Doc Holloman

Springfield Garrison is my Primary. Backup is a Springfield Loaded modifies to be close to a Marime M45. I've also shot a Tisas Raider on occasion. I have 11 1911s total including one in 9mm and one .22. Am currently considering picking up one in .38 Super.

I can't think of the cowboy match where I haven't been hit by spall off the targets, sometimes from the next stage over. Once or twice drawing blood. Always assumed that was part of the game. One club I shoot at vetoed Wild Bunch /Cowboy 1911 "Open" category shooting 9mm for fear the blowback would be excessive.

I shoot at three "local " clubs that have ( or have had) recent Wild Bunch programs. Ran one of them. None shoot on commercial ranges. All on private ranches where the clubs have varying lease arrangements with the landowners. One has a berm backstop behind the stages at 20/25 yards . At that club we do no shoot Doughboy/TR and the Cowboy shooters do not shoot Cody Dixon as a Category ( there is a separate area for long range). The Club just accepts that as a limitation of their facility. The other two clubs have no berms, and are backstopped by rising terrain downrange. One is holding the 2025state Wild Bunch match and is offering DB/TR. The other is holding the State SASS Cowboy match, and will offer DB/TR if there is sufficient interest (I shot Doughboy there last year). As an additional data point they also offer a BAMM side match that is a combined offhand (50 yard) and bench (75-150 yard) match, and a fastest 1911 side match (two mags) at the Club's annual match ( the State match in 2025), generally run at the same place to keep the staffing efficient. My point is that clubs that ha the facilities can offer Doughboy and Teddy Roosevelt as main match Wild Bunch classes, clubs that don't, don't have to.

I would save it for a side match. I ran a two-gun Cowboy side match last year I called Horse Solder, It had two classes: Trooper and Scout with the clsss determined by rthe firearms used. But in both classes the revolver had to be fired Deulest. I happened to win the Trooper class (yeah, yeah I know, the fix was in, but I had to fund some way to win something) but I can tell you, cocking that .45 Colt with my arthritic right thumb was no fun and I'm glad I only had t do it 5 times. (anyone interested in the details of the side match, feel free to ask.)

I shoot Doughboy. We generally use the Cody Dixon targets at 50-60 yards. It does take longer to make 5 offhand bolt action rifle caliber shots (lately I've been using a Krag Carbine) than 7-10 pistol caliber rifle shots at 15-20 yards. I recognize that and realize that when shooting Doughboy I am only competing against other Doughboy shooters and not competing for overall (but then I know I will never be competitive against guys who can make a pistol caliber lever gun sound like a submachine gun). Same thing in Cowboy matches where I shoot Cody Dixon Single shot, I know that overall is not in my future. But I also run the risk that there won't be enough Doughboy shooters (usually 3) and the category will be dropped.

This same inquiry was posted in the Facebook group (SASS) Wild Bunch Action Shooting, and has gotten quite bit of discussion there. It was also posted on CAS City but with limited response.

Unfortunately, due to Wild Bunch Range Officer's family issues and the small participation, The Tejas Caballeros monthly Wild Bunch matches have been cancelled for eh foreseeable future.

First question (What is important to me in Wild Bunch?) 1. MOVEMENT! Multiple target arrays for pistol. Multiple reloads. Pistol arrays at different distances within a stage. Movement with the shotgun. 2. Variety. Target arrays that are not just straight lines shot in predicable sweeps. Geometric patterns (Ts, Ls, Xs, Y, Chevrons). Different round counts from stage to stage. Some stages no rifle, some no shotgun. Some stages putting a premium on pistol marksmanship, some placing the emphasis on quick mag changes. 3. Difficulty: WB should be more difficult than CAS. With CAS clubs setting a standard that ¼ or 1/3 of shooters should be shooting clean matches, I don’t think we want Wild Bunch devolving into that with 24x24 targets at 4 yards. Second question: (Rule changes I would like to see) 1, Allow 20 gauge Model 12 shotguns (as we now allow 20 gauge side by sides – the 97 was never made in 20 gauge) 2. In the Modern Class, allow rubber magazine baseplate bumpers. I don’t see a competitive advantage and allows more people to use what they have. Consider allowing Commander length guns in Modern. 3. Eliminate the max weight for the Modern class 1911. A lot of off the shelf pistols are an ounce or two over the limit and the other restrictions should still keep the race guns out. 4. Allow GI style shoulder holsters. (OK, I can dream) True to the movie,and shoulder holsters are allowed in Cowboy. The 170- rule would still apply. Actually probably safer than in Cowboy because of the need to rack the slide on the 1911. 5. In BAMM/Doughboy, allow 1945 or earlier rifles that have been rechambered by a military to a different caliber. This would allow Norwegian or South American 98K Mausers rechambered to .30-06, Indian Enfields rechambered to 7.62 or Israeli Mausers rechambered to 7.62. Of course, lead bullets would still be required. (.30-06 and 7.62 brass are a lot easier to find and cheaper than 8mm Mauser. )

So, the word from Land Run is that the Territorial Governors are discussing what rule changes should be made to fine tune the revamped Wild Bunch program, with changes to be voted on and implemented next year (if I have that wrong, feel free to correct me.) In hopes of assisting that discussion I’d like to throw out a couple of questions to hopefully a decent cross section of WB shooters. To do this, I am posting this on three different forums (fora?) (Note: I will post my own answers, but as separate posts from the questions.) First: What do you think makes Wild Bunch different from Cowboy shooting and that needs to be preserved? (What, if lost, would spoil Wild Bunch for you? What elements or characteristics constitute the essence of Wild Bunch to you? What would you tell the folks looking at the rules ‘Don’t touch this!’?) Second: What Rule changes would you like to see made? Hopefully we can get some useful response that might come to the attention of the powers that be.

One rule change I hope that the TGs take up is allowing Model 12s in 20 gauge. We now allow SxS 20ga guns so the Model 12 should not be too objectionable.(The 97 was never made in 20ga.)

Would love to have some idea of what kind of changes were discussed. Unfortunately w did not have a TG at the match.

A couple of our local clubs do allow "Cowboy 1911" ( 5 round mags). One allows shooting half of the Cowboy rifle targets with the pistol to increase the difficulty. The other doesn't and doesn't allow stoking the shotgun. It captures some of the elements of Wild Bunch but the large spitting distance pistol targets are less of a challenge. And at least in the local clubs, movement with the pistol or shotgun in cowboy matches are rare.

Get a model 12. You won't regret it. The only real advantage of the 97 over the 12 is the ability to use it in Cowboy matches.

Was there any news from the Wild Bunch Territorial Governors Meeting at Land Run - or from the Match in General?

Afternoon matches in Central Texas are a non-starter. One of the clubs shoots shorter matches in the summer months because of the heat. Our first posse done is usually packed up and on the road before the last posse finishes. Even in October we sometimes still have days in the 90s in the afternoons.