to learning the piece , though. Later found a.pre 1968 Uberti copy of the C. Sharps four barreled derringer in .22 short, which is, at least, a bit more interesting, and came in a lined wooden presentation box. Both primarily sit idle. I DID use the .38/,.357 in a side match once, at card table distance.

AS my previous post on this has mysteriously disappeared without explanation, I'll say here that I'm with Warden Callaway on this, that I started out using cross draws with a 7 1/2 " Blackhawk, and , after finding the stance described ( the foot on the side of the cross draw holster well ahead of the strong side , sort of a "Boxer's stance" or, for you past or current LEOs, an "Interview Stance ") does NOT require any time consuming "dance" regardless of the level of ignorance of many a Range Officer who had not seen this obviously safe approach used. Not once had I been thanked by same after demonstrating that their call ( claiming 170 was broken, because the "dance" was not done ) was incorrect. There is nothing inherently unsafe about cross draw holsters, and for me, it was a great way to provide economy of motion when using a longer barreled sixgun from that holster.

Howdy- JUST my two cents worth! ( to evade from the dreaded "Jus'Sayin", ) Period Correct, and /or Historically Accurate automatically means NO Rugers, regardless of fixed or adjustable sights , and, if you really want to get into it, NO Italian nor Asian copies of anything, regardless of quality or cost ( As I said, depending on how Historically Accurate you want to insist upon; noting that, at a certain point of allowing substitutions, you no longer have Historic Accuracy ). AND, How about NO GUN CARTS as they were unknown to have been used , unless you want to use a buckboard or Conestoga wagon ( Must be horse or mule or burro or donkey drawn, period correct sizing ) , NO folding chairs unless it can be proven to be a period design made from like materials . It can go on along these lines. OH Yes- NO B-Western Class, UNLESS you all wish to use same as a catch all class for folks all having equipment that would be otherwise banned outright. Although there is no NCOWS club in Arizona ( a fact that I found surprising when I moved here, and got to looking them up ) they are the Professors and Deans of Historically Accurate , and they do allow fine Reproduction arms. Costuming is strict. No gun cart- you brought it to use, you carry it. Period correct. Not for the faint of heart, clear dedication to historic accuracy. NOT trying to put down the NCOWS organization in any way, I just need to be clear on that. They ARE truly dedicated to their sport and how it is carried out. I'm just pointing out some of how they differ from SASS. I'm with JohnHenryQuick on this one.

Howdy: WAAAY back when I started out in SASS, I had a 7/12 " Blackhawk, and a 1st gen Vaquero 5 1/2 " . I used the Blackhawk in a crossdraw , and the Vaquero in a standard style ( no Buscaderos here ) strong side holster . My only problem with this was the convention ( at the time , in clubs other than the one in which I was a member ) that anyone using a crossdraw holster HAD to needlessly handicap themselves time wise by doing something that was know as "The Cross-Draw Dance " . REGARDLESS of how many times it was demonstrated safe to draw without the contortionist routine, it was still insisted as being IMPOSSIBLE to not break the 170 . Sort of like a flat earth thing, it was. Gradually, it was ( grudging) accepted that yes, it could be done, and done quickly and safely. Around that time, the curmudgeonly ones got Modern class eliminated , "too many classes" being the excuse . Looking at the number of classes now, I see more than then. BUT I digress. I liked the cross draw set up so much, I stayed with it when I went to shooting two Vaqueros, then when I switched calibers ( going to .38 Special ) with a pair of 6 1/2 " Stainless Blackhawks ( as they were lower in cost to buy, and the ammo was cheaper to load ). Only rarely did I run into an RO who tried that "Crossdraw Dance " crap with me by that time, the false call being contested by spotters as well as me, Way to make a fella feel welcome. ( YES that did happen when I was the "New" guy at more than one club, even though I was in no danger of taking honors from the home field favorite ). By the time I got my first left and right strong side holsters, I was definitely more accustomed to the cross draw. Jus' Sayin'

WHat-OH! THAT kind of Gyro! I was expectin' a photo shoot featuring Greek mutton, sliced thin, on a pita ! Oh yes, and a server or prep person looking far better than yours truly.

Howdy- if all you aim to do is take the gloss off, Rooster Ron 's approach is near to what I'd done on my '73 when I'd changed the butt from crescent to the more comfortable ( for me ) carbine style, Got one that was unfinished, and did not want to duplicate the high gloss of the fore end. Got it stained reddish to match closely, and went over it with many coats of Birchwood Casey TruOil ( which is a tung oil based product, I have read ) . I let same cure well, then took down the gloss with 0000 steel wool, Did the same to the glossy fore end. Then dressed both with Minwax Paste floor wax. Got the result I was after, and fore and butt match well, without blinding shine nor slick feel- sort of like how surf board wax works.( Yes, many years ago, I had occasion to surf infrequently )