Some Pards Leaving CAS

[Dubious Don #56333]

Walked into one of my favorite gun stores today, they took in someone's whole rig. Guns, leather, loading strips, and accessories. Couple nice sets of pistols, one set was SASS Single sixes in 32H&R Mag Tuned apparently. Nicely. Couple 97's One's a 12 the other is 16 and both were takedown E models I believe. an 1873 and an 1866 both in 38SP. The leather is decent, good starter stuff for a new person, even.  I'm reluctant to post his store info in the clear, send me a message if you're interested I'll fork over his Number/Addy.

[Boggus Deal #64218]

Unfortunately, the game is dying and a large percentage of the shooters are aging out.

[Pat Riot]

I pay my membership, but I no longer shoot matches. 

[Yul Lose]

I used to shoot 4-5-6 matches a month but over the last few years it’s dropped to 4-5 a year. Helping my wife care for ill family members shifted a lot of my time away from shooting. Just when I thought I’d be able to get to more matches other things have come up so I’m not sure how much I’ll get to play CAS in the near and distant future.

[Dapper Dave]

59 minutes ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

Unfortunately, the game is dying and a large percentage of the shooters are aging out.

I'm trying to get some more involved, just got in myself last November. 

[Dapper Dave]

1 hour ago, Dubious Don #56333 said:

Walked into one of my favorite gun stores today, they took in someone's whole rig. Guns, leather, loading strips, and accessories. Couple nice sets of pistols, one set was SASS Single sixes in 32H&R Mag Tuned apparently. Nicely. Couple 97's One's a 12 the other is 16 and both were takedown E models I believe. an 1873 and an 1866 both in 38SP. The leather is decent, good starter stuff for a new person, even.  I'm reluctant to post his store info in the clear, send me a message if you're interested I'll fork over his Number/Addy.

If I had extra money, I'd be after those .32s, and you're local...but they'd have to do layaway, just bought a new AC system for the house. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Still too popular here., so the Federal Mis-Government is trying to force us out of the game by banning the LEGAL sale and transfer of handguns.

In my area, we currently have 20++ club level matches per year, mainly from May to the end of October, with the occasional winter match.

The Square Circle Wranglers even bought a Tractor grass mower as well as a John Deere Tractor snow-blower to clear the range and installed shooting shacks that can be heated, in addition to our woodstove heated clubhouse, c/w it's own generator, storage sheds etc

We even have our own watchman, Lefty.

We can get close to thirty shooters to our matches, at the four area ranges, within an hour or so drive: The Square Circle Wranglers, (Ottawa); The Wild Turkey Posse, (Grenville/Prescott); Ruff's Regulators, (Cornwall) and The Frontenac Regulators, (Kingston)

Here are some pictures of the SCW facilities, just before the awning roofs were installed over the boardwalk and a winter picture just for fits and giggles!

[Calamity Kris]

We just stopped paying our membership.  Our closest club closed and we've both been dealing with health issues.  We're discussing who will pay for membership so we can get on the classifieds and sell our gear.  We'll see how that evolves.

[Chantry]

I shoot a couple of  annual matches each year.  Finding the motivation to get up early on a Saturday, load everything I need and go to a monthly match just hasn't been there.  

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

8 hours ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

Unfortunately, the game is dying and a large percentage of the shooters are aging out.

Wish I had a counter argument, but you’re right.  There was a certain generation raised on Gunsmoke, Big Valley, The Rifleman, and Bonanza.  We were also taught that the Wild West era was something to be proud of.  SASS gave us the outlet to relive them both.

 

Today’s generation is raised on Marvel Comics superhero movies, and have given rise to ComicCons.

 

I certainly had my share of fun with SASS and the folks I met through it. Grateful to have been a part of it all. 

[Dapper Dave]

Hey, I just started, don't give up yet! And we do have a couple of young 'uns that show up every so often, well under 30!

The last time I go to shoot any matches of any kind was IDPA style at the indoor range I was working at, 23 years ago, so Saturday morning I am usually up before my alarm to make sure everything is packed...which I already setup the night before. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

Attendance is down everywhere but I have 5 clubs I can go to every month if I want. I go to about 3 a month but I also do a Rimfire Challenge shoot at one of the clubs every month. All .22’s it’s a lot of fun. I also go to 3 annual 2 day shoots, nothing out of state just the local clubs I go to.
I find myself being more picky about the weather than anything else. That’s my story.

Edited August 14 by Rye Miles #13621

[Chantry]

9 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I find myself being more picky about the weather than anything else.

 Same, this is suppose to be fun and a match when it is too cold or too hot is no fun.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

3 hours ago, Calamity Kris said:

We just stopped paying our membership.  Our closest club closed and we've both been dealing with health issues.  We're discussing who will pay for membership so we can get on the classifieds and sell our gear.  We'll see how that evolves.

DON'T SELL, see if things turn around.... 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I don't shoot CAS anymore because of 2 replacement shoulders. I took a Life membership about 20 years ago, so your still stuck with me!!! I do shoot Bulls Eye pistol and hunt big game where I use a shooting stick. 

[Michigan Slim]

I dearly love shooting but got soured on it a bit. Burnout as much as anything else. Have not shot a match this year

Discovered a very good life outside of CAS. I have a house and cabin to work on. Met my wife, she seems nice. Lol. We started fishing together again. 

Someday I'll shoot again.

[Cypress Sun]

I haven't shot a SASS match in 2 or 3 years. No single defining reason why, more of a combination of things that I won't get into on a public forum. If you really want to know, PM me.

 

Still pay my membership dues (for now) so that I can sell in the Classifieds if I want to and to support SASS in a small way.

 

Still have the equipment to participate if I wanted to go back to shooting matches. Gotta say though, having $4K+ in equipment that has no real use other than CAS matches sitting around is a luxury that I may have to sell one day to be able to pay ever increasing bills. 

 

I do miss some of the people, the camaraderie and the competition of shooting for time. I DON"T miss getting up early, leaving before dawn, shooting in the heat/humidity or the money spent on shooting for two minutes....while taking all day to do it.

 

It was a good 25 year journey, made some friends, had a ton of fun and look back on it with good memories (for the most part) but at this point...that's probably where it will stay, a  fond memory.

 

 

Edited August 15 by Cypress Sun

[Blackwater 53393]

I haven’t shot a match this year for reasons that most are aware of.  I did go to a couple of matches to visit and fully intend to get back to shooting as soon as I learn to walk again!

 

My local club is holding its own with membership and there are some exciting new young members that have joined recently.

 

The fact that I haven’t shot goes hand in hand with the fact that I haven’t done much of anything else lately either.

 

I HAVE sold a few guns in the last couple of years, mostly because I can’t shoot ‘em all all the time, (it’s a lot of work hauling from twenty to forty guns to a match and swapping out between stages) and some of them brought waaaayy more than I paid for them. Conversely, I’ve bought a few guns too!

 

I ain’t quitin’!

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

I may be down , BUT , I ain't ready to crawl into a hole YET 

 

CB 

[Outlaw Gambler]

I am 82, normal health problems. Last months annual 2 day match I shot all 12 stages, 6 Sat and 6 Sun. How did I do it? With a lot of help from other shooters but one in particular. Doc Bonecutter is the ramrod and he got one of the golf carts out, we loaded my guns, ammo and other items in it and I drove vs walk and push. Doc and I have shot together, all over the U.S, for 25 years. Don't be afraid to ask for help, the other shooters will be glad to help to make it easier to extend your participation in CAS. None of us like to see anyone hang up the irons, but it is inevitable.

[Blackwater 53393]

During the most recent part of my disability, I have had some of the best help and support! Last year, I shot a two day match using different guns on every stage!  People hauled guns to and from the stages for me and saw to it that I was well cared for!!  People brought me their guns to use and even supplied ammunition in a couple of cases!  Some of the finest folks in the world play this game and I am not ready to leave it or them behind!!

[Sedalia Dave]

For me the shooting is just a small part of the total package. Its the fellowship and camaraderie that keeps me coming back. 

 

Heck I'm guilty of leaving the guns at home and just going to a match to run the timer or pick brass just so I can get out of the house for a few hours.

[Trailrider #896]

Sadly, I resemble that! I have arthritis in my right shoulder, and the weather has been extremely hot. The pandemic didn't help, although I never caught that bug. But, at 83, I doubt I'll be shooting anymore!  Will probably renew my membership in SASS, when it comes due, as I enjoy spinnin' yarns around the campfire.

Hapy Trails, Pards!

[Happy Jack, SASS #20451]

Since the stroke I have lost too much ability to use the SG or rifle so I had to quit shooting both CAS and Wild Bunch, HOWEVER I still hold matches at my range for the SASS games as well as modern 3 gun and various long range matches (which I can still participate in) on a regular basis. So while I don't participate in all the sports I am still involved and plan to be for a few more years. Getting into the 80's does slow me down a bit.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

7 hours ago, Chantry said:

I shoot a couple of  annual matches each year.  Finding the motivation to get up early on a Saturday, load everything I need and go to a monthly match just hasn't been there.  

That's too bad.

I guess I'm lucky.

While I'm 82 in four months, in recovery from cancer, need both knees replaced, high blood pressure and cholesterol, questionable kidney function, cataracts in both eyes, (Getting surgery in September) and wear hearing aids, I'm still able to get out a play cowboy every match day.

The alarm goes off around 6:00 AM and I hit the road, usually with my pard, Red Storm.

[Texas Maverick]

15 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Still too popular here., so the Federal Mis-Government is trying to force us out of the game by banning the LEGAL sale and transfer of handguns.

In my area, we currently have 20++ club level matches per year, mainly from May to the end of October, with the occasional winter match.

The Square Circle Wranglers even bought a Tractor grass mower as well as a John Deere Tractor snow-blower to clear the range and installed shooting shacks that can be heated, in addition to our woodstove heated clubhouse, c/w it's own generator, storage sheds etc

We even have our own watchman, Lefty.

We can get close to thirty shooters to our matches, at the four area ranges, within an hour or so drive: The Square Circle Wranglers, (Ottawa); The Wild Turkey Posse, (Grenville/Prescott); Ruff's Regulators, (Cornwall) and The Frontenac Regulators, (Kingston)

Here are some pictures of the SCW facilities, just before the awning roofs were installed over the boardwalk and a winter picture just for fits and giggles!

Nice setup. Would enjoy shooting it but don't see that every happening. 

 

TM

[Rye Miles #13621]

2 hours ago, Happy Jack, SASS #20451 said:

Since the stroke I have lost too much ability to use the SG or rifle so I had to quit shooting both CAS and Wild Bunch, HOWEVER I still hold matches at my range for the SASS games as well as modern 3 gun and various long range matches (which I can still participate in) on a regular basis. So while I don't participate in all the sports I am still involved and plan to be for a few more years. Getting into the 80's does slow me down a bit.

Have you tried Josey Wales? 5 pistols, there’s a few guys around here that shoot it because of shoulder and arms problems. 

[Texas Maverick]

I turned 75 last Feb and just had my yearly physical last week. Doc said overall my health was good. The issue I have is my lower back which I get injections for about every 5 or 6 months and then my hips which still give me some mobility issues. Otherwise I am ready to go. I shoot usually 2 or 3 matches a month and attend 5 or 6 annuals a year plus EOT last year and Land Run for the past 6 years. As long as I can do it safely I plan on shooting. We have a pretty steady membership on our clubs around here but I agree we are loosing more older folks faster then we are getting younger ones to join.

 

Tm

[Matthew Duncan]

3 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

…Heck I'm guilty of leaving the guns at home and just going to a match to run the timer or pick brass just so I can get out of the house for a few hours.

I maybe doing the same thing for this Saturday’s match.  Monday I was hitching the utility trailer to Mo and felt a sharp pain in my left hip lower back area.  I’m ok if I stand straight or lay flat on my back, it’s the in between that’s painful.  A prelude of getting old I wonder….nah. 

[Buckshot Bear]

19 hours ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

Unfortunately, the game is dying and a large percentage of the shooters are aging out.

 

It's growing down here and lots of sub 30 year olds with disposable incomes to buy gear are getting into it. Great for old backs these young'uns setting up scenarios and moving steel! 

[Rye Miles #13621]

31 minutes ago, Matthew Duncan said:

I maybe doing the same thing for this Saturday’s match.  Monday I was hitching the utility trailer to Mo and felt a sharp pain in my left hip lower back area.  I’m ok if I stand straight or lay flat on my back, it’s the in between that’s painful.  A prelude of getting old I wonder….nah. 

Sounds like sciatica! I’ve had that for a couple weeks. I went to a chiropractor and she fixed me up after a few visits. 

[Texas Maverick]

38 minutes ago, Matthew Duncan said:

I maybe doing the same thing for this Saturday’s match.  Monday I was hitching the utility trailer to Mo and felt a sharp pain in my left hip lower back area.  I’m ok if I stand straight or lay flat on my back, it’s the in between that’s painful.  A prelude of getting old I wonder….nah. 

Take care of it. A docs visit could be beneficial. I have 4 bulging discs and 1 perforated disc between L1 and L5 with a cyst between L3 and L4. My pain management doc keeps me on my feet, otherwise I could hardly get out of bed because of the lower back pain. Right now we are dealing with thigh muscle pain. They thought it was the bursa muscle on both legs and gave me shots for them but it didn't work. I go back tomorrow to see what else they can come up with. If I am sitting or lying it is fine but as soon as I put any weight on the leg/muscle it feels like I just ran 5 miles up a steep hill. The muscle is so tight and painful and weak. So here is to a successful tomorrow visit. I hope.

 

TM

[Cypress Sun]

3 minutes ago, Texas Maverick said:

Take care of it. A docs visit could be beneficial. I have 4 bulging discs and 1 perforated disc between L1 and L5 with a cyst between L3 and L4. My pain management doc keeps me on my feet, otherwise I could hardly get out of bed because of the lower back pain. Right now we are dealing with thigh muscle pain. They thought it was the bursa muscle on both legs and gave me shots for them but it didn't work. I go back tomorrow to see what else they can come up with. If I am sitting or lying it is fine but as soon as I put any weight on the leg/muscle it feels like I just ran 5 miles up a steep hill. The muscle is so tight and painful and weak. So here is to a successful tomorrow visit. I hope.

 

TM

 

Good luck and wish you a successful doctors visit tomorrow.

[Rip Snorter]

I had a cyst, same symptoms you describe.  Atypical, but once it was found and removed, pretty normal (for my age).  Miserable, good luck!

Sciatica usually extends down one leg. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Like all clubs, our attendance took a hit during COVID and hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Back then, we averaged 40-50 shooters in good weather. These days it’s 30+. We’ve had a fair number of new shooters join since the pandemic, so it’s not gloom and doom here. At 72 and 17 years of CAS, I still enjoy it.