Branchwater Jack SASS #88854

see also

Rules for ammunition state: SHB pg 37 Talks all about caliber of the bullet. Says nothing of cartridge which holds said bullet. There is one category where a shooter's cartridge is regulated. Classic Cowboy participants may shoot percussion revolvers over .36, but must shoot rimmed cartridge ammunition. Ref SHB pg 7

Or something like this...

SHB pg 13

I love the tacking and the detail on the bead.

And the pressure buildup will also be greater with a better burning powder. Admittedly, I have not shot Graf's reenactor powder, but have shot other 'like' branded powders in the past, and they are usually a mix of 2F + powder. I found that much of the bigger chunks are still burning as they come out of the barrel. Now, you can increase burn rate by decreasing powder size with a straight 2F or even a 3F. You can also increase it by shooting higher quality powders that burn better. "Percieved" loudness of the report - to the shooter - will also be proportional to the proximity to the business end of the firearm (ie shorten the barrel), the surroundings where they are shooting (ie shooting with the business end of the firearm in the building instead of out past it), and level of hearing protection worn (or none at all). Speaking as someone with tinnitus gained from years of mistakenly shooting BP firearms without hearing protection...it might help explain why I shoot "the BP version of Winchester low noise/low recoil shells."

You may find that a lot of the powder you are putting in may be blown out of the gun, unburnt, already - so additional powder will not accomplish anything. Now, are we shooting raw popcorn IN PLACE of lead shot, or are we putting the popcorn on top of the lead shot?

Reminds me of people who rush to post "I'm First" in the YouTube comments videos 1 minute after a 20 minute video was initially posted. So, they are commenting that they commented first, but they haven't even watched the video yet. Better still, the people who, two minutes later, post points that the video missed out on...But if you were to watch the entire video, it gets to those points. We, as a collective, have an attention span shorter than a gnat.

Getting the targets off the ground has helped us reduce the amount of splatter tremendously.

I can pick up my Uberti revolvers, blindfolded, and can tell you which one is right and which one is left. There is a slight variation in the grips that I can tell, even though these were a 'matched pair' with the R-L serial numbers. I started shooting them with the R number in the right and the L number in the left and it just stuck. My Rugers are consecutive serial numbers. I cannot tell the difference in feel between the guns. However, 5 goes in the left, 6 goes in the right. On reason I keep doing it is, if I have an issue with a gun on the firing line I only have to remember which hand had the problem. If I always shoot the same gun with the same hand, I don't have a problem remembering. I shoot FCGF and try to keep my hands pretty close together the entire shooting string - if I can. The inside edges of my pistols are always filthy from the side blast coming out of the other pistol. Keeping them Left and right means I do not have to clean the outside edges of my pistols because they don't get dirty. And, I always keep the same unloaded chamber throughout the match. Again - so I don't have to clean that 6th chamber! Of course, I also line up my shotshells in my belt the same direction so I can read the writing on them. That is part of my mental prep when getting ready for the stage and not indicative of any other problem.

@Buck D. Law, SASS #62183 recommended this book to my beautiful wife, @Alchemist Belle 93666, at one time. It was invaluable to her. https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Mind-3rd-Ed/dp/1934324264 For some tidbits from the book, you can look on YouTube, or even read this: https://www.njlifehacks.com/with-winning-in-mind-lanny-bassham-book-summary/

I know of people who shot their first ever Cowboy match at a state match.

Dusty, do you have a chronograph?

Ya...I found it funny that SASS decided to feature 2 trench guns and a 1911 on this year's BP championship pin, too.