H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

Not too long ago, I started this thread... To be honest, I over thought it, made it far too complicated, and tried to bring up too many ideas as once. That was my mistake. I also had far too many typos and spelling errors in my initial post. I don't want to rehash what I was trying to say, and not doing a very good job of, in that thread, so let me start from scratch, and see if I can make any more sense. We all know that Josey Wales is an unofficial pistol only version of our game. Someday I hope to try it. With all of that as background, what about an all rifle event? There are a couple of ways it could be designed. Rifle stays the same. Pistols become either a second rifle, or perhaps a .22 rifle. Could be shot at the pistol targets or repeat the rifle string as safety and match director decides. Shotgun stays the same or perhaps becomes a "long range" rifle (94, 86, etc) with alternate targets at the back of the shooting bay. I guess "shotgun" would always have to be last. And that's it. Trying to keep it simple. Last time I over complicated my thoughts, and looking back over the original thread, it doesn't make much sense to ME, so I can imagine that it musta been off putting to others. I think this is simpler and easier to contemplate.

Well, the Tri-State is over, and I had a lot of fun. To be brutally honest, my performance today was an absolute train wreck. Many misses, a couple of Ps and some rather stupid mistakes that got me an SDQ. Never had that happen before. Oh well, a first time for everything. But, I did have fun, and that's the main thing. And to my surprise, I did take second place in the Duelist category! I guess there is wisdom is choosing a category with only 2 shooters in it. It was a great match, put on my great people. And as much as hope the Tri-State will be able to get back to Massachusetts eventually, I'd enjoy going back up to Berwick for another shoot in Maine when I get the chance. Not much else to say except, it was nice experience, in spite of all my personal flaws in how I did.

Well, day one of the main match was today. Six stages. Weather was not as humid or hot as yesterday, but there was more of a threat of rain. It sprinkled a little, but nothing that screwed up the shooting. We shot all six straight through with no lunch break to try and get it all done before the rain came. More or less, that worked. After shooting stages, the rain was coming but not yet there. I was able to get a light lunch from the food truck, which had EXCELLENT things to eat. By the time I'd gotten everything into my van to trek home, it was starting to rain, and it wasn't long before it was pouring, so our timing was good. Forecast is for good weather tomorrow, so we shall see. Personally, I did not do so great. On the second stage of the day I blew my clean match with both a miss and P. In the words of Homer Simpson, "D'oh!" Then, two stages later, I goofed up big time and got a SDQ. First time that's ever happened to me. Oh well. The other 4 stages I shot clean, and one of them I even shot under a minute! For me, that's good. Guns today were an antique Colt Lightning, and a pair of 4-3/4" 1900's vintage Colt Bisley revolvers, all in .32-20. Not my usual .45's, but I wanted to shoot .32-20 for several reasons. First, I had ammo loaded up in the caliber. That's a big one. Second, I really wanted to see how I did with the Bisley's over the course of a match. So far, I think I have done well. I did jack a few rounds out of the Lighting unfired for some reason, but I was able to recover and save the string. My shotgun was a Winchester 97 Black Diamond Trap Gun. An excellent shooting gun with a 30" full choke barrel. It is by far and away my best 97. Tight as a drum and handles well. In fact, one stage had a couple of poppers and they literally disintegrated when I shot them, proving the guns worth as a trap gun. In all fairness, some other shooters did manage to smoke the clay targets, but there were also what my father, a trap shooter, used to call a few "cheep" shots. That's when a tiny bit of the target flies off the mostly still in tact target, but it still counts and everyone on the line would go "cheep cheep cheep!" I will use these guns again tomorrow to finish the match. I'll be shooting for pride and hope I run the last 4 clean. Overall, I'd say I had a lot of fun, and that's the most important thing, right? As I was walking back to the parking area after my quick lunch, a fellow I've shot with before greeted me and commented to his friend on how it was always fun to watch me shoot, as you never know what kinda cool stuff I am gonna show up with. I took that as a compliment. That being said, I will say that I have developed a preference for a Lighting, a long barreled 97 and a pair of Colts with .45 being my go to caliber. Sometimes the Colts will be clones, the most infamous one I have being my so called "Big Iron." I was even asked if I had it with me today, and had to say no. That's not to say that all of my guns are unusually weird or something, most are rather conventional. I just like to mix things up from time to time. Who knows, I may take out my gold Colt again next time, and pair it with a silver plated, heavily engraved Uberti with the initials GSP monographed on the fake ivory grips. Only time will tell! See you again tomorrow.

Tri State started today! Today was side match day. 3 stage mini match. Left hip, 3rd Model S&W Schofield. Right hip, Uberti Schofield. Rifle, AWA Lightning (.45 Colt) All guns, including the Lightning, were used with .45 Schofield ammo. The Lightning ran flawlessly. Shotgun(s) For 2 stages, I used my Hopkins and Allen single shot shotgun. This is a "new to me" gun that I got off of a junk pile for $50. It was the only gun on the pile that looked to be all there, so I offered the guy the cash, and it became mine. Worked great. For the third stage, I used my WW Greener built on the Martini action that I recently had repaired. It also worked great. Both were 12 gauge. Result: Clean mini match! For side matches I tried my hand at some long range shooting. 200 yards with REALLY small targets. Used my .45-70 Rolling Block. To be honest, I could not hit anything, as I could not really SEE the targets. I have no problem with the distance, I can hit things that far away, but not such small ones. Personally, I like 100 yard shooting with larger targets, but that's just me. I also tried a few practice shots with my .45-45 ammo in the Rolling Block. Very pleasant to shoot. I just put a few rounds in the dirt at the 100 yard berm. Ostensibly, I was shooting at a "hanging disc" but again, it was too small for me to properly see it. I was in the general area of the disk, but well, I didn't hit it. I also tried to take a couple of shots with my .45-70 Mare's Leg for fun, but the hammer was falling too slow and did not make the primers go bang. (The did go bang in the Rolling Block, so I know it was the gun.) Even though I had no success at the long range side match, I had fun trying, and that's the most important thing. There were no derringer or pocket pistol side matches. After I left, I realized I didn't try the course of fire for long range repeaters, but I didn't feel like going back. So, the Large Frame Lighting (.45-70) did not speak today. Overall, I'd give my day a 9 out of 10. If I'd hit just 1 target on long range, I'da give it a 10. The folks up there in Maine are putting on a great match so far, they are nice folks, and I want to thank them for hosting the Mass/Conn/RI Tristate this year. Tomorrow, I'll be using different guns. I'll make a report then too.

About the only way you could go from bad to worse! Seriously, MA, NJ, CT, NY, CA, IL, MD. Hard to say which is the worst.

See, I was confused. I thought you were, but then I thought you weren't, and then I... I get confuzzled easily. Maybe I DO need some Moxie. It's an excellent nerve tonic after all. Good for reversing softening of the brain, y'know.

Well, it's still here in New England. Just Maine, not Massachusetts. Not to far north of the Kittery Trading Post. You oughta still come! That being said, I notice some well known names that are usually there not listed. That is kind of a bummer.

https://www.shootingbums.org/mainemarshals/docs/2025/Tri-State_WhoComing.pdf Interesting... 22 from New Hampshire 20 from Massachusetts 13 from Connecticut 9 from New York 7 Rhode Island 6 from Maine 4 from Pennsylvania 4 from Vermont 1 from Kentucky 1 from South Dakota So... 40 from the three states that are from the Tri-State 32 from the rest of New England 15 from elsewhere. Or... 47 from outside of the Tri-State area, more than from in it. I would not have expected that.

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Pretty accurate. The non resident LTC (License to Carry) is the same as the Massachusetts one. (Except for allowing you to buy pistols, of course.) The only difference is that the Mass resident one costs $100 for 5 years. The Non Resident one is $100 for ONE year. I don't know if this is still true, but traditionally, the vast majority of non resident LTC's were held by Mass Residents who moved out of state to New Hampshire and wanted to maintain their legal status here in the Commonwealth.

Hi, everyone. The Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island Tri-State shoot is this weekend, up in Maine! I shall be there with Colts on. Hope to see a good crowd at Cowboy Church on Sunday where I will again be preaching and singing. I'll even bring my Scofield. Also, if you are gonna be there on Friday for the Side Matches, look for me there too. I'll have Schofields on, but if they have a "practice bay" you'll get to see me take a few shots with my .45-70 Mares Leg! Maybe I'll bring a case of Moxie...

You are welcome.

Ah, okay. They look very well made, but I personally don't like the thumb rest. That's for purely appearance reasons, although with some grips, I find that I don't like the way the rest bites into the palm of my hand. Doesn't look like that'll be a problem with these though. I tend to like my guns looking like they were made, and these take away from that. That being said, these... on the same page look fantastic. But will they fit on a .22? I don't know. I have 2 Colt .22's and one of them has noticeably smaller grips than a regular SAA, but the other seems to have grips the same size. Ultimately, if you like the ones with the thumb rest, go for it.

Okay... What are these? What do they look like?

I've never shot Plainsman, but if I were to do so, I'd probably use either a Trapdoor Carbine or a Remington Rolling Block in .45-70 because, well, I have them. This assumes that you use a "rifle" cartridge. If you use a main match type cartridge, I'd again go with Rolling Block in .32 S&W, cuz, well, that's what I have. (Assuming that there is not a minimum caliber. If there is, I'd obviously have to get something else) As far as Cody Dixon goes, the one time I shot something like that, I used a Winchester 86 in .45-70. I used that gun cuz I didn't have my Large Frame Lighting yet, in the same caliber. Generally speaking, Cody does have a caliber requirement. The place I shot it had a rifle caliber of at least .40. .38-55 was said to be okay as well. .30-30 was allowed in a kind of special sub category at that club. But .32 Winchester Special was not. In other words, since Cody Dixon, or Tom Horn as it is sometimes called, is not a "standard" category, be sure you know what the rules are where you intend to shoot. Based on that, look at what you have in your collection that fits the bill. I like shooting things like this that allow for the use of different guns from time to time, so whatever the rules are is fine with me. IF it were allowed, I'd love to try my 95 Winchester in .30-40. Good luck.

I have an 1860 vintage Colt 1849 revolver that has been converted to .32 Colt Centerfire. To make a long story short, it's shootable, but barely. I am seriously considering having it mechanically restored, and would also consider having it propery refinished as well. As it is, the gun has an "aged honestly" appearance. Normally, I'd not worry about making it pretty, but since I am considering what will probably be an expensive repair job, I may decide to go "all the way." Can anyone recommend someone who can do the restoration work? Is this a Turnbull type thing, or do they just do refinishing work? (I honestly don't know.) i

What about seeing a rare or esoteric gun as a giveaway? Something that might be of "interest" to many cowboy shooters, even if it's not really something for our game. Off the top of my head, I thought of... USFA Omnipotent. The gun it's a "copy" of, the Colt 1878 A revolver carbine. A Mare's Leg A Krag rifle. (Only the first one is "SASS Legal" but the others may of be peripheral interest to many of us.) I suppose that there are lot of guns that'd fit into this grouping. All it would take would be for someone to donate one.

If Canada were to somehow join the Union, each provice/territory would be a separate state, so there'd be way more than 51 stars. Don't think it'll ever happen though for lotsa reasons. A much more likely 51st state is Puerto Rico, but again, I don't think it will happen. A jump to 54, is not beyond the realm of possibility, with Guam, The Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico each becoming a state. Those are the four territories that would theoretically be eligible. Another, but even less likely scenario would be for California to split into 2 to 4 states. 2 of which would likely be red and two would be blue. Or, some say Oregon might like to split itself down the middle, but I don't know. I don't see any other states splitting up. I've heard people suggest Northern Virginia (The DC Suburbs) could split off from Virginia, but I don't think that's even a remote possibility. As crazy as it sounds, if there are gonna be any new states admitted, it'll be in multiples of two, one red and one blue to maintain the fragile balance of power in the senate. And there will also somehow be rough parity with how it affects the Electoral College for the same reason. So what's the most likely possibility? If Puerto Rico becomes a state, likely a blue one, then you'll see California split into two states. It'll be very easy to arrange the borders so one is rend and the other is blue, the blue one getting California's current democrat senators and the new state electing republican ones. Sort of a modern day Missouri Compromise.

Well, it has still been dipping into the low 40's at night of late...

I'd not be surprised if a lot of us have the needed guns. That being said, I'll be honest and say that the shotgun version was an afterthought. After thinking of the rifle version, I imagined people say, "How about a shotgun version?" (But yeah, I'll agree that the shotgun variant would probably grab the least amount of interest.) Since Josey (note the corrected spelling) Wales in an unofficial, and you could say novelty, category, sidematch, scenario, whatever, the rifle and shotgun version would be as well, and could clearly be tweaked to make them as practical as possible. Target placement could of course be modified for safety reasons. Since I've never done Josey Wales, I have no idea how it is typically done, but I'd assume some target adjustment is the norm.

I hear he's a real pussycat... Sorry, my bad spelling haunts me wherever I go.

I too, shoot left handed. First time I used my 19" Parker at a match, I pulled the front, right hand trigger, and the recoil caused my finger to slip off of it to almost immediately pull the back, left handed trigger. I've toyed with the idea of swapping the triggers, but can't bring myself to do so cuz it was my Dad's gun, and I really don't use it much for SASS cuz it kicks like a mule. Now, my 30" Parker, that one I use 2 or 3 times a year, I bought it myself, it's nowhere near pristine, and since it's much heavier, doesn't really kick at all. Unless you give it both barrels.

It's Memorial Day. Rows of White Crosses by Kevin Mickel There are rows of white crosses Lined up in a field somewhere Flying above them is a flag But it's not from around there The mighty fallen rest in peace Dying in a land that was not their own Bringing freedom to the locals Winning them great renown Where liberty exists today You do not have to look very far To find those rows of white crosses Which will ever be the cost of war They came not as conquerors Not to take what was not theirs But to give freedom to the oppressed To them and to their heirs They demanded naught in return But came to do a job that had to be done They asked for only a place For those whose sacrifice the battle was won Ye sons of freedom hold your heads up high For today you have the peace for which your fathers did cry But when the time is right And you pass along your way Tip your hat to those rows of white crosses And to the American Soldiers who sleep beneath them to this day. I wrote this a few years ago. Feel free to share it with others, but please don't take my name off of it.

I have never shot Jose Wales, but I would really like too. The only reason I've not tried it is that non of the local clubs offer it. Now, as we all know, Jose Wales substitutes two revolvers for the rifle part of the scenario. Sometimes, the shotgun is also replaced with a pistol. In other words, it's all (or mostly) pistol event. Well, what about an all shotgun, or an all rifle match? For the shotgun version, let's call it the "Doc Holiday" style of shooting, you would need 5 shotguns. 1 SxS for the shotgun targets that is used according to normal SASS conventions. For the rifle and the pistols, you would need two repeating shotguns, 97's, and 87's or even a 93/97, each loaded with 5 rounds at the loading table and then staged at the place where the rifle and pistol targets are to be engaged. You could, I suppose, use multiple SxS's but that would put you at a real disadvantage. For the rifle version, let's call it "Lucas McCain," you'd need a rifle for the rifle targets, 1 rifle for each 5 pistol targets, and one for the shotgun targets. For safety, you might need to put some alternate "shotgun" targets a little father away. Just a random thought.

Oh this was a real thing. I had the bruise to prove it. And, I guess this is another reason to give it both barrels...