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Where has all of the "fun stuff" gone?


Mustang Gregg

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5 hours ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

Allie,  This is exactly why Copperhead Joe set up the Cowboy Olympics as a separate part of the match.  It is all off the clock and in the afternoon, after the day's match stages have been shot.  Participation is completely voluntary, and in fact most of us just watch.  Anything out of the ordinary is a side match and well planned to be fair to everybody.

You and your husband should come to Black Gold and enjoy the fun.  I know it will be a long trip for you, but I bet you can't do just one.

 

Duffield

I met Copperhead at the US Open in 2010. He fed me fried fish and Copperhead Juice. I saw him and met his wife at the Convention in Branson. Great peeps!

 

Hubby has not shot since 2005. so I don't travel too far. I would like to visit folks back there at least sometime!

 

 

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2 hours ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

This topic comes up fairly often and it seems to always boil down to a debate between people who are just 'here to have fun' and those who in their view 'aren't there just to have fun'.  Those who are labeled as  'aren't there just to have fun' always seem to be the fast shooters.  It never seems to occur to those who are there 'just to have fun' that perhaps the fast shooters find shooting fast and perhaps winning to be fun.  

 

One consistent theme is that the fast shooters don't spend much time complaining about those who are there 'just to have fun', but those who are there 'just to have fun' spend lots of time griping about those darned gamers.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that we use a timer in this game.  I suspect that's because time is a big element of the game.  It sure would be nice if we had a tent big enough for everyone to enjoy the aspect of the game that they find most entertaining.  I've never heard a top shooter in Georgia complain about too much 'action' in a SASS match, but I've heard tons of the 'just there to have fun' crowd complaining about 'catering to the fast shooters'.  If it's that bad, you have feet, vote with them.

 

Capt.Bill,

Thats a pretty dern good post.

 

..........Widder

 

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Duece, Buck D. Law, Randy St. Eagle and several others have hit the nail on the head.  Between the aging of the "old guard" and the time to run "fun stuff," it first moved off the scene in the larger, well attended shoots.  When a shoot gets much past 200 shooters, you (the match director), need to carefully allocate the time you'll be on the range.  Adding 2 seconds to the stage time (average), you might think... "hey, that's only 400 seconds!"   Now multiply that times 6... and you're up to 2400 seconds.  So what?  You're up to 40 minutes added to the day's time on the range.  What can add 2 seconds to a stage?  Just about anything.  We are seeing range of raw times from 9 - 60 seconds from shooters.  Anything a youthful, agile person can do in a couple of seconds, will take the older, more experienced person several more added seconds.  And that's being generous to the older, more experienced shooters.

 

I don't know what your demographics are, but we have a larger number of older, more experienced shooters than youthful, agile ones.  One of the most fun stages I've ever shot, was back around 1987/8, you sat in a barber chair, with your pistol in hand, covered by a barber cloth clipped around your neck.  At the buzzer, engage the five pistol targets in front of you.  Your choice to remain seated, or stand... but, that was the only activity required, no rifle, no shotgun.  There was a range of times on that stage that would stagger you.  Some folks were done in a coupla, three seconds;  while some were still trying to get untangled from the sheet around their neck in that time!  By the end of the day, there was a very ragged, soot stained, large hole in the middle of that sheet!  I don't have a any real idea about the time it took to get one shooter ready, and then get them "unready"... but it was one of the slowest moving stages of the day.  (But still great fun)!!!  Had to be, it still ranks up there 30 or so years later!

 

When I began, we didn't used electronic shot timers... it was stop watches!  (No thanks, I don't want to go back.).   Look at the "beep" to "beep" times at your local matches, take the number of shooters you have in attendance, then figure that for 4, 5 times that number, and that's where time goes.  Along with the "fun stuff."

 

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Oh, & by the way, "discussin'" whether it's "top shooters" or "just for fun folk" is like "discussin'" with a

woodfencepost-1.jpg

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15 hours ago, Henry T Harrison said:

Of course they miss, they are shooting a type of firearm that most are very unfamiliar with, give them a 1911 and see what happens. As far as target acquisition they are very used to picking up small targets at ranges 10x the distance SASS shoots often surrounded by no shoot targets

Tried that, local PD, sheriffs office, ICE all used their duty arms, we used our cowboy stuff and it was no contest. One of the officers (bless them for what they do) finished in the top five, cowboys took 1-4 and 6.They did not even bother to respond when we invited them the following year.

Two years later went to their "open to all comers" match using our wild bunch stuff mostly, them with their duty firearms, same officer took first cowboys took 2-5.

Don't really think it is the guns, more the mindset, vastly different between the two groups.

Regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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15 hours ago, Griff said:

 

When I began, we didn't used electronic shot timers... it was stop watches!  (No thanks, I don't want to go back.).   

 

 

I forgot about the stop watches!!:lol:

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On 12/11/2017 at 5:54 PM, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

But gradually over the years; I realized by just shooting cowboy - we slowly had stopped "playing" cowboy.  And a number of shooters that have begun in the last few years have never "played" cowboy.

I really appreciate Creeker's honesty about this. 

 

I came to this game 5 plus years ago because it looked fun...I shot one stage one time after a match and was hooked.  This game hooked me so much that I found a way to make a living doing it.  I am competitive and try to do well but it's GOT TO BE FUN or its not worth all the effort and expense. 

 

Merry Christmas!

Scarlett

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On 12/11/2017 at 4:54 PM, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

Its gone away because SASS Clubs are Catering to the Top Shooters .

This stuff all takes time , and the top shooters dont like that .

Just telling it The way it is .

Rooster 

So why is it that the opinion of the top Shooter matters more than that any other shooter? It has often been said that the top shooter is going to be the top shooter no matter what.  Some of most memorable shoots for me include things like kicking down the door at the Last Stand. Shooting a potatoe cannon to start the timer, taking a drink of root beer to start the clock, opening the strongbox and removing the money bag or fishing a shotgun sheel out the pocket on the dummy. 

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25 minutes ago, Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L said:

So why is it that the opinion of the top Shooter matters more than that any other shooter? It has often been said that the top shooter is going to be the top shooter no matter what.  Some of most memorable shoots for me include things like kicking down the door at the Last Stand. Shooting a potatoe cannon to start the timer, taking a drink of root beer to start the clock, opening the strongbox and removing the money bag or fishing a shotgun sheel out the pocket on the dummy. 

It doesen’t. The mindset that top shooters somehow dictate the course of fire is a myth. Typically started by folks who don’t have the slightest clue of what goes into match production in the first place. 

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9 minutes ago, Deuce Stevens SASS#55996 said:

It doesen’t. The mindset that top shooters somehow dictate the course of fire is a myth. Typically started by folks who don’t have the slightest clue of what goes into match production in the first place. 

Everyone has their own idea of what is fun to them. For some it's shooting as competitively as possible . For others it's the joy of shooting old time guns and playing a part. It's all good as long as you don't forget it's only a game

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13 minutes ago, Henry T Harrison said:

Everyone has their own idea of what is fun to them. For some it's shooting as competitively as possible . For others it's the joy of shooting old time guns and playing a part. It's all good as long as you don't forget it's only a game

That is what's so great about this game to me, our club has shooters that shoot stages anywhere from 13 seconds to 75 seconds and we are all having fun. 

 

I'm not a Top Shooter but I try to get as close to the top as I can and it irritates me when people imply that they are somehow having more fun because they don't try to shoot fast. When I quit having fun I'll find something else to do. I have fun faster than some shooters and a whole lot slower than others but I don't know of anyone who says "well I hate it but I have to go shoot a Cowboy Match Saturday".

 

Randy

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On 12/11/2017 at 10:24 PM, StirrupTrouble said:

I am far from a top shooter, but since I started I have worked my a** off to get from near the bottom of the scoresheet to become a consistent middle of the pack shooter, and sometimes occasionally breaking into the top three of my category. Now, I may never hit the top of the scores, but it does get kind of old to constantly see the top shooters blamed for why we don't do a lot of the fun things of the past. Some of that might be jealousy, but maybe not, but those top shooters that are being blamed put tens of thousands of rounds downrange every year in practice to get (and stay) where they are. I dare say that once they get to that level, they have to work even harder than the rest of us to stay there. Where a practice session for me might be a couple hundred rounds, they are putting five times that downrange in a session. They don't need me to stick up for them, but I think a lot of the change is due to our changing demographics, and 20 years ago, if you looked at the age and fitness level of the average competitor, it was probably a lot less gray. I would like to see more fun stuff return, as long as it is safe for all, a lot of the old stuff I have seen on videos is not realistic or safe for our customers, because in the end, the shooters that travel hundreds of miles are our customers, and we should strive to give them what they want. Most of the "big and close" matches sell out in a very short period of time, so maybe the customers have spoken.

 

And to blame a "top shooter" for why there is not fun stuff, I have a feeling that if Duece and I shot a match against each other, you could put all kinds of extra stuff in there, put pistol targets at 30 yards and rifle targets at 100 yards, and he would still not have to break a sweat beating me. 

 

I ranted enough. Thanks for your patience with this average shooter

Very well said Stirrup. For those who don’t know him Stirrup is a recent newcomer to Cowboy Action and he has busted his a$$ to promote his club and has traveled a lot to learn what people want and expect. I agree that the hardest working people at a larger shoot are the so called top shooters. There the ones who dedicate there time and energy to putting on the matches

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I remember using stop watches and only one pistol. The fast shooters ran the stages in 40+ seconds and we only shot 4 stages. We  broke for lunch and the match took the entire day. Yes, we had fun. Now we shoot 6 stages, and good shooters run stages below 20 seconds, we have lots of movement. The match lasts 2-1/2 to 3 hours and we go home and do other stuff.

 

Today's matches are more about the shooting, fine with me, after all it is Cowboy "Action" Shooting.

 

Things change, get used to it, it's still more fun than the law allows!

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L said:

So why is it that the opinion of the top Shooter matters more than that any other shooter? It has often been said that the top shooter is going to be the top shooter no matter what.  Some of most memorable shoots for me include things like kicking down the door at the Last Stand. Shooting a potatoe cannon to start the timer, taking a drink of root beer to start the clock, opening the strongbox and removing the money bag or fishing a shotgun sheel out the pocket on the dummy. 

 

One problem that constantly fuels these debates/arguments is the fact that members can post ANYTHING they feel like and pass it off as fact without referencing a shred of proof.  Just toss some nonsense out and see if it sticks to the wall seems to be all to common!

 

It would be great if the forum admins passed a new forum rule.............Anything stated as a fact must be backed up by evidence else don't post it!  Not only would it reduce the number of pages in the thread, it would make the debates more interesting.

 

By the way Marshal, what proof can you provide for your claim above?

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15 hours ago, Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L said:

So why is it that the opinion of the top Shooter matters more than that any other shooter? It has often been said that the top shooter is going to be the top shooter no matter what.  Some of most memorable shoots for me include things like kicking down the door at the Last Stand. Shooting a potatoe cannon to start the timer, taking a drink of root beer to start the clock, opening the strongbox and removing the money bag or fishing a shotgun sheel out the pocket on the dummy. 

I seem to remember a recent state shoot where the stages were deliberately altered from what the stage writer intended. My understanding was that the intent was to slow down the ‘gamers’. That doesn’t sound like the fast shooter’s opinions counted for more, quite the opposite. The fast shooter’s opinion counted for less at that match. I think I remember a bit of a kerfuffle about that and a promise that next year would be different.

 

How quickly we forget!

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I remember 1/2 decade ago, were an Annual was put on with every stage a fun stage. !st stage started out using sticks to steady a bonus shot, then every other target for rifle, shotgun and pistols were KDs. Trying to get people to reset targets, since they were scattered all over the landscape took forever. The MD came along to see how we were doing, in 45 minutes we had 4 shooters complete the stage with 12 more to go. Then there was a stage were the Texas Star only the bottom was exposed, hit it and it spun at 60 MPH (pun intended). Shooter could stage extra shotgun shells to complete this, some went through their belt and and a box of 25, some not even knocking all the plates off. Then as the plates were loosened were 1 shot could knock adjoining plates of, time was taken to tighten the springs. Some had 5 minute + times on this stage, or ran out of shotgun shells.

The Annual was a 2 day event, started at 9AM, 6 stages 1st day, 4 next day. 1st Day, when I left at 5:30PM, there was still another posse that needed to finish.

The Annual was fun stages, but went overboard. I only stated 2 of the stages, the other 8 were just as bad. The following year, only 1/2 of previous shooters signed up.

I'm sure there are some that may remember this Annual, it wasn't fun, rather a struggle to finish. 

So if you want fun stages, be mindful of the amount of time these will take, and if the majority will appreciate them. As stated, we do shoot on the clock. MT

 

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Capt Bill

I see you point. There was no attempt to delibertly to slow down the top shooters. The final copy of the stages was turned in after the books had gone to the printers. We had a preliminary copy and then nothing till after the books went to print. So yes some changes where made some things where tried but not with any sort of malicious intent to slow down things.

We did poll the whole group of shooters and we will listen to the whole group.

Yes next year will be different.

 

Btw all I asked was a question in response to Rooster Ron Wayne’s post

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I have FINALLY figured it out.   After readying 4 pages of comments about fun stages and such, I have come to realize that its.....

 

 ME.

 

Ya see, when I'm at a shoot, and especially on a Posse, everyone seems to have fun at that match.

 

But after reading some comments from some of our Wire Pards, its obvious that I haven't been to their matches because some of them aren't having as much fun as those matches I attend.

 

SO......I must be the fun factor......'ME'.

 

Soooooooo, for all those who are not having fun anymore, please come shoot with ME.   We may not throw a knife or tomahawk, ride a stick pony, lasso a steer or chuck a stick of dynamite, but somehow we manage to have a blast.   So, it must be 'ME".

 

See 'YOU' soon!    And we will have a blast together!

 

..........Widder

 

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5 minutes ago, Widowmaker Hill SASS #59054 said:

SO......I must be the fun factor......'ME'.

See 'YOU' soon!    And we will have a blast together!

 

..........Widder

 

Hee Hee:D it's true it's true, I've been there too;) He's fun he's fun just watch his thumbs:o

         This has been a fun thread, gave me some new ideas  to use and still not slow things down or count on the clock. I was planning to do the shoot through the hole in the door this month but weather shut us down.

(Shoot through the door; Start with a wood door, remove top panel, about 2' x 3'. Collect cardboard from one source so all panels will be the same. Cut panels to fit over the over the hole, staple firmly to the door frame. Start shotgun port arms, at the beep with SG blow a hole in the door with as many rounds as it takes to be big enough to shoot your rifle and pistol through. Happy Feet allowed:D

       Plus I have never written a stand and deliver stage. We used to shoot through the door but some folks thought happy feet would cause a penalty for moving with loaded gun, I think we'll try again and allow Happy Feet;) Good Luck:)

 

Jefro:ph34r:Relax-Enjoy

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4 minutes ago, Jefro, SASS#69420 said:

(Shoot through the door; Start with a wood door, remove top panel, about 2' x 3'. Collect cardboard from one source so all panels will be the same. Cut panels to fit over the over the hole, staple firmly to the door frame. Start shotgun port arms, at the beep with SG blow a hole in the door with as many rounds as it takes to be big enough to shoot your rifle and pistol through. Happy Feet allowed:D

       Plus I have never written a stand and deliver stage. We used to shoot through the door but some folks thought happy feet would cause a penalty for moving with loaded gun, I think we'll try again and allow Happy Feet;) Good Luck:)

 

Jefro:ph34r:Relax-Enjoy

If I may make a suggestion;  Use at least 2-3 panels, to allow shooters that are vertically challenged at different heights to shoot comfortably.  The only thing worse than having to listen to a Jr. shooter that barely clears an obstacle or gets a SDQ due to attempting the near impossible, is listening to the 5' nothing wife categorically stating that's her LAST shoot there, for the same reason.  Undoubtedly, there'll be at least one person whose stature is such that the space between panels is exactly the right place for them to shoot comfortably.  Not being negative, just fair warning.  

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19 hours ago, Deuce Stevens SASS#55996 said:

It doesen’t. The mindset that top shooters somehow dictate the course of fire is a myth. Typically started by folks who don’t have the slightest clue of what goes into match production in the first place. 

 

Hello Deuce,

 

I've heard on the Wire that you put on great matches. I firmly believe that or you wouldn't have been asked to help Lassiter with EOT.

 

However, I personally have experienced annuals where a top shooter (multi-time category winner at EOT) wrote scenarios that favored his skills. Examples, were small-far targets and a stage that had to be shot from the hip.  At one of his matches, I missed 34 targets and that was before my hand issues.

 

I have not experienced that type of thing frequently; but, believe it happens often enough to not be a myth.

 

Also, people have frequently posted, on the Wire, scathing reviews of annual and monthly matches that may exhibit this problem.

 

About not having a "clue of what goes into match production," I have been on the committee for our state match since we were first awarded it. Also, Hubby wrote scenarios for an annual match for three years; I typed and edited them. In the first instance,  I was responsible for recapping the comment cards. In the second, I recapped the stage results to determine which stages had too many misses or procedurals. I also found that one PM's posse had too many Ps. compared to the others, and another had hardly any. It was an interesting exercise.

 

I'm giving this background information to illustrate that I do know what goes into match production.

 

27 minutes ago, Griff said:

If I may make a suggestion;  Use at least 2-3 panels, to allow shooters that are vertically challenged at different heights to shoot comfortably.  The only thing worse than having to listen to a Jr. shooter that barely clears an obstacle or gets a SDQ due to attempting the near impossible, is listening to the 5' nothing wife categorically stating that's her LAST shoot there, for the same reason.  Undoubtedly, there'll be at least one person whose stature is such that the space between panels is exactly the right place for them to shoot comfortably.  Not being negative, just fair warning.  

LOL! (Not really funny.)

 

I remember this happening at a different state's State Match. Hubby is 6'5" and there was a tiny lady on our posse who was barely 5'. Both were height challenged by a prop that we had to shoot through.

 

Regards,

 

Allie

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1 hour ago, Jefro, SASS#69420 said:

Hee Hee:D it's true it's true, I've been there too;) He's fun he's fun just watch his thumbs:o

         This has been a fun thread, gave me some new ideas  to use and still not slow things down or count on the clock. I was planning to do the shoot through the hole in the door this month but weather shut us down.

(Shoot through the door; Start with a wood door, remove top panel, about 2' x 3'. Collect cardboard from one source so all panels will be the same. Cut panels to fit over the over the hole, staple firmly to the door frame. Start shotgun port arms, at the beep with SG blow a hole in the door with as many rounds as it takes to be big enough to shoot your rifle and pistol through. Happy Feet allowed:D

       Plus I have never written a stand and deliver stage. We used to shoot through the door but some folks thought happy feet would cause a penalty for moving with loaded gun, I think we'll try again and allow Happy Feet;) Good Luck:)

 

Jefro:ph34r:Relax-Enjoy

We shot that many years ago I think it's an old IPSC thing, make sure shooters know if it's a P before hand if they stick their rifle barrel through the hole and wallow it out bigger. It's time consuming when resetting.

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We have only been doing this for 9 months, but have been around guns since we were kids. I think you have to find your "fun" and go with it. We have a blast with the clothes, Shortcake even picked up a wig or two. I never know who will come downstairs, will it be blonde, brunette or who knows? We wear our cowboy clothes all day, on match day from walking the dog at sunrise, to a lunch with our pards after the shoot, to a small, rural tavern for a cheeseburger and a beverage for supper(gun belts w/o guns). And we stop for gas, groceries, etc. More than once I have been asked, "Where's the rodeo?" After I explain SASS and what we do, their jaws drop. Male and female alike gush, "Oh my God, that sounds so cool. When is the next one?" A few have actually shown up, and some have taken a shot or two. Bottom line is, the only person who can make it fun for you-is YOU. As far as competition is concerned, that too is up to you. I always said, I don't want to be first or last, just somewhere in the middle. I have a friend who buys every gizmo that comes out for his AR-15. It probably outweighs an M-1 Garand, but that is his "fun." A few modifications have been done to my cowboy guns, but lets get real. At my age, I can only shoot so fast. And I'm ok with that. So if you can't find your fun, then make it. Best example of this was in the 2005 film "Waiting." A dishwasher in a restaurant named Bishop give some sage advice to a younger, assistant manager candidate.

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There are silly things that might be fun - to a degree, but their silliness might outweigh their safety risk or the point of competition on the clock. 

How about some practical quirks though? Some things that could have been part of a shootout such as reloads on the clock, getting shotshells out of a box, drawer or saddlebag - on the clock. Changing positions. Longer shots! (Please! Longer shots!) 3 and 4 yard pistol shots are . . . geez. Okay, maybe that could simulate a shootout at a card table but could we then follow it up with some rifle targets that are more than 6 yards away for goodness sakes? At least have a couple of them way way out there - real, real long range like 20 whole yards (for a start).

As Trusty Sidekick at Elstonville says you have something for everybody. Okay that seems fair. So you have a stage or two where you can flail away without aiming but then mix it up. At Quinton NJ we have moving targets, a rolling ore cart to shoot from, targets on ziplines and a bit of depth to use. That makes it more interesting (to me) than firing 22 power level rounds at big targets so CLOSE. 

Ah yes, knockdowns that need a good knock. 

In the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is I should write up some stages and share them with the guys running the shoots in case there's anything they'd like to use. 

 

 

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15 hours ago, meesterpaul said:

There are silly things that might be fun - to a degree, but their silliness might outweigh their safety risk or the point of competition on the clock. 

How about some practical quirks though? Some things that could have been part of a shootout such as reloads on the clock, getting shotshells out of a box, drawer or saddlebag - on the clock. Changing positions. Longer shots! (Please! Longer shots!) 3 and 4 yard pistol shots are . . . geez. Okay, maybe that could simulate a shootout at a card table but could we then follow it up with some rifle targets that are more than 6 yards away for goodness sakes? At least have a couple of them way way out there - real, real long range like 20 whole yards (for a start).

As Trusty Sidekick at Elstonville says you have something for everybody. Okay that seems fair. So you have a stage or two where you can flail away without aiming but then mix it up. At Quinton NJ we have moving targets, a rolling ore cart to shoot from, targets on ziplines and a bit of depth to use. That makes it more interesting (to me) than firing 22 power level rounds at big targets so CLOSE. 

Ah yes, knockdowns that need a good knock. 

In the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is I should write up some stages and share them with the guys running the shoots in case there's anything they'd like to use. 

Hi Meester,

 

At The Outlaws' monthly matches, shooters have the choice of shooting the rifle targets with their revolvers for a 10 second bonus. You might ask one of your local MDs to try that out.

 

Regards,

 

Allie

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16 minutes ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

shooters have the choice of shooting the rifle targets with their revolvers for a 10 second bonus. Regards,

Allie

Wow. 10 seconds.  That's big. At Sudlersville, Md Gunpowder John had a stage that was shot twice. The line was moved 6 yards farther back for the second pass on the same stage. The scenario was the exact same. I seem to recall him saying that the average time ran 5 seconds more. 

It was good. Shooting the exact same scenario from the extra distance was interesting and an efficient way of setting up another stage. 

Another thing that keeps even close up stage is more interesting is separating some of the targets. Trusty Sidekick would set up a couple in a cluster but the sweep included one . . . over there. 

 

 

 

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Well, it's an outgrowth of the speed, speed, speed environment that has made CAS basically IPSC in boots and hats. I don't mean to be negative,  but the game is not "about" fun in the way it once was. It's about speed.

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7 minutes ago, Buck D. Law, SASS #62183 said:

Anyone who thinks the best of our shooters can't compete in the other games. . .is ill informed. 

 

Jesse Duff aka Jasmine Jesse

 

Randi Rogers aka Holy Terror

You bet. Not only that, but I have set up some IDPA stages that I shot and videotaped and then shot them with a pair of single actions and did it faster. I'm trying to get one of the SO's from the IDPA shoot to come shoot Cowboy. I'd love to be able to shoot IDPA using my 2 Vaqueros  rather than reloading an automatic. It's always fun to stir up a speed challenge with a modern-gun shooter. (especially if you give them a chance to shoot your single action. I don't think I'll ever get tired of giving a snarky semi-shooter a single action and then watching them pull the trigger and flinch without having even cocked it. hehe) 

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Meesterpaul. You are not going to see many, if any, 10 round IDPA stages at an actual match. You will have distances of 1 to 25 yards along with moving and partially obscured  targets. Headshots. No shoot targets.

More cowboy shooters probably have experience with non cowboy guns than other action shooting sports participants have with cowboy guns.

Just as far as strictly speaking of the competition aspect of SASS the best thing is that we do use handguns,rifles and shotguns as opposed to just handguns. 

It is very difficult to be a top SASS shooter, shooting and transitioning at top speed even with all targets being big and near or very near.

Many IDPA and USPSA shooters enjoy the challenge of more varied target presentations outside of 3 to 12 yard big targets. It's  difficult to be the best at any action shooting.

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 I shoot the non- Cowboy stuff also. Some IDPA stages go over 12 rounds but not half of them. I don't expect they're going to let me use two guns anyway but I will simulate the IDPA stages on my own with steel. What I'm hoping is that after an IDPA match I can  challenge some of the shooters there to some after-match/side-match against me with the single actions. For example https://pistol-training.com/drills/el-presidente. They say 10 seconds for that!

Besides just being plain fun maybe it will encourage some of them to try cowboy action. The Quinton Mavericks have an entertaining range with fun options to work with like the rolling cart, moving targets, and targets on ziplines. Imagine the disappointment if all I showed them was 5 steel Targets in a row 10 feet away!

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Many of you have convinced me and you are absolutely right,  CAS is no longer any fun because it is all about speed and caters to fast shooters and they are no fun to shoot with anyway.  I have an idea how we can put some fun back into CAS matches and here would be my suggestion for a typical stage..........

 

First things first......  NO more timers, get rid of them - This is all about fun now, who cares how long it will take to complete a stage!  I wrote a sample stage where I think the MAJORITY of shooters will have a blast

 

At the beep, OOPS, sorry, no more timer so it'll just be... "Whenever you like to start, just raise your hand to let us know"

 

From the large toy box in the middle of the stage grab both the life size stuffed straw dummy (Sweet Nell) and the bowling ball size ball and chain and drag them both to position 1 where you will lock the ball and chain to your left ankle then toss Sweet Nell over your shoulder and climb up into the stage coach (watch for splinters) and engage the bad guy targets set at 20 yards (60 feet) with your rifle for 10 rounds then hop off the stage, cut the chain from your ankle with the hack saw hanging from the low hanging tree branch (or shoot the lock with your pistol with a maximum of three shots) then duck down and crawl 17' over to the saloon side door where you will enter the saloon to order a drink, get into a bar brawl then engage the 10 pistol targets set 6' apart and varying distances from from 9' to 26' away in front of the left bar window, a few feet right of the large cactus (not the small cactus) and just beyond the bale of hay.  Head back towards the stage (Don't forget to grab Sweet Nell) but on the way, stop by the bank (the gray building next to the train depot) and pick up the strong box full of gold (30 pounds of sand) then stop by the barber shop for a nice bath in the tub.  You have the option to engage the four shotgun targets (in any order) from either inside the tub using the strong box to steady your aim OR... hop out of the tub (with Sweet Nell) and sit in the barber chair where the barber will play a hand of "Texas hold 'em" with you.  If you win you can shoot the targets in any order, if you lose, you have to engage the shotgun targets 4-2-1-3.

 

So, whatcha think?  The only downside I can see is that the typical stage would be run in just under 5 minutes so a posse of 16 shooting six stages will run nearly 7 hours so a lunch (and possibly dinner) break is surely in order but getting home after dark will be well worth it 'cause we had fun for a change by golly!

 

"Bring back the good ole days" will be our rally cry and we'll bring in new shooters by the droves.

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