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Just my opinion...


McCandless

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I’m going to offend some people now…

 

I have a site that’s geared towards new shooters, or those just thinking about getting into Cowboy Action Shooting.  I’m sort of surprised how often “Chest Beaters” post on there.  You know the type, those who crow about how they only shoot .44 Magnum, another who says he only shoots Buffalo Bore rounds.  (By the way, they are gas-checked and illegal for SASS-use).   There are others who say that shooting .357 is pointless, that the only reason for that is to make light loads… and of course, that is ruining the game for everybody!

 

Then there are those that carp on “modifications”.  You know, it’s the “you can only win with heavily modified trick guns”.  I’m going to throw a flag on that play.  Bull-Crap! 

 

A lot of you know the young man who won End of Trail with guns that had a “toothpaste” action job and factory loaded ammo.  Skill, practice, and experience will win out over minor internal modifications every time.  A fast shooter can take stock guns and finish their entire run before I finish with my first gun, (yes, I have “race guns”).  It’s the craftsman, not the tool.

 

As for caliber, it’s the load not the size.  True story; at EoT 2003 a shooter with .45s was blazing away at some reactive targets.  They just wouldn’t go down.  He was livid and complained loudly that the targets were not set correctly.  The next shooter, a Junior with .32s came to the line and she calmly knocked over everything and cleaned the stage, so much for “.45s trump everything”.

 

Of course, then there are those that say we should only shoot big bore guns, “like the cowboys of the Old West”.  Guess what, calibers back then ran the gamut.  Not everyone shot the caliber of guns issued by the Army.  “Wild Bill” Hickok shot .36 caliber ball.

 

Then there are those who turn their nose up and say that “mouse fart” loads have “ruined the game”.  Please!  One of our top shooters is a blur with .44-40s.  I’ve watched as two shooters took Over-all Top Man and Lady, shooting quite respectable .45 loads, over a field of excellent competition.

 

Why not just play your own game?  Shoot the very best you can, however you like to shoot.  There’s a category for everybody!  Why complain about what the top over-all shooter is doing, if you can’t even shoot at the top of your category?  Have you truly no room for improvement with what you have?  Are you shooting at the very top of your abilities and you can’t improve any further without short-stroking your rifle?

 

There’s a whole lot more I’d like to say… but I’ll shut up now and crawl back under my rock.

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I agree. Someone should tell the "Chest Beaters" that some of us think they are protesting too much. Their attitude makes some of us think they may have issues with their.... I'll let y'all finish that sentence.

 

True story to follow. When I first started shooting, I shot the hottest SG loads known to man/woman. ;) I was once at a match and someone told me, after shooting for the day was done, that they were glad to hear I was there. They heard it from my SG shells.

 

The rest of the story is that it hurt my neck to shoot those loads. I quit using them after an annual match where I'd used them two days in a row. OUCH!  In fact, I couldn't sleep last night because of the neck pain.

 

It may not hurt now and, if they are one of the lucky ones, it may not hurt later. However, if I knew then what I know now, I would not have shot those loads.

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When I head out to a match I tell my wife I am just going out to make a lot of smoke, noise and have fun.

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