Rattlesnake Slim

We Pointed Them North by E.C. Abbott is a first-hand account of a real cowboy trailing cattle north to Montana. He wrote it in the 1930's as he approached 80 years old. A great insight to the cattle drives of the late 1800's. Six Years With the Texas Rangers by James B. Gillett is a similar first-hand story of the life of a Texas Ranger from 1875-1881. Again written in the 1920's in his sixties. Both have some very interesting insights to their professions and life in the old west.

Don't make any large purchases of bullets until you find a load for the Rossi 92 that will feed reliably at match speed. All of the 92's can be picky on bullet weight and cartridge OAL. Search these forums for some good reading on working up loads for the 92. My Browning 92 liked 158gn rnfp bullets at 1.545" OAL.

You're missing the "may" be offered. It is at the Match Director's discretion.

Once you have settled on a reloading setup, a good mentor who uses the same equipment will be able to diagnose and solve any problems you may encounter.

The best advise that I can give is to head to the Rio Salado Cowboy's match on June 6th. There are alot of fine Cowboys and Cowgirls there that are more than willing to help you get started. Not only shooting, but reloading too. There will probably be loads of people pitching different brands or models as "the best" . Many of them will invite you over to see how various different machines operate. Then you can decide what fits your needs and budget the best. Then start asking around if anyone has some surplus equipment for sale. Soon all you need will be powder, primers, casings, and lead. If you're not already acquainted, Colt Laredo is one of the best guys there and their Territorial Governor. Look on their website https://www.riosaladocowboys.com/rscass-staff-1 for his contact info. Welcome, best of luck, and come back to see us at Winter Range, this time as a SHOOTER!

My Browning 92 ran great with 1.54 oal, with 158gn RNFP. I tried lighter, including the TC bullets, but never had much luck. It seemed that the lifter threw lighter bullets too high and I got stovepipes.

If you are asking if non-club members are allowed into ranges to shoot SASS matches, I have been to several clubs where that is allowed. The only way to find out is to contact the representative of the particular SASS club and ask.

My experience with UPS is that not just anybody can ship hazmat by paying a "hazmat fee". You have to be a commercial shipper and be approved by them. The hazmat fee you pay as a customer goes to the seller to compensate for time and effort filling out the extra paperwork, not UPS. Loaded ammo is shipped as ORMD, not hazmat.

Great idea. I've got 50 of those cases and a bag of wax bullets stashed away from a failed attempt at fast draw. Anybody who wants some, I'll send 10 cases and a handful of bullets if you want to pay the postage. The bullets will last through repeated firings with the right combination of paper targets with a cardboard and newspaper backstop. It will free up some space on the bench for some other crap I don't need. Send me a PM if you want some. These are all gone now.

You might also want to visit your local trap/skeet club when they open back up. Most have youth programs sponsored by 4H or Scholastic Clay Target Program. Let them start in a local teaching program and they will have a great start when and if they want to shoot at school. Plus most youth programs provide guns and maybe even shells without cost. They will get to try a variety of different guns, most of them being semi-autos. Just like cowboy, try as many different guns as you can before buying. Then join the trap or skeet league yourself and hang on for a wild family ride. My kids live on the far ends of the country, but the first thing they want to do when they visit( after saying "Hi Mom") is to head over to the Ben Avery Shooting Facility to shoot some clays.

I agree with Doc above. A good semi-auto is your best bet. The Berettas are gas guns, and the newer ones have self-cleaning pistons that only need a shot of brake cleaner every couple thousand of rounds. The A400 he recommends is a great, though not inexpensive gun. The A300 Outlander is also a great choice, and the last one I bought (for my daughter) was around $700 with the black synthetic stock . It has been flawless for trap, skeet, and sporting clays with the proper choke choice. I even bought the slightly more expensive A300 Outlander Sporting model for myself, wood stock and 30" barrel.

I have used several of the Radians DIY plug kits from Midway ($11.99). I think they work every bit as well as the custom ones for $50+. I even took 1/2 a kit and made smaller, flush plugs that I use when I sleep in the RV in a truck stop or rest area.

If you edit your profile to show your location you will have no shortage of recommended "97 smiths. There are plenty of them in this game.

You guys are a tough crowd. First thing I thought was "How am I going to explain this to Grandma and your mom?"

A truly fantastic Texas State Park and memorial. A must-see when in the area.