Tom Bullweed

Original Win 1873s run $1000 to infinity. Refinishing an 1873 that has no finish and no other collectible factor, like belonging to a known person, will not hurt the potential value. The value of these non-collectibles really depends on what an average-Joe will pay for them. There is a Win 1873 in .32 WCF at a LGS that has not moved in over two months for $995. None of this applies to a Win 1873, 80+% condition, one of a thousand.

I saw pairs of Ospreys at Topsail Beach, about 50 miles SE of LeJeune, in early August. They were flying up/down the coast, about 3000-5000 ft and 1-2 miles off the surf. Nice sight.

I have hired more than a dozen engineers fresh out of college. Every one of them soon said "we need to convert to metric." I listened to their well-thought reasons and asked them to hold their hand about 200 mm apart. None were close to 8". They all seem to understand how to hold their hands 8" apart. They all got why we are not using metrics.

I am an average GF-er and now, shooting B Western, shoot GF only about a third of the stages. I shoot left gun first as much as possible but will change leads up to twice per stage, like shooting a Nevada sweep. I left the gun roll in recoil, catch the trigger with my thumb and cock the hammer by closing my ring finger, bringing the sights back in line with my eyes. I do not worry about double or single cocking; I just grab the hammer when the gun rolls back. As an average cowboy, I can shoot a Naveda sweep in 4.2 (others are much faster). This method works if the recoil is sufficient. My .45 Vaqueros is easy to use. I gave to shoot 100 gr bullets at 900 fps in my Ruger .32 birdshead to get the small roll. Ruger .38s have never rolled enough for me.

Holsters I made for BW and Ruger .32 birdshead. Dogwood bloom and Post oak leaf are nature's rendition of The Cross.

An original Colt Lightning rifle in .38WCF. I had one in .32 WCF but those small rounds bounced around on the carrier. I expect the larger cartridge would be better.

+1 for bp or bp-subs in the .38 WCF original 1873. I have had three and chose not to shot smokeless, even Trailboss, in them. I will shoot very mild in my original .32 WCF 1873 since it has more steel around the chamber. I have only owned second and third series 1873s. The mix of iron and tougher steel parts varies with the series.

I like that in the Winchester 1873 movie, the rifle that James Stewart cycles sound just like my original 73s: chink-chink-chink-bamm-chink-chink-chink-bamm

very nice match. I plan to return next year, without the misses (nothing to do with my spouse).

I shoot BW now so I can shoot GF on stages as I wish. If I was still shooting GF and this was a monthly I would like take the two misses. It might be close to the same time as the two reloads and two hits.

Snowflake college (male?) student that waited on us at the ice cream shop tonight had pink hair, mascara and plastic stars in his hair. I figure that if Putin and Xie attack the USA, the military will be 50-75 million grey/no hair fellas wearing 36" and larger pants. The been-there/done-thats is still a force to be reckoned with while the should-be's can continue to look for their lost gender.

A LGS has a Hopkins&Allen falling block shotgun in 12 ga in good-plus condition. I am thinking about getting it for Frontiersman and bp matches only. Looks tight. Feels faster than a hinged single-barrel. It will not be as quick as my 97s but maybe fast enough for 30-sec stages common in Frontiersman. Any of you cowboy got experience with this shotgun? I plan to shoot only full-brass 40-grain FFg 1-ounce loads.

Wrong 97. That one is 22". This one is 18.5"

I recommend the your check that barrel length. My shortest 1897 is 18.5". I can easily get 4 fingers between the end of the mag tube and the muzzle. Your photo looks a bit short.

Georgia Arms has .45 Colt 200 gr Speer JHP for $35/25 rounds. Not cheap. Not SASS-legal. But available and good quality.