Hey, SASS guys, question

[MCgunner]

I'm sittin' hee watching TV, Outdoor Channel, and they're showing these SASS "Mounted Shooting" guys pop balloons from horseback. Now, they haven't said, but the way those guys are shooting off hand, just point shooting, and thinking about safety, they just HAVE to be using shot loads. If not, how do they keep from killing bystanders????:what:

Looks fun, but I think I'd rather use a dirt bike. :D

[MCgunner]

Never mind, they just said they're using blanks. Looks a little tough on the horses hearing, though. Some of those shots are right over the poor guy's ears or right next to 'em.

[MCgunner]

Crap, watching TV too much, wrong forum. Someone please move this post to the competition forum or maybe revolvers.

[Sistema1927]

Yes, the mounted shooters use blanks, and are limited to .45 Colt.

The "normal" shooters shoot lead bullets in many calibers, and the Territorial Governors just voted in a power factor of 60 with minimum 400 fps so as to eliminate the extreme powder puff loads. I have never had to worry about that since my minimum load (.45 Colt) is a 200 grain bullet at ~750 fps (power factor of 150). If I get the notion I sometimes shoot 255 grain at ~800 fps for a whopping power factor of 204.

[mustanger98]

Those .45Colt blanks the CMSA guys are shooting... Those are loaded with corncob media over the BP. Maximum effective range... IIRC, it has to pop a balloon at 15', but it's not much count beyond that.

The horse's hearing... they have ear plugs for horses because of this game. A smart horse can also learn to pin his ears back and dull the boom.

[MCgunner]

Well, it's fun to watch, but I don't think I'm interested. Those guys spend some bux on horses and equipment and apparently do quite a bit of traveling. I've been there, done that with motorcycle road racing, have no desire for such an expensive hobby in my retirement. :rolleyes: There's an IDPA club about 100 miles from me that I used to shoot, excellent shooters out of Houston there. I'd load up my stuff on a bike and ride over there, make a combined ride/shoot out of it. I might get back into that someday. Tried IHMSA with a 7TCU barrel on my contender. Got talked into it by a guy in our club that is nuts over it. He and his wife shoot a lot of IHMSA and are quite good. But, I found it a bit boring and riding all that way just to plink at 40 steel targets. :banghead: LOL The cowboy thing would be fun, I guess, but I am much more comfy in my camo pants and snake boots and boonie hat than western garb. :D

[Harve Curry]

In the beginning of cowboy mounted shooting (CMSA), blanks did contain either ground up walnut or corn polish media. Not exactly a blank. Things progressed and now the case only has powder in it. Granulation size can break a balloon out to 20 feet.The larger granuals are burning and just one burning granual can pop the balloon. Some contestants get close and shoot from the hip alongside the target. Others might be streatched out and aiming down the barrel. Alot depends on how well trained your horse is, how fast the horse is traveling, how fast you can manipulate a SAA revolver, aim/point, shoot, and be ready again for the next target, or you will pass it up. There have been horse ear plugs for along time now. Holsters have become specialty that didn't exist before this game. You start out with two SA revolvers, 5 loaded in each, 10 shots total. There is a transition from the empty to the loaded revolver that has to go smoothly while the horse is running and turning, and you are controlling him, or you loose alot of time.
It is a take off of cavalry games.

[mustanger98]

Holsters have become specialty that didn't exist before this game.

This is the funny thing about this game... they'll holler about authenticity, but then they'll use modern specialty items in their gunleather and wear 'em in ways they didn't back in the day. Oh, and chinks are another story... I've read from some folks who said they didn't recall seeing anything but full-length batwing or shotgun chaps in photos before 1965, but the authenticity snobs are out there wearing chinks. I make chinks too, but all they are is a modern invention and a glorified farrier's apron.