Old West club

[Just Jim]

So I was in the gunshop the other day and a friend and his young daughter came in. We got to converseing about our latest shooting exploits and he asked if I was still involved with our clubs Old West Shoots. I told him no but it's great fun and he should go. Well he is single and loves to tease his daughter about getting a new mom so he said 'Ya there are some real pretty women shooters out there"

Well I said he could go but he has to have a name to shoot under and I asked the boys in the shop if anyone wanted to name him for an old west name. He got all embarrassed and said "Heck I can't afford the cowboy boots" trying to get out of the fun. I told him to cheap out and wear his leather mocasin bedroom slippers if he had some.

Man he started laughing and said what about a hat, should I wear a feather? And the laughter rolled on when one of the guys suggested a Indian loin clothe if the wind isn't blowing. Then we went to how he could wear his revolvers.

My point is just how much Old West has changed. Seems all the guys have to have little carts to carry all their guns and ammo. While the fun of shooting and dressing up is there but it just seems beyond words to describe what real cowboys would say about them city slickers.

Heck maybe I should get back into it and join the fun, any of you guys doing it??

jim

 

[ThomasT]

Just Jim, I looked at doing the cowboy thing for awhile. I even bought a copy of "Shoot" magazine to read. After seeing how the competitors dressed and how they were armed i changed my mind.

Most people looked like extras in a Hollywood musical about westerns. And if anyone in the old west would would have walked downtown wearing 2 revolvers and carrying a shotgun and a rifle all the rounds and shells on bandoliers i think the local hardware store would start passing out rifles so folks could defend the town against an obvious raid.

I used to go to black powder rendevous and being authentic was required bigtime. No ice chest visible and that sort of thing. It was great fun. I miss it.

I think the whole spirit has got lost in the competition. The need for speed and the pursuit to win has taken the appeal out for me. I still like the old west and respect deeply what those people lived and went through to survive as well as they did. I have several of the Time-Life old west series of books and love to get lost in the past.

A colt revolver was $15.00 new i think and pretty much cost a months wage for a working cowboy. Another months work would be needed for a rifle. I don't think most people had enough ready cash to dress and arm themselfs like the SASS people do. Anyway maybe someday someone will come up with a real life shooting game.

 

[Werewolf]

I used to shoot CAS. A lot of fun and way more laid back than IPSC. People did it to dress up like in the movies and have some fun shooting at the same time.

And yes it was very Hollywood but so what?