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How important is it to have matching pistols


Sam Masterson SASS#40954

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On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 2:47 PM, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

There's a lot of yadayadayada here... But the simple fact is that if you want to perform your best, match the revolvers.

 

If you don't care about performing at your best, do whatever you want.

 

Phantom

Hard to disagree with that IMO. I had a cross draw birds head 4.5 inch and a strong side 7.5 inch when I started and it not only effected the way I transitioned the targets but the grips weren't consistent which caused other issues. If you are doing something to the edge of your capabilities changes probably aren't your friend. I you have some extra time to play with it's no big deal. 

 

I had to borrow a rifle at a shoot once and it was a 20 inch full octagon gun (mine is a 18 1/2 Oct to round) and it really slowed me down as the swing was different across the targets...…….I think it depends on your goals. 

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Back in the day I used a 5 1/2 OMV and a 3 1/2 OMV bird head, .45.  It worked well for me as long as I shot 2 handed.  When I started shooting dualist it was easier to shoot pistols of identical weight and balance.  Thus the NMV era began with 5 1/2 bbl’s.  It just feels better.  So I shoot a right and left handed, cordless  model NMV’s or SAA’s.  Hope that helps.....

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I'm not a top shooter, but I do like to beat my times from the last match.  I'm much better with pistols that are the same.  Some guns are close enough, but there is still a psychological difference to me that can sort of mess with my head.  My brain ain't good at adapting.

 

 

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15 hours ago, Red Eye Jim said:

Yadda yadda some other stuff.....

 

Pedantic answer:

We don't shoot with pistols, we shoot with revolvers. (tongue firmly planted in cheek)

 

Yadda yadda some other stuff

 

Well there ya go, had to go and use one of them there 10 dollar words......Pedantic.   I consider meownself to be fairly well edumifikated but doggone if I didn't hafta google that high dollar word. It just goes ta show that you kin larn sumpthin everday.

 

Kajun

 

Pedantic means "like a pedant," someone who's too concerned with literal accuracy or formality. It's a negative term that implies someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a tiresome way.

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1 hour ago, Joke 'um said:

Does your rifle match your shotgun?  The brain adapts.

Now, those Gunfighter showoffs who shoot two guns simulquentially might experience a slight reduction in mental aquity.

I'ma hafta write that one down.....I like that word.  Kinda goes well with one of my old standby "automagically." :D

 

Kajun

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I think it is all about practice.  Once you have a set of gun you have a set to practice with and over time you will get as fast with those guns as you can get.  I have a matched pair I shoot all the time as a gunfighter and then I have an oddball pair of a plow handle and a birdshead that I shoot every once and a while.  I use the birdshead in the crossdraw holster because I like the way my hand lands  on the grip (and the way it looks, ha).  I am way faster with my GF guns but in my opinion because I practice with them 100x more than I do with the mismatched pair.

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3 hours ago, Joke 'um said:

Does your rifle match your shotgun?  The brain adapts.

Now, those Gunfighter showoffs who shoot two guns simulquentially might experience a slight reduction in mental aquity.

 

Nope.  It helps me for the guns to be slightly different so I don't accidentally put them in the wrong holsters.  On one pair I use, one gun has a regular hammer, the other is lowered.  The lowered one always goes in the right holster.  For my other set of pistols, one is older and the SN starts with R, so that naturally goes in the left holster.  My martial arts training taught me that when I used paired weapons to always try to put the heavier one in the strong hand.  Sometimes the weight of the hammer spring is more important than the actual weight of the gun. 

 

 

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like the first response said - lots of different answers and opinions but all are saying the same , its fine to mismatch-do what makes you happy , but to maximize performance matching helps , 

 

having said that - i started out on a shoestring budget and bought the best buys i could find , nothing matched but my leather rig ,  ive gone through a lot and enjoyed most everything along the way most of the time , i now have a matched set and two of my previous mismatches [the ones i liked best] as backups  , and two different rigs , one double strong and one with crossdraw it gives me options , 

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When I started I bought a pair of new vaqueros a guy was selling - one had a 5 1/2" barrel and the other had a 4.6" barrel.  I always used the longer barrel gun in my right hand.  When I switched from shooting traditional to double duelist, I found I was both faster and more accurate with my left hand, even though I'm right handed.  I thought that was strange and didn't realize that the balance of that longer gun  just wasn't right for me until I replaced it with a 4.6" one.  Now I'm shooting with matched guns and it seems to me that I'm now shooting just as well with my right hand as I am with my left.

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21 hours ago, Joke 'um said:

Does your rifle match your shotgun?  The brain adapts.

Now, those Gunfighter showoffs who shoot two guns simulquentially might experience a slight reduction in mental aquity.

No but try shooting a different rifle or shotgun every stage and get back with us...……...lol. Not the same at all comparing those IMO. 

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3 hours ago, Cowboy Junky said:

No but try shooting a different rifle or shotgun every stage and get back with us...……...lol. Not the same at all comparing those IMO. 

 

That sounds like fun as long as 9 people will let me borrow theirs.  I like shootin lotsa different guns, especially when I don't have to clean them after. My only concern is that as slow as I am, an experiment like that is bound to make me faster and I don't wanna go too fast or I won't get my money's worth from the match fees. 

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To come back to my own thread (finally right?)

 

I picked up USPSA because its good to practice under pressure and if done right can be acceptable defensive shooting practice. I shoot it with a G19 that won't be winning nationals but I am decent shooter working on what I want.

 

One of the fun things of Cowboy I expect for it to be is pure fun and getting my son into it. So while I am not going to worry about being that speed demon, finishing in the top 50% is always a good goal. Also since I don't think I'll be carrying a single action as a CCW, developing that muscle memory is not as important as on the plastic fantastic.

 

Safety is a bit of an aspect too since different grips and barrel lengths affect how you shoot the gun combined witha cross draw is a whole new set of skills to pick up and I never want to be unsafe.

 

 

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I prefer the same pistols, if I ever went with a bird's head, which I don't care for, I'd have two!

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Doc Holiday shot two different pistols and Josey Wales carried three different pistols - Rooster Cogburn spun a rifle around in one hand with a pistol in the other while riding a horse - and he still shot Ned Pepper dead dead dead....  matching guns aren't the answer to everything unless you are a high level competitor. 

 

I started off with a birdshead grip in a cross draw holster and a standard grip in my strong side holster.  I saw no noticeable difference in my ability to engage targets in a timely manner - the difference in grip had no impact on my ability to finish in upper 80% 

 

I have since bought another pistol - I have two identical pistols and my times have skyrocketed to the point that I am now finishing in the lower 80% of all competitors. 

I bought that birdshead grip revolver because an actor pretending to be Doc Holiday in a movie carried one. 

 

New to CAS doesn't mean new to shooting so consider this - Matt Black and Holy Terror are the overall 2018 world Champions.  If you made them both shoot a match using two different pistols, I bet they would still finish as far ahead of most shooters as they would if they were shooting a matched set.   Jerry Miculek could probably pick up a cheap Norinco 1911 clone and out-shoot most people even if they were shooting a 5,000 dollar custom pistol, but you wont see him shooting that Noricno in a match if that match is attached to a paycheck - he'll shoot his race gun.

 

When you are tenths or even hundredths of a second out of first place - grip angle might be what costs you the match.  If shaving 5 seconds off of your stage time still isn't going to put you in the top 5 - different grip angles aren't going to get you into the top 5 either.

 

Shoot what you like - shoot them as fast as you can without shooting off your own (or someone elses) pinky toe.

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3 minutes ago, Chuck Steak said:

Doc Holiday shot two different pistols and Josey Wales carried three different pistols - Rooster Cogburn spun a rifle around in one hand with a pistol in the other while riding a horse - and he still shot Ned Pepper dead dead dead....  matching guns aren't the answer to everything unless you are a high level competitor. 

 

I started off with a birdshead grip in a cross draw holster and a standard grip in my strong side holster.  I saw no noticeable difference in my ability to engage targets in a timely manner - the difference in grip had no impact on my ability to finish in upper 80% 

 

I have since bought another pistol - I have two identical pistols and my times have skyrocketed to the point that I am now finishing in the lower 80% of all competitors. 

I bought that birdshead grip revolver because an actor pretending to be Doc Holiday in a movie carried one. 

 

New to CAS doesn't mean new to shooting so consider this - Matt Black and Holy Terror are the overall 2018 world Champions.  If you made them both shoot a match using two different pistols, I bet they would still finish as far ahead of most shooters as they would if they were shooting a matched set.   Jerry Miculek could probably pick up a cheap Norinco 1911 clone and out-shoot most people even if they were shooting a 5,000 dollar custom pistol, but you wont see him shooting that Noricno in a match if that match is attached to a paycheck - he'll shoot his race gun.

 

When you are tenths or even hundredths of a second out of first place - grip angle might be what costs you the match.  If shaving 5 seconds off of your stage time still isn't going to put you in the top 5 - different grip angles aren't going to get you into the top 5 either.

 

Shoot what you like - shoot them as fast as you can without shooting off your own (or someone elses) pinky toe.

I hate to break this to you, but Josey Wales and Rooster Cogburn are fictional characters, what they did onscreen has nothing to do with what can be done during a match. The fact that top shooters would still be top shooters even with mismatched revolvers doesn't address the OP's question.

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I have several matched pairs of pistols.  But don't always shoot a matched set.  Last August we shot with the Gateway cowboys and I used a Uberti Cattleman 45Colt 5.5 barrel in my left hand and a Cimarron Pietta Eleminator 8 45Colt 4.75 in my right hand. The Eliminator had 60 Army size grips, low hammer and short stroke.  At my skill and speed I didn't notice the difference when shooting. 

 

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You do see my point then  - CAS is not real either -  hence the costume requirements.

I think my response directly addresses the OP's questions: 

 

Is there any great disadvantage to having different pistols?

I started off with a birdshead grip in a cross draw holster and a standard grip in my strong side holster.  I saw no noticeable difference in my ability to engage targets in a timely manner

 

I am not worried about winning nationals or being the top shot at local matches. Its the same as USPSA, I am a C-class shooter and will never make GM because I don't have the time or motivation to make GM.  

New to CAS doesn't mean new to shooting - (the OP knows full well how to behave at a match so the concerns with speed and ranking)

 

I love the look of the pistols James Garner has in Maverick(the new one) and heck we do this game for fun so having a look is a want also.

Maverick is from the same realm as Josey and Rooster - I like the birdshead pistol that Doc carried in Tombstone, 

 

So any downsides to not having matching pistols?

When you are tenths or even hundredths of a second out of first place - grip angle might be what costs you the match.  If shaving 5 seconds off of your stage time still isn't going to put you in the top 5 - different grip angles aren't going to get you into the top 5 either.

 

 

Have fun - shoot what you like - shoot what you like as fast as you can - be safe while doing it - don't let anyone tell you that "your" preference is wrong.

As long as matching pistols isn't in the rules and the goal isn't taking first place - matching pistols don't matter

 

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If'n you  think  it would  be  funner, then  do  it . 

 

If'n you  change  your  mind  later ,  then  do  that . 

 

 

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Well if you have non matching guns your feet will itch, you bowels will lock up and folks will laugh at you behind your back. If the Governing body of the local PTA gets wind of it, they will put your name down in the "BOOK". Of course do what ever you want, but since you ask, I thought that I would just give you the facts of the matter.

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5 hours ago, Cowboy Junky said:

But one guy that did it for "real" not for Hollywood was Wild Bill and he carried a pair of Navy 36's. 

Yeah.  And look what happened.

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On 2/22/2019 at 8:03 AM, Cowboy Junky said:

But one guy that did it for "real" not for Hollywood was Wild Bill and he carried a pair of Navy 36's. 

Ya'll beat me to it!! + 1000000;)

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3 hours ago, Cowboy Junky said:

Shot from behind? Kinda' proves the point that not many people wanted face him. 

Sounds like damned good judgement, to me.

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