Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971

Magtech sells 125 grain RNFP ammo for the CAS market. (At 919 fps this ammo is hotter than I shoot.) Each round costs 78 cents +shipping. That's why most of us reload our metallic cartridge ammo.

An RCBS press will do fine - just slow. Regarding dies, RCBS makes dies specifically for cowboy action. However, I started with a used set of Lee dies I bought for $10. They loaded perfectly satisfactory CAS ammo. I now load on progressive presses. Reloading equipment is very durable. Used equipment is sold at gun shows and estate sales. There are videos on YouTube how to create small, portable loading benches. Here is an article how to create one using a Black and Decker WorkMate.

A local sporting goods store may only have ammo loaded with 158-grain lead bullets. These will do but will have excessive recoil. You could order ammo online from Cowboy Choice Ammunition, Bullets by Scarlet or Bang and Clang. They load ammo specifically for the CAS market. There are many casters who sell 125 grain bullets suitable for CAS. If that is all you need ask us and we can give you the names of at least a dozen casters who can sell you cast lead bullets in the weight and profile you want. You won't see much shotgun ammo loaded with #7 shot. However, #7 1/2 and #8 are very common. If you can tolerate the recoil, Wal*Mart 100-round bulk packs are not too expensive. One couple I shoot with shoots these. I only use them for busting clays. Fiocchi makes 7/8 oz, 12-gauge Extra Low Recoil shells you can order online. These are a possibility if you can't obtain Winchester AA low noise, low recoil shells. You can load equivalent shells for about half the cost of these with the right equipment.

Both. A light load of shot going less that 1,000-fps is ideal. Be flexible on the shotgun powder you select. Many popular Alliant powders are currently unavailable. I like Alliant Extra-Lite but will probably switch to Hodgdon Perfect Pattern when my supply of Extra-Lite is consumed.

I am currently shooting 125 grain bullets in my revolvers chambered for .357 (but I shoot 38 Specials). These a common choice though some shoot 105 grain bullets. I carry 158 grain loads for knockdown targets. (I shoot on windy ranges where falling targets must be set to keep wind from blowing them over.) For 12-gauge I shoot 7/8 oz of birdshot (usually #8 1/2). I load to a minimum published velocity. I prefer smaller pellets as some pitted targets bounce pellets back in my face. Smaller pellets hurt less. I carry a few game loads to whack targets harder when needed. I reload my ammo. However, my wife shoots factory Winchester AA low noise, low recoil 12-gauge shells. These are a popular choice for those who do not reload. Winchester loads these a few times a year. I've seen them on the shelf at Wal*Mart for $16/box - about twice the cost of promo Federal or Winchester shells. I also load black powder ammo. The specs are different than stated above.

At a match shoot every revolver that is handed to you. You will not like some and will be drawn to others. Every revolver made can be improved by a CAS gunsmith for better functioning in a race environment (lighter hammer springs, smoother action and different trigger pull). Aftermarket grips are available that may fit your hand better than the factory grips. You can try them at major matches. I recommend revolvers that shoot 38 Specials or 357 mags unless you want to shoot Classic Cowboy. 38 Special is a light-recoiling round with inexpensive brass (you will learn to reload). I shoot stainless steel Rugers tuned by a well-known CAS smith. Some dislike Rugers and prefer Colt-pattern revolvers. Whatever feels best in your hands when you shoot is the right choice for you.

One local club had some club officers who wanted all shooting disciplines to follow USPSA safety rules exclusively. However, this was quashed when it was pointed out that these rules would encumber clays, bench rest and CAS matches. The solution was to follow the range basic rules and nationally-recognized match protocols for these activities as these activities had a fine safety record.

Here is the End of Trail Shotgun Events page. Your model 12 would not be legal.

Please see page 8 of the Cowboy Clays Handbook for information regarding chokes. I assume you are asking about a trap side match for Wild Bunch as the model 12 is not legal for cowboy action.

I shoot smokeless powder instead of BP in the Spring due to my seasonal allergies. Today I shot a match using 7/8 oz shot, CB-0178-12 wads, 15.1 grains of Extra-Lite in Remington hulls with Cheddite 209 primers. This is also a load I use for trap. It is comfortable for me. Others report loading Extra-Lite down to 13 grains. For comparison I brought a few shells I loaded with the same components and 14 grains of Perfect Pattern. These had sharp felt recoil I found unpleasant. BB, your lady friend would probably dislike Perfect Pattern even though there is lots of data for 7/8 oz loads. Extra-Lite is a better option (IF she can find some).

I suspect she will serve her sentence at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants.

3,000 Sheriff's Protest Sale One concern is that some agencies have foreign procurement restrictions.

I do. I lay the brass out in the sun as soon as I drain the water/vinegar solution (as mentioned by CC). This is often at a match away from home. I place the brass in plastic trays under my travel trailer on rainy days. Sometimes the trays are under my gun cart in my pickup truck as I drive home. The brass gets tumbled later - often weeks later. Don't leave your brass wet for many days with spent primers in place. They can corrode in place and be difficult to remove. I'm not sure one can tumble wet brass in walnut media. I think it needs to be a dry process.

Real black powder and the subs all produce much hotter flames than smokeless powder. These hot flames interact with petroleum-based lubes making them gummy. This can bind your firearms, especially revolvers. Thoroughly degrease your firearms and then re-lube with a black powder compatible lube like Ballistol. Borebutter is great on base pins. Some other things to consider: 1) APP fouling will build up on the face of your revolver cylinders, perhaps causing them to bind during a match. Be prepared to clean this off during a match. Ordinary water cleans well. 2) Wash your brass soon after shooting. APP fouling can tarnish brass. 3) The base of plastic wads will partially melt when you fire your shotgun. Remove it by spraying window cleaner down the bore. Wait a few minutes then push a wadded paper towel down the bore with a rod. The plastic should be pushed out. It often looks like a black snake skin. 4) Any shotgun primer works OK with APP. I currently use Cheddite 209s. 5) Be prepared for heat damage to the star crimp of your AA hulls. I toss my hulls after one firing with black powder or the subs. I often load mine several times with smokeless powder and then a final loading with black powder. None of this is difficult. But having revolvers with cylinders that won't turn or shotgun shells that won't hold shot makes for a bad day.

Here is APP's cartridge loading instructions: http://www.americanpioneerpowder.com/loading.html. Don't fill cases full of APP and then compress it. I would not bother using a filler with cowboy specials but certainly would with the 45 Colts. (There is a smoke standard for SASS black powder ammo that your loads need to meet.) Cream of wheat, foam backer rod and tumbling media are common fillers. If your SG loads lack knockdown power try TGT-12 wads. Welcome to the Darkside. Do you know how to lube your firearms for shooting APP?

Mine took months. I don't remember how many but it was not quick. The buckle was lovely and worth the wait.

I have a pair Ruger Old Model Vaqueros in 44 mag I shoot 44 Specials. These are loaded with APP and never Pyrodex. I have a beater Stoeger I shoot Pyrodex in and only at local matches where I can immediately clean it thoroughly as I arrive home. I bought a bunch of Pyrodex from WalMart for $10/bottle years ago and will buy no more.

My local club is hosting the State Championship in September. The club officers discussed the match handbook last night. Sponsors will get ad space in the handbook. We expect ads will more than pay for the handbook. I keep handbooks from all the matches I attend and use them to develop stages when it's my turn to be match director. We now use a printer in Amarillo since none of our locals wanted to work with us.

I bought two for my wife directly from Cody. There were no issues with the rifles as received. The main spring on one broke after twenty years of heavy use. That's not an issue with the short stroke - just metal fatigue.

This is my cleaner for black powder fouling: I lube with Ballistol after the firearm dries.

My recycler is just three miles from my house so I don't burn up much fuel driving there. They swirl a magnet around in the spent primers. If anything sticks they won't take the scrap. I don't get much for the scrap but don't like tossing material that can be recycled. I usually sell scrap aluminum at the same time.

I have an uncut BSS I use for cowboy clays side matches. The weight is useful for these events. It is a nice shotgun. I've handled Old #4's guns and would buy one of his if I needed another.

I shoot what my rifles cycle the best. I shoot 357s in one '92 Rossi, my wife's '73 Uberti, my '73 Miroku and a '94 Marlin all because they hold ten 357s and these cycle best in these rifles. My wife has a '73 Uberti carbine that won't hold ten 357s but will hold ten long-loaded 38 Specials that cycle well so that it what we feed it. Finally, I have a '94 Marlin chambered only for 38 Special only so that is what it gets. Buy some factory ammo and find out what feeds well in your rifles. Borrow some ammo from fellow shooters and see how they feed. (You don't have to fire the ammo.) 38 Specials loaded long with TC or RNFP bullets often cycle well. Avoid semi-wadcutters as they often feed poorly and avoid round nose bullets (I'll avoid the long reason why). 125 grain bullets are quite popular. Hi-Tek coated bullets are becoming standard. My primary caster quit selling uncoated bullets due to low demand. Once-fired 38 Special brass is available on auction sites. Avoid nickel-plated brass. We can also tell you what headstamps to avoid (there are several). Come back to the Wire with your loading questions. There is lots of sound advice available.

NR, the per round cost of plinking .22 ammo is on par with the cost of small pistol primers. When loading 38s one has to add the cost of powder and bullets. .22s are cheaper but as you stated, shooting your main match guns is the best practice. However, dry firing is valuable practice too and can be done at home.

I have a pair of Cimmaron Plinkerton .22s I sometimes use to teach new shooters how to operate single action revolvers. However, they are sufficiently different from my main match revolvers that I don't practice with them. My wife on the other hand shoots .32 Ruger Single Sixes and practices with a pair of .22 Ruger Single Sixes (with action jobs by Long Hunter). At Cal State in 2023 she won the ladies .22 revolver side match with her "practice guns." She also practices with a Browning BL-22 rifle and won a side match with it at the 4-Corners Regional a few years ago. Practice with .22s is great preparation for some side matches. There's no time at the progressive loader cranking out ammo and we don't pick up our spent brass.