KatfishKid

Got the new firing pin in, no issues. My wife and I shot at the local monthly yesterday. She did well, still a bit timid, but she's enjoying it and that's all that matters. I would of had my best match yet if I wouldn't have fumbled my pistol at the unload table and dropped it on my foot resulting in a stage DQ. We had a great time as always, despite the heat.

Figured I'd check-in since it's been a little over a month since my last post. I was out of town for work during our last local monthly shoot, so I missed that one. But my wife and I went over to Illinois and shot with the Lakewood Marshals for their monthly. She shot her first match and had a blast. I had a blast as well, despite not shooting very well. I tried some new things and found they didn't work for me. I haven't been able to get out and practice very much either. Made an attempt last Thursday and ended up breaking the firing pin on my 73. Got a couple on order, but more than likely we'll be using a borrowed rifle for this weekend's local match. We've begun saving for another loadout. Putting a lot of stress on our current guns with two people shooting.

I had a great time at the Spring Roundup. It was my first multi day match and I'm happy with my performance. I messed up my back a couple of days before the shoot and I struggled a little bit with that. I had a few rifle misses that I shouldn't have had, but once I focused more on accuracy and transitions over speed, I felt like I was able to smooth things out a bit. I had one bad stage that ruined my pace. I had a round that I must have missed the crimp on and the bullet got pushed into the casing jamming my rifle. had 5 or 6 live rounds in the rifle and took a huge hit on time. If it wasn't for that, I believe I would have moved up 20+ spots from 60th overall. I was able to understand the stage instructions easier, which I struggled with on my first two matches. I believe most all my raw times were in the 20s with the exception of a couple of the more complicated stages that required more travel. those were in the low 30s. Hopefully by this time next season I'm consistently in the teens, which I'm starting to understand is a huge challenge for a duelist.

@Shawnee Hills Thank you for the kind words! It was great meeting you. I hope to get to shoot with you soon. And sorry for the late reply, I haven't had much time to check the wire lately.

Yep, finest leather work I have ever seen!

The rugers ran great. Still as slick as the day I got em...maybe even more slick after a couple thousand rounds so far.

Well, I shot in my second match this past Saturday and it went much better than my first match. I was much more comfortable this time around and I am proud of my performance. I was able to understand the stage scenarios easier and didn't get any Ps this go around. My goal was to shoot clean, but unfortunately I did have a few misses. I was comfortable with my speed and every now and then I tried to push my limits and it caused me a miss. I have a better understanding of what my limits are and found that I can slow my pistols down to ensure accuracy and make up my time with the rifle if need be. I had an absolute blast, made a few new friends and I am already looking forward to the next match. I did end up getting first in my category and that was a confidence booster, regardless of the size of the category.

I have a Rands hat that I purchased second hand and it's a really nice hat. I'm planning on getting a hat from Landers next year. I'm still unsure of the style I like best, so I have been buying second hand. Once I figure out the style I like best, I'll have a custom one made.

And for the nerds. I've created a spreadsheet that will help me track my progress. It makes me feel good to see data that confirms progress. 3/22/25 is the only actual match. 4/1 and 4/7 are practice matches shooting the same scenarios as the actual match. I've haven't created a spreadsheet for "normal" practice, and probably won't honestly. If I get to the point that it feels like work, it will be downhill from there. So I will avoid getting to that point.

I can relate to that. I haven’t made any gear changes myself, but I’ve definitely made a lot of small adjustments here and there. I think I’ll probably end up changing some gear down the road, not necessarily because I need to, but just to break things up a little. Sometimes doing something a little different is enough to keep things fresh. Like you said, everyone’s got their own approach, and I’ve found that what works for one person doesn’t always fit for someone else. But hearing how others go about it gives me ideas, even if I don’t act on them right away. That cart you’re building sounds interesting, too, I’d like to see how it turns out. I like hearing about those kinds of projects because it gets me thinking about things I might try later on. I purchased a Marion River Woodcraft cart and have altered it a bit. Mostly aesthetics, but there were a few things I added like holsters, "upgraded" screws/bolts and expanded storage a bit. Great cart from the beginning, but I just wanted to add my own touches and address what I personally deemed to be potential weak points. I get that this thread might not be for everyone, and that’s fine. but from the replies and messages I’ve gotten, I know at least a few folks are following along, and that means a lot. I like having a place where I can post updates and look back to see how far I’ve come. I always appreciate advice, too, it honestly helps more than people probably realize when someone points out something I could be doing differently.

Been getting some more practice in. During my first match I was a little frustrated with how many procedurals and misses I had, so I've been working on slowing things down and making sure I'm putting the rounds on the correct target. One of my worst stages of my first match was 41.25 seconds. Each time I go out I shoot that stage and record my cold time to see if I'm progressing. The last 3 times out my stage times have been under 20 seconds clean. Still a lot i can do to shave time and become more fluid, but so far I'm happy with my progress. I still struggle understanding and executing sweeps/stage instructions, but I can start feeling it all "click".

I've always liked "Odd ball" rounds and tend to gravitate to calibers that aren't the "norm" whether its hunting or target shooting. I went with 38 special to get into this strictly due to affordability. More than likely the guns I currently have will go to my wife and I will likely go to something along the lines of 44-40 if/when I switch to black powder. I'll likely end up owning a load out in 45 eventually as well...just because when I think Cowboy, I think 45 colt. But outside of that, I think my choices have been solid, I asked for a lot of advice, received a lot of advice and went with the best I could afford.

After my first match, I couldn’t help myself, I put together a training plan. I’m not trying to be the best in class or win any awards. I just want to be the best me I can be. That’s how my brain works. Whether it’s hunting, fishing, or shooting, I stay engaged by tracking progress, improving over time, and really understanding what I’m doing. Cowboy action shooting is no different. If I’m going to do it, I want to do it right. And I’ve already realized it’s not just about the shooting...it’s the people, the energy, the whole experience. That’s what’s going to keep me around for the long haul. The added bonus? It’s competitive. And I get a real kick out of seeing progress...cleaning up a stage, tightening transitions, smoothing things out. So, I came up with a weekly training plan that I’m genuinely excited about. I thought about creating a new topic for this, but decided to just keep it in my original thread. I figured it’d be cool to have one place where I can look back and see how far I’ve come...good, bad, and everything in between. Let’s see where it goes. Weekly Training Plan Objective: Improve stage times and eliminate penalties ✅ Week 1: Accuracy & Penalty Elimination Focus Drills: Slow-fire runs on small targets to reinforce clean hits Movement + shoot scenarios with target confirmation Goals: Zero misses on all runs Full walkthrough rehearsals before each stage ✅ Week 2: Movement Efficiency Drills: Stage flow exercises Weapon movement dry runs from one shooting station to the next Goals: Reduce wasted movement (backsteps, hesitation) Maintain sight picture while on the move ✅ Week 3: Speed & Transitions Drills: Split-time reduction with timer Engage double-taps on multiple targets with safe movement Goals: Sharpen weapon transitions Develop instinctive target engagement pacing Daily Quick Drill (5-10 mins) Weapon transitions (pistol to rifle to shotgun) Dry fire two-shot transitions between targets 3-position walkthrough (low pressure) Review & Adjust: End of Week 4: Time a full run of all six stages (Monthly match) Compare with original match performance and raw time goals Adjust following month’s training based on weakest stage Stretch Goal: Finish match clean (0 misses, 0 procedurals) Achieve 45th percentile or better in overall standing Transition from Duelist to Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter for 2026 if all other goals have been met(Category goals subject to change)

Forgot to bring this to the last shoot. Went in the mail today.

I did get second in my category. I don't know how many shooters were in my category..I'm assuming only 2 😂 If that's the case they probably should have entered one of the trash cans into that category so I would have got 3rd. My wife was able to attend with me, she did not shoot the match, but she was able to see her first match and I think she had just as much fun as I did. She was even able to get a bit of coaching after the match and I think it gave her a much needed confidence boost. She says she isn't comfortable yet, so it may be a bit before she actually starts shooting in a match.