Pike County Regulator Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 Hi all. Thinking about getting into CAS — getting too damn old for USPSA, plus I love the history — and have a question. (The first of many I’m sure.) Does anyone use unmatched revolvers? For instance, a SAA strong side and a 3 1/2” Thunderer in a shoulder rig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Dead Ed Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 When I started I shot what I had. Blackhawk and Uberti until I got pairs of the same. you’ll prob’ly get advice on the shoulder holster and the dance to not break the 170 rule when un and re- holstering. From SHB P2 HOLSTERS, CARTRIDGE BELTS, & BANDOLEERS Holsters - All handguns must be carried in a safe holster capable of retaining the firearm throughout a normal range of motion. - Main match holsters must be located one on each side of the belly button and separated by at least the width of two fists at the belt. (Note: Pocket pistol and derringer holsters are not “main match” holsters) - Holsters may not depart from the vertical by more than 30o when worn. - Although cross draw and shoulder holsters are legal, extreme care must be exercised when drawing a firearm from a cross draw or shoulder holster or retuning the firearm to leather. The user must “twist” their body, if necessary, to ensure the muzzle never breaks the 170° safety rule during the process. - When drawing a revolver, the muzzle may be oriented into the straight down (180°) as it clears leather; but must then go immediately into the downrange 170° (and vice versa on the return). These restrictions against breaking the downrange 180° angle apply to all holsters and methods of draw/re-holster. This allowance applies to all types/styles of holsters, from canted double strong side to cross draw, to shoulder/Huckleberry rigs. - During the course of fire, the shooter must be given the ability to draw and holster revolvers from approved/legal holsters and the ability to retrieve and return vertically staged double-barreled shotguns without penalty. - Any firearm that breaks the 170° safety rule will result in a Stage Disqualification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Lots of folks used unmatched sets. However, after a long time playing this game, I can count on less than 5 fingers the number of shoulder rigs. They are very awkward to stay within the 170. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I started with a Uberti 51/2 in bbl in 45 Colt and a Schofield with a 7 inch bbl, also in 45 Colt. Shoulder holsters are a bit awkward, as Doc mentioned. You would be better off with a crossdraw holster. However, if you haven't gone to many shoots you should and ask around about equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Revolvers don’t have to match. Shoot what you have. You can match them up later, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 At the very least, having two revolvers in the same caliber helps keep things simple, but even that is not a requirement. When I started, I had a 4-3/4" Colt in .45 and a replica 58 Remington converted to .38 Short Colt. Of course, now I have 41 main match type pistols. (That's a real danger of this game, your gun collection will grow!) I very seldom shoot a true matched pair. By true matched pair I mean same make, model, barrel length, finish and actions tuned to be as similar as possible. That being said, I almost always shoot pistols in the same caliber, and they tend to be similar to each other, just for the sake of simplicity. That being said, showing up with a Buntline and Sheriff's model for contrast is fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Sure, unmatched revolvers are no problem for many shooters for a host of reasons. I have even seen one shooter using a short barrel 1851 36 caliber paired with a Walker 44 caliber. I would suggest however your unmatched pistols be the same caliber if for no other reason than simplicity. Most shooters will have a matched set set so everything feels the same and sights the same, et cetera et cetera. Shoot what you have and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I use a 7 1/2" Colt and a 4 3/4" Colt as shown. I keep everything the same caliber but that was because I was already loading .45 Colt for some 20 years before getting into CAS. If I had different calibers I still would have used them, since we don't do sustained shooting where we are reloading on the clock, which is the only scenario that could realistically get you into a bind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafe Conager SASS #56958 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I started with a 7 1/2" uberti and a uberti Schofield. After a few years I finally got a 2nd 7 1/2 pistol, more because I wanted to move to black powder and could not find a way to get my Schofield to work with black. I now have 6 sets of matching pistols. Still pull the Schofield out every now and then when I feel like shooting that fad powder. Shoot what you have! Rafe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Since others have posted pics.... As I said above, I like to keep both pistols in the same caliber, but other than that, it's what suits my fancy on any particular day. Let's say that at my next shoot, I wanted to shoot .45's. Well, this is what I'd choose from. ("Real" pistols are pointed to the right. Replicas are pointed to the left.) If I wanted to shoot an SAA... If I wanted to shoot something different... And those are just the 45's. I could shoot other calibers if the fancy struck me. The main thing is to have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I have two salt&pepper sets: one stainless shiny pistola and one blued gun. #1 I think that if I lived in the 1880s I would have had a working gun and a go-to-town gun. #2 I have never had a pair that felt or shot the same. Having them look different just helps keep the separate. My stainless .45 OMV and blued Ruger .32 birdshead are much more accurate than their mates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunger Dan Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Matching is something women do with their purse and shoes.....unmatched is where the fun is! More different toys to play with that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 When the local clubs starting allowing .22's due to ammo/component shortages, I decided to go for the record. 18" Uberti .45 Buntline and a Freedom Arms .22 mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pee Wee #15785 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I started the game a long time ago using a TEXAS LONGHORN ARMS .44 WCF/.44 Mag and a ASM 1st model Scholfield in .45 Colt. Still have both guns one is junk the other one is going strong. Shoot what you own, same caliber is easier. When I started you could use a shoulder holster then it was ruled to not allow and now you can again. A true shoulder holster is hard to draw from. If you are talking a Doc Holiday type it is like having a very high cross draw belt holster . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashknife Cowboy Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 For the first few years I had a 3 1/2 inch Vaquero and a 5 1/2 in Vaquero. As long as I shot with two hands there wasn't a problem, then I switched to shooting duelist style and found it better to have revolvers that matched in weight. Create your own style, try to shoot the same caliber and just have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I started with Super Blackhawk .44 Mag 7 1/2" and .45 Blackhawk 5 1/2", because that's what I had. Kept me alert at the loading table! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tall Tale Todd Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I shoot exactly the combination in the OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 i have two of each - matched and mismatched i switch around , i started with a mismatched and shot them a long time before getting the first matched set , ive shot only 45 colt up until about three years ago when i launched into 38s , its not a big deal to me to shoot mismatched revolvers but messing with mismatched calibers would be a PITA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Bill Burt Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 My Navies aren't matched in the sense that they have different finishes and one is steel framed whereas the other is brass framed. However they have the same caliber, barrel length, and they were both slicked up by the same Smith. Close your eyes and you can't tell the difference, which is all that matters to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Freedom Arms .22 mini. Isn't that just a 5 shot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 21 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said: When the local clubs starting allowing .22's due to ammo/component shortages, I decided to go for the record. 18" Uberti .45 Buntline and a Freedom Arms .22 mini. Isn't the FA just a 5 shot? When I want to be really different, I use these... Specifically, the two nickel guns are both in .44 Special. (Or .44-40 if I swap out the cylinders) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 10 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: Freedom Arms .22 mini. Isn't that just a 5 shot? Yep - five is all ya need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"Big Boston" Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 If your goal is to be competitive, matched may help. I'm in it for the hobby, the history, the friends, and the fun. I like to experience as many calibers and guns as i can afford. Buying a matching set of each doesn't make much sense to me. In the real west, if cowboys had more than one gun, they usually didn't match. I like the movie True Grit, Rooster had a pair of Navy sixes as backup. Arthritis got to my left thumb and shooting squaw grip became an issue. I'd never shot with my left hand, but what the hay, never too old to learn. But what felt good in my right hand felt awkward in my left. So I delegated my Vaqueros for my right hand, and would just use a New Vaquero for my left. I removed the SBH hammers as well and put the originals back in. Then I narrowed the grips and learned how to shoot them southpaw. For the most part I use 38s for the south, and either a 44-40, 45 LC or a 44 Mag in the north. The only exception is a newly purchased Taylors Smoke Wagon in 44-40 for the south. It is small and feels like it belongs. As far as skills, a good cowboy should be able to grab any gun off the dirt and shoot it well. Again, I think of Quigley, in an early scene he tells Marston that he doesn't have much use for a Colt Army, but in the shootout he outdraws and kills two adversaries outright and mortally wounds Marston. Marstons dying words are; I thought you didn't know how to use a 1860 Army, to which Quigley replies, I said I didn't like them, I never said I didn't know how to use one. As stated above, dance with the lady you came with and have fun. I started with as many borrowed guns as I owned. I have all the guns I need now, but I still want an open top Colt conversion and a Schofield, and perhaps a 1858 conversion. Unfortunately the trail boss says i have to sell one before I buy something else, I work for a pretty strict outfit. In my heaven, I spend my evenings in a bunk house, cleaning my guns and loading ammo for the next day. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 One other thing that has not been mentioned yet. How do you plan to shoot? Do you plan to shoot one pistol right handed and the other left handed, or do you plan to shoot them both the same way? Over the years, I have noticed that people who shoot "double duelist" or gunfighter seem to have less of an issue with the guns matching than those who shoot everything with the same hand. Or at least that's the impression I get from reading comments here on the wire. For the record, I shoot double duelist, and don't worry about the guns being matched. Duelist, is a category. Double Duelist is not considered a category, just a style. With Duelist, you shoot one handed. Most Duelists shoot both pistols right handed or left handed according to their preference. A "Double Duelist" will shoot one gun right handed and the other left handed. Gunfighters are allowed to draw both guns at the same time, so they have to shoot one in one hand and one in the other. Most two handed shooters I've seen tend to shoot both guns right handed. I've seen a couple of left handed people do the two handed grip, but curiously, I've not seen many ambidextrous two handed shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/11/2022 at 4:44 PM, "Big Boston" said: If your goal is to be competitive, matched may help. I'm in it for the hobby, the history, the friends, and the fun. I like to experience as many calibers and guns as i can afford... I started thinking about this topic again as I was looking over my records from last year. My current "main match" pair is a 4 3/4" '51 conversion and a 5 1/2" '61 Type 2 conversion. They feel the same in the hands though the '61 is heavier. I shot that pair in 21 matches last year. But I also shot 11 other pistols in matches. A pair of 7 1/2" Model P .45's, one Pre-War antique finish, one charcoal blue Cavalry model (almost a match). A pair of 1st gen Colts, 7 1/2" .45 and 4 3/4" .32-20. A pair of 44 Special Colts, one 4 3/4" and one 5 1/2". An NRA Centennial .45 Colt with a '60 Conversion (not matched at all), a pair of 7 1/2" '51 conversions (yes, totally matched!). Plus one of those '51's with a '61 Kirst conversion. I switch out leather rigs a lot depending on barrel length and guns. The '61's don't fit in the same holsters as all the others. I am (very) slowly getting faster, but I get too much fun out of playing enjoying different guns. My engraved conversions have been "retired" for a few years due to triggers getting too light, but they are at a gunsmith getting that fixed, so they will come back into rotation as another truly matched pair. It's all fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Howdy I have been doing this for a long time and have always had mismatched revolvers. Most often I shoot this pair of 2nd Gen Colts. The one with the 7 1/2" barrel rides in a cross draw holster on my left, the one with the 4 3/4" barrel rides in a straight draw holster on my right. I learned a long time ago that it is difficult to draw a long barreled revolver from a straight draw holster without getting my elbow tangled in my arm pit, so the long barreled one rides in the cross draw on my left. Ixnay on the shoulder holster, I can't recall seeing one for many years. Difficult to draw and return to leather without sweeping somebody. I have other revolvers I bring to matches on occasion, but most of them are mismatched too. The only pair I have that are identical is this pair of antique S&W New Model Number Threes. One is blued and one is nickel plated, otherwise they are the same. Both are chambered for 44 Russian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Here's another variant I like to pull out from time to time. Specifically when I like shooting .32-20. The top is a 3rd Generation. It used to get paired all the time with the bottom antique 1st Gen that started life as a .44-40 but was converted mith a modern cylinder and barrel. But, the middle gun, a non antique 1st Gen Bisley is my most recent acquisition in this caliber. The price was right, so I grabbed it. I have only held a Bisley once before, (thanks Driftwood) and found it to be awkward. But as I said, the price on this one was too good to pass up. When I actually tried it at a shoot, it worked just fine for me. I think in the "heat of competition" that I didn't have time to dwell on it being not the same. In other words, mix and match to your heart's content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I got my first pair of matching Revolvers after 14 years in the Game, now I have two pairs .. But I still shoot non matching guns on occasion ... Buck and Boom are a pair of Navy Gripped Open-Tops in .44 spl. and see the most use ... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 I like to shoot the unofficial Josey Wales category, where I substitute two more pistols for the rifle targets, and a fifth pistol for the SG targets. I find that for me having the rifle/pistols different from the pistol/pistols and the fifth pistol different than the other two pairs is an aid. It cost me a Stage DQ at a state level match when I got confused and then put one down still cocked. Yeah, I did that. It is funnier now. Imis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe LaFives #5481 Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 On 1/6/2022 at 5:59 PM, Pike County Regulator said: Hi all. Thinking about getting into CAS — getting too damn old for USPSA, plus I love the history — and have a question. (The first of many I’m sure.) Does anyone use unmatched revolvers? For instance, a SAA strong side and a 3 1/2” Thunderer in a shoulder rig? I ran a 7 1/2 on the strong side and a 4 3/4 in a crossdraw for several years when I got started just because I thought that if I lived in that time frame(therefore fit the fantasy concept), I'd want the versatility. But moved to pairs around 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapshot Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 I got a pair of matching 4 3/4 stainless 45 Vaquero's thanks to a former SASS shooter that had to stop shooting. I now have a Remington 1858 with a conversion cylinder and plan on using it some with one of the Vaquero's. Eventually I'll get another Remington to match the first I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderRiverCowboy Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Dont get caught up in the matched showboat game to many in this get in it and have to show off . Not the intent of what it started out as , but always ends that way . Heck my first pistols where a Vaquero and a Hy-Hunter so do what fits your budget and have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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