Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667

SASS has safety rules that are more conservative than those of most other action shooting sports. We don’t shoot on the move or move with a cocked gun. We start the stage with an empty chamber. We don’t decock on the line. We typically shoot the guns dry and leaving an empty case or hull in a long gun earns a safety penalty. The game is designed to be accessible to shooters of all ages and levels of skill. The safety record under SASS rules is excellent, even though we so some things a little differently. “SASS rules apply” will encourage experienced shooters to support your match. A hodgepodge of special club rules will cause shooters to avoid your matches.

Stew did remind the crowd “You people VOTED for these stages!” I thought Bill’s stage was fun. I don’t believe anyone on my posse got a P on that stage. Some people complain too much.

“I’m your Huckleberry!” I bill by the hour, though.

When stage instructions say that such-and-such target must be hit, I read that as if it said “engage(d)”. Otherwise a miss might very well cause a Procedural.

I’ve been using APP for several years now in .38 Special and 12 gauge and over the last couple of years in .44-40 and Cowboy .45 Special. In .38 Special I use a 158 grain bullet which fills up more of the case than the lighter bullets. Load powder to the base of the bullet and you are good. In .44-40 and C45S I don’t fill to capacity and use caulk backer rod as a filler. My guns can run at least six stages without any care. I do wet tumble my brass within a day or two of shooting to keep them from looking grungy. Cleaning guns is easy. PAM on the revolvers and rifle, clear Windex on the shotgun bores with the folded paper towel trick. Lightly oil with Ballistol after cleaning.

I bought a Codymatic my first year of shooting Cowboy (2010). It happens to be a Deluxe Short Rifle in .357, 20” barrel. No issues whatsoever. Some top shooters prefer a different setup and it’s possible to get a slicker, faster rifle for more money. I doubt a “better” rifle would improve my scores.

This statement may generally true but a new shooter in my club has a 16” rifle that she likes, so we worked with it a little. Bought a stainless follower and new spring from Steve’s Gunz and as an experiment we trimmed the way-too-long factory magazine spring. The rifle will now hold ten .38 Special cartridges with a 110gr TCFP bullet at a OAL of 1.44”. Although ‘92s usually run better with longer cartridges, this particular rifle will run the ones I described. We got lucky on this one, perhaps, but I no longer say “can’t” or “never”.

Best results are with the cartridges that Winchester developed for the rifle: .44 WCF (.44-40), .38 WCF (.38-40) and .32 WCF (.32-20). Of the three, the .44-40 (rifles and ammo/components) is the most readily available.

You may be aware that SASS rules allow only kids 13 and under to shoot rimfire. Some clubs (including mine) allow shooters of any age to shoot .22s. It’s not an option at a state or higher match. As others have said, if you want to be able to shoot at any club (some don’t allow rimfire) you may end up buying two sets of guns. You may need different holsters. That’s not saving you money. If you have basic marksmanship skills you don’t need a lot of live fire practice. Some of the most valuable practice is to practice your transitions (going from one gun to another) which can be done without firing a shot.

There is an aftermarket lever safety/trigger return spring available: https://www.slixprings.com/proddetail.php?prod=Miroku-Firing-Pin-Trigger-Safety-Spring

Depending upon the design of your cart you may be able to use a pistol “rack” similar to the one sold by Rugged Gear. Scarlett sells them, I think.

The Marlin 1894C has been used by SASS shooters for a long time prior to Ruger’s purchase of the Marlin brand. I haven’t heard an outcry about whether it can be altered to hold ten .357s. Every rifle is different. I had a “Remlin” 1894C for a short time; it fed my .38 Special cowboy ammo just fine (1.44” OAL).

We have tried a number of approaches over the years. Info tables at gun shows are fun but most of the people who say they are interested never show up, or show up and watch but never return. We have “leveraged” social media the last two or three years. It’s a low cost approach but it does take some time. Consumers expect to be able to easily find information online so you need to make the effort to keep your club’s website or social media presence updated with info easy to find. You also need to respond to inquiries. We have held “new shooter clinics” which are fun but a certain number of attendees are “lookie loos” who will take (or eat, or shoot) all they can for free. I charge a modest fee for these events especially with ammo costs having increased. I find that the most effective recruitment tool is a personal invitation. Let your guest know that you will be present at a match to greet them and show them around.

I put “no safety” (one groove around the circumference) base pins in my Pietta GW2s as soon as I bought them. They work fine.