Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971

Seen at my local Wal*Mart this morning, $12.27/box.

Get to the airport early. When flying with ammo the TSA has always opened and inspected my bag and then left a notice inside. You need to make sure your bags get placed onto your flight in time. The TSA once contacted me and said their explosives detector got positive readings on the contents my bag and asked for an explanation. I told them I handloaded some ammunition the day I packed the bag and that may have been the cause. They accepted that explanation and my bag flew.

1. See this thread: Thinking about getting Auto Progressive Shotgun Loader what's out there - SASS Wire - SASS Wire Forum (sassnet.com) Look for used presses. Most are durable. 2. Any legal shot size works. However, I prefer smaller shot size as sometimes shot bounces back and hits my face. Smaller shot hurts less. I loaded #8 1/2 for Land Run. Your #7 1/2 will work well. Try to buy shot locally as shipping is expensive. Shootin Fox in Oklahoma makes and ships shot. 3. I load Alliant Extra-Lite for CAS. It is designed for 7/8 oz loads. I load at the bottom of Alliant's published loads and my loads go bang in cold weather. Some load a grain or two lower. Others load Clays, Clay Dot, Red Dot and even Unique for light loads. 4. My presses are set up for Remington hulls so that is mostly what I load. Nitro and STS hulls have brass bases and smooth plastic sides that make nice crimps and shuck well from SxS shotguns. After the hulls get frosty I use them in pump shotguns. You can get a dozen or so reloads out of most Nitro and STS hulls. I also load Gun Club hulls with black powder (or subs) and toss after firing. Another local black powder shooter loads AA hulls for his '87 with good results. You can buy once-fired shotgun hulls on gun auction sites. I pick up all the Gun Club hulls I need for free on clays ranges. You won't find many Nitro or STS hulls in the trash. 5. Use the wads specified in the published load you choose. I load with Claybuster CB-0178-12 grey wads. Wads are available from local gun stores and online retailers. Presently my Sportsmans stocks the Claybuster wads I load. 6. Use the primer specified in the published load you choose. Presently I load Cheddite 209s because they are available. I bought some from my local Sportsmans yesterday. Four well-known online retailers are selling Cheddite 209s this week. I will send a message with the web addresses of reloading suppliers I trust.

My wife has an SKB. I have a Browning BSS. She prefers the SKB because it is lighter. I prefer the BSS because it is heavier. They are both quality shotguns.

Hodgdon provides some load information. See https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/muzzleloading_manual_2008.pdf. They advise against using ordinary powder measures with Pyrodex. I would use my Lyman black powder measure. (Pyrodex is my least favored black powder sub.)

I was shooting on a stage where you shot out of a jail with bars and a narrow opening. Evil Roy was my TO. I carefully placed myself so I could lean left or right and hit all the targets and also easily reholster my revolvers. I shot the stage well and at the end ER said "You've been shooting awhile haven't you?" I felt honored by ER's compliment.

I saw these on the shelf of my local Sportsmans yesterday and informed local SASS members.

Buy new brass when available. When I started loading gas checked bullets I quit getting flyers. I load with (the unavailable) Trail Boss.

I view this question from an economic viewpoint and not from one of fairness. An annual match has many fixed costs that must be covered by entry fees. A sponsoring club does not want to turn away or restrict applications - they need the money. My home club just was approved for the 2023 state SASS match. If our contract restricted entries from neighboring states we would not have applied. The risk to our treasury would be unacceptable. The current system of recognizing match and state winners works.

The downside of shooting the same sweeps over and over is the shooters are not prepared for unique sweeps they may encounter elsewhere. I travel to out-of-state matches and always encounter sweeps I've never seen (and enjoy the new challenge). Regarding shooting left to right or right to left, as a black powder shooter I want to sweep from downwind to upwind. Forcing me to sweep into my smoke cloud is not enjoyable. In calm conditions I may shoot my shotgun last to minimize the smoke cloud on a stage.

Scores are up for the Fall Fandango. Congradulations to Capitan Regulator, main match winner and Texas Tiger, top lady shooter and winner of the Wild Bunch match. Weather was good with mild temperatures, light overcast and light winds. There was plenty of camping with electric hookups across from the shooting bays. We had shooters from Colorado, Arizona and all over New Mexico. Thanks to our sponsors: SASS, Wild West Mercantile, Old West Gunworks and Bang and Clang Bullets. Thanks also to the City of ABQ Shooting Range Park for providing outhouses, trash service and after-hours access to their facility. The Fandango will be the New Mexico State SASS match in 2023 to be held September 15-17.

I have one of the Winter Range bags pictured by Pettifogger and it is perfect. I also have canvas bags given away at matches. If I lacked these I would just install a grommet on a lead shot bag and use that. I've used small bags from pinto beans but the burlap is not durable.

I bought some of these online. My ammo loaded with BP subs gets stored in a dry box with one of these inside. They recharge from a 110 V outlet.

The City Range is getting ready for the Fandango. Outhouses are delivered and the City even repaved the access road for the match! You can pull your travel trailer in without having to dodge hundreds of potholes.

The supply situation has improved over the last few months. The Cheddite 209 shotgun primers I load in my 7/8 oz CAS shotgun loads are available online for ~8-cents each. My powder of choice for CAS shotgun loads, Alliant Extra-Lite is also available and has been sold online recently in 8-lb jugs. No shot has been available at local retailers for a long time so a few local shooters are loading with Shootin Fox's #7 1/2 shot. I picked up some at EOT to avoid shipping costs. I still find once-fired Remington Gun Club hulls for free at clays ranges and load these for local matches. Suitable wads are available at my local retailers and online. I think you could start reloading shotgun shells for CAS within a few weeks of setting up your press. +1 for MEC Jrs. I load both blackpowder and smokeless shells for CAS on one I bought used for $60. I've only had to replace the sizing ring and the rubber bottle grommets on mine. Locally AA "featherlights" are available at Wal*Marts and a big box retailer for ~$12-$14 a box. I can reload low-recoil shells for about half that price.

I have some experience with the Walker Ear buds. They worked but fit me poorly and were difficult to change batteries. The buds use hearing aid batteries. They would last for a three-day match if turned off when not in use but would be dead a week later even if turned off. (This is the nature of air-activated batteries.) I now wear rechargeable hearing aids and have a backup pair of single channel hearing amplifiers that are also rechargeable. Both can be used for about a day and a half before needing recharging. When shooting CAS I prefer a pair of muffs that fit under a hat. I can change batteries quickly if they die during a match. I can get a month's worth of shooting on one set of lithium batteries. You get what you pay for with hearing protection electronics. Cheap models may turn off for much longer than shot noise is present and may have objectionable buzzing or humming. Keep doing your online research and avoid products with mediocre ratings.

My experience with rvshare was not good. When I tried to rent while my trailer was in for repair trailers listed on rvshare were not really available. Stories like "my daughter is using the trailer" or "I sold the trailer six months ago."

JEW, perhaps some are reloading with reclaimed shot that is much less expensive than virgin shot.

I looked at your numbers and saw opportunities for savings. I don't buy once-fired hulls because I get plenty from fellow CAS shooters and at clays ranges. Ballistic Products sells Cheddite 209 primers for ~$60/1,000. Even with shipping and HAZMAT that works out to less than 11-cents a primer. Shootin Fox sells lead shot for $40/25-lbs. I got mine without shipping costs by picking it up in person and will restock at Land Run. The shot in a 7/8-oz load with Fox's shot costs ~9-cents.

It won't be your last. You'll make the trip down I-17 again for this fine event. My wife and I are signed up for EOT. I expect the event will be 100% booked by Labor Day.

Shootin Fox still sells #7 1/2 shot mail order. His shot is suitable for CAS. Alliant Extra-Lite has been available in 8-lb jugs at MidSouth and is still available in 1-lb jars online. I load a decent 7/8 oz load using Extra-Lite and Cheddites using Alliant's online reloading info. I sure don't want to buy "Featherlights" for $14/box at Sportsmans.

There are online cost calculators. Search for "shotgun shell reloading calculator." Savings vary quite a bit. I might only save $.60 per box for 1 1/8 oz shells used to bust clays. However, "featherlight" AAs are priced at $14/box at my local big box sporting goods store. However, I can reload them for $6/box. That is a huge savings for shells that are often unavailable. I get once-fired Gun Club hulls for free at clays ranges and don't buy them.

Whatever you do, if you advertise black powder categories actually honor them! I have hauled shotguns a thousand miles only to be told that black powder was cancelled.

In the last few weeks our local Wal*Marts ended limits on shotgun shells. Federal value packs of 100 shells could be bought in any quantity. A Sporting Clays shooter I know who does not reload just increased his inventory to 3,000 shells courtesy of his local Wal*Mart. He had spent the last two years searching for ammo. He sometimes had to stop shooting due to lack of ammo.