McCandless

WTB: Lighted Brass Carrier for the large caliber '73, (.45 Colt/.44-40). If I can't find one, I'll probably resort to buying an Aluminum one online. But, I really would like a brass one. Let me know what you have. "Duc"

Yep, I've run into this kind of mindset before. My unofficial SASS alias is "Duc". I often quack the starting line with a duck call. (I quack myself up!) Before I get to obscure the targets with a cloud of smoke. I ran into one T.O. at a State Match that wasn't going to allow that. (The quacking, not the smoke). Oh well, whatever. But, he was overruled by one of the Wild Bunch who was shooting with us. I certainly don't see where the competitive advantage comes in. I've yet to find it.

I had no idea that prices had shot up that much! I bought an H&R Handi Rifle here off the Classifieds, about 15yrs ago for 145.00 delivered. If you can find one, Rossi made a nice single-shot .45 at around that time, also. It was 99.00, once upon a time. But heck, I bought a pair of .357 Vaqueros for 600. back then also. Amazing to look back and see how we shoulda stocked up!

I started shooting in 1998 and joined SASS in 2000. The only reason I went to my first match is that I was invited by someone who worked in a gun store while I was buying a semi-auto. His SASS alias was "Royal Barnes". I liked the friendliness and the guns and decided to give it a go. At that time and for a number of years after, stage stories were still read out, we did odd stuff, on the clock and off the clock. I've shot while bouncing on bed springs, lying under a wagon, started sitting on the ground behind haybales facing uprange, (guns staged facing downrange), and had to beat a dead horse before grabbing a gun. Shot "snakes" on the clock before I could engage targets, did full pistol reloads on the clock, had the target shooting order determined by the turn of a card and countless other things. Some I miss, some I'm glad they are gone. The game evolves. It took me until 2003 before I won my first little 3rd-place plaque. It was at Mule Camp, SE Regional. I was shooting Frontiersman, and I was shooting so poorly at that point that I certainly didn't expect anything. I believe it was Wolf Bane that took 1st place, Frontiersman. Anyway, when my name was called, the announcer said, this is why it pays to "choose your category wisely". I felt like a complete crumb, a fraud, who didn't do all I could during the match. Almost as if I had cheated my way to that little award, "by choosing wisely". (I still shoot Frontiersman to this day). So, after I got home, I looked at it for a while and then threw it away in the trash. I almost gave up on SASS then, but continued to go to local matches. I improved but I'll never be a "top shooter", lack of talent, lack of practice, being overweight, and just plain slow, all work against me. But, that doesn't mean I don't try my damndest during a match to do the best I'm capable of doing. Along the way, I've tried to help and encourage other shooters, fix their guns, loan them whatever they need, and watched smiling as they went on to eventually surpass me. I am grateful for all the friendships I've made along the way. As to why SASS numbers have gone down since our "heyday" back in the 90's and early-mid 2000s. We're dying. off. I've lost so many friends. I lost my business partner. I've lost my riding partner who used to ride with me to weekly matches. I've lost the friend who sold me my first Vaqueros and built me a custom gun cart. These generations grew up with Hoppy, Roy, and Gene; who watched The Rebel, Shotgun Slade, Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick, Sugarfoot, The Tall Man, Wyatt Earp, and hosts of others. We were steeped in TV and Movie Western lore. What did the following generations grow up watching? Mostly trash. Now, there seems to be a resurgence of interest. Middle-aged folks who are not struggling financially are looking at things like 1883, the re-makes of westerns,, (like them or not), Red Dead Redemption, and now Red Dead Redemption II, which just had a blow-out celebration in Tombstone. SASS was there, and we have new members because of it. The years that have passed since the 1980s and 90s to 2023 have taken a deep toll on our numbers. We're losing more all the time. I don't believe that we'll ever recruit enough to replace the numbers that were, but new members are signing on all the time, and I'm optimistic. The most active club members, taken as a whole, have higher badge numbers. If they want the game to change to "the old way" of doing things, they'll do it. It's time to realize that the baton has passed to newer generations. SASS has a vibrant, younger, board of advisers that has replaced the Wild Bunch. I think Misty and that group are doing a great job for the advancement and success of SASS. Look to the future for SASS to roll out advertising campaigns and new videos and social media efforts from a talented bunch of volunteer content creators. There's a heckuva lot of stuff out there on different platforms you may not even know about. I'm seeing new members at matches regularly. Be of good cheer, the sky has not fallen.

A photo taken at the Alabama Rangers 3rd Annual Dixie Shootout, 1996 Hawk Spivey Cool Waters Brazos Bill (photos courtesy of Hawk Spivey)

Hmmm... Back row, top left. Diamond Dick. Top row 2nd from right, San Quentin. Front row, second from right, Marshal Harlan Wolff. Third from right, (between Bounty Hunter and Marshal Wolff), is Cajun Kid.

No, they are less than 30 numbers apart.

I could throw in a box of 500 144gr lead bullets (yep, 144gr.) to sweeten the deal

FS: A pair of Cimarron Uberti Revolvers, 5-1/2" barrels, in .38-40, in CCH/Blue, with steel backstraps and trigger guards, with one-piece wood grips. I bought them new from the Cimarron Tent at EoT from our pard Abilene. He picked out some good'uns. Revolvers were timed and tuned by Cody Conagher, who put in the "Runnin' Iron" hammers. Front sights are stock, they haven't been messed with. They have the "4-Click" Colt actions and are problem-free. I took out the 2-position cylinder pins and replaced them with Colt cylinder pins. So, the only safety on these is between the shooter's ears. I don't know how many rounds have been through them. An estimate would be about a dozen matches worth. (Shortly after I bought them I discovered Frontiersman!) Wood grips show some wear and dings. But, not much. Timing is right on with these as there is barely a hint of a turn line on the cylinders. I have the original box and papers for one gun, and the original box for the other. If you need additional pictures of any particular detail, let me know. 1350. includes shipping to your FFL in CONUS if they will accept from a private seller. AK, add a bit more for shipping. If your FFL needs the shipment to come from an FFL, you will have to pay FFL the fees on my end. To avoid confusion, they'll go to the first person who states a firm, "I'll take it", in the comments.

Back in the day, Kid Cavalier, Ivory Jack McCloud (RIP), Captain Lewis, Ricochet Roy & Captain Jake Cutter.

When I finish with mine, I bring it with me and leave it in a waiting room. (I'm hanging out in waiting rooms way too much lately)... take off my address and leave it for others to read. The magazine format is better for that than the large newspaper-type ones we used to get. I kept the real early ones.

Izzy Lost, (Ernie Nicholas - Sept. 19, 2022) "Today we lost another Good CowBoy.Izzy Lost alias Ernie Nicholas.He was a good man that I always saw a smile on his face n a joke on his lips.It's gonna be hard to fill his boots n sorely missed.A Good Cowboy to ride the river with, n I pray that he saves a place on his posse for us all." - Alamo Kid

Sara Sota, SASS #33, Roz Britton

China Camp, Deadly Redly, Montana Dan and Doc Holiday at End of Trail, Coto De Caza, 1988 Winners of the THREE shooting categories at EoT 1988: Black Powder - Hangfire Hank, Traditional - Lucky Smucky, and Modern - Deadly Redly Irish Clementine, Montana Belle, Cholla, Calamity Jo and Kid Sticks, Top Lady Shooters 1988 EoT End of Trail, 1988. Top Lady was Kid Sticks and Top Gun Winner was Lucky Smucky These are excerpts from an album on my FaceBook site Cowboy Action Shooting Gallery But since a lot of folks don't have a FB account I posted a few of them here. Just a bit of SASS history.