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For 45 ACP, I use a 14 pound recoil and 19 pound main. For 9mm and 40, I drop the main to 17 pounds and the recoil to 10 and 12.5, respectively. I use ISMI springs. Main spring should last a good long time. Recoil change it out every few years or more if you shoot a lot. I've heard people say 5,000 rounds and I'd say that sounds about right. I shoot almost all CCI primers and so I want the extra power to pop the large pistol primer.

Kingsnake has done both my 1911's with these. They're great

Mine run 15 recoil, 19 main. You can easily tell if you're sprung correctly. Fire a couple mags of your match ammo from one spot. Look for the center of the pattern of ejected cases. Step that off from your shooting position. If closer than 5 feet, you are sprung stronger than needed. (results in harder slide pull than needed, and can get to where you get a failure to eject) If pattern is more than 10 feet away, you are too lightly sprung (can batter the frame and slide). And the recoil and main springs usually "balance with each other" best with the recoil being about 3-4 pounds lighter than the main. The mainspring bore in the grip housing often needs honing to remove the roughness from factory machining. good luck, GJ

15 recoil. 17 main.

45acp, both 200/230gr bullets, 162 power factor: 14lb recoil spring, 18lb main spring.

What weight spring to you all use, example 9 pound 11 pound? Thank you

PLEASE HOLD ON TO YOUR WILD BUNCH REGISTRATION APPLICATION! It has come to the club’s attention that due to a problem with our post office box many of the 2025 Colorado State Wild Bunch match applications have not been received. Until we have had a chance to straighten out the problem, please hold onto your applications. We will send an individual email to everyone from whom we’ve received an application by Monday 3/24/2025. Please check our website for updates (www.sandcreekraiders.org) Or contact Doc Holidaily at 303-513-5116(docholidaily@gmail.com) We thank you for your patience and understanding, and look forward to seeing you at the range. Thank you and God bless! Doc Holidaily President Sand Creek Raiders

Glad you're here!

Dang, sounds like a great match. I almost wish I had shot it. Oh well.

Simple answer is - yes, a 38 Spl rifle will be legal, especially since you already have it. And - Yes, current PF minimum is 60 for Rifle. If you need to access the handbook - it's at: SASS Rule Handbooks page Welcome to WB! GJ

Best bet is to read the Shooters Handbook for all your firearms questions.

So I'm new just starting and trying to get into wild bunch I have already made up the ammo for the 1911. I was wondering if I can use a 38 rifle or if I need to use a 44 or a 45. Second question the power factor for wild bunch rifles is 60 right. Edit thank you in advance.

Well, it is called Wild Bunch ACTION SHOOTING! If I want entertainment, I’ll turn on the movie and watch it. For me the fun is in the challenge. Figuring out how I can shoot a stage to the best of my abilities. What can I do to better myself. I’ve said for years that WBAS isn’t for everyone. Neither is benchrest shooting, NASCAR racing or brain surgery.

FJT had some good comments in the WB-EOT thread. I always expected that State level and above, certainly National or EOT matches to be challenging. In the past, the ones that I have competed in, they had their challenges, some more than others. After most "Big" Wild Bunch matches, I am mentally fatigued. I, and I have heard others say, that Wild Bunch is more fatiguing and difficult that Cowboy Action, and that the latter seem easier after a Wild Bunch match. More targets, more difficult targets, more control needed for the firearms due to the Power factor, more brass to retrieve, and more movement on tough stages have made it more challenging. Then you add in more equipment/ammo failures and often more penalties to add to the situation. Challenges abound. Perhaps for some, these aspects are too daunting; some want to be entertained with less of the above. It will be interesting to see how having a challenging shooting sport can mesh with having an entertaining shooting sport.

Number your mags so you can identify any problem mags. +1 on case gauge. +1 on Bulge Buster for rounds that do not fit case gauge. +1 on knowing how to clear malfunctions. Be safe and have fun.

Howdy, Dave; I am pretty sure they did believe that they were shooting a true WB match. It may not have been to their taste. That's a subjective evaluation, to be sure. They had only shot a few matches prior to this and wanted to see if they would enjoy it as much as their local matches, on the Big Stage. "I was working all the time" was a reference to the amount of concentration and effort that the match required. Once again, tastes may vary, but they didn't feel there were any stages which they could relax a bit and run their gun as easily as they wanted. Hope that provides a bit of clarification. Cheers, FJT

They absolutely are slower with the lighter bullet. Having spent way more time and money testing it, the 230 at 700-725 fps is the way to go. Anyone want my leftover 250 gr bullets I was trying to see if they were worth it….

230gr "pointed" bullet that a local guy makes, with 4.1-4.2gr Bullseye is what Ive been using for years. I was thinking of trying 200gr rnfp with 4.9gr bullseye but I'm hearing that the split times/recoil is more with the lighter bullet....

Hi Dave, Just wanted to point out that SASS is the parent company for both Cowboy and Wild Bunch action shooting. So all CAS and WB matches are SASS matches. That being said, please understand that as time goes on with Wild Bunch and the number of new clubs and shooters keep increasing, things will probably find a comfortable shift to a center of old school and new school. But in any case it is now in the TG's hands to gear it in a direction. My two cents worth are that things are moving in a great direction for the sports longevity, both in CAS and WB.

Try this too: https://choiceammunition.com/product-category/cowboy-action/cowboy-45/45-acp-wild-bunch/

Scarlett Darlin’ sells .45 ACP “Cowboy Cartridges” for those who don’t “roll their own”.

Thank you, sir. Got tired of breaking pins and figured there had to be a better way. Best, Boggus

Those last 2 comments sound like they came from people that have never shot a true WB match. Makes me think that their expectations were for a SASS match shot with a 1911 and not an action match that required people to actually use their front sight. I do wonder about the comment "I was working all the time". Were the posses small? Were shooters not pulling their weight by failing to step up and do posse chores?

Pm incoming.

I am watching the evolution of Wild Bunch with a great deal of interest, as I enjoy it as much (and maybe more than...!) Cowboy Action Shooting. Evolution does not reward that which is best; it rewards that which is best suited to survive, given a certain set of conditions at the time. I was intrigued by the match; the abrupt changes made to WB were undertaken to increase the interest in the game, and, given the modestly robust turnout, with a host of new attendees, may have worked. But I feel like the match itself ran contrary to that ethos. I shot it, and did reasonably well. But, this is the entertainment business, and, listening to shooters who attended, I heard a few things which stuck with me. 1.) "I was never having any fun. I was working the whole time." 2.) "It was humbling; perhaps even humiliating, to have one shooter clean the match." 3.) "When the Super Bowl comes around, they don't move the goalposts back another 20 yards." I'm not sure what the game plan is, but I didn't think it was a great match. I respect all the work that went into it, and the workers who made it so. Also, I will shoot whatever you put in front of me. But the Fast Guys (and Gals!) will still win, and match organizers might do well to consider the experience they are offering for the 80% who want to shoot safely and just have a good time. Cheers, FJT