Follow-Up

[DanThePanMan]

Newbie again. I was honestly astounded not only with the wealth of information you were all kind enough to share with me, but also just being so immediately welcomed into your midst. I haven’t felt that welcome anywhere since that time I was the only one to bring booze to a superbowl party. But I digress. I was able to contact one of the local groups in my area, and was invited to show up as a guest to spectate for a couple months while I get familiar with the atmosphere, meet everyone, and pick their brains about why they prefer what they do. Currently though I’m primarily interested in getting a pair of Ruger Vaqueros in .357Mag/.38Sp, a Henry Big Boy also in .357Mag/.38Sp, and a 12 gauge Stoeger side-by-side. Honestly I’m primarily interested in .357/.38 because my favorite CC revolver is a .38 snubby, and my hog gun is a 6” .357Mag S&W. I am already aware that neither of those are acceptable to compete with, I just meant that I already have plenty of ammo. I do plan on researching further, but I’m currently very interested in this group and would love to become involved.

One other quick little side-bar though. Since the Marine Corps NCO sword was adopted in 1859, would it be out of line to wear mine with my costume?

[Tyrel Cody]

Please go to those matches before you buy any firearms, especially the rifle.

 

Also realize that ammo must be lead, so what you have may not work.

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

You'd be GTG with the blade.

Rugers are a very good choice!

Hold off on the Henry till you fire one-I like Marlin's, as they are the KISS of lever rifles.

You can only use all lead bullets in SASS.

OLG

[Hoss]

Welcome to the fun! Go to some matches.  I’ll eat my hat if some cowboys there don’t have  you shooting  a stage or 2. Or the whole match!  And if they offer use of guns, do t be shy about trying them out. I shot my first 3-4 matches with borrowed shotgun and rifle. 

 

You won’t go wrong with Ruger Vaqueros and a Stoger. However, the Henry Big Boy just is not a very good rifle for our game. They are fine rifles for hunting or plinking, but will never run as well as a 73, 66, Marlin or even a 92. And no matter what you think now, you gonna want to go fast! 

 

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

You may find that sword gets in the way while shooting, however, it would probably make a great addition to an outfit that you can wear to the banquet!

[J-BAR #18287]

Ruger .357s:  good choice.

 

Stoeger double:  probably good if tuned properly by one of the respected CAS gunsmiths.  Consider other options like SKB or BSS.  Yes, costs more.  For good reason.

 

Henry big boy:  No.  If cost is a serious issue, look for a used ‘66 or a ‘92.

 

Welcome to the madness.  

[Sarge]

You'll be very much at home with .38/357.  But as many have said, try guns.  Stay away from the Henry's.  I've only seen a couple of people shoot them and both of them broke them.  We have one shooter at our club who sent his back twice, and finally gave up on it.

[Red Eye Jim]

Dan,

 

When I started in this sport almost 2 years ago now, That is exactly how I started.  I think, however, you're going to find that the Henry Big Boy is only okay for this sport.  Hell, I still use mine, but now it is only my Long Range (Pistol Caliber) Side match gun.  It's a pain in the ass to load and if you've got a stage with a +1 load, you've got to fiddle with the open ejection port to get it in there.  It didn't take me long before I started to try and cycle that rifle faster than it can handle and it will force you to slow down.

If can find it, and afford it and want new, my recommendation would be the "new" Winchester 1873 Carbine.  While it is about $300 more (MSRP) than the Henry, it's just as good out of the box as the Henry, and in my opinion is better for our sport.

 

Full disclosure: I am a left handed shooter so the top eject for the '73 is a plus for me.

 

Note that these new Winchesters are actually manufactured in Japan at the Moruku(sp?) facility so you'll see them refrenced here as Moruku '73s when comparing them to Uberti or other brands.  Another plus is that the stroke on the .357 model is already slightly shorter or "short stroked" which is why it is banned by NCOWS events as not being period correct despite still being a Winchester brand Model 1873.

 

My '73 is much lighter and faster than my Henry.  I liked it so much I got one in .45 colt last June when I noticed it on sale at my local Sportsman's.  THat one, however, is a short rifle and not the carbine.

 

[Fast Enuff]

Instead of the Henry, if you have your heart set on a brass frame the 1866 in 38 special is what you are after.  There are all sorts of long discussions on technical differences between the 1873 and 1866 for competition but the short answer is the aftermarket parts and gunsmithing available for the Uberti 1866 can take the gun as far as you want to go competitively.  Many of the aftermarket parts are the same for both, and most of the ones that aren't are available in both versions.

 

Jed I Knight, Cobra Cat and my own dad Kansan are some varied examples of shooters who use the 1866.

 

But as everyone has already told you, please listen to us, go to a match or two and ask questions BEFORE you buy guns or leather!  Every new shooter is told the same thing.  Some listen, some don't.  Many of the ones who don't end up buying the wrong guns or gear the first time.   We want you to enjoy your first year of shooting, so get out there to a couple of matches at your local SASS clubs first... and welcome to the fun.

[Anvil Al #59168]

Welcome.

 

Rethink that HBB. That brass look won't mean much when you are fighting with it on the line.

[Old Man Graybeard]

I had a big boy in 45. Shot it two matches and got rid of it. I am left handed. That right hand ejection port gave me a blast of smoke in the eyes every shot