Dusty Devil Dale

If your rifle is a Uberti, take a look at the machining marks left on the inside of the sideplates. Mine were rough -- could have been used as a light file. I sanded the texture off, with ordinary sand paper (down to 1000 grit), ONLY in the narrow strip where the lever pin makes contact. I can't say it made much difference in levering, but it made me feel like I had done something, FWIW.

I totally agree about the self (hot water) moulded plugs. I would not recommend them, based on some unhappy experience. I had previously used custom moulded earplugs, purchased from a vendor at a Regional Match. But they gradually losened in my ears, and I had trouble locating a vendor or lab to replace them. So I bought, via Amazon, two different types of self-moulded plugs, over a 7- month period, trying to get proper protection. One was just a hard plastic ear mould with a detachable foam insert. The other had a small filter insert advertised to give 30% protection while allowing you to hear conversations. I never succeeded in getting a decent fit to my ear, despite repeated re-moulding attempts, per the directions. The plugs felt like they sealed OK, but even light CAS gunfire sound was pretty uncomfortable. When tightly moulded, they were also quite painful to wear for long periods. Over that 7 months, I experienced a nearly 40% permanent hearing loss in the mid and upper frequencies. When I saw that test result, I immediately went to using the disposable foam plugs which do give the advertised 30%. I fully realize that at my advanced age (75), Fallapartitis is also a factor in my hearing loss, but the 7-month massive loss was undeniably due to deficient protection. I learned a hard lesson, and so I'm passing it on here.

My rifles all have loose lever pins that shift back and forth and rub both side plates. I mirror polished the side plate insides to get rid of the rough machining marks, but rub marks quickly come back, even with the sides and pins well lubed. I normally use a very light coating of cheap red grease, which seems to work OK. But Phantom is right about grease mess, requiring more frequent disassembly and cleaning. I really can't say I've ever felt any consequential levering drag from the side plate friction.

My 75 years has seen a lot of good design engineers and vendors disappear either because cheaper but inferior products appeared, or their products were copied, or DIY band-aid solutions to problems came along and were popularized, eliminating their market. But when that happens, ALL of their products silently disappear, including those that you cannot easily or economically DIY. So I've learned to appreciate by patronizing, wherever I can afford to. $49 is 1/3 the cost of a tank of California gasoline. Not such a big deal for most CAS people, I suspect.

It was indeed a great event, as has been the case every year. CVR commits 100% on every detail, and the flow of the match and many side events reflects their huge effort. Thank you Sinful (Match Director) and CVR! Larsen, I enjoyed finally meeting you in person and possying with you for the three days. It's always fun to have a face to go with the names and posts here on the Wire. IMO, we had a great posse and a great time. Hopefully we can meet up again at the Western Regional in future years. We are all hopeful that something can be worked out with the State, to allow the venue to continue to be used by CVR.

The left image makes me think of Alex Baldwin and his camera person.

There are too many variables and needs between different shooters. Garrison Joe shared some good advice, above. Teach basics of reloading for our game, and let individuals figure out how to fit that into their own lifestyle and budget. There are just two rules of thumb for me: 1. I buy components earlier, rather than later, because prices are not going to drop in our lifetimes and there WILL be pauses in availability. 2. I don't store flammable components or large quantities of loaded ammo in my home or connected shop-garage. I keep them in a separate outbuilding, to avoid my insurance being voided in case of a fire. Most insurance carriers disclaim flammable or explosive materials (and they are clueless about smokeless powder differences).

When I began cowboy shooting, a close friend (named Snakebite) told me that before long I would need to decide if I wanted to be a CAS "Competitor", or be a "Participant". He explained the difference, including the cost and commitment, but I think it all went on through my brain without sticking. Both my wife and I went through some stages in making (or evolving) that decision. First, We found ourselves in the living room almost every night, decked out in leather, guns loaded up with snap caps and sticky note targets hanging from the mantle and walls. Then, every chance we had, (dozens of days) we were at the range wearing ear protection, timing and videoing each other in live fire transition drills, then analyzing the results and working on stick points. In between those sessions, I spent countless hours and dollars sitting, pulling the handle on a 650XL, until I literally developed shoulder tendinitis. As the component costs escalated, the hours at the loader became VERY expensive, but still we practiced every chance we could find, either at the Club range or up at our ranch. That went on for years! Although Snakebite's words remained in my memory, the game was gradually revealing to me that I do not have the speed and dexderity to progress very far beyond a mediocre "Competitor". (But both of us are fine "Participants"!) My stage times on difficult stages remained between 20 and 30 sec, which is simply not fast enough to win buckles and accolades at big matches. As my age has stretched out to 75, it has become evident that I am slowing down, rather than speeding up. But I really think that is OK. Would I like to have spent less time practicing, case cleaning, reloading and working at our club range? Possibly --I dont really know. I have enjoyed all of that a great deal, but I do get a lump in my throat looking at my backpack, or pulling out my big tuna reels and realizing I may never have a chance to feel them in action again. For a decade, I have done little else besides cowboy shooting, drifting away from other shooting sports, fishing, and a host of hobbies. Now time is passing faster. Weeks seem to go by in hours. Both of us still shoot, but we've laid off of 90% of the practice, realizing it was a huge time investment that was not producing fruit. We've gotten back into backpacking, road trips, fishing, and a wider range of activities. We both still love our club events, comeraderie, and the competition, but we just want more breadth from the time we have left together. So if you seek to be a top "Competitor", then realize it won't come free or easy. Make sure it is what you really want. Our lives have a lot to offer. Just some food for thought. I didn't catch this big girl, but I had a lot of fun trying (and posing beside it. ) Again--- life has a lot to offer.

Is the entire length of the firing pin hole clean? No crud at the front end?

July 24th. 111 deg in Fresno, Ca. Just right for getting yard work done. If you stay hydrated and keep moving (and don't think too much), it isn't that bad.

Look around at all of your good friends!

Look closer!

One thing that narrows our participation to "nicer" players is the fact that we resist temptation to shoot for the huge cash or other prizes and endorsements that we see in everything from bass or marlin fishing to tournament trap, tennis, or golf. We always laugh about not winning the Cadillac, but it assures that people come here for the game, the fun and the social engagement. That is not the case in other competitive sports, where big prizes drive their "Who is comming" lists. In other shooting sports, many competitors are glad to see a competitor fall, or drop a firearm, or have a squib or jamb. In CAS, we line up to help, loan them our equipment, supply their forgotten ammo or repair their guns. Then we go BBQ, eat and laugh together. Our big prizes come from raffles or other things that are aside to the shooting. Instead, we play for $2.50 medals, $40 belt buckles, bragging rights and FUN WITH FRIENDS. Somehow we have resisted the temptation to shoot for prizes like new XL750s, bass boats or Jeeps, and our "demographics" reflect that.

Below the median anyway.

SW is correct, Yul. One person resetting the Star correctly is actually much faster than two or three people getting into each others way. Several of us played around for an afternoon, looking for the fastest way to do the reset. One person who knows the technique can break 30 seconds, even including plate pick up time, and the best part is that when properly done, the Star is already in balance. You just walk away. It does not spin. When a second person tries to hold the arms in position, the resetting person has to set plates in awkward positions, which takes much longer and can eat fingers. But done properly, standing at the side, facing the edge of the wheel, the arms fall right into the resetter's comfortable sweet spot as soon as you start attaching the plates. After the first plate is attached, you dont even have to pull the arms. Gravity does it for you. Just catch each arm as it drops into position. Next time we have the T-Star set up, I'll make a short video to post here. You are right though, Yul. most folks take forever between shooters. Maybe a clear video can help that. My experience is that shooters do enjoy shooting the T-Star.

You did not mention what brand your primers are or if you changed brands in that last problem year. For cowboy guns, there is a huge difference in hardness between brands. Also, the recess below the chamber where the lower extractor tab fits looks deformed and possibly occluded in the photos. Could the tab be deformed, or crud in the recess holding the bolt back? Finally, have you disassembled the toggles? are any of the toggle pins bent or deformed? (Personally, I would be hesitant to fire any rifle with a bolt that does not close tightly, unless you like hot gasses in your face -- or worse)

I'm wondering how they keep the lever stroke SASS legal and still avoid short round jambs with the short cartridges? Also, how do they handle/extract the rimless 9mm? It will be interesting to look at one--- but for me, not $2100 worth of interesting.

They should have named them after Biden. His hallmark. But there's a much cheaper way to DIY these and save the $800.

In our area, a 5' rattlesnake is a really big specimen. Most adult snakes around central CA are well under 4'. It was just laying there on the road warming up, and in a remote area, so I left it to its evening, rather than messing with it in dark. I've had some real surprises in the past trying to walk up and kill rattlers in the headlights with a shovel, even after they've been run over. They can move real fast when they need to.

Drove out last night with my wife to see if we could see the Aurora from our Central Ca cowboy range. I stopped beside the road at around midnight, but there were still a lot of car headlights interfering with my cateracts. So we walked a ways along the road and onto a side road to try to find better darkness, but we still couldn't see anything worth the drive. We gave it up after a half-hour and climbed back into the pickup. When I switched the headlights on there was a 5' rattler stretched out on the road about 10 ft ahead of the truck, right where both of us had been walking around. He/she may have rattled, but neither of us can hear that frequency any more. At least we had some Saturday Night excitement. ( It doesn't take a lot to entertain us any more. )

Can't you call it something other than "Planned P"? That conjures up a completely different image of your stages.

Roger, Are there limits on how long shooters may camp before or after the scheduled event-- i.e., to go enjoy the central coast or to help with match set up or break down?

But how do you determine if they have other age-eligibility, without knowing their actual age?

DON'T get me started!

As a young kid in Elk Grove Ca, I used to watch AND HEAR B-36 bombers flying over the house from Mather AF Base near Sacramento. Their drone could be heard for at least 20 miles. Then later on, living in Clovis, near Fresno, I watched B-52s out of Castle AFB fly over low practicing touch and go landings. Both of those huge aircraft were unforgettable.