Cowboy Action Shooting....equipment?

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msta999

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Hi all,

a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go shooting with him at his club which is a Cowboy Action shooting club(I should have said no, although it is a lot of fun), he even let me use his fire arms!!!!! Now that I'm hooked, I want to get my own equipment. Contestants compete with firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West: single action revolvers, pistol caliber lever action rifles and old time shotguns. What I was wondering if any of you know of any company that sells sets, hopefully that aren't priced at the pro level.

Thanks.
 
Ask your Buddy to give you a copy of his 'cowboy chronical'. Its there monthly paper they send out. I have seen ads in there for sets,both pistols and matching caliber rifle. I gotta head to work, or I'd go into more info for ya. Good luck, Bob
 
I have been bitten by this bug for a couple of years. The user equipment classified on the sassnet web-site are a great place to start. Ruger Vaquero's are great guns and really hold up to alot of shooting. Find yourself a used Marlin Cowboy in the same caliber at the Ruger and Stoeger Coach gun and you'll be set!
 
Just looked in my cowboy chronicle and see that emf has some package deals. E.M.F. Co. Inc. I got mine one piece at a time. Do you do any other shooting other then this? Just curious. If your gonna 'gamer load' anything will do. May need a trigger or spring job. Why go high end if your just gonna lite load. Right? I prefer Rugers for sidearms. Just my preferance. But mine see alot more use then just cas events. Money is another thing. If your lookin to get a package deal, I don't figure your doin to bad. Took me 2 years to get what I wanted. Good luck , Bob
 
Thanks for the info guys. and I'll look at the sites. Need to learn what to get before I buy it.....just like anything else.
 
You can probably do better by piecing it together as opposed to a complete set.

In addition to the SASS Wire go download a catalog from CDNNinvestments.com, right now they have a number of CAS guns in there. Mostly Charles Daly which are Italiam imports and not bad starter guns.

Unfortunately there's no "cheap" way to get into CAS, but you can bargain shop for sure.

If you are like most of us you will evetually have 2-5 of everything anyway so don't get too hung up on what you start with ;)

...One last thought, never hurts to hit a few matches - before the match there are almost always guns laying around people are trying to sell.
 
Thanks cpirtle,

I will keep that in mind. I thought I may be able to get a complete set from someone who is getting rid of some guns, but from what I see, you are correct about piecing them together. I am trying not to buy problem guns, that are known for problems. When I went to the last range, I did see a few who were having problems with jams or the cylinders not lining up correctly, causing a no fire. A guy on the sass forum said he would look into what he can get for me (he sells guns, kind of a hobby) and I'm heading to a sporting store tonight to see what they have, they deal in western style guns. I'll see what they have at the next range meeting too. I'm trying not to hurry getting the cowboy guns, but it is hard. I want them for the next range, although I can use my buddies guns....... but there is something to be said about having your own. :)
 
]Are you North,or South in Western Wa.?
I"m in the portland area and shoot down here.
The classifieds section of the SASS Wire usually has all kinds of guns for sale,and sometimes some complete packages from guys/gals quitting for some reason or another.
New,basic guns,4 of them are gonna run 1600.00 +,and leather will be a couple hundred bucks usually,Do not buy cheap leather that will let a gun fall out,like I did ONE TIME.
Although I like the boom of my .45's, most shoot .38's for econaomy and lower recoil for faster shooting.

What range are you shooting SASS at ?
 
I'm north of you, just north of Seattle. I am shooting at a range in Marysville, can't remember the name, only been there once. A guy on SASS sent me a list of what he has and I'll be getting some pics soon. A rifle he has is a Yellowboy 66, that I like the way it looks, it uses 45's. I picked out a complete set (.45 pistols, Yellowboy 66 and a side by side 12 ga), from the list he sent me and it looks like it will cost around 1900, so I guess that is not too far off what you said, as far as cost. Thanks for the tip on the holsters, I didn't think it matter that much. I'm going to a store that handles these types of firearms and see what they have today. There is another store, a couple hrs away, that is suppose to have a lot of the old west guns, but I don't know if I'll get a chance to go there. My biggest worry is getting something that works right and won't give me a lot of problems. If I went knew with everything, looks like it could run close to 3k. Just don't want to put too much into the sport, until I know I'm going to like it in the long run......I had a blast, though, my one time at the range and not much gets me excited anymore.
 
The yellowboy is a very good gun,almost zero feeding problems because of how the work,and very few moving parts,also a plus.
what pistols are you looking at?
Get acquainted with Mudflat Mike up that way,he's a great one to possee with,and sells guns and accessories now and then,maybe full time?
I'll be shooting at Capitiol City club this month,with the black river regulators.Very good place to shoot,usually have about 60 or 70 shooters,good stages.some of the Mary's ville gang shoots there too.

I"ve been shooting for over a dozen yhears now,and still griinnig like a kid when I put on the gear.
the 'grin' don't go away, LOL
 
Maybe a bit late but more advice.

.38 for economy
Rugers have been pretty durable for me, more so than my 1875's that I sold
Don't skimp on leather
Marlin 94 works fine for starting, but man I wish I could afford a '73
Hammerless Double Barrel shotgun to start with, then you can have some fun and buy something different

Get a costume, a name, and have a blast(especially with blackpowder when noone realizes you are using it on a windy day)
 
Red Cent
29170

If you are hooked, and your competitive juices flow, you need to watch the fast guys/gals at the range. Examine their leather and their guns. Most will be glad to tell you about misconceptions of how to play the "game". Things like good leather for easy access BUT a holster you can stick the pistol back in while moving.
Holsters012.gif

The arguably reasonable way has been mentioned. Old model Vaqueros or new model Vaqueros. If you are really competitive, the 45s will be traded, sold, or hanging on the wall. My first pistols was/is a pair of nickeled 45 Colts 4 3/4 tricked out by Marshall Harlan Wolf. I now shoot .38 3-screw Rugers tricked out by Cody Conagher. The pair on the left are my match guns.
Rugers004.gif
DO NOT BUY A 92 or 94 Winchester. The Uberti replica of the Winchester '73 is first and a Marlin is the other choice. I shoot the pistol grip model of the '73 in .38. My 73s were tricked out and short stroked by Cody Conagher.
'Course, you need a long range side match rifle.
cowboyrifles002.gif

The double is cool, but is more difficult to achieve speed than the Winchester 97. An older model Baikal, Stoger, and some others can be had at good prices. Ask a knowledgeable double shooter which shotgun to get for fast loading.

Its more fun than anything with your clothes on. Osteoarthritis is taking my speed away and I hate it. Maybe I will be reincarnated as Lead Dispenser.

Now lets talk about the reloading gear and.................
 
Thanks everyone, Looks like I might have goofed on the revolvers, I got the 45's, sounds like I should have gotten the 357's or 38's (is there a diff?) but I wanted the same cal as the rifle. I also got the yellowboy 66 and Stoeger 20" 12 ga. They should be here by Thurs. Can't wait.
 
Sounds like you are doing fine, the only way you can do it wrong is to buy a gun you're not allowed to shoot!

I'm a big believer in buying what you can just to get a seat at the table and then focus on tweaking your gear over the years.

Have fun and shoot!
 
Just obey the safety rules
1: Always treat all guns as if they were loaded, even if they aren't.
2:Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. This means that if a bullet were to suddenly fly out of it, it wouldn't hit anything you don't want destroyed.
3: always keep your finger off of the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
4: Know your target and what's behind it. Don't shoot at something you're unsure about.

Sorry if I annoyed anyone, I just like to list those whenever there's a new shooter.
 
1. Why not winchester 92/94?
2. What's wrong with .45?
Click to expand...

Winchester's have HUMONGOUS lever strokes and are the least competitive rifle going (short of a big loop Winchester). I do see a few of them being shot though.

45 is basically the same thing, bigger bullet + more recoil = slower shooting + additional $$. But, I think there are almost as many 45 shooters as 38/357, they are usually the guys going more for authenticity.

All of these are just normal stereotypes you see among the most competitive shooters, no reason you can't do either.
the most competitive shooters, no reason you can't do either.
 
Some one told me, the .45's are harder on the wrists, than the 357's. I found the .45 Yellowboy and wanted the revolver to be the same caliber......and I just liked the bigger shell casings. ;)
 
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