McCandless

I only shoot .44s now. But, when I shot .36s I used 19gr of Goex Cowboy. (Yeah, I know they don't make that anymore.) I found that the little 88gr ball did not make a loud enough "clang" to be heard by the spotters; especially when there were other berms shooting, or over the boom of the BP. So, spotting being what it is, I would get Miss calls when I know I hit the target, and the T.O. agreed, but there's nothing we can do but grin and take it. I went with 144gr conical bullets for the extra weight and the louder "clang"... much mo' betta outcome!

Growing up, we had boiled Tongue, because it was cheap and there would be a fair amount of leftovers. My ma made something that she optimistically called "Shephard's Pie", which was nothing like Shephard's Pie. It was dry and nasty, and if we wanted to eat, that's all there was... and if you didn't eat the pile of green peas that came with it, you sat there until you did. To this day I hate green peas. Can't stand 'em. Head Cheese, jeez, that stuff was awful! My Grandmother always had a jar of Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), in the refrigerator for cooking, and used it like butter in the pan. Liver and onions, haven't had them since I was a kid. I remember I kinda liked it, especially with the gravy. But, haven't had it in more years than I can remember. My dad loved Pickled Herring in Cream Sauce. I came across it in a supermarket recently. Didn't buy it, but it brought back memories. Cold Borscht with sour cream, Gefilte Fish with a potent Horseradish sauce that could clear out your sinuses from across the room... Growing up in Brooklyn in the '50s we had easy access to foods from all cultures. Most of it I can't remember what it was or what it was called.

There was a question recently, "Does anyone know when Ruger will build more vaqueros?" Well, it looks like Ruger New Vaqueros are busting out all over. While a lot of local gun stores ignore CAS firearms. Ruger seems to be churning them out. If your LGS won't order it for you, go to someplace like Bud's Gun Shop online. Discounted prices, free shipping, and most important, "in stock". https://www.budsgunshop.com/search.php/q/ruger+new+vaquero

Plainsman matches are rather rare in my neck o' the woods. The last time I was someplace that offered Plainsman was when EoT was in Indiana. I bought an H&R .45-70 Handi Rifle off the Classified Forum for 179. back around 2002 and have been using it whenever I got the chance, ever since. No complaints, it seems to work well at whatever distances I've come across. Although I have had to download the rounds to .45 Colt levels for some of our Eastern matches with short bays.

Howdy, I don't think I've ever run into a shooter who refuses to say at least "ready", or "shooter ready", or does something to indicate that they are set to "own the stage". Then I give 'em the beep. Do they have to say the prescribed line? No. Ain't no such rule. My alias is McCandless, but many know me as "Duc", and I often quack my line with a duck call. At a State Championship match, I ran into a T.O. who wanted to give me a P for not saying the line correctly. A founding member of SASS was on the posse and informed the T.O. in no uncertain terms, that he was wrong. Don't strain at gnats. There are larger things to be concerned about when R.O.ing a shooter through the course of fire.

Shotgun Boogie Fast Eddie Doc Noper Not listed in any order of preference. SKBs I've handled that were done by them were sweet. Mine were done by Johnny Meadows, (but he's mostly retired) and Doc Noper.

Project DYNAMO, Rep. Cory Mills (FL), and some civilian operations are trying to get Americans out of Israel, as commercial flights are avoiding the area. Why isn't the State Department or some branch of our gov't working to extract any American civilians who want to get outa there?

Israel is getting ready for their ground assault into Gaza, they have been warning the populace to leave, go to shelters. Telling them, "If you stay, you'll die". So, a good number have gone to UN shelters. Hamas however, is telling the people to stay, "Don't leave your homes because of the Zionist liars!" Hamas wants maximum civilian casualties so that the opinion of the world will shift, seeing the Palestinians as the "poor victims of Israeli aggression". And since they see the U.S. as weak, with no will for the long haul, that we'll abandon Israel.

We've had stages where one closeup target at the end, or the beginning of the rifle string was fired at a large, close, target was required to be fired from the hip. Not a bonus, not a reload, no going back to the rifle. I can't remember anyone missing. We don't have any Outlaw shooters at our club and everybody did well.

Not much out there about them yet. But, the Ruger Wrangler is a proven gun at a lower price, (199.00 - 229.00) around me. If you just want a cheap .22 then a Heritage at 179.00 would do.

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 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.

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

I've never had a "chain fire" caused by problems at the front of the cylinder. But, I have experienced "sympathetic fire" through a nipple of a charged chamber where the cap popped off under recoil. When I fired that "1858" revolver the chamber under the hammer fired, and the exposed chamber blew. That gave me pause. Now, I've moved on to 1860s and Ruger Old Armies. All have been worked over and caps mated to after-market nipples to ensure proper fit. To answer Major Crimes' original question, I just take the nipple out of the 6th chamber. Makes it simple. In the extremely rare case of a stage with a one-shot reload, just put the nipple back on. I haven't seen a pistol reload stage in over a decade. If the stage calls for more than a one-shot reload. (About 15 yrs ago I came across a 3-shot pistol reload!) Then we need to stage another pistol at that position, and cap on the clock. It's faster than shucking and reloading cartridges!

I'm running 3.4gr Red Dot under a 105 gr TCFP with a pair of Ruger Vaqueros. Avg velocity is approx 760fps. For my rifles, I like a faster round, I use 4.0 gr with a 125gr bullet Avg. velocity is approx 900fps. Neither exceeds SASS velocity parameters.

When I was working up my .357 carbine, (2nd from bottom), I was able to order that barrel band (for a Model 1894/336). The availability of new Marlin parts seems to have dried up. But, if you find one for a 336 it will fit a '94.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/12/regulators-close-new-yorks-signature-bank-citing-systemic-risk.html U.S. regulators on Sunday shut down New York-based Signature Bank, a big lender in the crypto industry, in a bid to prevent the spreading banking crisis.

Factory loads maybe... but I'd check every one of them for a high primer. It only takes one to ruin someone's day. Having been timing someone when their magazine detonated, which didn't turn out well for the shooter or the rifle. (For myself, I'm just happy I didn't have to change my pants!) Shooter to the ER.

If it's a used rifle that you are not prepared to tinker with, you have to do what Widder said. Shoot it with your ammo. There's no way of just handling it and working the action to know it it's going to work for you. But, many of our "cowboy gunsmiths", like Long Hunter, those that know what's needed to make them reliable. Can get it running right. Here's some tips: https://marauder.homestead.com/files/TUNING_M_1894.htm I followed Widder's instructions here: https://marauder.homestead.com/files/Widdermatic_Marlin.htm https://marauder.homestead.com/files/Widdermatic_Marlin_Extractor.htm In Florida, both these gents can help you out: Florida - Gun Craft Inc. - Dave Smith, 2102 24th St. S.E., Ruskin, FL 33570 (813) 645-3828 Florida - Island Gunsmith - Tommy Bonnet (alias - El Q Jones) Amelia Island, FL (904) 557-4909

Strictly my opinion, (everybody has one)... The earlier JM (John Marlin) marked Marlins were quite a bit better than the ones made shortly after Remington bought them out, but not as good as the later year "Remlins". I have several JMs in multiple calibers, and I quite enjoy them. But, not one of them is in "stock" condition. All of them have been worked over by gunsmiths or myself, with the help and input of some fine gunsmiths. Most of the JMs seemed to have carriers that were of softer metal than what the levers were made of, and a sharp cam point on the lever wore and scored the bottom of the carrier. This is fixed by affixing or inserting a length of hardened metal to the bottom of the carrier, correcting the timing, and by slightly dulling the cam point on the lever. Adding reduced power springs, and more. There were other issues as well, as Marlin's production machinery was wearing out. Their skilled workers did some hand-fitting to make these guns run. But, when Remington bought them and moved the machinery, they lost those skilled enough to make the adjustments. Remington poured millions into new production machinery and training, but the reputation of the "Remlins" was marred for good. Although the later "Remlins" were pretty good. Remington went bankrupt, and sold all their assets. Ruger bought the Marlin rifle division. The 1895 Marlins that Ruger produced in 2022, show that they understood the problems and built back better. The guns are quite high quality. Their 1894s are supposed to be coming out later this year. I want one! So, to answer your question. Here's a list of Gunsmiths. Have one of them go through your present gun and you'll be quite surprised at the results. Instead of buying someone else's problem gun. Good luck and good shootin'!

Leaf-type hand springs are another thing that can break at the most inopportune time. I've had one break during competition, and one break on the second shot out of the box. Why risk it, when there's a better way?

Only thing I see about the proposed change for Juniors, is then every other age-based group will want it also. Basically, you'll do away with the Gunfighter categories. So, how do Gunfighters and Frontier Cartridge Gunfighters, (and all the age permutations of those), feel about about losing their niche??