Garrison Joe

Some great stages (I hear) were put on at Winter Range 2020. You can find them all online at: http://www.winterrange.com/WB%20Stages.pdf In fact, in same general area, you can find stages back to at least 2015, maybe earlier (I got tired of flipping through the PDFs there). Good luck, GJ

Yes, they are.

Second that! No need for, and with the variety of nose shapes found on different supplier's .45 caliber RN bullets, there's no way I would use a Lee FCD crimper. All you need on the .45 auto case is a taper crimp that is about 0.471" outside diameter right at the case mouth. Almost all the standard taper crimp dies in .45 auto die sets will do this very well and with all the various shapes of bullet noses. If you want to detect loaded rounds that are too big to chamber, use a loaded round check gauge. I gauge every round to be used in matches. If you want to FIX rounds that are too big, especially bulged bases right above the extractor groove, here's where the Lee FCD die comes in handy. Normally it is used (after removing the seating/crimping guts, and getting the Bulge Buster kit from Lee), by pushing fired cases up through the FCD die body with a pusher rod that fits the shell holder recess in a single stage press ram (main part to use from the Bulge Buster kit). But it will also SAFELY work on a loaded round which gauges too large. If the case is bulged, or the crimp is too large a diameter, or the rim of the case is too large, that Lee FCD die swages the round back down to a sure size to chamber. Good luck, GJ

With WB power loads, I can be essentially 100% sure of hits out to 50-60 yards, even edgers. The rings and target movement are a lot stronger with the extra power. MOST 100 yard hits I can see. Most folks will not hear the ring at 100 yards, though. I train sometimes shooting my .45 Colt rifle at 200 yard targets - man sized, and can hold it on those at least 75% of shots. Teaches you to wait until the bullet arrives before you decide the outcome. And that's with just 20-20 vision. Of course, that's not so common among SASS crowd, either. All this says, I would not be afraid of a match with 20" targets set at 50 yards. They could be scored pretty accurately. Good luck, GJ

Here's what Dan Wesson's VP of Operations provided today in regards to the nature of the DW slide rib that they used to have as an option: I appreciate his taking the effort to provide this info for us! Good luck, & stay safe, GJ

Here's one of the best investments of 15 minutes of your time while waiting for matches (or even practice) to startup again. A GREAT video on cleaning, spring changing, and shooting a 1911 from a great "GUN GUY" - Bill Wilson. He tells you what springs and parts he replaces on a regular schedule. Yes, he peddles his own oil on this one - I'm sure he has a good line of oils. But, most important is the INFO that is here. Good luck, GJ

May not be the model that GS was considering, but here's a DW with a factory rib: https://danwessonfirearms.com/product/specialist/

I would give the OPINION that the rule is meant to eliminate the function of mechanical accuracy enhancement that a Bomar or other accuracy enhancing rib can provide, and to accept the function of a solid rib that was machined into the slide at the factory - per the Colt Gold Cup example. That would make much more sense than believing the rules allow some brand name machined-in ribs and disallow other machined-in ribs, neither of which change the accuracy of the gun, but both perhaps equally and slightly enhance the shooter's abilities. So, I'd think the Wesson factory machined-in rib would be legal. Good luck, GJ

First off, military style FMJ .45 auto bullets shoot perfectly fine with NO shoulder to break up a smooth transition from bullet shank to nose ogive. So, THAT should prove a "SWC shoulder" is not necessary for reliable feeding. The .45 auto cartridge headspaces on the case mouth, not on the bullet. If the bullet interferes with the case mouth being able to move fully forward in the chamber, the round may not be fired by the pistol. Bullseye shooters like a SWC or even wadcutter (if it will even run in their 1911) design because the shoulder cuts a clean hole in the target at maximum shank diameter, ensuring they never lose a point due to failure to break a ring when a round nose bullet bends the paper without cutting it. We, of course, don't have to break rings to get a hit. A little bit of a visible "break" between shank and nose does give the reloader a landmark when adjusting seating dies. But accurate seating is a little more precise (and easier to measure with a caliper) if you will find the OAL that your gun needs with the design of bullet you want to shoot, and set your die to that OAL. As for "stupid" (or intelligent), I've not found bullets to be able to be categorized as to their IQ. ;) If you pay attention to seating the bullet correctly, and test assembled rounds in your barrel to verify that none run into the very short leade at the front of the chamber (or even hit the rifling) so that you will get 100% chambering when you shoot, you can shoot a bullet with OR without a visible break at the shoulder. I've shot traditional semiwadcutter bullets (with a strong shoulder), and round nose bullets (both smooth and landed shoulder), and truncated cone bullets (which have an angled shoulder all the way to the flat nose). Load so the upper end of the shank of bullet ends at or no more than 0.010" past the case mouth, and you won't get failures to chamber because of the bullet design. If you get sloppy, and especially if you shave off "fingernails" of the shank of the bullet due to insufficient belling or starting a slug cocked in the case mouth, you can have failures with any of the common designs of slugs. That 200 grain Bear Creek smooth round nose bullet ought to work fine for you, BK. But then, I would not be scared of recommending a visible-land-break round nose bullet either. (But for the record, I mainly shoot a Truncated Cone design today.) Good luck, GJ

Folks WHO SELL recoil springs recommend a new one as often as every 10K rounds. I don't change mine near that often. But I rarely shoot even factory Power Factor ammo. Good luck, GJ

That would be illegally acquired ammo (beyond the 4 he was allowed to use in shotgun), and all targets shot with that "extra" ammo are 5 second penalties. As well as the extra time it takes to load and fire the round. and So, if shooter followed Abilene's procedure, it would still be scored like a P and a Miss regardless of whether the 5th shot knocked down #4 target. Plus the extra time on the clock. Extra shots beyond that, keep adding a 5-second penalty per shot. Good luck, GJ

You don't need to know the shooter's intent if the spotters have told you the shooter hit the 3rd target with the 3rd shot. In fact, you NEVER know the shooter's intent. Trying to figure that out is, simply, wrong. If two spotters both say that 3rd shot was a "hit-but-not-down" and it was on target 3, and for sure the last shot was a re-engagement on that 3rd target, you score the P and a Miss. It NEVER matters what the shooter was aiming at. Or even what he SAYS he was aiming at. What he HIT is the governing fact. Why complicate a what's the call discussion when you have the spotters' declaration laid out pretty clearly by the poster? Good luck, GJ

OP said: If the spotters are SURE that he re-engaged the 3rd target which had already been engaged, then he definitely violated WB stage conventions regarding "Do not reengage a missed knockdown or a KD that failed to fall." That would be a P. Violations of the instructions or rules on a target set is a P - it's not just incorrect target order that is a violation. But if they are not sure, or there was about the same amount of shot on target 3 and 4 from that #3 shot, then there is no violation warranting a P, just the one standing target that was missed. This is a VERY fine line to walk, but as I understand the rules as currently written, that is the way it needs to be called. Good luck, GJ

Miss, for target 3 not being down on it's first engagement. P for re-engaging that 3rd target. He didn't use more shots than allowed, he got 3 down, but he violated the basic WB rule that shotgun knockdowns cannot be re-engaged if either missed or failed to fall. On stationary targets, a hit on an incorrect target for the sequence is only a P. It's never a P and a Miss. Has to be the same for reactive targets. So, re-shooting #3 target earns the P. And #3 first shot was a failure to knock down - a Miss. So, a P and a Miss. If we make it more complicated than that to keep the score, we do ALL our shooters a real disservice. Good luck, GJ

They do a fairly good job of absorbing recoil. If it is thick enough to give the Length of Pull you want, good deal. If it's loose and wobbly and likely to fall off, slap a big dab of rubber cement in it so it can be easily removed later. Several pards use a slip on pad full time. Good luck, GJ

It's a Model 12. It's in 12 gauge. As long as it does not have a Cutts Compensator or other external choke, and it's in factory-issued condition externally, it should be good to go. External modifications, external chokes, are called out as illegal in the handbook. Make sure it's not a Winchester Model 25. A non-takedown version of M12 with short magazine tube. Good luck, GJ "No mention of it in the WB shooters handbook." Sure it's mentioned in the handbook. Don't sweat about the model variations. There's also Model 12 Duck guns, trap guns, skeet guns, Black Diamond high quality guns, etc.

And "The Professionals" and "Duck You Sucker" (aka A Fistful of Dynamite) are also great 1910 era movies about Mexico conflicts. But TWB still takes the Emmy. Good luck, GJ

The right side extractor on my 12's does not even touch the rim until the shell has started into the chamber. And that's with 12s without the flag. I don't see how the extractor can cause the shell to misalign and jam into the barrel breech. Look at the top surface of lifter - it may have had metal ground off the right hand side, or be a 3" lifter. Look for any burr on the barrel breech surface. Added - This may be a timing problem of when the lifter pops up. If lifter rises too late, the bolt could miss the shell rim and block the shell from rising to the chamber mouth properly. The lifter movement is very quick - occurs within about 1/2 inch of forearm motion as the action is being closed. It takes being off only a little to cause problems. Good luck, GJ

Sounds about time for a deep cleaning including taking the extractors off the bolt and checking their springs, too. Good luck, GJ

Cleaning or troubleshooting at EOT or WR is best done at one end of the Unloading table. Firing line is way too busy most of the time. You probably don't have room on most carts to hold all the loose pieces of a 1911 while you work on it. As far as the rules go, it would be allowed to tear one down there, just return to the unloading table if you want to dry fire or cycle slide several times (just to keep from scaring the uninitiated). For me, Rem Oil is quite capable of handling the environment at either venue. Most other quality oils should do the same. I really don't use a grease at all for a 1911. If I get in a bad dust devil at EOT, I'll take a dry rag and a finger tip and wipe off as much as I can, but I have never had a gun get gunked up so as to effect the function. Magazines can be clogged - so every time I get mine back, I look at the follower and wipe off dirt in that area. I use no lube on or in magazines. Good luck, GJ

If you can cite the Dixie Desperado's web site, folks may have everything they need to register. Except maybe the funds. ;) Good luck, GJ

All of them are OK. A cowboy hat is OK. Most other hats "of the period" are OK (I've seen newsboy caps, railroad caps, etc). No hat is OK. Mine is a 1902 brown USMC campaign/slouch hat. Figure with about 14 years of campaign wear, it would just be broken in when I had to go chase banditos south of the border. Good luck, GJ

Should be any BAMM legal rifle, I would assume. Open action, insert stripper carrying 5 rounds, press rounds into magazine, pull out the empty clip, press down on top round in magazine with thumb, and slide bolt forward. (Remove thumb from magazine before bolt goes completely closed - ;D) Good luck, GJ

LL - Those are WONDERFUL side match stage descriptions. Wish I could be there, especially for Sgt. York's side match. Good luck with WR! GJ

OD - Took a peek just now at the WR Cowboy Who's Coming list, you are on it. So you are a cinch for the WB match. GJ