Hopalong Strong Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 My 13 year old son Charles, aka Moose Wrangler as he is called by his alias, shot his first match this weekend with the Kiswaukee Valley Regulators in Sycamore, IL. He had a blast! The friendly pards and gals there were extremely helpful and welcoming to him. He won one of the door prizes which started the day of on a very positive note. He now has a bank in the shape of an old cowboy boot. He thinks it is really cool! I only had one Single Six for him to use and I managed to forget the .22 ammo at home so he shot my Vaqueros in 38/357. He ran my backup rifle, which is a Marlin 94 in .38, and used my Stoeger SxS 12ga. The Vaqueros felt a bit heavy for him and my Remington Gun club Light target loads beat up his shoulder. A friendly feller (Six Fingered Shootist) gave him a handful of Winchester featherlights and he loved them. He did especially well with the rifle and only missed a shot or two near the end of the match as he got tired and when he tried to shoot the buffalo target in the head rather than center of mass. His pistol shooting was good but he was missing low probably due to the weight of the pistols. He rand the shotgun clean through the match and all the targets fell on the first try. I was very proud of him! On the way home we stopped and bought a second Single Six so he will be all set for next weekend (presuming I remember to bring .22 ammo this time!) We signed him up for SASS and requested the alias he selected. Let the good father and son times roll! http://talbotsfineaccessories.com/cowboy/Moose%20Wrangler.jpg http://talbotsfineaccessories.com/cowboy/Moose%20Wrangler%20and%20Six%20Fingered%20Shootist.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Congrats to Moose Wrangler and proud dad Hopalong! I doubt he'll be shooting those single sixes long... to me the springs are much nicer on the Vaqueros than the stiff single sixes, maybe it's just the ones I have, but... Anyway, congrats, have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 We just got the match results. He was the first place shooter in the Buckaroo class. Of course he was the only shooter in that class but first place sounds mighty good to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nasty Newt # 7365 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 That's good to hear. We all hope he stays with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throckmorton,23149 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 nothing beats shooting a match with a family member,I'm betting u both had a great time,and it will continue to be a whole lotta fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keystone, SASS # 47578 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 YEEHAA & Welcome Moose Wrangler, Always does my heart good to see a father and son shooting CAS together. Love to have young men entire the game as teenagers. Have fun and enjoy these times together. YEEHAA! Hasta Luego, Keystone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 FANTASTIC!! GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 He is all excited. He was wearing his empty holsters around the house last night. We are looking forward to shooting the match this weeknd at Dry Gulch Ranch with the Good Guys Posse. It should be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickahominy Charlie Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 My hat's off to you sir! I've got a 13 y/o daughter and an 8 y/o son shooting with me, so I can definitely relate. The time spent shooting (or even just talkin' together in the reloading room) has been and probably will be some of the best times I could have had with my kiddos. My Buckeroo and I spent a couple of hours down in the shop last night while I began building a new gun cart (the other one is just a might small for all three of us to shoot out of). Good times. Enjoy your time with him. I know how good it can be. Chick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rube Burrows Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 That is great. My son started shooting in August. Good to see the kids enjoying the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Now my 8 year old daughter is wanting to try it out. She needs more preactice before I let her shoot a match but she has picked a name for herself-- She wants to be Deadeye Lizzie. I wonder if that is taken already. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 WELCOME TO MY WORLD HOPALONG!!!! AND WELCOME MOOSE WRANGLER!!! It does my heart good to see this. It's my belief, as many of you know, that the one thing this spoort lacks is youth. They are the future of our sport and the future of our guns!!! Welcome aboard!!! Rattlesnake Wrangler is working on putting together a class for young and new shooters. We hope to see y'all down the trail! Colt Faro and Rattlesnake Wrangler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 One suggestion for you is to have him start doing some dry fire practice with your 38 Vaqueros at home. Get him to practice coming from leather. Place some post it notes on the wall as targets and teach him about using the front sight. This will help to build his upper body strength and create muscle memory. If he is 13 now he will be going into young guns when he turns 14 so he will have to change to 32's or 38's. I personally wouldn't waste time with the 32's. Been there done that. The Marlin is an excellent rifle for him to start with and the Stoeger is adequate. It's very important to get a shotgun that has a good action job on it and it fits him perfectly. This will help with recoil etc. You can cut the stock and install a Kickezz pad and wrap that with leather. Remington makes a Managed recoil shell that has very low recoil and it comes out of the gun easier than the Featherlites. The good news is you have a set of pistols for your daughter now!!! If there is anything we can help you with feel free to give me a call or PM. I sure don't know everything but when it comes to raising a buckaroo shooter I've learned alot the expensive way! LOL Colt Faro 832-472-3278 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Now my 8 year old daughter is wanting to try it out. She needs more preactice before I let her shoot a match but she has picked a name for herself-- She wants to be Deadeye Lizzie. I wonder if that is taken already. . . According to the alias lookup tool on the SASS home page... No matches found for Deadeye Lizzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMhC34UiXFI&feature=youtube_gdata_player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVOyeHPVehA&feature=youtube_gdata_player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zomcEH0QnQU&feature=youtube_gdata_player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 Holy COW!!!! He is fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 According to the alias lookup tool on the SASS home page... No matches found for Deadeye Lizzie That is good news! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeweler jim Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 See you Saturday and sent a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickahominy Charlie Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Holy COW!!!! He is fast Yeah, well, he looks faster in person. If he weren't such a good kid, I would be green with envy. I'll pile on with a little more advice re: Colt's suggestions. It's tough outfitting several young shooters, so I've not been shy to "bargain hunt" a little. For instance, after trying out a couple of sxs's, I learned that my 8 y/o just couldn't hold them up and remain steady. It was just too much weight for him right now. Therefore, knowing he wasn't gonna be real fast just yet, I opted for a single shot. I purchased a used H&R Topper 12 gauge for him. Then, I didn't feel so bad about chopping the stock off to 11 1/2" LOP and lopping the barrel off at 20". I only paid $70 in a local pawn shop. I load shotgun shells and experimented with downloaded 12 gauge shells. He shoots a very light (even lower than Featherlites) shell, which works fine and has knocked down everything he's shot at so far. Remember, Buckeroos/ettes don't have to knock 'em down, so this is a plus. I agree with Colt on skipping the .32's. I've fired .32's and .38's and don't think there's an appreciable difference in recoil if you load the .38's to the low end. My Buckerette (who's 13) has done just fine with her .38's, but she's a fairly good-sized kid (5'10"). While I'd like to be able to go out and buy a $1400 Longhunter or Conagher rifle cut down for my 8 y/o, that just ain't gonna happen -- especially knowing that he's got a lot of growing in the near future. So, my advice is to realize that you're likely to have to replace guns as they get bigger and attempt to tailor their "what I'm shooting now" to their needs at the time. Proper fit is more important (to me at least) than anything. I'd be happy to pass on anything else you might have a question on. Just PM me and I'll give you my phone number. Again, enjoy this.....it will get hectic from time to time with trying to ready yourself to shoot and making sure they're squared away, etc., but I can't think of anything that I've done with my kiddos that has paid back the bonuses I'm getting. Chick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 I just wrote a long response and accidently deleted it. Here goes what I can remember from it. There has be a lot of great advice in this thread. Thank you all. Dry fire practice has bee good for him. I realized that after 20 "stages" he is very tired so we need to build some strength. Muscle memory in relation to finding sights and drawing from the holster will also develop. What else shodul I be thinking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I just wrote a long response and accidently deleted it. Here goes what I can remember from it. There has be a lot of great advice in this thread. Thank you all. Dry fire practice has bee good for him. I realized that after 20 "stages" he is very tired so we need to build some strength. Muscle memory in relation to finding sights and drawing from the holster will also develop. What else shodul I be thinking about? Make sure they eat something and stay hydrated. That's always been a struggle with us. Rattlesnake is always in a hurry in the morning and too excited to eat and I used to have to make him drink water. It's a good idea to carry some light snacks and drinks with you from stage to stage. You don't have to bring a picnic just something they will for sure eat. Fruit and crackers is what we usually have. As far as hydration goes, we just recently started with the TBone Dooley suggested Pedialite. This is real good for hydration. This will help tremendously with strength, endurance and focus. These three things are paramount in this game. Always get your ammo ready the night before a match inspect all the rounds and bag them up in individual ziplocks one for each stage you will be shooting usually 10 pistol 10 rifle 4 shotgun. You can add to or take away easily before the stage. Being organized will help you as a dad and a shooter to perform well. Keep your eyes and ears open there will be alot of advice and suggestions. Remember, NOT ALL WILL BE GOOD. Take what you can use and leave the rest. This is real important, let others help to teach your son. Chances are if he's anything like Rattlesnake he won't listen to me when I suggest stuff to him. I've learned to let go of the reins when it comes to this. If you run across a grouchy old fart, IGNORE HIM!!!! Anyone with a valid suggestion or correction is gonna do it in a constructive way. Make sure your son knows this because it will happen. Yours and your sons ability to deal with these situations will be crucial in your mental game especially down the road. Praise your son when he shoots a stage regaurdless of how well he shoots it. If there was something to be learned , point it out in a constructive way ask him to do the same with you it will make him feel a part of your learning process. Don't push him/her the fastest way to turn them off of a sport that is supposed to be fun is undue pressure from a parent. If they only want to shoot 2 stages then let them. The more they see you and the others having fun and the more they think they don't HAVE to do it the more they are going to want to do it as well enjoy it. The next thing is HAVE FUN!!!! I can't stress this enough. This is a game and is supposed to be fun so have fun and let the kids see you have fun. I could go on and on but I will stop for now. Please don't take this as me giving parenting advice because I'm far from perfect but I have spent the last 7 years on a shooting range with a buckaroo raising him on my own. Good luck and good shooting! Colt Faro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I almost forgot 3 things that really help us to get to the level we are at is #1 Watch other good shooters and take notice of their saftey and shooting habits. #2 Take video of each other shooting. This is one of the most valuable tools that you can use to improve your shooting. It really helps when you can actually see what you are doing right or doing wrong. #3 Watch video of other good shooters. This will help you to develop your own shooting style as well as improve your shooting. That's all for now! Colt Faro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 Colt Faro, Excellent advice. I have no problem taking parenting advice, and I understand that is not how it was meant. I really appreciate it. It was all very helpful. I was able to find 5 boxed of low-recoil, low-noise Winchester shellas at Bass Pro Shop today. I grabbed them all. Our shooting season here in Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin ends in November so that should get us through to the end while I get a more reliable source. The guy who gave Moose Wrangler the shells (Six Fingered Shootist) said he orders them by the case and he can order them for me so I will do that when next I see him. It is official! My son is Moose Wrangler Sass number 93335 as of today's mail. He has been wearing his badge all day. I am shocked how quickly it all arrived considering I just paid online 2 days ago. WELL DONE SASS OFFICE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkansas Stretch Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian Jack. Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 sounds like a very proud Papa there. My son has been shooting matches since he was 9. he is now 14 almost 15. dont forget to budget for new boots and hats as he hits his growth spurts. my son was getting bigger boots every 5-6 months there at one time...now I know why my dad didnt buy me boots all the time when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 Moose Wrangler just finished his 30 minutes of practice after watching Rattlesnake Wrangler. I think he is inspired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 sounds like a very proud Papa there. My son has been shooting matches since he was 9. he is now 14 almost 15. dont forget to budget for new boots and hats as he hits his growth spurts. my son was getting bigger boots every 5-6 months there at one time...now I know why my dad didnt buy me boots all the time when I was a kid. Lucky for me, I am a boot maker. Up until now my work has been Medieval footwear (like these-- http://www.revivalclothing.com/medievalleathergoods.aspx) but recently I have been turning my hand at late 19th century footwear. I've mad a few pair of 19th century military boots for myself and presently have a civilian pair in the works. My son is wearing an old pair of my boots but I will have finished some new ones for him by the time he needs a larger pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Faro, SASS #54579 Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Moose Wrangler just finished his 30 minutes of practice after watching Rattlesnake Wrangler. I think he is inspired. Rattlesnake says that's AWESOME!!! I think it's very cool as well!!! At Bass Pro Shop they carry Remington STS Managed Recoil shells that are actually better than featherlites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share Posted October 8, 2011 One of the guys I shoot with is bringing some STS to try tomorrow. We are packed and I have remembered the 22 rounds today. Off we go to do it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkey Legs #48384 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hey Hopalong I see we are going to the same shoot - hope to meet you two - as a matter of fact why don't ya shoot on our posse? TL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 That was an excellent day. Moose Wrangler (and I) got lots of great advice from Turkey Legs, Dryfire, Shotgun Bandit, Huckleberry, Captain McNelly and many more. Several generous people brought shotgun shells for Moose to try. I think he liked Dryfire's custom loads the best but the WinLite/featherlights were close behind. This was an excellent day. My shooting was not my best because I found myself distracted by being a dad as well as a shooter but I had a great time. Thanks for all the help and generosity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeweler jim Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Sometimes the unsolicited advice you're given is what you paid for it, but... Unless you can emotionally detach and are a top shooter I'm thinking you can leave it to the other members of your posse to help and mentor your son or any new shooter for that matter. This would be especially true if you're on Tina's posse (Turkey Legs). That is a very savvy and strong group of shooters who will step up for any new shooter and more so when they see the parent stepping back to give them the room to advise and help. I'm sure you noticed a number of rather special belt buckles that are worn by many of them. They know what they're doing and can help any shooter who is open to their help and also avails themself to what they have to offer (if asked). After his first full season of shooting you will find that your only concern will be trying to hold your own with him on the scoring sheet. Until my body went south I was able to continue to beat my two (Sicilian Kid & Leadfoot Lizzie), but then the three of us haven't been able to shoot much the last couple of years. I've treasured the years as they came up from "Junior" and can't say enough about how this has been a positive influence in their maturing process and a life membership is not a bad thing to add if it looks like they will continue and do enjoy the sport after a year or so of exposure. SASS has also helped both of my twins with assistance with scholarships during their undergrad work which has enabled both to pursue graduate degrees. Seems any of the younger shooters you might come in contact with at the shoots can make you proud. So you have those that can help with the gun work (like Huck) and great shooters to mentor your son. Also the nice thing is you have six clubs within easy driving distance: Beloit, Bristol, Good Guys Posse, Plainfield, Sycamore & Tri County. Links to all of them can be found on our web site. And also a little further away is Oconomowoc which can be worth the drive if it falls on a day you want to shoot. I had the check in yesterday and really didn't make time to welcome you properly, but hope your first shoot at our range was a positive experience. We have one more regularly scheduled match left this year as the one you were at yesterday was a makeup shoot for a rain date and many shooters were at Mississippi Fandango. Hope to see you next month. Don’t hesitate to contact any of the "Good Guys" that live close to you and answer any questions that you might have over the future. SASS WIRE is great, but we're in your back yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopalong Strong Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Thanks for the advice Jeweler Jim and thanks for the shotgun shells. So may people were generous with shells yesterday that I don't think we got to try the ones you handed me. I will give them back to you on the 23rd. My son had a blast. He was thrilled to see that he took first place in his category yesterday (of course it helps that he is the only shooter in his category.) Even so he left feeling like a champion. I now feel that he has the hang of loading the pistols safely and we will work on loading the rifle. Once he has that all down I will step back and allow him to be mentored by those far more qualified than myself (who is still in the steep learning curve stage.) I think on the 23rd I will be able to relax a bit and focus on my shooting. My scores have seriously suffered in the two matches he has shot with me. I had two clean shoots in my last two matches (Sycamore and Bristol) before he decided to come play. I Hope to get back there once my focus is less divided. As of today I heard from DD and my membership in the Good Guys Posse is official. I've been shooting with the Bristol folks who have been amazing and I have shot all of the Sycamore shoots since I began with this whole cowboy thing (early June.) I will be at the rest of the shoots at GGP this month and I cannot believe my first season is almost over. I cannot wait for next year when I get to do it again. I went to the Bristol range today and shot a new lighter load for my 38s on the suggestion of Shotgun Bandit. They were a full gain of bullseye lighter (2.9 from 3.9 over a 125g truncated cone) and they shoot just fine with virtually no recoil. I don't know how much lower I can go but that alone should speed up things with less recoil. It woked just fine in my rilfe and in my pistol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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