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Advice from a new shooter


Tyrel Cody

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I found this on Facebook from a new shooter, sorry don't know his alias:

 

 

New shooter advice...from a new shooter. I’m not normally a Facebook poster, so bear with me. 



I’m 3 months into the sport, I’ve shot 6 or 7 matches now and thought other new shooters might appreciate the perspective of a fellow newbie. 

 

How to get started - go and watch, be friendly, respectful and ask questions. Go with a friend or by yourself, but just go watch. It took just once for me, watched 2 stages and I was hooked. 

Everybody wants to know about what guns to buy - this is where I made my first mistake. After watching a bit of that first match I went off and started spending money...it turned out ok but I shouldn’t have done that. I’ve already sold the revolvers, shotgun and holsters for something different...and there’s a pretty good chance the rifle is next! I didn’t believe people when they said I could just show up and borrow guns, plus I felt guilty/awkward asking. 

 

If I could go back and give myself a little advice it would be - buy a few boxes of 12ga shotgun shells (preferably light loads) and a few hundred loaded .38s from a reputable cowboy ammo vendor like Vendor* People are likely to offer you their ammo as they don’t know you yet and don’t want you blowing up their guns with poorly loaded ammo, but if you have good trustworthy ammo, that would help. I’d start with 38s because that seems to be most popular and give you the best chance of having the right ammo for the guns you borrow. But at your first match ask about what caliber most people shoot in case it’s different in your area. Bring ammo and borrow guns (and leather) for several matches and see what you like. 

 

While you are borrowing guns I recommend a few things - forget competition!  Just shoot smoothly, work the guns smoothly, set them down rather than drop them...try to shoot the match clean. You’re not there to win, you’re there to learn and to earn trust. As people see you are safe, respectful and interested, they will go a long way to try and help you out. If you want to know something...ask someone. After a while, you’ll know what to do and what to buy. Now get out there and HAVE FUN!

 

If I could go back and follow those last two paragraphs I'd have save a lot of money and frustration.

 

* Vendor omitted in order to not show any favoritism.

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33 minutes ago, Tyrel Cody said:

 

I found this on Facebook from a new shooter, sorry don't know his alias:

 

Boo Goodyear, Greenville, SC.  I've shot with him several of the matches he mentioned and met him before he shot. He came to each match with an enthusiastic attitude, eye and ear protection and a willingness and openness to participate as allowed...(he also took instruction/constructive criticism with dignity.) He didn't shy away from helping and when folks needed relief for any job (except TO) he volunteered. Sometimes I feel like we treat new shooters like guests and don't "let/encourage" them to do a posse job... And, as a result, they aren't used to working ... Which backfires on everyone.  We need new shooters - it makes and keeps the game fun. We need to expect more from them - and they ought to expect more from us, too!

 

Big hugs!

Scarlett

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3 minutes ago, Hoosh said:

Yep, that was me. I’m even thinking about changing my alias, so I basically got nothing right :)...but seriously, just go give it a try!

 

Welcome to the best game there is!

 

I'm glad that you got started off well and thanks for sharing!

 

 

 

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That was some good advise.  The only thing that I haven't changed since I started shooting is the caliber.   All of my equipment has evolved over the years into the finely tuned shooting machine that I am today.  OK, maybe that's a little too optimistic.  It's more like a work in progress.  Welcome to the game.

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He's a great guy and new to SASS. He has shot other disciplines and is an accomplished shooter and he really fell for the sport as many of us have. He's trying to help bring in new shooters and I applaud him for that. I wish we had 20 more like him! 

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Thanks for sharing this Mr. Tyrel. I watched three matches , asked three hundred questions and spent three hundred hours on the Wire before I bought the first thing. I started with a Codymatic 73, a pair of new model Rugers, all in 357 , a Stoeger coach gun and bought a used rig from one of the Cowboy shooters I met. Still have everything except the Stoeger.

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On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 6:19 PM, Warden Callaway said:

I don't see a problem buying the wrong guns or equipment.  According to a lot of folks,  I have multiple sets of wrong guns. :rolleyes:

Lol.....you might have even done that on purpose...….

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On 2/11/2019 at 3:19 PM, Warden Callaway said:

I don't see a problem buying the wrong guns or equipment.  According to a lot of folks,  I have multiple sets of wrong guns. :rolleyes:

I don't see the problem either.  I started with a Winchester M94 Trails End in 45 Colt with the big loop.  Still have it, shoot it on JW's birthday and night shoots.  While not fast, it is 100% reliable.

 

My SG was a 1889 Remington with fluid steel barrels.  Still have it, still shoot it (BP only).  Original Vaqueros in 45 Colt.  

 

My go to rifle now is a Chaparral '73 in 38WCF.  The revolvers are '51 Navies in .36 with 4 5/8" barrels and Manhattan mods.  TTN shotgun.

 

I guess I don't have any of the right guns either :o

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Just to be clear, I didn’t intend to criticize others for their gun choices in my original “advice” post. I am quite certain that the common new shooter question “which gun(s) should I get?” Can only be answered by that shooter and only that shooter has to live with the decisions they make. I only wanted to encourage others like me (who wanted to try CAS for years) to get past some of the obstacles they/we put in our own way and just get out there and posse up!

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No one took it as criticism. Sometimes we just gotta have something and later on we ask ourselves "why in the heck did I buy that?". Then we sell (or not) and move on. Yes, I'm guilty of buying cool looking as opposed to what works best for me. Learnin' all the time... and collectin' <_< hehe

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No offense taken at all.  The main thing is to get out and enjoy the sport with whatever gear you find that works for YOU.  There really isn't a right or wrong way to do it IMO.  

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Good advice!  While sort of on this topic, can anybody recommend factory available ammo that is SASS legal and will cycle reliably in a lever action?   I personally load all my own ammo, but a number of friends have asked me this question and I don't really have a good answer.  Low recoil shotshells are not too hard to find but most of the cheaper 38 ammo I see is either jacketed (not legal) or with a WC/SWC nose profile which is fine for revolvers but jams up a lever action.

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I shot my first 1/3 of my first match in November of 2012 with a Henry Big Boy. Then, the Arizona Ranger loaned me a '73 so I could finish the match. The Henry Big Boy has been in the safe ever since. Beautiful gun, but not for SASS.

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