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I read To War in a Stringbag in high school. Good history on the plane and pilots.

The big issue that even fine off the shelf can't generally address is actual head shape. I have a couple of off the shelf, but several customs. Most of the customs are a perfect fit, and you will not wear out a good one. I wear a Western hat daily - took me 24 years to wear out a favorite Resistol my wife gave me. Customs last generations - a rancher friend has his Fathers and Grandfathers handmades. They still look great.

I wear a 71/4 or 7 1/2 and there’s a big difference in the kind of hats. Stetson seems to run a little smaller and Resistol seems to run a little bigger from what I bought.

Surprised DeForest Kelly (Star Trek) and Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island) aren’t listed. They played a lot western roles then. Kelly was often a bad guy.

Ware?

I wear 7 1/8, but am in agreement with your other gripes. Perhaps Blackwater can chime in with tips on shaping the headband part. I’ve employed hat stretchers that will take care of the fore/aft fit at the expense of making the amidships fit too wide.

Although .22s got started in this area as a way to avoid hunting for rifle brass in the snow, we have more than one club in the area that allow .22s any time you want to shoot them. We just figure out what to call the category when needed, “Senior Buckaroo” being one example. We have even included “mild bunch” in our Wild Bunch matches allowing .22 1911s and rifles. I do not think it has brought in any new shooters though.

Man, chill, you'll have an episode!

Another option to consider. At something like EoT, there is a side match. One stage of of 10-10-4. Ten .22 Pistol, Ten .22 Rifle, 4 shotgun. It's a side match. No one has to do it, and it doesn't take anything away from anyone who does or does not do it.

Are you still duck hunting?

Forget the World, National, Regionals, and even, perhaps, annuals. How many folks begin shooting CAS with the goal of scoring well at a big match in mind? The vast majority are plenty happy simply attending the monthlies and that is where recruiting efforts should be focused. If allowing the use of .22s brings folks to the game, why on earth wouldn't that be acceptable; even if it means an extra category at the local level? Those saying that new shooters need to suck it up and pay their money seem incapable of putting themselves in another's shoes. Dropping a bunch of Benjamin's on decent equipment for CAS is a big ask for a young family and enduring pressure to do so will chase them elsewhere.

Why doesn't anyone make cowboy hats in men's sizes any more. I take a 7 7/8 or 8. I have several that I bought some years back in those sizes. They are wearing out and need replacing. And while ranting, what is this crap with "hard hats", felt so stiff it can't be reshaped and is impossible to break in without a pro quality steamer. Let's carry this gripe further: most hats for sale on the net don't show brim and crown measurements, either.

I don’t understand “show the face of the faves”.

Dangit, Dave... you need to go fishing! That'll give ya somethin' to do 'til duck season starts!

Thanks. You just made my point for me.

A simple, but effective call... I had one for many years; it wasn't expensive by any means, but worked well. Well enough that someone borrowed it from me and that was the last I ever saw of it. Best "chuckler" ever!

Great choice of a personal weapon. Never liked the drum magazines but she worked nicely with e belt full of 20 or 30 round mags. In 'nam I had a 1928A1 and an M1A1. Loved then both.

Pretty sure I've tried it, but don't remember.

OK: all y'all getting there Sun & Monday: stay outta my spot. Except maybe Todd, who may be the ONLY one who can grab PT outta that truck & put my RV in my spot.

The new Prime Minister was an advisor to the former and all the old gang is still there. Unfortunately, during the election campaign, gullible left leaning voters swallowed the fiction of change, while all that was done was put lipstick on the pig.

Wallaby Jack: We/I don't hear anything about the hole in the Ozone Layer anymore. Is it still a thing in your part of the world?

What I tell folks is that Cowboy Action is a sport where you can be as Competitive, or as Un-Competitive, as you choose to be!

As a 36 year old in this sport, I have friends my age I have brought shooting. But I can't get any of them into the sport because the cost to join is so high when these people are neither reloaders nor own any of the right guns either. I am just fortunate enough to have a high income as an engineer and other than my gun addiction I am very fiscally responsible, as is my wife. Time is another factor. I have a Dillon XL650 that is all setup to rock n roll out 45 colt and I struggle to have the time to keep my guns fed most months. It's just hard to find time in the garage with young kids that I have to keep a close eye on (my 2 boys are hell on wheels!). As Dog Meat Dad pointed out, 22LR rounds can be bought for under 10 cents each right now. In my area the only primers in stock are also 10 cents each so it's significantly cheaper to shoot 22LR than to reload anything. So with 22LR not being an official category I think that makes it hard to hang on to new shooters who know they can't shoot at bigger matches otherwise if they so choose to in the future.

I was not trying to advocate for having it at State, Regional, or Above matches, although I could certainly see my post being interpreted that way. This was more about "Allowing It or Not at all" in the game we play. Monthly Matches, even club annuals, is where my thoughts were really headed. I have no problem if SASS were to say that it was specifically "Not Allowed" at ANY Sanctioned Match, but the person with whom I was discussing this thought it should be ended completely, and that was the basis for my post. I absolutely agree that if someone is willing to spend what it costs to attend Land Run, EOT, or any of the Regional Matches, then they should step up and play the game with the big guns. But I will also note that EOT and Land Run are about the only matches that are selling out. In the old days, if you didn't have your app into any State Level or above match within a couple weeks of the application being posted, you were not getting in. Today, with a few rare exceptions, those same matches are seeing attendance at about 50% of capacity, so folks know they can wait until the last minute to register, and a lot of them do. How can a match director possibly recruit Vendors or Sponsors for a match that may end up with 50 shooters, but site at 15 or 20 until 3 or 4 weeks before the match date. (Sorry for the thread derail, just more data on the pile...) For this sport to survive, we need new shooters because the older shooters are fading away, and that is happening faster and faster every day. If this gets them in the door, I see no reason not to keep it alive, at least at the local level. If they decide to stay, and upgrade their hardware, that is awesome, but if they are only going to go out an play Cowboy once a month, 8-9 times a year, let them shoot the .22s, learn the game, support the local clubs, and have some fun. Some of our Deuces Wild folks have never shot a cowboy match other than at our club in the 4 or 5 years they have been doing this. They aren't winning any awards that matter to anybody but them.

Spf to Frenchie!