Frederick Jackson Turner

One of the boilerplate axioms in the entertainment business is, "The audience will let you know." Without arguing semantics, one of the reasons folks spend the time, money and effort that they do on this, or any other sort is for fun. Whether or not that's entertainment, you can argue on your own time. If the time effort and money spent doesn't offer some value or return on investment, then they will find something else to do. Most of us work hard for our money, and this should provide an escape or a pleasant getaway from the realities of modern life. After a match designer, be it legendary T.A. Chance, RePhil, or Lassiter, or your local guy/gal, designs stages for any length of time, they will find that shooters tend to comment on stages, favorably, or otherwise. The good ones should go into a file folder that you can trundle out again occasionally, and the ones with lots of "P"s or misses might go into another, rather more circular file. No more that one trick per stage. Par times should be roughly equal for all stages. Difficult scenarios should have easier target acquisition; tougher targets should have simpler instructions. Have a good mix of sweeps, but don't try to re-invent the wheel. Data mine your matches, listen to your shooters. Keep that file folder. And the audience will let you know. And always, respect to all those hearty souls who stay up late designing those stages, huck the steel before the match, and put it away when most of us have already headed home. Cheers, FJT

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

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

Same week as the SHOT Show and Antique Firearms Show in Las Vegas. I have to work! You're killin' me! 😞 Hope everyone has a great time... Cheers, FJT

As stated above, if you buckle in the rear, it leaves the front open for business; mag pouches/shotshells/rifle reloads...some more robust gentlemen or ladies may not require utilizing all the available real estate, and choose to do otherwise. But, my 32 inch waist (34 after Thanksgiving dinner) is hard pressed to find a location for these necessities, otherwise. Cheers! FJT

I like a good mix of target distances and difficulty. But, the human mind is geared to process one event at a time. So...close targets can be fun to whale away on, and you can arrange more complex scenarios, if shooter is not overly worried about sight acquisition and proper trigger pressure. Longer distances - keep it a bit simpler, so the shooters can focus on their sights. In other words - good advice to match directors in ANY discipline - only have one problem for the shooter to solve, per stage. And you can easily fill the need by those who wish for more difficult pistol targets, by occasionally using the Rifle targets as R/P targets and also by sometimes allowing the option of shooting the Rifle targets with the Pistol. Mix it up, and have some fun! Cheers, FJT

A Remington R1 that Bodie 601 turned into something special; Les Baer Premiere II out of the box; Springfield flat front 1911 with MMC sights, with an Ed Brown barrel, link and bushing fitted to it; Colt Series 70 with better sights and a 15 lb spring kit. Sig 365 for EDC. Are you guys nuts? 😮 Cheers, FJT

You can definitely mod them to take six standard 2 /34 ss shells. Cheers, FJT

I like the idea of adding a bit of fun to the proceedings, Whitey! Series 70 Colt for Traditional. Les Baer Premiere for Modern. Seems to be working out! Cheers, FJT

C.N.; Let there be no doubt, I prefer the greater challenge that WB typically offers. (For that matter, I prefer slightly more difficult cowboy matches, too...) But, when you go to Bordertown, you know what you're in for; a "sit down, shut up, hold on," video game of a match. And, knowing 'Zona, I'm pretty sure he had mixed feelings about following those Bordertown dictates. But, I still feel he did a good job, and, for me, it was worth the 1,200 mile drive. Hope to see you down the road! Then, we can compare match notes. Best wishes, FJT

Just back from Bordertown, the Arizona State Championship, where, as an adjunct to the Fastest SASS Match In The World, they have a very popular and well attended WB sidematch. It is not formally sanctioned, so they played a bit fast and loose with the SASS WB rules, such as allowing shooters to start C&L (Condition 1), to make up missed SG targets with reloads, and Bordertown distance targets. It was fast, furious, great fun, and no one put their eye out. 'Zona designed a great match, and, if you find yourself in the area next year, I highly recommend it for something different! Cheers, FJT

Lassiter, chief progenitor of the "drop two" mod, says that an 1887 CAN be returned to stoke mode with a simple part which is easily installed. Yes to the Model 12; yes to the 1897 second, but I just ran a WB match with a fellow shooting a very slick 1887, and he was running just fine with it. Cheers, FJT

Hey, folks; I just wanted to share the results of my trip up to the Rough Riders Wild Bunch match, at the Chorro Valley shooting facility. Ambs Aces put on a terrific match; some targets were new WBup close, with numerous targets at SASS rifle distance, so you had to mind your sights. Long and short, I had a good time, with a great bunch of folks, and recommend it to anyone near the Central California coast. As a plus, they start at 11:00 a.m. (YES!!!!) and the weather, as it usually is, was perfect. I will be going back. Cheers! FJT

Looks like they've got the right guy in front of this. Thanks, Dutch. Cheers, FJT

California State SASS championship includes a mini WB match; Tully Mars' matches up in northern California are absolutely outstanding but too distant for more than once a year, and both Canyon Oaks Shootists and Panorama's Northfield Raiders will allow WB to be shot at their cowboy matches. Canyon Oaks is an old-timey SASS match, so the target distances are about right for WB, while Northfield tolerates us with a smile, without WB being scored with the rest of the shooters. Going to Try Chorro Valley's 5 stage monthly this weekend. It's a drive, but the pickings are a bit slim, so I'll give it a go! Shout out if there are others! Cheers, FJT P.S. As detailed in the April Chronicle, The German SASS shooters put on an absolutely terrific annual WB match, if you happen to be in the area...