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Looking for advice from my wire friends


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This might be a little long. I miss shooting Cowboy, especially black powder or substitute. 

 

I spent three years as range master master for Knob Creek Gun Range. Joyful time, except I only shot one match during that time due to health, just couldn’t serve the club and shoot to.  Many other cowboys stepped up and made my time good. Dutchman Swartz, Creek, Shaddai Vaquero and many others. I hated had to quite, but I had two shoulder replacements, and and hip replacement in two years. I haven’t shot since 2016.  I sold almost all of my high powered rifles for hunting.  The doctor doesn’t want me shooting my 44-40 or 45 cowboy set.  

 

I have osteoporosis and my bones are slowly dying. I have my own range and shoot often. Recently I tried to shoot some cowboy gun black powder substitute and the smoke put me down. COPD is coming hard on top of the really sore shoulder for the past week.

 

When would you make the decision to sell out

 

i have plenty of lower calibers I can still hunt with, plus my extensive 22 collection.  

 

So, after, 6 years of not being able to shoot, when would you make the decision to pass on firearms and powder? 

 

Its painful for for me to sell anything, but I also have a 1951 Chevy Sedan Delivery tHat needs my dedication. Do I pull the trigger, or keep praying I can someday shoot again.  

 

Ill LL always have my cowboy friends. And maybe I need to break out my colt frontiers, colt lighting in 22s and spiff up a 4/10 double

 

what do you think?

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Sell when you are ready...and only what you want to sell...and at the price you want.

 

I haven't shot a match in more than 12 years but I still enjoy the people and I have kept enough guns that I can sit and grin a lot whenever the mood strikes me.....and it strikes me a lot.

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That's hard to answer. I think I'd try your last paragraph. If you can shoot 22's OK. I'm betting your local club won't mind and would love to have you back. As far as Posse chores, they'll likely cover you there as well. Maybe you could work the LT or ULT and just stay away from the smoke. I know you'd be accommodated at my club. Wishing you the best.

 

EH

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At our ages, (I'm 78 and I'll be 79 Christmas Day), there comes a time when we have to acknowledge we ain't kids anymore.

With me, it's arthritis in my hands and my knees, (which need replacing), so I have started to thin the herd at my end.

Gone so far: my Auto-5, the .45-70 RB; the two .45 Colt Open Tops; the .45-70 Trapdoor; my Browning High Power and soon to go, my S&W Highway Patrolman.

It's often hard to see them go to new homes, but better to do it now, when you have a choice. 

Here in Canada, after the legislation passes in the fall, we will no longer be able to legally transfer ownership of any handguns.

When we die, they will get confiscated.

Of course, this only affects LEGAL gun owners. Gangs, drug enforcers etc. are exempt from any regulations.

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2 hours ago, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

... Many other cowboys stepped up and made my time good. Dutchman Swartz, Creek, Shaddai Vaquero and many others.

Whatever you decide, sounds like you have friends who should get first crack.

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Hang on as long as you can, unless you need the funds from selling them off. 

 

In this day of modern medical research, a lot of effort and funding is going into Osteoporosis, which affects over half of aging people to some degree.  You just never know what new things might develop.  The same is true for COPD.  

 

So don't be in a hurry to unload your guns (no puns intended).   

We just cannot predict the future of medicine.  Time is on your side.  Keep the quality in your life as long as you can. 

 

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I have COPD have had it for years, I shoot FCD with Real Black powder, I CAN NOT shoot any of the Fake Black Powders they contain chemicals that make me drop to my knees unable to breath... Real Black doesn't !

Cigarettes cause the same reaction, Pipe and Cigar smoke don't cause near as bad a reaction. I don't know what chemicals are added to Cigarette Tobacco or the fake Black ...

Some ladies Perfume causes a similar reaction...

 

Keep shooting If you can as long as you can ...

 

Jabez Cowboy 

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Triple T, I am sorry to hear all this has happened to you. There, but by the grace of God go I. 

I am 61. I have abused my body all my life through various fun stuff that has taken a toll through crashes, falls, impacts, over exertion, etc.

I can no longer shoot hard hitting or light handguns with hotter loads due to my wrists. I was offered the chance to shoot a Colt Anaconda .44 and an S&W 500 a while back. I declined. Then the guy said “I can tell you want to shoot them.” He was right, but I wouldn’t dare. 
I have wanted a 10mm Glock for some time now. Last month the range that I was a member of finally got in some 10mm range ammo. As a member I got free gun rentals. I was going to finally try the 10mm.

I looked at the weight of the G20. It weighs 29 ounces. The 10mm is comparable to a .357 magnum and can be hotter, but I doubt the range ammo was loaded hot. The thing that surprised me was one of the guys that works there said “Hey Tom, you have funky wrists, right? Be careful with that 10mm. All the recoil is topside and the slide movement is pretty intense.”

That sealed it. I decided not to even bother. It’s the snappy recoil that bothers me. I can handle recoil that comes straight back or recoil that has some rise, but I cannot take “snappy” recoil. +P ammo in a J frame, .380 ammo from an 11 ounce gun, .357 from a 23 ounce gun all hurt like crazy and the pain lasts days. I kept trying to shoot them thinking “Maybe I can get these wrists fixed someday.”

As it turns out they can fixed my wrist pain by surgically fusing the joint of my thumb where it meets the wrist. Then I lose articulation and that might mean that I couldn’t easily cock a hammer. 
As it is I can still shoot my .45 Colts with lighter loads and .357 Magnums in the heavy or longer gripped guns that I have. To accommodate recoil with my New Vaquero I installed an original Vaquero grip frame. With the .357s weight and long grips are my friends. There are workarounds. 
 

I am saying all this to say, only you can decide when it’s time to stop. 
What are the odds that medical science will come up with what you need any time soon?

Is there any reason you can’t trade your big guns for .38s or even .32s?

Would you want to. 
 

In these matters for me I am not sure if it was  ego or OCD that kept me shooting things that I shouldn’t have been. One morning I woke up and decided that I just needed to realize that there are some things that I just cannot do anymore and that was that. 
I don’t look at it as punishment for past transgressions and I no longer regret the actions that led to this crossroads. I have had lots of fun. Regret is one of our most devastating emotions. Wallow in it and you sink.  I did regret all the dumb stuff I did to myself for a while but realized it was just making me bitter. 
 

Besides, at some point I can turn these current guns into cool new guns. They just won’t have the oomph of the older ones, but maybe I will make ‘em flashy. :D

 

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I would keep the .22’s for sure, maybe get some .38’s and go with light loads and smokeless. 

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At our local range we have beginners, senior/senior/senior shooters who love shooting sports and still wish to shoot, and some of the fastest shooters in country. Our range officers are helpful and encouraging, and we all have a good time while keeping everyone safe. Some shoot .22 on occassion.

No one can answer the question when to sell off  your equipment, right now it is hard to find things and it is a sellers market so you may wish to sell off some of it, and enjoying a vintage vehicle is fun. But, if you are asking when should you give up CAS - that is up to you as long as you can shoot safely.

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1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

maybe get some .38’s and go with light loads and smokeless. 

To reduce recoil many shooters go with smokeless CAS light loads of .38 special and 12 gage SG shells that are within SASS power factors.

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If handling and looking at your CAS guns is enjoyable, keep them.  If it makes you sad to handle them, sell.  Be honest with yourself.

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I am very aware of the impending end of trail.
It weighs on me that I don't really have anyone who will appreciate my guns and other very nice things.
This keeps me awake at night, as it is an inescapable problem to which I have yet to find a solution.

I don't shoot BP nor do I have any desire for big recoil guns.
I picked up AA5744 (aka Buffalo Rifle) specifically to download the big kickers.
 

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