Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971

I don't mind splitting categories like B-Western, Classic Cowboy or Frontier Cartridge into age bands. As a senior citizen I don't want to compete against teenagers and 20-year-olds. I have little hope of placing well against much younger men. I don't consider anyone placing lower than first place a loser. We have champions and fellow competitors. Anyone going home from a major match feeling like a loser (even without a Top Ten buckle) needs to find a new hobby.

First glance: that press needs a cleaning. All that debris can cause malfunctions.

I too carry a small Swiss Army knife. I use it to trim broken nails and open packages, though I have lightly tightened loose screws on firearms before taking them where I have a set of gunsmithing screwdrivers to properly tighten the screw. What annoys me is that some museums and entertainment venues ban my tiny 1-inch knife blade as a security threat. I think they are overreacting.

If you have a trap field, just shoot trap with cowboy shotguns. Use skeet fields for skeet and 5-Stands for that sport all using the established rules for those sports. That way cowboy shooters can go to such facilities, take lessons and learn how to successfully shoot cowboy clays side matches. If your cowboy range lacks an established clay range, I recommend shooting something resembling trap as inexperienced shooters are more likely to break a few clays and leave with a smile.

The course of fire varies a bit from event to event. At the recent Western Regional the clays course was standard, 25 round, 16-yd trap shot under the lights after dark. At last year's Colorado State, 25 clays were thrown straight down the center of a trap field with shooters rotating through positions 1 through 5. At Wolverton Mountain shooters stayed in one position at 16-yards and the clays were thrown as usual. At my home club's annual match, we shoot skeet under the lights at night in teams of two. Land Run has a 5-Stand side match. EOT has trap, skeet and Sporting Clays for both smokeless and black powder shooters. Shooters with longer barreled shotguns and experience busting clays often have respectable scores. Inexperienced shooters with coach guns usually are frustrated. I watched a few at the Western Regional unable to bust a single clay. OP, you would probably shoot well at a side match resembling trap.

I note that a Plainsman side match is scheduled for 2026. This is good news as there was none this year. I doubt I'll shoot the 3-stage WB warm-up match Sunday morning. By mid-afternoon I would be too fatigued to shoot all five WB stages.

I will shoot the WB match as scheduled. However, I would prefer a late start the morning after the banquet, so I am fully rested for the first day of the WB match. Sounds like there will not be a WB warm-up so I'll practice with my 1911 on the fumble stage. After returning from Land Run I will have three days to resupply before heading to Tombstone for Bordertown. Fortunately, my home is between OKC and Tombstone. Being retired I am not concerned about using up vacation days. I like having the WB awards ceremony separate from the main match banquet.

I checked prices. Alliant products were priced much higher than Hodgdon products. I don’t expect to purchase much Alliant powder in the future.

Kudos to the Eldorado Cowboys for an enjoyable match. The Wild Bunch, Main and side matches were all great! The Boulder City Shooting Range is huge with nearly unlimited dry camping available. Congratulations to my wife Doc Barium for winning Ladies Frontier Cartridge, her fourth win at a major match this year. IMG_0813.mov

It is one of Alliant’s flake powders with a burn rate between Red Dot and Green Dot. It meters well and burns clean. I have used it for revolver and clay target loads.

Yes, it is my powder for clays loads. I prefer Extra-Lite or Perfect Pattern for 7/8 oz loads. Alliant publishes many 12-gauge loads using American Select.

Creeker, the most direct route (I-15 to I-70) takes you through some of the loveliest scenery of the Colorado Plateau. Traffic is light and fuel prices are lower than Nevada. The road trip would be a memorable part to the match.

Santa Fe Palms is an excellent RV park a reasonable distance from the match. It is gated and offers some food trucks and entertainment.

EOT has many handicapped shooters. (The handicapped parking area is in high demand.). Decreased movement will help those shooters enjoy the match more. Gateway Kid: your state match is already on my calendar in 2026.

PM sent of one I know for sale.