Creeker, SASS #43022

Short Answer - (in a perfect world) Likely No. Explanation of short answer: Lighter recoil, lighter rounds, less moving mass (when cartridge weight is considered) (and assuming equal effort applied) all these factors will add up to affect "speed" of operation. Longer answer - No, but realistically if both rifles are optimally equipped/ modified - If ammo is optimized for both firearms - the differences in "speed" would be so marginal that the behaviors and abilities of individual shooters would be a far greater differential. The differences between 45 and 38 are myriad, with weight, feel of swing, economics of reloading, historical caliber (even though 45 Colt was never an old west rifle caliber), etc. and so on. But SPEED as an objective, measurable, repeatable measurement will not be a consequential difference. Yes, a tuned 38 special rifle will out run a stock 45 Colt rifle - but with all things being equal (or as equal as real life ever can be) - caliber is not that big of a deal. Pick whichever holds the most attraction to you.

The "irony" regarding prisoners making plates with such a statement is nonexistent. Live free or die applies to Liberty being stripped away from an entity/ individual/ peoples thru the unethical/ unfair actions of others and is supposed to remind us the importance of fighting for and willingness to sacrifice everything for the preservation of those liberties. It does not IN ANY WAY apply to those who willingly cast aside their liberties thru their own actions. A criminal has no right to "Living Free" - they have willingly forsaken those rights when they CHOSE to harm/ infringe upon the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of others.

I can't speak to boxing - but when I played football; I had an extra mouthguard. Our equipment guys carried extra shoelaces, helmet inserts, socks, undershirts and a myriad of other stuff. I can't imagine corner guys at any level above first fight amateur being any less prepared.

According to Google - and we all know they can't put it on the internet unless it's true... Between movies and serials - since the creation of the "talkie" there have been approximately 4000 western themed films made. Then you have western music, western literature, western lore, true event stories, and all the stories and movies that are westerns under their skin, (Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, etc.) And then on top of that - you have the ability to adapt ANY film, music, story or personality that is a well known cultural touchstone. I've done the Movies of Steve McQueen - westerns to Cool Hand Luke. "What we have here; is a failure to communicate" I've done Smokey and the Bandit. "I'll get you - you sum..." I've done the songs of Marty Robbins and the songs of Guns and Roses. I've done Rango and Django. And "If" you can incorporate anything further into the stage itself that supports the theme and starting line - even better. When I did the Cool Hand Luke stage: I found a movie poster image online that I blew up, printed and posted to add ambiance to the individual stage (I did this quite often with movie posters, book covers, album covers, etc.) The shooters book got a short three line explanation of why Luke got arrested and sent to the labor camp (cutting the heads off of parking meters). The starting line was the famous Strother Martin "Failure to comunicate" line. I built some parking meter "facades" that stood in front of our static clay pigeon holders and you engaged the clay pigeons shooting thru the parking meters (obviously the facades were sacrificial). Write any decently entertaining stage and sequence to go with it and that stage is complete. If you want to incorporate the theme into the shooting sequence - you just have to listen to whats being said and figure out "how" that works within the expected and accepted round count of a CAS stage. An example of this is Clint Easywoods line from Fistful of Dollars as he passes the casket maker - he states, "Get three coffins ready" - after the gunfight, he walks back by and says, "My mistake, four coffins". Setup 3 plates in a row - then a 4th plate offset from the others. Engage the grouped plates 2x each - then the offset plate 4x. Shooter starts with one hand on a pistol - other hand at chest level with 4 fingers pointing upward. Starting line is "My mistake, 4 coffins" Marty Robbins song "El Paso" gives an accounting of the cowboys giving chase as he returns to Roses Cantina - targets can be arrayed and engaged to correspond. You are only limited by your own imagination and willingness to integrate your vision into a match.

The guys with beautiful girlfriends - at least the ones of us who weren't saving our girlfriends for the next guy.

This. We all reach a point in our lives where OUR opinions and desires are more important than how others feel about our actions. You own it - no one elses opinion matters.

My band from my much younger days; most of the venues we played were small - so no need to mic the drums themselves. Each band member was mic'd for vocals. With secondary microphones for the acoustic guitars/ upright bass vs. when we were playing electric. Four piece country band - I played upright and electric bass. And my vocal microphone was usually turned WAY down (or sometimes even turned off) as my singing skills are limited to (very) minor backup harmonizing.

Miss flow chart. Did the shooter HIT appropriate targets with legally acquired ammo?

Please figure out a way for Oakland to keep them. We (Las Vegas) don't want them. They can have the Raiders back too.

And this, in my opinion, (not taking any shot at you, Assassin - I do understand the sentiment to forego the "frivolity" and just shoot) but sadly, this is EXACTLY why our game is dying out. We are NOT nor have we ever been a "serious" shooting discipline. IF someone wanted a significant shooting competition - the one where grown men play Barbie dress up, call each other by made up names and pretend to be cowboys is NOT the one you choose. I am not saying our game does not have serious competitors (I count myself among them); but I am saying our game is and has ALWAYS been about entertainment just as much as measuring a shooters ability. The trend of "minimalism" - minimum props, minimum words on the directions, minimum time spent on the range, minimal stages having zero (or minimal) non shooting components have changed us into just another shooting game; albeit one with obsolete guns - and I believe this direction has deleted a crucial component from our game which made us a viable different option than other shooting sports. Without the game/ frivolity (themes, props, general silliness); shooters might as well play a modern gun sport with much cheaper guns, no costumes and some claimed real world application. And the numbers show that is exactly what is happening.

As a Match Director - I like events to have a cohesive theme that ties all the stages together. It is not a mandatory component - but when theming (stories and props) is done well; I think it adds just a little something to the mood or ambiance - elevating the match to "playing cowboy" versus simply shooting competition stages. But the SHOOTING match is still the primary reason we are here - the Match Director must be cognizant of that fact and use theming as a spice to accentuate the shooting match, not overpower it. To that end - I kept my stories SHORT (my version of "short" was a MAXIMUM of three lines); remembering the story simply exists to provide some broad context for why we are doing what we are doing. A few themes I have used (after a few thousand stages authored - I have themed a couple) : - Clint Eastwood movies. each stage based on a differing movie and the starting line or prop use somehow referencing a certain scene. Example - High Plains Drifter. The "story" might tell you that in preparation for the killers to return - the townspeople are instructed to paint every building red. Shooter begins with brush in hand pressed against building; line is "Welcome to Lagos" At BEEP: discard brush... - Ghosts and Legends of the Old West. each stage covered a story about cowboy myths and "supernatural" events. Example - The Hellhounds of Eldorado Valley. The story tells you that miners would chain wild dogs to their mine entrances to deter claim jumpers - but when the silver played out; the miners left - leaving the dogs behind to die. But some broke free and their crazed and rabid offspring still roam the valley to this day. Shooter begins with dog bone in one hand - other hand on a pistol; line is "Nice doggy" I don't believe that the presence of a theme will make a poor shoot good nor do I believe the absence of a theme will make a good shoot bad. But I do believe that GOOD shoots do benefit from the addition of thoughtful theming additions. Or as Spinal Tap says, "These go up to eleven"

Eldorado uses an (Imo) even better method for placing shooters where you want them and eliminating foot faults. And better levels the field re: the differences in reach and height determining "if" a shooter is at a position. Eldorado uses upright markers that direct the rounds from a given firearm must pass by a specified side of the marker. An example. ¤¤ rifle targets Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω sg targets ¤¤ pistol targets .....X.....table.....X............X Shotgun on table - pistols holstered. Shooter will begin rifle in hand - standing anywhere left of the left upright marker. Engage rifle targets with 10 rounds - all rifle rounds MUST pass the left side of the left upright marker (upright markers designated by the X). With shotgun - engage TWO shotgun targets - THESE shotgun rounds must pass BETWEEN left upright marker and center upright marker. With pistols - engage pistol targets with 10 rounds - pistol rounds must pass BETWEEN left upright marker and center upright marker. With shotgun - engage two more shotgun targets - THESE shotgun rounds must pass the right side of the center upright marker. Then engage the remaining two shotgun targets - THESE shotgun rounds must pass the right side of the RIGHT upright marker. As "most" shooters, regardless of height will place their body in line with the target - it is a simple matter utilizing the "pass by" direction to guide the shooter to the desired position. No foot faults - no penalizing a shorter shooter for proximity to a position.

Before you can attempt to answer the question - you would first need to define "Win". A local category win? A monthly overall? Annual category win? Annual overall? State, Regional, National, World category win? State, Regional, National, World overall? Each of the above include the word "Win" - and each of the above have incredibly different admission prices. And when attempting to correlate number of rounds fired to performance - there are three very important points to consider. 1. Quantity of practice. 2 Quality of practice. 3. Quantity of quality practice. The quantity of practice (rounds fired) is meaningless (or even detrimental) IF the quality of practice is poor. Now there are some that will tell you ANY trigger time is beneficial and "practice makes perfect" - these people don't know what they are talking about. Practice makes PERMANENT. Only PERFECT practice makes perfect. Your practice MUST be geared toward doing things correctly - and a competitor MUST be willing to continually assess where they are lacking or exhibiting a limiting factor and address those points. EVEN when addressing a fault may require them to take a step backward to correct something that could/ will limit their growth in the future. This is QUALITY practice. THEN and only then does the quantity of quality practice come into play. The best shooters can tell you how many hours of dry fire and how many rounds they spent (of quality practice) preparing for major matches to win their championships (at whatever level). The shooter not utilizing quality of practice but only quantity (simply burning a "number of rounds" or wasting time) may shoot 1000's upon 1000's of rounds and NEVER see the podium - because if they are doing something incorrectly; doing it wrong 5000 more times won't make it better. And sadly; this is reality. Even if you know how to do it; how to prepare for it and how to practice for it. Even if you can do it EVERYTHING right. No matter how much you want it to happen. That doesn't guarantee you anything. The folks that win almost always have additional intangibles that cannot always be quantified on a spreadsheet labeled "How rounds needed to win". Winners have the drive to put in the time, the intelligence or mentorship to recognize paths to improvement, the finances to ensure quality of equipment (and quantity of rounds) and discipline to maintain their physical and mental focus. Some of these shooters may have physically superiority with better eyesight, fast twitch muscle fibers or faster reaction times. If it were as simple as X number of rounds downrange makes you win - a lot more of us would have World Championship buckles.

My favorite; started life as a square butt Model 65 357 magnum - my Dad and I did the round butt conversion, added the trigger guard spur - had a heavy barrel turned down for the octagon; fitted real elephant ivory grips and then had a very talented southern Michigan engraver do the traditional hand chisel and hammer scroll work. I have maybe three firearms that I would never part with - this is one of them.

My first street legal vehicle was a motorcycle (1972 Honda CB500 Four) - which was a marvelous idea in April of 1982 when I turned 16. It was much less of a genius idea upon the arrival of November weather the same year. Did I mention this was in Michigan? My Dad allowed me to use "his" winter beater (1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88) during the summer when I had need of an enclosed vehicle; but only because he had a nice car (chopped top, lowered fleet side Chevy pickup) that he used during the all too short Michigan spring and summertime. But now his custom truck was safely hidden away in our pole barn - safe from road salt and ice covered roads. But his use of the Oldsmobile meant that yours truly was back on the bike and attempting to layer every piece of clothing I owned; leather jacket, hoodie, flannel shirt with my gloves and an armed robbery ski mask - numb fingers, wet feet and frozen snail trail of snot on my face. I did mention this was Michigan? In November? I stopped at one of our local motorcycle dealers because (A) I'm stupid and (B) jealously looking at cars and imagining how nice a heater would feel just seemed a little too cruel to myself. So, as I wander about the showroom dreaming about warmth and telling myself that "Someday I will live where it does not snow" - one of the salesguys that I have spoken with about a million times approaches me (million "might" be an exaggeration - but this is Battle Creek Michigan in 1982; we either went to the mall, the arcade at Meijers, the movie theaters in town or the cheapo theater in Augusta or cruised the three blocks of Marshall {circle the fountain, go three blocks, make three left turns around the gas station - repeat until you found a girl to flirt with or needed gasoline} me - visits to the local motorcycle shops to dream were included in the rotation). Anyways - he asks if I'm looking for something (knowing full well the answer) - I say, "No thanks - just looking. I should be car shopping but I have to save up some more money" He asks, "What are you looking for?" "My list of got to haves is pretty much as follows - starts, stops, turns AND a heater. But even that list is awfully hard to come up with when all you have is a hundred dollars." "A hundred bucks? I might have something for you to look at - come with me." He grabs a ratty push broom as we walk thru service and out the overhead door - to the back corner of their fenced in lot. Backed up to the fence is a pile of snow and slush that bears a shape reminiscent of a car - I ask him, "What is this?" He tells me to wait - and starts pushing snow off the car in wide swaths. The car slowly being revealed is the exact same dirty white/ gray color of the snow being sloughed off of it. I ask again, "What is this?" He turns and grins at me, "This is a one hundred dollar car. 1973 Mercury Montego; belonged to the daughter of the dealership owner" "Is it broken? I don't have the money to fix up a project." "Nope - it has a heater, runs, drives, stops and turns - just like you requested." "Then why? She didn't like it?" "Just wait." By this time - most of the car is cleared off and I can begin seeing details. The gray/ white exterior was originally painted white by someone at FoMoCo - the gray accents were spray primer covering panels of wrinkled sheet metal and now that I can see clearer; these white and primer panels were accessorized with a fair amount of rust. My sales guy pipes up, "This was a decent car a year ago. But within one year she managed to wreck it multiple times; she ran into cars, light poles, houses, mailboxes and anything else that had the unfortunate luck to be within bumper range." And he was not kidding - there was not a SINGLE piece of sheet metal on this car that was left unscathed. The leading edge of both doors was peeled back from a brush with something - the rear bumper was crooked and had impacted both rear fenders - the trunk was misaligned and since the trunk had filed with water; when it had frozen the expanding ice had popped the outer fenders free of the inner fenders (which at least meant the water entering the trunk now had a place to exit. The front bumper (1973, so first year for the expansion bumpers) was pushed back into the front fender of the drivers side and had it wedged itself forward on the passenger side - meaning the right side of the car was a good three to four inches longer than the left. The hood was dented - the ROOF was dented (short of standing on it or a hail storm - how do you dent the roof?) Sales guy, "Daughter bought it - paid like $900 for it; but she kept wrecking it. Daddy took it from her and told her he was going to give it away - he never did; but he's tired of it sitting in the lot and wants it gone to teach her a lesson." I walk around it, "Any redeeming qualities?" He grins, "A couple - get in" and opens the door. I slide into a car that is the complete opposite of the exterior - white leather interior that is absolutely perfect; not a mar, not a tear, not a scuff. I look at the odometer - 67,000 miles, "Is that right?" I ask. "Keys are in the ignition - you tell me. Pump it one time and turn the key" I give the accelerator pedal a kick and twist the silver key and listen as the V8 under the hood rumbles to life. "351 cubic inch and it does burn a little oil (but it's a Ford product and they all do) - reasonably new tires; new u joints, new muffler. You want her?" "Give me a second" as I pushed the heater slider to red and the fan control to high and with the first kiss of hot air coming thru the vents; I said "Yes". The trunk never closed right - the rust spread thru the floor boards and the trunk - to avoid losing the spare tire or having the seat fall out; I fixed and camouflaged the issues with wood panels from my Grandpas carpentry storage, sheet metal screws and a liberal application of aerosol spray on undercoating. I don't know if it ever got more than thirteen miles to the gallon and it burned oil at a rate that would make a two stroke dirt bike blush. I drove that Mercury for two years until I graduated High School - sold it to another sixteen year old kid for $300.00. I have owned Mustangs, Novas, Camaros, Corvettes, Galaxies, BMW, Jaguar, Porsche and even a Ferrari - custom cars, drag cars, muscle cars... But the thought of that ratty old, oil burning 1973 Mercury Montego with rust, primer and wrinkled sheet metal can still make me smile.