Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971

Caliber .36 cap guns usually work fine for CAS main matches. At a major match in strong winds where knockdown handgun targets were set to not get blown over I saw a shooter's .36 caliber revolvers fail to knock over the targets. My .44 caliber cap guns did the job. However, that was only once in over ten years I've seen this happen. I recommend taking three cap guns to a match in case you have a loading error or a part breaks. That way you can fix the problem after the match. SliX produces a device called the SliXhand that increases the leverage on short loading levers cap guns. I have not tried one but expect it would be useful. Welcome to the Darkside!

Wild West Mercantile sells the trousers you seek by mail. They are located in Mesa, Arizona and are strong supporters of SASS. (The trousers are sold long and you need to have them hemmed to your chosen length.) Another option is to attend major matches and buy clothing from the venders who attend. California State, the Western Regional and Nevada State may be your closest major matches this year. Attend, shoot and shop and come home with a plenty of CAS garb. BTW, you can buy trousers, cut off the belt loops and then place buttons on them. Buckaroo Bobbins sells brass buttons that install without sewing.

Do you reload? It's not hard to load load 44 mags to SASS-legal velocities. However, you may have trouble locating satisfactory commercial 44 mag ammo for our sport. You seem to be a concerned about cost. If so, plan on reloading soon. I would not shoot a .44 mag rifle and two .45 Colt revolvers at the same match. I'd end up loading a .45 round in the rifle and discovering it won't chamber while the timer is running. With two .357 caliber revolvers that would not happen. I'd have better stage times to due to the less recoil from the revolvers. BTW, Ruger Vaqueros in .44 mag are still sold if you search on online auction sites.

I own both. I prefer to clean black powder fouling out of a '73 or a Marlin to my Rossi. A stainless steel Rossi is a good gun for shooting in rainy weather. Even if the OP eventually buys a '73, a stainless steel gun is a good backup.

Whittington Center is one of my favorite RV parks when traveling to Colorado for a CAS match. I struggle to find much wrong with the area. I did have a Volkswagen rabbit that broke down whenever I drove through Raton Pass. It was tough to get a tow truck as I had to figure out what side of the border I was on. Once I was detoured through a rough area of Raton and there was an angry poor man chucking rocks at the passing traffic. However, these problems can happen anywhere. My favorite Old West site in the area is the St. James Hotel in Cimarron. The ceiling over the bar was built of extra thick planks to stop bullets shot in the bar from killing those on the second floor. The bullet holes are still in the ceiling of the bar.

You will almost certainly be offered firearms to shoot. Offer to pay for the ammo but expect your offer to be declined. Start shopping for a cowboy hat. Your hat is part of your costume and helps establish your alias. Also shop for Winchester AA low noise, low recoil shotgun shells. If you find some buy enough to get you through April. In May the annual AA rebate usually starts and that is the time to stock up for a year. Also, shop for reloading supplies. Find a local retailer who sells pistol powder and Federal primers at reasonable prices.

Classic Cowboy has a strong following in CAS. Attend some local matches and find out how many shoot in that category locally. I have a pair of Blackhawks I shoot when I'm shooting smokeless powder. The adjustable sights make sighting in the handguns easy. There are Blackhawks sold with 45 (Long) Colt cylinders and 45 ACP cylinders. The 45 ACP cylinders would be handy for CAS as brass is cheap and plentiful and the case has a small volume compared to a 45 Colt case.

Rasorseal:, here are links to some online reloading data. You can find 44-40 data in them: Hodgdon Alliant Accurate I load 44 mags for Wild Bunch with Unique but have some Trail Boss and W231 on hand that I would use if needed. These powders would work for 44-40 though there are others that will perform as well. I use published data because I've seen some unreliable load data from individuals. I've never found cast bullets lubed for black powder at local guns shows. The cast bullets I've seen were junk cast by locals who lacked quality control. You can try loading for the smokey categories of SASS using APP or Triple Seven with bullets lubed for smokeless powder. Just load so the base of the bullet barely touches the powder charge. There are bullet casters who sell bullets with free shipping if you buy enough or will ship in a USPS flat rate box ($14). I buy from casters who deliver to matches I attend. I plan to buy about 10,000 bullets from a caster at EOT in June. Ask at a local CAS match and you may be able to find a caster who delivers in your area too.

You are getting way ahead of yourself. Buy a reloading manual and read it carefully before buying supplies. You will find acceptable smokeless powders for 44-40s with safe, tested charges for the bullets weights you intend to shoot. I recommend learning to reload smokeless before trying BP. Just buy 1-lb containers of powder before your buy 8-lb jugs so you don't get stuck with an inventory of powder you don't like. Be advised that bullets lubed for smokeless powder often perform poorly using real black powder. However they work well with some of the black powder subs. Taking an experienced reloading mentor with you is a good idea.

OK, since you asked about camping - its $50 for the week on range with no hookups. There are commercial campgrounds with full hookups within reasonable driving distance of the range. I have camped at Hidden Valley and will probably do so again this year. Your shooter's vehicle pass will get your vehicle and occupants onto the camping area.

Annual matches are fun. However, state and regional matches, WR and EOT have more venders, great side matches and international shooters. Your CAS experience will be enhanced by attending major matches.

LA Times reports undercover agents attend guns shows in Reno.

There is much cross-border shopping to thwart such controls. When I lived in New York, smokers came home from North Carolina with trunks full of cigarettes. When I lived in Oregon, web-footers bought their hard liquor in Hilt, CA just south of the state line. I've read that Costco warehouses in northern border states are popular with Canadians. I see that Cabelas has an outlet near I-80 in Nevada just east of the state line. I suspect that outlet sells more ammo that most Cabelas.

Choice ammo who advertises on the SASS main web page sells what you are after. (This is not an endorsement. I load my own.)

He made many memorable Westerns. I particularly like the War Wagon. Also enjoyed his performance in the Roman epic Spartacus.