How important is a "matched pair?"

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

 

Much has been said here on the wire of the benefits of shooting a matched pair of pistols.  But how essential is it, really?  Sure, a pair of Colt SAA's with 4-3/4" barrels, nickel finish and two piece hard rubber grips are for all intents and purposes, identical.   A Colt Walker and a Russian Nagant are about as radically different from each other as can be.

But there is a wider range in between those two extremes.  A Colt Buntline and a Sheriff's model have radically different barrel lengths, but identical grips.  One SSA with a 5.5" barrel and another with a 4.75" tube are so close that it probably makes no practical difference.  Then there are  whole host of pistols that you could say are "similar but noticeably different."  The first think I think of is a Remington 58 and a Remington 75.  And so on an so forth.

And then there is the question of how you shoot.   If you shoot both pistols with the same hand, I can see how having to two that are very different could be confusing, but not so much so if you shoot double duelist style, or even two handed but one with the right, and one with the left as the primary hand.  

While I normally shoot a pair of pistols that are similar to each other, I've never worried about them being identical, and I've found that shooting two pistols that are radically different does not hinder me.   I shoot double duelist style, and am at best, a bottom third shooter, but I do have fun.  

What do others think?   Is this a super important thing, or does it not matter all that much?  Or are are their too many factors and we are just left with, it matters for some and not for others?

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

For me, very important. 

[Rip Snorter]

I have always shot pairs for SASS, but often thought it would be fun to have a Colt or Clone in one holster and a S&W American or Schofield in the other.

[El Catorce]

Its only as important as you want it to be to have the type of fun that you are chasing down in this game we all love for as many different reasons as there are shooters. 

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy Pistoleers,

 

I have a couple of matched pairs: USFA and Schofields). However, I frequently pair a .45 dragoon conversion with a .38 open top. Or a (different) Schofield with a NMA .45 conversion. For important shoots I routinely go for the matched pairs (both pairs are my most accurate). Mostly I don't really notice the difference in grip frames. To be honest, my times could be measured with a sun dial, but I have fun (mostly).

 

Rev. Chase 

[Dark Horse Charlie]

Not at all for me. I started out with 2 US Patents, with different barrels. Than moved to both 5.5 barrels. But now I enjoy mixing it up. I'll always have 1 of the original 5.5 USFA but switch from a 1875 outlaw to an 1858 w conversion cylinder and now I am working on an 1860 with a conversion cylinder.

 

But that's just me. I'm here to have fun and play cowboy. It's nice to see quicker times but that's not why I do this.

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

For a time I shot a 51 navy converted to .38 spl and a 58 Remington also converted to .38. Never had a problem,but I never was a fast shooter either.

[Itchy Trigger]

I would recommend shooting the same gun with the same hand, but other than that the main thing is to have fun! If you want to do it, do it.

 

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

For me, matching pistols is important. Mostly because even 3/4” in barrel length is something that I can “feel” and while it is probably insignificant to some, in overall terms of use it does affect the balance of the guns to me. I most notice the difference when holstering, especially on the move.  In fact that 3/4” length also has an affect on my misses as when I started I used 4 3/4”  and ended up trading them for 5 1/2” barrels and the misses (mostly) went away. Probably because of bad eyesight but that slightly longer sight radius brings things together better for me. 
YMMV

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[Captain Bill Burt]

With eyes closed I can't tell the difference between my two Jimmy Spurs SASS Vaqueros in terms of cocking, trigger pull, handling, anything like that.  When shooting, they shoot to the same POA.  All of that is important to me.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

3 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

With eyes closed I can't tell the difference between my two Jimmy Spurs SASS Vaqueros in terms of cocking, trigger pull, handling, anything like that.  When shooting, they shoot to the same POA.  All of that is important to me.

Said it better than me!

Regards from Ireland 

    

Gateway Kid

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

In general, the faster you shoot, the more important matching revolvers will be.  Many of us will never be that fast, so it becomes more subjective.  At any speed, if someone thinks they need matching guns to go faster, then they probably do.  IMO.

[Cibola Al]

I don’t find barrel length to make a whole lot of difference, but different hammer profile or length of hammer stroke can slow you down for sure.

[John Kloehr]

15 minutes ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

... even 3/4” in barrel length is something that I can “feel” and ... most notice the difference when holstering, especially on the move. 

If I got them mixed up, I know I would catch the longer one on the holster. 

 

But we already have a shotgun and rifle, nothing I see requires matching pistols. My backup carry does not match my primary.

[Captain Bill Burt]

24 minutes ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

For me, matching pistols is important. Mostly because even 3/4” in barrel length is something that I can “feel” and while it is probably insignificant to some, in overall terms of use it does affect the balance of the guns to me. I most notice the difference when holstering, especially on the move.  In fact that 3/4” length also has an affect on my misses as when I started I used 4 3/4”  and ended up trading them for 5 1/2” barrels and the misses (mostly) went away. Probably because of bad eyesight but that slightly longer sight radius brings things together better for me. 
YMMV

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

I've thought about 5.5 inch barrels.  If I were doing it over again I might buy that length for the same reason you did.

[Bullett Sass 19707]

Not only is matching important,  I also put the same pistol in the same holster each time.  Bullett 19707

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I want both of my pistols to be exactly alike.  I routinely put my pistols in the holsters without thinking about which one goes where.  I even think that shiny pistols shoot better, but that's just me.

[Krazy Kajun]

42 minutes ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I want both of my pistols to be exactly alike.  I routinely put my pistols in the holsters without thinking about which one goes where.  I even think that shiny pistols shoot better, but that's just me.

They would shoot even better if you shot BP in them.....that way you KNOW they'll be clean after you finish!  Besides, you won't be able to see your misses in amongst all that smoke with all that coughing going on.

 

Kajun

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

27 minutes ago, Krazy Kajun said:

They would shoot even better if you shot BP in them.....that way you KNOW they'll be clean after you finish!  Besides, you won't be able to see your misses in amongst all that smoke with all that coughing going on.

 

Kajun

Left pistol is a Walker.   Right Pistol is an SAA to military specifications.   I cough a lot at one point in this video.   

Lost a bit of weight since it was shot too.  
 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

I have several matched pairs.  Two even came with same serial # with sufex of R & L. 

 

 

 

But I often shoot different pairs each match so it's not like I'm stuck memorizing one pair of guns.  Then I have some single guns with no pair. So if I want to shot one, it's going to be matched with another odd gun.  Last match I shot a Colt Frontier Six Shooter with 5" barrel and a Colt SAA in 38 Special with 7-1/2" barrel. Did it hurt?  No, they both did their part.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

It all depends (no, not the plastic package) on how you define your fun.

[The Blarney Kid]

Almost none of my pistols match, the closest I have are a pair of 1860s from different manufacturers and a pair of 1851s with different grips. My pistols are all Colt styles but have barrel lengths from 3 1/2 in. to 8 in. 

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy HK

 

As you probably know, I could not care less about matched pistols.

 

This is the only pair of matched pistols I own. A pair of original S&W New Model Number Threes. The blue one shipped in 1896, the nickel plated one shipped in 1882 and was refinished in the factory in 1965. Both are chambered for 44 Russian, and of course I only shoot them with Black Powder.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my 'everyday' pair of 2nd Gen Colts. Both are chambered for 45 Colt, the 7 1/2" one shipped in 1973, the 4 3/4" one shipped in 1968. Black Powder only, of course.

 

 

 

 

 

Another non-matched pair. The nickle plated NM#3 and a 44-40 Merwin Hulbert Pocket Army.

 

 

 

 

 

Like I said, I couldn't care less about my pistols being matched.

[Noah Mercy, SASS #29066]

I began shooting CAS with matched revolvers, but ended up having to shoot a few stages with dissimilar guns one time when I had a spring failure in one of my usual pistols. I found out it didn't make any appreciable difference in my times. I am most often an upper-middle-of-the-pack shooter, although I have a couple first place trophies from state level shoots. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.  For a super-competitive shooter, having "clones" may help shave a couple hundredths off their times (I am not poo-pooing it...hundredths add up, and can mean the difference between winning or not), and for some a matched set may just be part of their persona. 

 

Be safe, have fun, and shoot what makes ya' happy! 

[watab kid]

im in the NO column as well , i didnt have matched sets for a good number of years into this game - i still have a couple mismatched , but i now have a couple of matched as well and i shoot them more than i do the unmatched , sometimes tho its just fun to do something different , 

[ShadowCatcher]

I've shot with matched short Vaquero's, matched long new vaqueros, matched 1851 conversions,

and now shoot with a mixed set of Colts.  To me it makes no difference, at the ranges we shoot it's

not a factor.  As long as each pistol has a clean trigger and visible sights the bullets go where I want

them to.  The gun does not affect my speed, my aging body does . . . .

 

My current set: 

 

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

To me it's not important -- I used to shoot a 7 1/2 inch Colt clone paired with a Super Blackhawk with a 5 1/2 inch barrel. It's not important, but it's cool

[Equanimous Phil]

If one sees CAS mainly as a sport with the highest goal of beeing as fast as possible, then I think matching pistols is a must. I myself enjoy shooting more or less mismatching pistols all the time. I'd just recommend to consider the following two points:

• Using a pair chambered for the same cartridge makes life a lot easier
• All your pistols should hit where you aim

Equanimous

[Sebastian Blud]

I like a 7.5 conversion 45lc on my right hip and a thunderer cross draw..

 

But I shot for a living and teach it. So I'm always between different firearms.  Every new model that comes out we shot. So you have to learn quick how to hold everything possible.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

From the title, I thought you were talking about anatomy.  

[Dantankerous]

3 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

From the title, I thought you were talking about anatomy.  

Hahaha! Yes! Definitely yes!

 

But for cowboy guns. Well, yes also. 

[Baltimore Ed]

My sass revolvers have always been a pair of 4.5 ss .45 Vaqueros, one has a slick Bowen action and the other is stock. I can certainly feel the difference but as a duelist can’t get any benefits from it. My cas/wasa revolvers are a .45 Uberti Thunderer and a Schofield, a pair of Colt New Services in .38 spcl, a pair of NS’s [7.5 and 4.5 inch] in .38-40. And an assortment of Webleys and Smiths in .455 and 45colt. I shoot for fun nowadays. I have been using my sa’s more recently but last Saturday I shot my MkVI Webleys. Month before that I used the ubertis but as a gunfighter [first time], came in next to last but I had fun. It’s more important to me that the ammo work in both guns.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I have 2 pairs of Colts, one pair is 4 3/4" the other 5 1/2". I go back and forth on the pairs but YES I do like them to match and also feel the same.

[Warden Callaway]

I shoot with a fellow who has a matched pair.   But I catch him looking at the serial numbers before holstering them. Asked him why.  One shoots low left and the other high right.  He uses Kentucky windage on both but in opposite directions. I think worse than to odd guns.