Cowboy Action Shooting

[fingers284]

Until one of those pesky steel plates won't fall. Have seen it happen more than once...as I'm sure you have, too.

at one time in the high water time of Cowboy'n, it was considered very bad taste to set up Knockdowns so that not every participants ammo couldnt knock them down and a few folks were using 32's at the time.
I and the wife set up over 20 Canadian Championship match courses over the years and we used rounds from our Territorial Governors (Cariboo) belt to test the knockdowns, if his mouse farts would tip them, anybodies would.
I have seen a fellow from the parent California SASS club use machinist calipers to set the tip point/distance on a stand of targets at Cody one time...anal, ya but you could blow on those targets and they would fall.

Of course, like many other cowboy action buffs, I am always tinkering with loads to see whether one might perform just that wee bit better than the other.

I dont differentiate between revolver rounds or rifle rounds at all, they all come out of the same pail as we use them, however we do always carry a 100 round box of 1/2 grain heavier loads for a knockdown stand that hasnt been properly set/adjusted.

 

[Alex McKr]

Fingers284: A fellow shooter in these parts runs .44 Special in his Blackhawks . Same load in his '94 Marlin. Not sure what pf he's running currently, but he sure wakes those plates up!
I run .38 Special most of the time. Also: .38 Long Colt (revolver only), with the occasional .357 Mag (rifle) thrown into the mix.
I used to run the same load in both revolver and rifle. Still can, if needed. But gradually over the years, modified the revolver loads to more closely match what they preferred for bullet/velocity/pf, etc. With the ultimate goal being to achieve a good balance of: speed, accuracy, and control. Long since got that sorted out. But, still like to experiment with different load combinations. Mostly out of curiosity. Still using the same load, for rifle.
Most of the problems I've seen with poorly adjusted knock downs, were at the club level. Never an issue at a major match.

Al

 

[Nut3lla]

I appreciate all the information provided. I will definitely look into matches around me and visit a few to get a better understanding of it. You have have provided a wealth of information for me to get my toes wet. Again much appreciated.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

Just to bring the thread back from the near dead:
I used the same .45 COLT cartridge, bullet and powder charges in my Ruger SAAs and my '73
5.0 Gr Trail Boss under a 250 grain LRNFP bullet (.45 Colt)
With the demise(*?) of Trail Boss, I'm saving what I have left of it and CLAYS for my rifle and when it's gone, I'll switch to W231
I've bought some Starline .45 Cowboy Specials to load with Titegroup for my SAAs using a 200 grain LRNFP bullet. Works well.

Regarding freeze on the sale/transfer of handguns, our posse will allow the use of double action revolver(s) shot single action. Category to be determined. Remembering that posses in the USA started shooting using .22's when ammo and powders got scarce during the Covid panic, we don't see adjustments to the normal rules as an issue.

*? ADI, in an August 2024 announcement mentioned Trail Boss production restart "late 2024 or early 2025" You have to look for the announcement, but it's there on their site. Just to tease us I guess.

 

[Garand]

I am down to 2 lbs each of Red Dot and Unique so I will be happy when they start producing again, in the mean time I see you can buy Titegroup by the ton!

 

[old303]

I've had some success with WST in .38 loads, so that might be an alternative to Titegroup.

 

[Alex McKr]

Cold Lake Kid: That is an excellent idea...allowing the use of double action revolvers at club level matches. Bends the rules a bit....but, If it attracts more players to the game, that is a good thing. Anything we can do to promote the sport....until this Liberal-induced woke madness is over....is welcomed. Kudos to the Posse, for coming up with the idea.
By the way, over on SASS Wire, last few days, there's been a conversation going on regarding Titegroup and .45 Cowboy Special cartridges. If you haven't already seen it, might be worth a look.

Garand: Titegroup works very well, in .38 Special. Used it exclusively for revolver loads up until very recently. Discovered that I liked Clays, just a little bit better. Though still not convinced that it's a better choice. Time will tell. Titegroup meters well, is clean burning, accurate(at least in my guns) and good as an all-around powder for the game.

Al

 

[EhGun]

Cold Lake Ked: That is an excellent idea...allowing the use of double action revolvers at club level matches. Bends the rules a bit....but, If it attracts more players to the game, that is a good thing. Anything we can do to promote the sport....until this Liberal-induced woke madness is over....is welcomed. Kudos to the Posse, for coming up with the idea.
By the way, over on SASS Wire, last few days, there's been a conversation going on regarding Titegroup and .45 Cowboy Special cartridges. If you haven't already seen it, might be worth a look.

Garand: Titegroup works very well, in .38 Special. Used it exclusively for revolver loads up until very recently. Discovered that I liked Clays, just a little bit better. Though still not convinced that it's a better choice. Time will tell. Titegroup meters well, is clean burning, accurate(at least in my guns) and good as an all-around powder for the game.

Al

Clays has a softer recoil than TG, but doesn't meter as well and is a bit temp sensitive. Can't find it anymore either. I use (what I have left) in my revolvers...TG in the rifles since recoil is not an issue.

 

[Alex McKr]

EhGun: That's been my experience, too. Clays feels more like a soft push.....similar to black powder. Titegroup's felt recoil tends to be sharper. A bit more muzzle jump.
Only recently started using Clays in revolvers(About a year, now. Cowboy Action competition). Good performance. Prior to that, used Titegroup almost exclusively. Will see how Clays holds up over the longer haul. Still have a relatively decent supply of Clays, so no issues so far.
Titegroup performs well in my rifles, too. Though HP-38/231 still remains my overall pick for a rifle powder. Revolvers too, as a back up. Still, good to know there is an alternative.
I agree....Clays tends to burn a bit dirty, when temps drop. Also tends to meter inconsistently, with very light loads. Titegroup, on the other hand, meters very well. Doesn't appear temperature sensitive, either.
Still haven't decided which powder I prefer. Though I do seem to be leaning toward Clays. Very pleasant shooting.

Al

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

As I mentioned in another thread, my Aussie spy informed me his local gun shop now has Trail Boss for sale and that a shipment has already gone to New Zealand.
Brownell's is aware but has no ETA on it reaching the USA.
In Trudeau Country, there is no telling if/when we could see any, unless the tobacco and booze stores on the Rez opens and new line of imports.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

Cold Lake Ked:
By the way, over on SASS Wire, last few days, there's been a conversation going on regarding Titegroup and .45 Cowboy Special cartridges. If you haven't already seen it, might be worth a look.

Yes, I learned about the .45 Cowboy Specials from Serenity and Legendary Lawman and bought some for use in my SAAs
I was using 4.5 Grains of TG but I'm now trying 4.0 under a 200 grain LRNFPBB.
(Nice clear "DING" on the steel and no doubt of a hit from the spotters! LOL).
I did find the load left a ring in each chamber of the cylinders that stop a .45 Colt from being chambered.
It was difficult to remove until Red Storm ran a .45 Hone through each chamber.
Not really an issue as long as I stick with the shorter cowboy cartridges. Got one for myself on order from Brownell's.
I'm now using Win 231 for my '73 in .45 Colt, rifle driving a 250 gr LRNFPBB at the LEE starting load.
Anticipating the GRINCHMASS Match on the 21st

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

Hodgdon has let me know they don't yet have an ETA on Trail Boss in their warehouse magazines, so shipments here in Canada will likely be held off until after the election.
Hopefully, there will still be shops in business able to sell it.

 

[fingers284]

I did find the load left a ring in each chamber of the cylinders that stop a .45 Colt from being chambered.
It was difficult to remove until Red Storm ran a .45 Hone through each chamber.

I and the "Trail Boss" have fire thousands of TG powdered .38 sp in her pistols & Marlins and have never found the "ring" to be a problem, I just chuck up a bronze bore brush ( with a little shot of G96 on it) in the cordless & let er buck for a minute. they will all chamber a .357 round effortlessly.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

It's Titegroup I'm using in the Cowboy Special loads. I haven't tried TB in them yet.
Soon though.
Hopefully.
I've been using HOPES to clean the chambers, with a bronze brush, but I'll try the drill and your G96.
I've never tried it before.
Thanks.

 

[VICIOUS]

Double action shot single action BANDIT cat.

 

[Alex McKr]

VICIOUS: "Bandit". Perfect category name. Thanks for sharing.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

My Brownells' hones have arrived and I can now chamber .45 Colts in my Ruger cylinders and Palomino Pal's .357 cylinders.
The hones work well with some honing oil and a drill.
Now if only Trail Boss would hit the shelves here.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

The summer season was busy and attendance at the Square Circle Wrangler's ranch, located at The Eastern Ontario Shooting Club was very good!
Red Storm and Clangity Jane had to consistently split the posse and have them shoot at opposite ends of the shooting bay.
i.e. Posse 1 starts on stages 1 & 2 and if they finish early, shoot stage 3, while posse 2 has lunch.
Posse 2 starts on stage 5 then 4, proceeding to stage 3, IF they finish early.

 

[Alex McKr]

For those folks searching around for alternative powder for CAS, Hodgdon Perfect Pattern seems to be proving to be a versatile choice. I've been working up both shotgun and revolver loads(.38 Long Colt, .38 Special) all this spring/summer. Results so far, have been good.

Perfect Pattern's burn rate on the chart sits close to Titewad. So, pretty fast burning stuff. In pistol loads, performance-wise it seems more like Bullseye...though much cleaner. Seems to compare well to Red Dot, too. At least to me.

Recoil pulse in shot shells is not as soft as Clays but, certainly manageable, for quick following shots. The slightly sharper recoil pulse feels more like a comparable charge of Red Dot. I could observe little if any difference between the two, in blind tests.

It bears mentioning that due to the powder's density, in most cases.... a reloader will get much better crimps, by going down one charge weight in wads. For example: 7/8-oz wad, for 1-oz loads, and so on. Most published load data supports this. That's been my experience, too.

As it turns out, the always versatile Titegroup has also been performing well, in light, competitive CAS shot shell loads. I've been running this powder in my revolvers for years. But, only recently decided to try it out as an alternative shotshell option. So far, it's performance has exceeded expectation. It too, performance wise, runs pretty comparable to Perfect Pattern. Titegroup also seems to be relatively easy to source lately.

Perfect Pattern also seems to work well for light revolver loads. Though the density of this powder indicates that it's better suited to smaller capacity cases...ie: .38 Long Colt, .38 Special. Where it performs well. I've experimented with bullet weights running from 158 grains, down to 105 grains. All performed as expected.

The summer CAS season will soon be wrapping up. This morning's cool, single digit temp bringing a hint of what's ahead. Like the Cold Lake Kid and others, I'll still be out taking advantage of the good weather, for as long as it lasts.

Hope this info is useful.

Al


ps: Some added info. Hodgdon's published 1-oz load for Perfect Pattern is a solid performer. Plus, very easy on the shoulder.

 

[Garand]

The summer CAS season will soon be wrapping up. This morning's cool, single digit temp bringing a hint of what's ahead. Like the Cold Lake Kid and others, I'll still be out taking advantage of the good weather, for as long as it lasts.

My CAS load for my Ruger Vaquero in .44 Mag has been changed to Titegroup due to the lack of Unique. I have one pound of Unique left which I am using for the reloads for my wife's SASS Vaqueros (Happy wife, happy life) then I will start using Titegroup in .38 Spl.. Unfortunately the 8 lbs of Titegroup that I purchased last fall is lasting far longer than I expected as I developed an infection in my right elbow in late May that required surgery in July. On the bright side my Doctor, 2 weeks ago, told me I can start shooting .22 again! I am glad that somebody in Canada had a good season, in spite of the retards in the East that were elected in the spring, whom are ruining a great retirement activity.