Garrison Joe

I will stand corrected for Skinner sights being used for cowboy shooting - I was looking at the 2024 version of the Cowboy rules. But, the 2025 rules change the playing field! Opening a 2025 version, I see that newly added rule expressly prohibiting barrel or receiver mounted peep sights. But the discussion here is for Teddy Roosevelt, a Wild Bunch category, where receiver peep sights ARE allowed. Nothing like new rules and exceptions to them. Yep, here's the WB applicable section - Wow, the complexity just keeps on boiling up. good luck, GJ

Guess that the Skinner barrel-mounted peep would NOT be legal for Long Range matches, since they are not open sights mounted on barrel. But I find nothing that makes them illegal for ANY other rifles. And, the Plainsman section of the cowboy rule book has no restriction that is additional to any cowboy match restrictions. Normally, receiver mounted sights of any design are illegal on SASS rifles, but since so many of the original lever action hunting rifles had receiver sights added, sounds like the Rules Committee made an exception for TR matches. But this rule would not PREVENT you from using the Skinner barrel peep, as far as I know. However, a receiver mounted sight would be my PERSONAL choice over the Skinner (for several reasons). good luck, GJ

Because it is barrel mounted, yes, it's legal for any SASS sponsored match. good luck, GJ

I've seen a gun that was too heavy in Traditional back about 2011. Shooter brought out his backup. He carried on. good luck, GJ

I've never noticed any holster-tie-down (or strap) being used in Wild Bunch over the last 18 years. So, the call seems to hold to customary equipment use. But then, I would not see that any holster hold-down provides a lot of assistance. Nor would I consider it to be harmful to the "traditional" look of a shooter's costume. I think you took the correct course of action at the match. good luck, GJ

Try using shorter shells - 2 1/2 or less. B*P has had (10 years ago) a light load with a 2.5" shell. Or reload for a short shell. good luck, GJ (Six shotshells, each saving 1/2 inch, saves you a total of 3" - enough for that 6th round to fit!)

During the run of production of the Ruger SR 1911 traditional style pistol, which had 3 dot sights, they were commonly blacked out per posted judgments from the ROC of the time. And a couple of other 1911s also carried those same dot sights. They certainly WERE blade and notch sights, only allowing adjustment by drifting the sight. Honoring that decision is kind of important for all those who invested early in the sport. As for "military" sights, few folks use the military "barley corn" sights that the original 1911 carried. They are really small. The two rear sights that the rules book have cited as EXAMPLES (both considerably taller than the barley corns) - neither have been regularly installed on any military 1911s. "Military" is a style of sight, not a specific manufacturer/model of sight. How about explaining how the dots colored over to match the sight body gives any competitor an edge over those pards using "non-dotted" blade and notch sights? good luck, GJ

I've found that the small primer .45 AUTO brass is the brainchild of several of the companies who wanted to make non-toxic .45 practice ammo for police departments (who often shoot on poorly ventilated indoor ranges, and buy the vast majority of non-toxic pistol ammo). But, they were having a HARD time making non-toxic large primers - they just had lousy reliability. So, someone got a real stupid idea to go against the 100 year old SAAMI, mutually-agreed upon, shooting industry guidelines that .45 AUTO needs to be large pistol primed, and started making small primer pockets to hold the non-toxic small pistol primers that were easier to make reliable than the large primer size. So, it was a combination of errors. PD's which would not upgrade their ranges with suitable ventilation to meet OSHA standards, government entities that refused funding to upgrade local departments and larger ranges to meet current air quality standards, and companies making primers who still have not figured out how to make non-toxic large pistol primers reliably. But if someone has more recent intelligence on this situation, I'd like to hear it. GJ

Yes, having to replace plated parts (actually nickel on almost all silvery-colored plated guns, not chrome) when you need to do some fitting is the normal thing to have to do. Two ways to avoid this - buy stainless guns, or use blued guns and touch up your work with some cold blue. Are you sure this 1911 is plated, not a stainless gun? From the picture, looks stainless. The pinch spot is between the top of the grip safety and the bottom of the hammer spur. Relieving some of the grip safety or some of the spur of the hammer are things that are feasible. Learning to hold a grip that puts your hand lower on the frame also works, but I do not feel the same control of the gun as when I grip high (right up under the grip safety spur), and of course, a low grip lets the gun pivot more during recoil.

The guns that I know well and can get parts for, I don't worry about manufacturer's warranty. Need any more clarification? GJ

Since I do ALL my "warranty" work on my Uberti guns, I don't even read the warranty conditions. GJ

The catalog page for that gun includes this caveat: I would not have a gun for a sport that DEPENDS on reloaded ammunition with that restriction on it. Just me, but those gentlemen are not granting the purchaser full use of the firearm that they built. I don't buy Glocks for a similar restriction, either. I use a couple of Colt 1911s that I have and will put up against any comers for quality and reliability, fit and function. As always, there are requirements that each shooter has for their firearms, and I am satisfied mine fulfill my requirements. Of course, I had to replace the collet barrel bushing (a dumb idea from 1970 trying to make a single part of the gun magically garner high levels of accuracy for cheap) with a solid bushing, after that collet broke and jammed in a match. good luck, GJ

TiteGroup will work for what you are trying to do......might start with 9 grains. No "filler" material is recommended anymore by Lyman or other handbook publishers, due to ringing of chambers that is loosely suspected to be made worse with dacron or other filler. Varget would work if you were shooting 100, 200 yards or more; it would be more powerful than you need for TR matches. good luck, GJ

Anyone who is shooting 30-30 in TR events is reloading it. I'm sure several do. Are you looking for a good cast bullet load for it? What powder(s) and bullet(s) do you have around? I have seen about 8 or 9 grains of Unique and a flat pointed bullet about 170 grains shoots well at the short ranges that TR is shot. GJ

Even before the rule changes, the .38-40 (which is really 40 caliber) was a legal cartridge for Wild Bunch. GJ