Griff

Wait... You're supposed to think about this stuff? Actually analyze what to do? Why? Seems simpler to just do. It's hard enough remembering which target is next... Change leads? Cowboys don't do Dressage!

I created a group on my browser with links to all the known parts suppliers... computers are really good at remembering stuff, so I don't have to!

I'm Gonna be real lazy & just say plus 1 to CC. Except I don't use chemicals in my gun cleaning... Plain ol' hot water works a treat! And I wet tumble, started a little over a year ago and found that I like it. Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of BP.

I only keep notes on my long range guns... A steno pad with notes on the load for the particular rifle. Each page is dedicated to a particular load (bullet weight in most cases) to include all oad details, group sizes and renderings of the sight settings for various distances. I.e.: for the Sharps and it's extra long range staff, settings for 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 800 & 1,000 yard, So far I have pages for 330, 350, 370 & 400 grains pills... (none of which have any 1,000 yard data yet. If the load doesn't do 1 MOA, it doesn't get recorded. For the .30-30 Winchester 94 & it's custom tang sight, which scribed line is what yardage... Beginning @ 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 & 400 yards. Each cartridge is marked by a tab glued to the edge of the page. Different bullets weight each have their own page. For the scoped guns, it's noted which mark is "zero", and whether that's 75, 100 or 150 yards. And how many clicks it takes to add 100 yards to the range. I have yet to make a page for the externally adjusted scope on the .32-40 HiWall. Still tweeking that load to do 1 MOA at 200 yards!

Momentos of shoots and placement have varied greatly over the years... One of the first clubs I joined back in the 1980's gave coins to the 1st five places in their monthly matches... 50¢ for 1st, 25¢ for 2nd, 10¢ for 3rd, 5¢ for 4th and 1¢ for 5th, for both men's and ladies; they were dished on one side and had a staple soldered to the concave side for affixing to a leather hatband given the first time you won a coin. They gave plaques for their annual shoot. EOT on the other hand, AISTR gave plaques for the top 3 per category and if numbers justified it, buckles thereafter to 10th. In 1990, when I started organizing cowboy shoots in North Texas, I continued the West End Cowboys traditional coin presentation at monthly shoots. For our first annual shoot in 1991, LSFSC gave plaques with a buckle affixed for 1st thru 3rd for each category, as I recall.

I shoot Frontiersman... and purposely repeat this manta... Hammer, front sight, trigger. It might be why I'm slow... but when executed properly, I don't miss! I think I've seen far more two-handed shooters slip hammer than Duelists or Gunfighters.

Personally, I think they're uglier than sin. The one's I've handled seem clunky and ill-balanced. The loading system might be convenient, but reminds me of a child's .22. I'm not enamored of the Marlin either, I've seen far too many ruined by either neglectful or over-zealous reloaders... It, like the Henry are not the strongest of actions... IMO, if you're dead set on a lever action 45-70, either a smokeless era steel Winchester 1886, or the Miroku made Browning is the way to go. I'm not fond of the lawyer driven rebounding hammer safety of the Winchester marked Mirokus either. If I were adding a 45-70 into my stable, it'd be a 1885 from any number of makers, or a C. Sharps, or Shiloh, possibly even a modern rolling block. I already have a Browning 1886 in .45-70. The two Miroku 1885s I have are well built and well behaved rifles. (Read that to mean well balanced and accurate). You asked for opinions. That is the "G" rated version... Sailors can add their own favorite expletive where appropriate.

I've shot a '73 Uberti rifle in this sport since 1987... in 45 Colt. For the most part in BP categories... in fact, all BP categories ever offered with no ill effect. I found that the best thing I could do was simply sand down the sides of the carrier to allow a healthy amount of fouling to buildup before any sluggishness occurs. I usually don't have to clean either pistols or rifle until after 12 stages... even over multiple day matches. I tried annealing, but had mixed results. As a relative youngster when I first started this I finished in the top 5 several times in either "Black Powder" (cap 'n' ball) or "Frontier Cartridge" at several different venues... (EOT, National Shootout, ShowDown, etc.). I quit trying to be competitive many, many years ago, and now simply shoot for the fun of it, (errrr... my version of fun), others seem to think going as fast as they possibly can is fun.... all good. Shooting BP in pistol (cap n ball), rifle and shotgun in the Frontiersman category is challenge enough.

As stated above, a case cannelure to keep bullets from collapsing into the case. I've shot, reloaded, many hundreds of these cases without any problems what-so-ever. The cannelure slowly gets pressed out as the case is expanded thru combustion then resized. If using full power loads, I can see them becoming increasingly weaker at the cannelure... but for cowboy action, highly unlikely. At least, IME. I lose most of my cases from either mouth splits, or longitudinal splits in the body from the repeated expansion in the seemingly max chamber sizes in cowboy rifles.

Aye, or I just tie a simple holf or single Windsor. The 4-square or buckaroo knot is great, as it'll come loose with a simple yank... the Windsor must be slipped out from the loop. I don't buy any kerchief less than 36" square.

From another forum:

Only use fiber reinforced tape... that non-re-inforced tape will snap under pressure, whereas the fiber reinforced tape will hold.

Change is the one thing that one should be prepared to encounter... Y'all do know that .38 Special was a large primer case once upon a time?

Practice of less than a 1,000 rounds a week is probably not sufficient to be in the upper echelons of competitiveness... And such practice needs to be well organized with specific goals in mind. Plinking with .22s is NOT practice. To be a serious competitor, you need to be serious about your practice.

You're right... I'm so used to my hammer guns, I forgot... Nope, they fall open about halfway when working against the cocking springs.