20ga for Cowboy Action Shooting

[fwm]

Fingers284: I've witnessed the 45/44-40 cartridge mix-up more than once, too Can be a real hard learning experience. Every shooter of my acquaintance who shoots 45/44-40, always clearly mark their cases, to avoid mix-ups.

fwm: Some really good matches coming up, over the summer. I usually don't like to pick favourites but, if you're anywhere in the London area, Crumlin puts on outstanding cowboy action matches. Be sure to check the OSASF site, for match dates.

There are plenty of other great matches within a 2 hour drive, from most parts of SW Ontario. Including: Sarnia, Guelph, Dunnville and Decew(Thorold). Just to name a few. A full calendar of events is listed on the OSASF website.

Al

ps: A good local place to shop for hats: Pleasant Ridge. Tac shop, just outside Brantford. Have shopped there, in the past. Good service. Another: Canter-lope, in Thamesville. Both stores are online. Worth checking out.

Thanks Crumlin is our closest. I'm hoping we can go watch the match at the end of the month.

 

[Alex McKr]

fwm: Spectators are always welcome. Be sure to bring eye/ear protection. Also, take time to introduce yourself to the Match Director(Currahee Kid).
You will find the folks at Crumlin to be a very friendly and accommodating bunch. Be sure to ask plenty of questions. If you and your son wish to stick around for the after-shoot lunch, please do. This will be a good way to get to know your fellow shooters.
Be assured to have a good time.

Al

 

[Garand]

Garand: Yours is good advice. All of us have to be careful of every dime, these days.

Granum is just a short drive from Claresholm. In a very pretty part of the Republic of Alberta. Got close family friends there. Might just have to hit up the folks in Claresholm for a place to bunk for a few days.

Co-incidentally, a fellow cowpoke showed up at this weekend's match, sporting a pair of .44 Mag. Blackhawks. He favours .44 Special, for his cowboy loads. Shoots an 1873, chambered in .44-40. Rings the plates with authority.

Then, there's another shooter who likes his Uberti-made 1872 Colt Open Tops, in .45 Colt. With an 1866, in .44-40. Will likely share the same posse with him, in a couple of weeks. He marks his cases boldly, too. Shoots classic, Frontier Cartridge Duelist style. A pleasure to watch him in action. If you can see him, through the smoke!

I've always stuck to .38/.357. For both pistols and rifles. Been loading and shooting these cartridges for decades, so was an easy choice for cowboy action.

Al

Grab your Cowboy hat as I have a Wild West Match story for you! About 12-13 years ago my wife and I were shooting a match in Sims Montana. My wife was shooting a Rossi M92 in .357 mag and Original Ruger Vaqueros with .38 specials. I was shooting a Marlin M1894S in .44 magnum and Original Ruger Vaqueros with .44 Spl reloads. I thought it was kewl, shooting a caliber that came out in 1909. By the date of this match we had shot at least 3 other matches that spring an I had not cleaned the guns. Don't screw with something that works? Right?

We got to the 6th stage and the stage required 1 rd reload from your belt INTO YOUR PISTOL. Not a problem as I had 20 rds of .44 mag on my belt! Well I got to the reload part of the stage grabbed a rd of .44 mag from my belt and attempted to insert it in the cylinder. Unfortunately shooting .44 special in my Vaqueros built up a carbon ring in the cylinder and wouldn't allow a magnum casing to be loaded.

Within the next week I had expended all my .44 spl reloads downrange and found a buyer for the brass. Live & learn. After my wife finished laughing at me on the drive home, she told my to buy her a Marlin M1894C that had been set up for .38 spl.