Roger Rapid

Pards... This has been a tough year for everyone with the virus challenges and so many of our pleasures restricted - and so many matches cancelled. But I'm confident when the smoke clears we'll get through it all. At the end of the day, I do believe that each of us has a lot to be thankful for. Here's wishing you and your families a very warm, healthy, pleasure-filled, safe, and loving Thanksgiving!!! RR

BJZ.. Winter Range was always a super match and will forever be a "favorite" in my mind. You and your team deserve a super round of applause and pat on the back for creating and hosting a stellar event. Winter Range - as it was - will be very sorely missed, but the effort you guys put into it will never be forgotten. Very hard decision to make, but very understandable... Kudos to your and your team - and very best wishes to you... RR PS: As to Mad Dog Jacks' comment about the Western Regional being cancelled, I'm sure he was referring to the 2020 SASS Western Regional that we had to cancel in August. The 2021 Western Regional / Chorro Valley ShootOut is still on schedule for August 2021.

Turqoise Bill... Nice to hear your voice and hope you're good... Just curious about what will happen to all WR facades when WR moves to Oklahoma? Will they be using their own stages/facades, etc., or will it be WR goodies. Or will WR facades be used for EOT? Best, ...RR

Good spark Snakebite! I don’t think “November” will change anything. It appears that the core of the shortage problem is the reduction in work force - and more specifically the number of active work hours per day - for everyone in the food chain of our guns, primers, powder, and lead due to the pandemic. I’ve learned directly from one of the promient Italian gun makers that their work hours - and the work hours of their competitors - are greatly depleted as are companies who provide them with boxes, stocks, wood, springs, and related services. More importantly, there’s concern about Italy’s pandemic problem which is on the rise again but not as bad as other European countries. So, until foreign and domestic providers can get their people back on full schedule - whenever the heck that will be - production of everything we use for CAS will be limited. The SHOT Show (Las Vegas, Jan 19-22, 2021) is now getting word out to exhibitors asking for names of attendees for name badges, etc., however the word is that NSSF (who runs the show) might have to cancel the show because of the pandemic. And it appears that I.W.A (Germany, mid-March) - the largest gun show - will probably also cancel because of the pandemic. So, it’s not some political or governmant demon who has come to mess with our Second Amendment - it’s COVID 19. The idea of clubs that shoot Sat/Sun should reduce to a one day match is a good one, and I think clubs have to look beyond the loss of second day revenue (which I hope most clubs don’t focus on as their primary goal) and consider the betterment of both their clubs and their members. A local club that you and I attend that averages 32-34 shooters a day might drop to 25-27 shooters for the one day because: 1) there are about a dozen husband/wife members who come and camp for the two nights to make a weekend of it, and 2) local folks who typically come just come on their “off day” will probably come on the one day. So, there will be an increase of the local shooters and a decrease of the folks who travel and camp. (I’m not sure how many of the folks who travel and camp for two nights would drive out for a one-day event. (We only shoot one day at PRVC and very few if any come to camp just for Friday night - it’s just not worth the hassle. And, just for reference, as a one-day per month club, we had 25 shooters this past Saturday.) The sad part is that it means we’ll be spending less time with our shooting friends, but... You’ve planted a seed, however, and it has me thinking that it might be better if our club reduces our monthly 6-stage match to 5 stages. As always, you've got me thinking! Thanks for kicking this one off!! RR

Colorado Coffinmaker and Slow Hand Bob... I have the Pedersoli coach gun - its beautifully made and I love it. I lightened the break-open spring so gun opens easily with light push of my thumb, and I lightened both hammer springs so I can cock both hammers at the same time with my right thumb as I swing the shotgun forward to reload it. I also remade the main stock (and fore stock) so it has about 4°-5° better drop on the butt of the stock resulting in being able to bring the action up closer to eye level with ease. Upper photo is original shotgun, lower photo is the result of my efforts. RR

MC... Interesting! Thanks for posting the pics... RR

MC... Thanks - I didn't know it existed. So I assume it has a flat-end or blunt-end firing pin? RR

MC.. Can you post a side view photo of the pistol? R

Morgan Cooper... Another pretty easy thing you can do is drill that hole further, retap it, and make a new/longer screw for it. Don't even mess with existing threads. If that is a Cattleman or similar SAA, the hole will clear the hammer screw hole. Those screws are 8-34 threads but if you are re-threading it and making a custom screw you might as well just tap it with and 8-32 thread since finding an 8-34 tap will be difficult. A pretty simple fix and a lot easier and cleaner than welding or filling the hole. RR

Looking at the butt end of that pistol it looks like a '73 SAA (i.e., "Cattleman" etc.) and not a cap and ball pistol. The hole can be more easily silver soldered, drilled and then threaded than "welded." If it is indeed a cartridge gun, I suggest you don't shoot it without fixing that screw. RR

My bad! Sorry for not being clear. Misty's column in latest Chronicle says that 2021 is last year for WR, and that - in essence - EOT will replace it (at Ben Avery). So - I've always enjoyed WR and will certainly miss it... RR

Feb 2021 is last year for Winter Range - sure going to miss it! RR

Rather than worrying about the lever, change out the lever's spring so that it can be more easily opened. He'll probably have less trouble of he doesn't have to force it as hard. Most s/s opening levers have heavier-than-needed springs.. RR

Here's what the slave pin will look like (doesn't have to be pointed, but a shaped or rounded end helps it to be pushed it out). RR

Shortage is not only due to hoarding; most ammo, primer, and gun-manufacturing plants were shut down, and then on limited staff due to the coronavirus. When Italy was hit hard by COVID-19, Uberti and Pedersoli - to name just two - shut down, then went to very limited staff, and still have a bunch of non-manufacturing folks working from home. RR