Creeker, SASS #43022

To what point? Is there an issue with shooters shooting too light of shotgun loads for some tastes? We already use knockdowns for shotgun - most are adjustable to require solid hits. To make an event designed to punish targets, equipment (some well aged and fragile) and shooters shoulders (some well aged and fragile) seems unpleasant and unnecessary.

The Geo code has not worked for quite a while. When I'm hunting a new club or shoot; I just keep two browser windows open. One with the club info and Google maps. Copy and paste the city and state to determine exactly where it is and how long it will take me to get there. And as a lot of clubs shoot at recognized ranges - most of those are searchable by name in Google maps as well (really handy when an event is in a large metro area so you know "where" the range is in relation to the rest of the city - i.e. shooting in Phoenix; pick the right Phoenix hotels and you're are 5 - 10 minutes away from the ranges. Pick wrong and you're still in Phoenix metro - but 60 - 90 minutes away.)

Firearm internals - White lithium grease. From Home Depot in a tube. Externals - off brand aerosol sprays or drip tubes. For my car; I'll run Mobil 1. For firearms that need ongoing replenishment - I refuse to pay 10x the price for 1/10th the product. In my opinion, (and I might be wrong - I commonly am) unless you have an enclosed system to contain it and a method to return it to a given surface (as in your car with a oil pump and pan) oil is for rust prevention and short term lubrication (short term; meaning basically the X number of movements required to displace the oil {hence the oil pump to replenish the lube prior to the number of movements required to displace}). Oil does not penetrate steel and without the physical "bulk/ presence" (I'm sure there is a scientific term for this - I just don't know it) and the surface tension (cling) of grease; metal to metal surface drag quickly eliminates that film or float of oil. So as Danny said to Sandy. Grease is the word.

Spotting is a physical exercise. You will need to move - spotting with your rear end on a stool is not allowable. Spotting is a mental, visual, auditory, deductive and learning process. Mental: You have to know the stage and target order and ALL possibilities to engage it. Visual: You will have to watch for hits - watch for non hits - watch for bullet strikes off target. Auditory: Listen for strikes - listen for non strikes - know which plates ring and which are dead. Know that rebar sounds different than plate. Deductive: A bullet strike in the dirt 30 degrees off the firing line is likely not a miss, but probably a edger/ ricochet. Learning: Just because a shooter does something differently than you would have doesn't always mean its wrong. And lastly is the speech I always give as a Posse Leader: Every shooter here is not expecting to win a championship or even place in category. But EVERY shooter here is hoping to do the very best they are capable of. And if they are trying to do their very best - then they deserve your very best effort to support that. If you cannot give them your best - hand off the duty.

So we dumb down to the lowest common denominator? Where do we stop? Because, I assure you; there are some within our game that are nearly incapable of movement, counting, handling projectile weapons or even driving to the range in the first place. But we don't do away with the game because of them. I'm really not trying to be insulting - I just question any philosophy that advocates punishing everyone; because some will exercise poor judgement.

Unsafe for whom? No one is and no would ever consider forcing anyone to do anything they feel is unsafe. Every shooter should know and abide by their own limitations. But to limit others because of our own shortcomings or inabilities is wrong.

The ONLY time anything has any "value" is when you purchase it or when you sell it. If someone is building something for their own use and intends to keep it - their actions have ZERO effect on its value. Or their actions actually increase it's value to the owner. I'm not sure where this mindset comes from that anyone else has any stake or say in what anyone does with the fruit of their own labor. You paid for it - didn't steal it or harm another to acquire it. Do with it as makes you happy.

I understood that Doc. Sorry if I seemed otherwise. It's just everybody says they want stage writers to offer more than stand and deliver - more than cookie cutter 10 10 4 - and then it seems everyone goes out of their way to find ways to penalize and debate the fun out of it. For someone, like myself, that takes pride in writing good, fun stages - it simply gets frustrating.

I heard a man say once; That wine was made for drinking. Cars were made for driving. Guns were made for shooting. Squirreling away a fine wine in a cave, hiding a sports car in a garage or leaving a gun in a box unfired is wrong. The only thing that makes an item appreciate in value is when (perceived) demand is greater than (perceived) supply. If no one cuts one up, breaks one, modifies one - then the others will never be worth any more than they are today. The best firearms example of this is commemorative firearms. (As a rule) They don't really appreciate that much; because they were worth X when they built 2500 of them and 40 years later - there are still 2478 of them left in the box. No change in supply - no change in demand - no change in value. It's your gun. Cut it up, rebarrel it - do what makes you happy. At worse - 50 years from now; you made some other guys gun worth more.

And I wrote this stage to give the shooters some latitude about where they wished to shoot from and to adjust the pace of their shooting. Some will shoot two and move, move and shoot four, etc. The only parameter I gave was where their shotgun was initially staged (position one) and that "at least one shot MUST pass over the table" at position two (the move to position) These instructions as opposed to generic move to position B and do X. But it seems sometimes trying to give the shooters more than the generic causes more headache (for everybody) than it's worth.

To avoid anyone arguing we don't know if the shooter earned any other penalties... Im assuming: The first nine rifle rounds struck targets in the correct order. They didn't deserve a spirit of the game penalty. They didn't sweep anyone. They brought everything to the line in an approved manner. So, assuming all of the above... YES Even if the round had remained in the rifle - the shooter has until firing the next gun to correct without penalty. If the round remains in the discarded rifle and situation is not corrected before next firearm: Minor Safety Miss for unfired round. If (as in op) round clears self from discarded rifle and situation is not corrected before next firearm: Miss for unfired round. If the round remains in the discarded rifle and shooter shoots next firearm - then returns to rifle to clear it by unloading: Minor safety Miss for unfired round If the round remains in the discarded rifle and shooter shoots next firearm - then returns to the rifle to clear it by firing: Minor safety Procedural Hit/ Miss result of fired round (as applies) If (as in op) round clears self from discarded rifle - shooter fires next firearm - then returns to rifle - reloads and fires round: Procedural Hit/ Miss result of fired round. Etc, etc, etc.

EDC in a knife (for me) means a folder that is sharp and strong - large enough for defense and small enough to be reasonably concealable in Nevada summer weight clothing or dress wear. I personally carry a Bench Made assisted open. But, regardless of the number of gifts someone may have received over a lifetime; (I have never seen any correlation between the quantity of an item owned and any expertise in that same product), the only correct response to, "What's best for everyday carry" is the exactly the same as asking, "What should I wear if I regularly pee myself?" The answer to both is, "Depends"

Won't make in January; but the Creeker crew (Painted Lady, Desert Scorpion and myself) will be down there in February for fun with the Pima Cowboys.

Just didn't want you to miss out on using the conversion cylinder just because it was only five rounds. Looks like a fun little gun.

You are aware that as long as the conversion cylinder has a indexing notch for the hammer or minimally the ability to be hammer down between Chambers (without indexing to place round under hammer) - a five shot cylinder is legal and allowed?

So we have one side saying it "should" be a penalty and the other side saying it is obviously a no call. When like most things - it is somewhere between the two points. So; look at the incident in a linear fashion... Firearm is staged open and empty. Hunky dory - No call at this moment. Firearm has a round placed on the carrier while firearm is not in hand. Minor safety is earned - right then. Firearm is then cleared, prior to another firearm being discharged. Minor safety is negated/ removed right then. So YES; a penalty is warranted for the round on the carrier of a long gun; not in hand. The penalty was earned the instant the round entered the firearm. But if this penalty is retained is 100% based on the shooters actions AFTER the penalty is earned. If the firearm is cleared, before the next gun is discharged - the penalty is removed. This soothes the, "it has be a penalty" side by assigning the deserved penalty and satisfies the "no call" side by immediately negating that same penalty.

Waning interest and the specter of clubs folding up will never be addressed by leaders doing less work. I ran two clubs at the same time for well over a decade. Vice President/ President, Match Director, Range Master and Web Master. When I began doing stage writing; I had already attended too many shoots with hand written sheets of paper, mis-spelled and inconsistent. So I used the internet and taught myself how to use Word and Excel and Publisher to achieve the look I wanted. And doing the stages digitally takes no more time than writing them out by hand. When these clubs needed websites; I had already dealt with too many clubs with poor websites and lacking features. So I used the internet and taught myself web design to create a product that satisfied the questions I want answered when I look at a club. I built club sites and maintained them. If someone doesn't want to do something; they can simply state, "I don't want to do it" or "I don't think it's important or necessary". That's a fair response and obviously their right to feel that way. But I don't buy the "I don't have time" or "I don't know how" reason to not do something. If something someone wants to do something badly enough - there are infinite resources online to learn how to do something. If someone wants to do something badly enough - they will find time to do it. It is a matter of priorities. Doing whatever I had to do to make my clubs successful was a priority to me. So I slept less. Watched less TV. Instead of web surfing; I learned a couple simple and minor skills - wrote stages and updated websites. I wrote posts on the SASS wire discussing my thoughts on stage design and match philosophy to create interest in attending my matches. I sought out advice on growing clubs and increasing match attendence. I carried business cards for my club and took every opportunity to ambassador for cowboy action shooting at gun shops and Walmart and the grocery store to anyone who would listen or I saw opportunity. Assassin, I'm not attacking you or diminishing your efforts. Because I fully understand frustration and burn out. Feeling you are the only one that gives a crap about the product. I have been there. But continuing on the same path at the same pace will pretty much always take you to the same destination.

This times 1 million. I know a lot of shooters state, "I don't care what the stages are; I'll shoot whatever they place in front of me"... But speaking for myself; I know the things I like and the things I don't, and if given the option, I'll pass on matches I won't enjoy. I understand; looking at stages won't tell the whole story; I can't determine distances or target sizes simply from stage description. But knowing the type of sequences used; the incorporation or avoidance of P traps and even the amount of movement can give a fair idea of the clubs philosophy. And knowing that philosophy in conjunction with past match scores is often enough to determine if I will enjoy the shoot. Posting your stages is a win - win for everybody. It either provides shooters incentive to attend or gives them the choice to spend their time and entertainment dollar elsewhere.

I have never shot Coming At Cha... Always have wanted to. I mentioned this 36 stage thing to my Daughter, Desert Scorpion and her immediate response was, "We have to go" I like the idea. But if I'm shooting three categories; I'm not doing it simply to waste ammo or effort - I'm doing it to see where I stack up in those categories. And if that somehow (exceedingly doubtful) meant that after working posse duties for three full days and completing 36 stages - I managed to snag a placement in any or all of those categories - I dang sure want to be recognized in those categories. Not in a stand alone iron man category.

Of course; I've attended many matches where the stage got changed somewhere between writing and reading. Heck, done a few of those myself. I was simply being pedantic. No offense meant to the shooter, TO or club. Tho I do recommend either setting shotgun targets so that multiples cannot happen OR make the round count 1+. And then cheer on the folks that get the multiples with one shot.

But Shooting Bull is very special. I mean it's the short bus, protective hockey equipment, "bless his heart" (said in the best Blazing Betsy southern accent) type of special. But he is special none the less.

Just because I cannot take myself out of TO/ spotter mode even when watching Jedi TV videos... Stage 10; written stage instruction calls for 4+ on shotgun. Shooter engaged with three shells and was called clean. Sorry. Can't help myself. Looked like a fun match even in the rain.

Low caliber? I appreciate the kind words. And I certainly understand our hobby turning in to work; been there, done that, got the T shirt. I had a couple out of state shooters asking if I will be writing stages in the future; so if given the opportunity - I'll do some more for you; after the ladies handle the February Valentine's match.

There's no escaping... Well, unless you simply skip the shoot. But don't do that. I'm even going to set the steel at Creeker approved distances - Yee haa. The only downside to the shooting park is the unavailability of side berms and downrange movement. But they will be set for full throttle fun.

Some sweeps and sequences are like crossing an old rickety bridge... "Yayyy! I survived - lets do it again."