Joe Boot Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hi Everyone Our club is looking into buying or building a Texas Star. I have a few questions: Is this a "must have" item for a cowboy club? Is it a novelty that loses its appeal quickly? Does your club have/want one? If you have one, is it used regularly or infrequently? Are their any safety issues with this kind of target? Thanks for any help Joe Boot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 These are not a novelty and are frequently seen in the action shooting sports. Since they show up at big CAS matches your shooters need to learn how to engage them at local matches or they will be at a disadvantage at big matches. Very light loads often will not knock the paddles off (same for .22s) and shotguns are pretty hard on the targets. The time to reset them can really delay a stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrswanson1 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The Texas Star, the bane of my existance in 3-Gun. They were only shot with shotguns in 3-gun, not sure about SASS since I have yet to see one at a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Henry Quick Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I shot one frequently in USPSA and we shot one this past year at the Cavalier Cowboys - it's a real hoot! Edward is right - there's a technique to clearing it quickly and shooters should know how to do it if they might be confronted with one at a big match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Rooster Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 We have one at our club. It just sat unused for many months. A couple of our cowboys refurbished and repainted it. Then the MD put it in one of our matches. I had never seen one before - but watched the others in the possee shoot it. When it was my turn - I easily popped the bottom star and then let go 9 (count 'em - NINE) more rounds from my pistols and never hit another one!! I was quietly advised to shoot "where the star target will be - not where it is!" Now I understand why they say "A moving target is harder to hit!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I get knots in my stomach every time I see one. The best I have ever done was the first time and I got 4 of 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pit Bull Tex Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Lake Charles has one and it is shot with pistols and with rifles.The Texas Star shot by a world champion gunfighter at Lake Charles is the reason I shoot gunfighter now.When he shot the star with 5 shots with his pistols and 5 on the dump and the star just moved a tad.Sure was fun to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 We have one that our IPSC shooters use but we do not use it for our Cowboy matches. Reason is a simple one of time. To go downrange and reset it would require all others at our club to step away from their guns and wait to load/unload till target is reset. Have never taken the time to check the time it takes to reset but my guess is that to have at least two walk down, reset it, and walk back the time could be a minimum of two minutes and more than likely three per shooter. That adds a lot of time to the match. I do know that when I shot IPSC and tried to reset it by myself I had it almost fall on me four different times. In my opinion one should hold it and another one or two set the plates on. Yep, it is a hoot and if your club has the desire to justify the time or has a better method that ours then people will have a blast shooting it. Our range owns one built by Terry Ashton who was the originator of the Texas Star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fillmore Coffins, SASS #7884 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I purchased 2 for our club some years ago. I think they're fun but they don't get used on a regular basis anymore. Not a good idea at a big march unless target setters are schooled on how to reset them in the most efficient manner. Knowledgeable resetters can get it ready to go before the brass is picked up. Fairly easy to clean all the targets with a rifle but some folks don't have as much luck with six guns. We usually allow the shooter to use as many as 10 rounds to knock off the 5 targets with a dump target for any remaining rounds. Fillmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuna Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have shot them in both 3 gun and cowboy action. At cowboy club we have used them with all guns. In 3 gun it been pistol and shotgun. Just have to remember to add the extra time needed to reset the targets between shooters. Here is an option for the target that would run about half price depending on options you add. I have been looking at it for our club but have not decided to pull the plug on getting on. http://www.thetargetman.com/product/diy-texas-star/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The Texas Star gives most average shooters Nightmares. It's time consuming to set up. They take a lot of maintenance. The Allure rubs off very quickly. Out of the four clubs I shoot monthlies at, I only know of one shooter who likes shooting at it. Most of the clubs allow 10 rounds to clean it with a dump target if you happen to get it done with less than 10. Have also shot it with 10 pistol allowed with Rifle cleanup and a dump target. It's a nuisance best left to the IPSC folks. Or Three Gun. Or Steel Challenge. Or the salvage yard for it's value as scrap. Coffinmaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I like the Texas Star a lot. And, I like the other responsive or interactive targets, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I like the Texas Star a lot. And, I like the other responsive or interactive targets, too. Do you like resetting the thing??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Church Key, SASS # 33713 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The CASS Club in Berkeley Springs WV has a pair of them and uses them regularly. Usually only shoot one of them on a stage; they are set up past a wagon on either side of it and are the shooters choice of which side to use. Works best with three folks resetting them. Also can get messy if it's muddy as the stars always land in a puddle. No big deal to shoot if you start at the top, then shoot the 1 o'clock star followed by the 11 o'clock star, then the bottom ones. They allow 10 shots for five stars with a dump target for the extra rounds. Can be for pistols or rifles; depends on the stage writer. Church Key Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Solo Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Shot a Texas Star today. Lots of fun. The problem with a Texas Star is you have to call a down range after every shooter. That means they can only be used in a stage having berms on three sides. We didn't start using ours until we built the sixth stage with berms on 3 sides. Powder Creek must have better shots than other clubs. We only had one person who couldn't clean it in ten shots. Actually, the distance of the star from the line is really important. The dump target did get its share of misses though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackey Cole Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 To me they are a novelty item and while they were shot a lot back 8-10 years ago they were shot some but they have fallen out of favor at the clubs I shoot with. They're great for a side match charity item which is what I see the greatest use as. Two them and two revolvers is idea as its a challenge to hit all the targets in a speed event. I must rather shoot a tombstone rack or plate rack and they don't take a fraction of the time to reset since most use a cable or rope and reset that way even if you need to set by hand you just tilt them up and do not need to pick up off the ground. If you club is flush then get them but not until imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil dogooder Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I like them a lot. With pistol or rifle. If you have two people reset. One holding and spinning while ever other attached the plates there is no reason it should take long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 They're best used on a stage where the loading and unloading tables do not face along the firing line and where the stage is not set on a common firing line. They are fun to shoot and if you get resetters familiar with them they can be reset in the time it takes to shag up brass and call the next shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kajun Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Howdy Joe Boot....hope ya'll aren't freezing too bad up there in New Brunswick. We are still shooting regular here down South. Texas stars are fun to shoot but, as others have said, take time to reset for each shooter. Last time I shot with ya'll you only had one berm but were looking at setting up another one IIRC. Also your loading/unloading areas were 90 degrees to the stage. You do have to go downrange to reset it but since your loading/unloading tables face at 90 degrees you don't have to worry about that. You should at least 2 people to reset it, works well if one person picks up the targets and then hands it up to somoene else who is turning the star around and puting the individual targets on as they are handed them. It works better if 3 people help to reset it, two to pick up the targets and one person on the star putting them on. Picking up metal plates off the ground will work on your back after a while, best to split up that task. Regarding buying or making them, I looked at the workmanship on your plate rack, pretty versitile set up and good workmanship. The same person that made your plate rack could probably make a Texas star. You need to pay special attention to the springs that hold the target to the star, sometimes those springs come off so a good design there will help. Most of the clubs around where I shoot have at least one Texas star, some have two. We see them set up 3-4 times a year at each club. They are kind of a novelty but they are really fun to shoot. As others have said you typically put a dump plate next to the star where you can expend all of the rounds that you don't use on the Texas star. I carry knockdown loads to all of the matches and use them when I shoot the Texas star. When I shot with ya'll I did not see anyone with wimpy loads so your group would fare well with them. You can probably find video of people shooting a Texas star at a SASS match on Youtube. Hope that helps some. Tell Frenchy Cannuck that Kajun said hello. Kajun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvil Al #59168 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 All the clubs that I know that have them. They set unused. Takes so long to reset. I brings the posse to a slow crawl. And can back the posses up on top of one another. The same people get stuck resetting it and they quickly get tired of it. So they don't add it in anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 KK, just wait till April. You're gonna see the Texas Star again. But this time it won't be sitting still for you to take careful aim. It'll be spinning by the time you get to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Shayne Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have always enjoyed shooting the Texas star. The club that I originally started shooting at had 2 of them. Occasionally we would set up both of them on one stage...1 for pistol and 1 for rifle. Yes, resetting is a real pain. But for monthly matches I would volunteer to reset both of them for almost the entire posse just so we could shoot it. If you dont have enough people interested in shooting it to make it worth the effort to reset it, its best to leave it alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kajun Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 KK, just wait till April. You're gonna see the Texas Star again. But this time it won't be sitting still for you to take careful aim. It'll be spinning by the time you get to it. Oh no, an Evil Joe match! If he's hired you on as an "evil match consultant" I'm gonna bring a new rope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Shayne Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 http://youtu.be/XynM8NgPbOw This was one of my favorite uses for the Texas Stars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Whiskers Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 We have one and use it a couple of times a year at the monthly shoots. NOT at the State shoot other than a WB side match. best way to reset it is 2 people go out. One positions and holds the star in place while the other puts the plates back on. Takes about 2 minutes doing it that way total time from down range call to all clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Oh no, an Evil Joe match! If he's hired you on as an "evil match consultant" I'm gonna bring a new rope! He has made a special request for a set of Evil inspired stages for April. That'll give me lots of time to scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kajun Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 He has made a special request for a set of Evil inspired stages for April. That'll give me lots of time to scheme. A new rope it is! :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellbender Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Krazy Kajun, we use a magnetic pick up tool that saves your back and makes pick up fast. Ours looks like the quick-relase one that Harbor Freight has for less than $10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowhand Bob, 24229 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I was not particularly good at it but did really enjoy shooting them. Funny, the guys who shoot them fairly well were the ones who complained about them the most??? Smokey, you have a double negative in that video pard, the guys who do not like movers also really hate team shooting. It has to be about stand and deliver for many now days, "No spice please". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Eyed Kid, SASS # 37263 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 When I was thinking of getting a Texas Star for our club, I asked the shooters first if they would like it. Most of the shooters said they hated it, others said it was ok. Nobody really said they liked it. So I didn't spend that kind of money on a target that hardly anybody likes. Certainly don't need to lose shooters over it. But I did want a moving/re-active target. GT Targets sells a shotgun only target called "the windmill". You can get either 4 or 6 arms ( I got the 4 arm model). Clay birds are held at the ends of the arms and once it is "tripped" all the arms rotate. The speed of rotation can be regulated by the amount of weight hanging off of 1 of the arms. Very fun target, almost everyone likes it and much easier to shoot with a shotgun compared to the Star. I still don't "over-do" such a target and use it about 3 times a year. And it's only about 1/3 the cost of a Texas Star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 http://youtu.be/XynM8NgPbOw This was one of my favorite uses for the Texas Stars and a stage DQ for the shotgun shooter for breaking the 170 after he finished shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elk Creek LeMieux Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The very first stage I ever shot in CAS was 20 knockdowns and a texas star. Shooters choice, make up any target with shotgun. Took a little while to get the posse through, but that stage set the hook deeeeeep for me, and this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I love the shooting stars, and the stages that use two of them are the funnest! I also put on heaavy leather gloves and go reset steel on them for every shooter on my posse, because they take a long itme if there aren't folks dedicated to making it happen fast. If you want to see the behavior of the start in aniation, to help develop a strategy to shoot them, go here and give it a whirl: http://www.cowboyactionscoring.com/bigfork/texasstar.cfm Shooting it is a lot harder, but at least once yo understand the behavior a mite bit better it won't make you quite as crazy! SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefro, SASS#69420 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 We have one and enjoy shooting it , it's not hard once you figure it out. I try to use it about four time a year........but never in the July-August heat . It only takes two to reset it, teach everyone how it's done and you won't have three or four people dropping plates on each others toes all trying to do the same job . Good Luck Jefro Relax-Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nasty Newt # 7365 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 http://youtu.be/XynM8NgPbOw This was one of my favorite uses for the Texas Stars That's a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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