Roger Rapid

El Sobrante Kid... Since the barrels are swinging open in an arc I do try to modify the angle slightly by taking more off the left of the bosses - as you view them in this photo. Very little needs to be removed since it doesn't take much to alter the opening angle of the barrels. Again, just go to where you begin to file on the ejector's opening lever. This adjustment should open the action about 4°-5° further. RR

RSE... To get the action to open wider on a Stoeger s/s single- or double-trigger shotgun file down the two bosses that are on either side of the extractor lever. (See file marks in pix below). File down until the file begins to touch the extractor lever - no further. RR

One more thing... regarding the "some work done to it" ... Some folks will alter the cocking levers by removing material from the top of the levers with the goal of having the action open wider. This is the wrong way to accomplish that on a Stoeger. Removing material from the top of the cocking levers causes the levers to delay whem the hammers are pushed back, which means that the firing pins are still protruding into the fired primers are you try to open the action, and that makes it much harder to open the barrels. RR

The Stoeger s/s,single-trigger action uses a long pin (A) that is held into a recess in the right hammer (C) at a point inside the action at (D). The rear end of pin (A) goes into a block (B) that is spring-loaded [see spring under block (B)]. When the hammers are cocked (this view is of the hammers released) pin (A) is pushed back by the cocked right hammer which pushes block (B) to be set in its rear position (not shown). In this position, when the trigger is pulled it lifts the right barrel’s sear allowing the right hammer to drop. However block (B) is what lifts the left barrel's sear and it can only do that when block (B) is in the forward position (that is, after the right hammer is dropped). So, simply stated, the trigger first releases the right sear and when the right hammer drops block (B) hinges forward allowing the next pull to release the left sear. To your question, the pin is held into the hammer by a very light spring under block (B) and the pin can come free of the hammer. Of course a lot of other things could happen that would jam your action - so at the very least this is what a proper single-trigger action should look like… RR

What’s the call?? Staging: On the rifle segment of a stage there is a plate rack with five knock-down targets. To its left is a square cluster of five targets with the center target painted red as a dump target. Scenario: Shooter is to knock down the five plates then dump remaining rounds on the red dump target for a one-second bonus each hit. MISSes don’t count on the KD targets unless one remains standing. MISSes don’t count on the bonus target because it is a bonus target. Situation in question: Shooter picks up rifle and aims at, and hits one of the four targets surrounding the bonus target, then continues to engage and knock down the five KD plates and dumps the four remaining shots on the bonus dump target. The call?: Is that first shot NOT at MISS because those targets are not part of the scenario, allowing the shooter to be clean on the five plates and have four bonus points on the bonus target. - or - is that first shot on the plates that surround the bonus target a P? WTC? RR

This is so very very sad!!!! Quicksand was always supportive, proactive, and wonderful to interface with. She will be forever remembered and forever missed. Sending out a special prayer to her... Our thoughts and prayers are with her family... RR

Eagle... 1) Did you ever modify the two cocking levers that protrude from the front of the action (with barrel removed)? 2) If you push the action and cocking levers down on a table - to cock the hammers - will both hammers cock? (Requires a bit of pressure but easy to do.) 3) What do you mean by "normal operation?" - can you cock them some other way? RR

Got both an email and a PM asking for more info about the ore cart. The ore cart at Fort Miller (actually, it’s the Kings River Regulators’ range - “Fort Miller" is the name of our Annual and was named after the Fort on one of our bays) runs down into a canyon and is set with targets along the way and at the end. The shooter sits in the front of the cart and the driver stands on a platform at the back of the cart. Guns are staged on either racks or on the shelf in front of the shooter. The shooter starts the timer and as soon as she/he hits the button the driver starts the car in motion. As soon as the ore cart clears the mine building the shooter can begin engaging targets (it’s P to shoot before the cart is out of the building). Gun sequence varies according to who wrote the stage. Some targets are on the left and some are on the right. And if you look at the photo below you’ll see that the track curves, too!!!! The ride down the hill takes about 25 seconds and the run is about 100’ long. The four square targets you see on the face of the hill are pinned into that mountain wall and they are about 100’ from the cart when you first start. The ride has been made a bit bumpy - purposely! When the cart gets to the bottom of the hill, the driver brings it back up (the cart is battery-powered). The driver calls the “P” for shooting too early (he knows if it happens because his ears are ringing!!!!) and he calls out the shooter’s time when the cart comes back to the mine building. Spotters need to stand back until the ore cart clears the front of the mine building and then they usually walk down the hill behind the cart so they can call out the misses - if any. It’s a different experience shooting while seated in a moving and somewhat bumpy cart! How you stage your guns and shotgun rounds is half of the battle. You can pull shotgun rounds from your belt, or lay them on the counter, or put them into the provided rubber pad that has holes in it (the shotgun rounds go into the holes MUCH easier than they come out so I urge NOT to use it!) On Thursday, when all the side activities are taking place, you can do a test ride-and-shoot on the ore cart. The ore cart at Fort Miller is a HOOT! Come on out and shoot it!!!! RR

Hawkeye Kid... Nice!!! RR

HK... So, no feeding problems with the .45CS in the Henry? RR

Hawkeye Kid... Thx... Are you shooting .45 Cowboy Special in a "rifle?" If so, which one? RR

H.K. Uriah and Yul Lose - double ditto on the Lightning!!! And, nice to see Cowtown Scout included one in his photo (looks like second from the top is an original Colt Lightning??) My first Lightning was a Pedersoli .45LC carbine but as I was learning to run it, it seemed to move around too much so 10 or 11 years ago I got a .45LC 26˝ oct-barrel Pedersoli Lightning and found it to be much more stable. Now, as I move up in age categories I'm weaning myself back to the carbine and find I can run it just as well as the 26˝. I've got all the makes of Lightnings but I find the Pedersoli to be the best. RR

Cowpokes..… The Kings River Regulators is galloping down the trail to the 30th Annual ShootOut at Fort Miller, April 17-19, 2025 at our range in Clovis, California. This event marks 30 fantastic years of the best of the best in Cowboy Action Shooting™! This is a not-to-miss event including: Side Matches galore: Speed Pistol, Speed Rifle, Speed Shotgun, Long Range, Cowboy Sharpshooter, and Fast Blast. And, you can take a test-ride-and-shoot on our heralded Ore Cart and saddle up for the match by shooting our warm-up match(s). The Shootout at Fort Miller main match is a two-day, 11-stage event filled with fun, challenging, and mystifying scenarios. And, to top it off there’s our Awards Dinner, Costume Contest, Super Raffle, Ice Cream Social, a ton of camaraderie, and much more! And, this year we’ve added a new “Plinkerton” category so that you can shoot the whole match .22 L/LR caliber (using shotgun for knock-downs, of course). • You can simply register on-line by CLICKING HERE: or…. CLICK HERE to download our mail-in registration form. • For more information about the match including Lodging and Directions please CLICK HERE • Want information about the Kings River Regulators? please CLICK HERE. • Got questions about the match? CLICK HERE to email our Match Director, Big Bad Blaine. Come out and shoot with us! Hope to see you in April... Roger Rapid

Does anyone still have load data available for .45 Cowboy Special loads under either 160g or 185g RNFP - for Trail Boss? RR *Yes, I know TB is no longer available but I have a bunch...