Dapper Dave Posted January 15 Posted January 15 (edited) I was HOPING to try my 357 Mag hard cast loads with my Rossi 92 at 200 or 300 yards....but those lines were busy. So we shot at 80, longest I could get. yeah, for a lot of shooters, that's still sub miniature range, but for a rifle that spent its short life shooting at 15 yards, that's practically the moon! But you know what? Da Boy and I had fun. It's been too long since I had the lever gun out, since I haven't been able to shoot a match in months. I did find a load that rang the steel very reliably at 80, now to stretch it out. I like my guns to be multi-purpose, never know when I might use my main match rifle to get some Wile E Coyote! Beside...why not? Guns are made to be shot, right? Do you use your cowboy guns for other purposes? If not, that's cool, someday, (my wife is supportive of this), I'll have an entire battery solely for SASS! Edited January 15 by Dapper Dave 7 1 Quote
El Chapo Posted January 15 Posted January 15 My 92 bulges cases with magnum loads. Does yours? 2 Quote
Cholla Posted January 15 Posted January 15 The distance for the pistol-caliber rifle long-range match is 100 yards at Bordertown. 3 Quote
Subdeacon Joe Posted January 15 Posted January 15 2 hours ago, Dapper Dave said: Da Boy and I had fun. Which is the whole point of the exercise. 7 1 Quote
Pat Riot Posted January 15 Posted January 15 I no longer shoot CAS, but I still have my first SASS rifle, a Winchester 94 Trsils End .357 Magnum. I like to shoot it out to 100 yards using the the XS Sights I installed on it. The rear is a peep / ghost ring. The front is a white stripe high contrast sight. Sure beats the heck out of buckhorns and useless brass bead sights. 6 1 Quote
Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 Posted January 15 Posted January 15 I have a 94 Trapper in 44mag. A couple of weekends ago I went to the range, I was on the pistol side, so max range was 75 yards to the berm. I had loaded some real 44mag loads (not cowboy loads). It had been a while since I shot this with anything other than cowboy loads, full house magnum loads thump you pretty good. In any event, I was hitting clay pigeons sitting on the berm at 75 yards. Shooting out past CAS distance is fun, the guns are certainly capable. 6 Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 15 Author Posted January 15 10 hours ago, El Chapo said: My 92 bulges cases with magnum loads. Does yours? No, not a problem , but the case mouths do get dinged a little bit. Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 15 Author Posted January 15 9 hours ago, Cholla said: The distance for the pistol-caliber rifle long-range match is 100 yards at Bordertown. I'd love to go to Bordertown, was SUPPOSED to go last year, but my employer changed my work location, days off and hours all at once, so I have to take vacation time just to make it to my club's annual match. Having said all that I still renewed my membership both at my club and SASS. 4 Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 15 Author Posted January 15 5 hours ago, Pat Riot said: I no longer shoot CAS, but I still have my first SASS rifle, a Winchester 94 Trsils End .357 Magnum. I like to shoot it out to 100 yards using the the XS Sights I installed on it. The rear is a peep / ghost ring. The front is a white stripe high contrast sight. Sure beats the heck out of buckhorns and useless brass bead sights. I hated the buckhorn rear sight, replaced it with a Marbles flat rear sight, still SASS legal with the white diamond turned around, but MUCH easier to use than that buckhorn, for me. 1 Quote
Three Foot Johnson Posted January 15 Posted January 15 One of the ranges here used to shoot the lever action pistol cal side match clear out to 500 yards on a "half size" steel buffalo - I think they've forgotten how big a buffalo is - I'd call it 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 size. Not many people connected with a pistol cal lever gun. From the back side looking down toward the range. 2 3 Quote
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted January 15 Posted January 15 18 minutes ago, Three Foot Johnson said: One of the ranges here used to shoot the lever action pistol cal side match clear out to 500 yards on a "half size" steel buffalo - I think they've forgotten how big a buffalo is - I'd call it 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 size. Not many people connected with a pistol cal lever gun. From the back side looking down toward the range. WOW that is pretty dang FAR for a pistol calber rifle! 1 Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 15 Author Posted January 15 48 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said: Work sure gets in the way of things! 3.5 more years, then fully retired with a state pension. 20 minutes ago, Three Foot Johnson said: One of the ranges here used to shoot the lever action pistol cal side match clear out to 500 yards on a "half size" steel buffalo - I think they've forgotten how big a buffalo is - I'd call it 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 size. Not many people connected with a pistol cal lever gun. From the back side looking down toward the range. 500 yards with a .357 Mag lever gun? That would entail a WHOLE lotta luck! 3 3 Quote
Eyesa Horg Posted January 15 Posted January 15 1 minute ago, Dapper Dave said: 3.5 more years, then fully retired with a state pension. May it go by quickly and safely for you Dapper. 6 Quote
Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 Posted January 16 Posted January 16 2 hours ago, Dapper Dave said: 500 yards with a .357 Mag lever gun? If you have the time and ammo and a spotter, you can probably walk it in like artillery. 😀 2 1 3 Quote
Dantankerous Posted January 16 Posted January 16 I struggle with pistol caliber at 100 yards. Probably because I have not taken the time to dial in the appropriate load. However, my Marlin 38-55 is a hell of a lot of fun to shoot and I can do that out to 300 with some regularity and minimal practice. Just saying, you might want to dip your toe into that pool at some point. 😁 3 Quote
Pat Riot Posted January 16 Posted January 16 1 hour ago, Dantankerous said: I struggle with pistol caliber at 100 yards. Probably because I have not taken the time to dial in the appropriate load. However, my Marlin 38-55 is a hell of a lot of fun to shoot and I can do that out to 300 with some regularity and minimal practice. Just saying, you might want to dip your toe into that pool at some point. 😁 I still do. Those XS Sights are not easy to dial in. I have them set at 50 yards with a 158gr RNFP over 5.7gr W244. It’s a spicy round, but really accurate from my 94. 1 Quote
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 16 Posted January 16 I shoot my 73 Uberti .357 at 100 yards maybe once a year with .38’s my main match loads. I hit the 16x16 target half the time. 2 Quote
irish ike, SASS #43615 Posted January 16 Posted January 16 (edited) Our long range matches have pistol caliber set at 300 yards with a 36" dia target. No one shots MOA. But a clang is a hit. Site in day I shot my 44-40 with full case of 3F and hit 10 out of 10. The actual match I got 0 out of 10. Wind is not your friend. We use and extended marbles peep site to get enough site height. Edited January 18 by irish ike, SASS #43615 4 Quote
Nickle Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 1/15/2026 at 3:40 PM, Dapper Dave said: 3.5 more years, then fully retired with a state pension. 500 yards with a .357 Mag lever gun? That would entail a WHOLE lotta luck! A 357 magnum you could load with 180 grain cast bullets so sort of like a 30-30 loaded with cast. This winter I've been putting alot of lead through a old original 1894 in 30wcf. Out to 200yards it's no problem. Past that things get worse. The whole minute of angle thing doesn't work out at longer ranges out to 300yards. Different cast bullet diameters make big difference at longer ranges. 309 accurate out to 100yards but 311 helped alot out to 200yards. Same thing with powders. Faster sr4759 is great until you start shooting out past 150 yards. I tried all different powders and so far at 250 yards w748 shoots best. I think the bullet goes from sonic to sub sonic at longer ranges so farther the range the slower powders give more fps and range before dropping subsonic. That or the cast bullet just looses spin at longer ranges. I'm currently reaming out case necks to take 313" cast bullets. I'm hoping the fatter bullets and slower powders will allow me to keep 5 shots in 10 inch circle at 300yards. Also I live in a very windy area. These 30-30 bullets are alot like throwing a paper airplane in a cross wind. Barrel doesn't have best of rifling and is well worn on the muzzle from owners before me. But I know I can shoot better than this rifle is currently doing. I'm not shooting from a bench. Just sitting in a lawn chair holding two cattle walk sticks in my left hand. Sagebrush long shots make everything look so easy! Quote
Rip Snorter Posted January 17 Posted January 17 (edited) Gents, a pistol cartridge is just that. If you want reliable results at distance a rifle cartridge is required. 1895? Edited January 17 by Rip Snorter Typo 2 Quote
John Kloehr Posted January 17 Posted January 17 21 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said: Gents, a pistol cartridge is just that. If you want reliable results at distance a rifle cartridge is required. 1895? With forgiveness begged for talking about an AK in 7.62 (it is a rifle cartridge), I had no idea 8 years ago what it took in skill to hit a target at 100 yards with iron sights, or that I would ever be able to do so based on my first attempts. Back then, I would throw a few rounds just to not get a failure-to-engage penalty, now I usually hit them on my first attempt. Still slow as molasses, but I'm having fun. Agree fun is the point per an even earlier post. Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 17 Author Posted January 17 I used to cast and handload 7.62x39mm - that is a RAINBOW trajectory at 300 yards! This particular slug I was testing is a very hardcast one, about 3-1 linotype to wheelweight, powder coated and sized to .358. I have other options, just started this particular side journey. OTOH, I discovered I need more .357 mag brass...hmm. 1 Quote
Rip Snorter Posted January 17 Posted January 17 (edited) All hail to Comrade Kalashnikov, an innovator and genius level for sure. Reliable, dam' near indestructible, cheap to make. Not in any way a cartridge or rifle that is very useful beyond as a gift to 3rd world military and to terrorists. BTW, a cheap spin on a better German, first assault rifle, the StG 44 was the first successful assault rifle> Edited January 17 by Rip Snorter Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 17 Author Posted January 17 In the good General's defense, he was trying to come up with a submachinegun tankers could use. Funniest is how he and Eugene Stoner became friends later in life. 1 Quote
watab kid Posted January 17 Posted January 17 i have one - an 1866 relica that has a ladder sight - but its a 22LR , my friend has lever 4570 tho 1 Quote
Sedalia Dave Posted January 18 Posted January 18 Back in the 70s, I remember reading about a group of handgunners in Colorado that were consistently shooting targets at 500 yards. Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 18 Author Posted January 18 The only person I know myself who loves long range with handguns is my son - he put, (IIRC), 7 out of 10 on a 3/4 scale IDPA target at 100 yards with a rested CZ 2075 RAMI subcompact pistol that he had never fired before. He absolutely will not compete, total waste of talent. 1 Quote
Dapper Dave Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 Pictures of said event, including a terrible pic of the target while he was shooting at it. 1 Quote
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted January 19 Posted January 19 I have a pre-safety Marlin 94 in 44 mag that sports a Lyman #2 tang sight. Our farm range has an 18” gong at 200 yards. With normal match loads (a 200gr pill over a medium charge of Bullseye) and my dad on the spotting scope, we adjusted until the trajectory was something akin to Tiger Woods on a par 5. But once dialed in, we ran 9/10 the rest of the afternoon. , 1 Quote
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