H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

Come to the MA, CT, RI Tri-State in Harvard, Mass. in June. A fun shoot no matter how you slice it. It's the closest thing we have to a New England regional. And be sure to come to Cowboy Church on Sunday. You'll get to hear me preach, and probably sing.

Let's see.... Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania Maryland Michigan New Mexico Nevada Ohio soon to be added to the list. So, 10, soon to be 11.

Not sure what that is. Looks like a leather wrap to me. I know we don't have a 10' rule in SASS, but I wouldn't give that a second look if I saw it in the wild.

Does it have a safety?

While I will say that my 92 with a 20" round barrel is much lighter than my 73 with a 24" octagon one, I do not find the weight to be all that significant.

My 73 is in .32-20. I bought it in that caliber because that's the caliber it was in when I found the gun. I have absolutely come to love the caliber. As it is, I have that 73, a 92, and a Colt Lightning. I have found that .32-20's are much less expensive than .44-40s, So much so that all of my .44-40 rifles, with one exception, are reproductions. (The one original I have in that caliber is a Colt Lightning.) Anyway, if you really want a real Winchester 73 to use as a shooter, I recommend the .32-20. Bullets cost a lot less, and brass is easier to find than .38-40. .44-40 is relatively easy to come by components for too. The real problem with a .44-40 Winchester is that a good shootable one is likely to be bookoo expensive. You can still get the .32 for a surprisingly affordable price. BUT, finding revolvers in .32-20 can be problematic... That being said, if you want real Colts to go with that real Winchester, Colt Bisleys in .32-20 seem to go for far less than a "standard" 1st Gen SAA or even other Bisley Colts. To that end...

I liked the video. But my writer/TV Production background make me see some "flaws." The frame is not the action. They were showing the making of a 73, but started and ended with images of a 66. Using metric measurements and celcius for temperature is irritating. And most of all, they are not EXACT replicas. They are close copies, but are not exact. If they were, parts would interchange, for example. These are critiques SOLELY based on writing/production values. Not the video itself, which is overall very good.

LC Smith did make a fine gun. So did Fox. (I have a Fox) Both are are int he same league as Parker, but better? Well, I guess now we are into Ted Williams vs Babe Ruth territory. I mean, sure, Ted was the greatest hitter who ever lived, but the Babe was still super impressive.

You will never convince me otherwise that the above all others better than anything else ever made anyplace in the world, is a Parker. Already I can hear shouts of "Too expensive!" Yes, a pristine Parker can cost an arm and a leg. But if you look hard enough, some real bargains can be found. Last year, I found a 20 gauge Trojan for $1100 in "nice" condition. The year before that, I found a 12 gauge Trojan for $700. Both are honest shooters, not "collector grade" by any reasonable argument. Of course, if you want to spend over 10 grand, you can do that too, but you don't have to.

LOL. No, I didn't.

A few years ago, the local Tri-State had a themed match where each stage was "dedicated" or based on a "Cowboy Ballad." Among the songs were... El Paso. Since it contains the line, "I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle," I made my last rifle round on that stage black powder. If I recall the rifle I used correctly, it was a .44-40. Big Iron. "The Stranger there among them had a big Iron on his hip." I didn't yet have my own personal "Big Iron" so I used a converted Colt Walker and a Colt Buntline, .45 Colt and .44 Special. Back in the Saddle Again: "Totin' my old .44." I used a pair of antique .44-40's. One S&W and one Colt. Ringo: "The Deadly .44." One of my pistols on that stage was in the deadliest of .44's, the .44 Magnum. Don't recall what else I used on the other stages, but I had FUN!

I was in the game for a couple of years before I have rifle and pistols in the same caliber. I started out shooting .44 Magnum in one rifle, .45 Colt in one pistol, and .38 S&W in the other. I know one fellow who shoots .45's in his pistols and .44-40 in his rifle.

Sadly, it never really caught on like it should have. It's a LOT of fun. Very similar to our game, just with a different class of guns. I did make it once to the annual championship match out in Colorado. That was quite enjoyable. I am Zoot Life Member 99, BTW. They were running a special at the time.

Notice the eyeroll at the end of my initial post. It's just another CMP match, being held "out west." But I thought the logo was funny.

I think we missed out on something! Or not.

Oh yeah.... Some clubs will allow the use of rifle calibers. I once saw a fellow shoot a match with a BAR. Full Auto is also okay, if the club allows it.

I forgot to mention, one of the most fun times I ever had was using a Broomhandle for my pistol, and a second Broomhandle with a fixed 30 round magazine with the shoulderstock holster as the rifle. Used the Hi Power as a rifle once too.

In a nutshell, Zoot is very similar to Cowboy, just with different guns. At it's simplest form, you'll see a "caper" where have 10 to 15 pistol rounds. You can use 2 revolvers, or an auto loader pistol, reloading as needed. You'll see 10 to 30 rifle rounds, using a semi auto rifle shooting a pistol caliber round, 30 carbine is okay, reloading as needed. You'll see 5 shotgun rounds, using a pump or auto loading shotgun. You may also see a pocket pistol incorporated into the caper. Cut off date for guns is 1949, And that's about it,

Yeah, given the geometry of the pistol, I'd think the front sight would have to be abnormally tall. More of a thought experiment than anything serious.

Is it possible to put a normal SAA front sight on a New Frontier Colt? I've always thought the NF front was kinda goofy looking, and I am wondering if it's possible. Don't k now if I would actually DO it, but I'm wondering if it an be done. No desire to change the rear sight.

I have several 92s, Hands down, you can't beat the quality of a real Winchester made in Hartford, Connecticut. If you look hard enough, you may even be able to find one that someone converted to .44 Magnum. I did. Apparently, this was a common modification a few decades ago., so it might be easier to find one than you would think, and since it's been changed, it might not be as expensive as a generic Winchester. It's a very fun gun to shoot. On the other hand, the Chiappa's are of excellent quality. I find them to be just as good as a real Winchester right out of the box. And they are available in .44 Magnum. This is the Mare's Leg takedown version, with the odd "D Lever" that it came with from the factory. I modified it. I like it with this "Rio Bravo" loop much better. Also much fun to shoot, but you will spend a lot of money. The "regular rifle" configuration is actually less expensive than the Mare's Leg, but still more than any other reproduction on the market today, but it's worth the expense. If I wanted another 92, and not a real Winchester, I'd get a Chiappa. And then finally, there is the pre-Safety version of the Rossi. Probably the most cost effect way to get a 92 in ,44 Magnum. They are nice guns. This was my first SASS type Main Match rifle, and while I don't use it all that often any more, I still take it out from time to time. From the beginning, I thought there was nothing wrong with it, and used it with no problems. But then, when I got a real Winchester, I realized that the action was not as smooth as it should be. So, I sent it to the great Happy Trails, who smoothed it out a bit for me. It's now just as good as a Winchester. So in other words, okay out of the box, but will probably need a little tuning. A word of advice... When I tied running .44 Specials in the Rossi and the Winchester, they tended to stovepipe a lot. So I switched to downloaded Magnums, and they have worked just fine ever since. Never tried Specials in the Chiappa. Also, while I never have, I'd not hesitate to run full power factory loads in the Rossi or the Chiappa, but I'd be hesitant to do so in a converted Winchester. More of a better safe than sorry precaution. Good luck, and happy shooting.

Fair enough, especially since it's not already the original finish. IF, and I don't know, IF that pitting can be "filled in" somehow, and the gun made to look like new, that IS a viable course of action to take. But I'd make a wild guess and say it's expensive to do that. BUT, if you can afford it, really wanna do it, and think it will enhance your appreciation of ownership, then by all means, go for it. I have a horribly refinished Colt that I often consider restoring, but just don't wanna spend the money.

Oh yes! To say nothing of standing just outside the OK Corral, wearing a Buntline Special, next to the old city law that forbids firearms. That was fun. But I still wanna shoot it there!

Someday, someway, I really want want to shoot a match in Tombstone. I will use my Buntline, my (reproduction) S&W American and my "Big Iron." Wait, that's three pistols. Dang, I need to make a choice!