Frederick Jackson Turner

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...

https://www.sassnet.com/resources/cowboy-chronicle July 2024 edition. I welcome your thoughts. Cheers, FJT

https://www.sassnet.com/uploads/downloads/cowboychronicle/2024/AprilChronGO2024.pdf Cheers! FJT

I rather liked the match. The target distances were reasonable, with a trio of rifle targets that were a legit challenge... Both the target distances and the target spreads were greater than cowboy matches, and for all the concern about "cowboying my WB Match..." only five shooters shot it clean. A couple of the stage descriptions were rather complex, and there were two stages which allowed/encouraged, running with two guns simultaneously - in the middle of a shooting string. Not too crazy about that. I thought it was quite encouraging, especially given the shroud of mystery surrounding the architect of the match. As always, the all KD stage was popular, and there were a few stages which allowed the pistol to be employed in lieu of the rifle, which I really like. I have to admit, most of the in-it-to-win-it shooters used .38/.357 rifles, although distances and knockdowns kept that from being as big an advantage as they might have hoped. Everyone else shot what they had. There were no SxS shooters on my posse, but I believe I did see at least 1 1887. Good for them! Removing the politics from the match, I liked it, and would give it a solid "B." And would be glad to shoot the likes of it again. Hope that's helpful! Cheers, FJT

Want to give a shout out to Ramrod, Barb Wire, and 'Zona, (and anyone else I might have missed!) for another terrific WB match at Cowtown. Fun, challenging stages, great folks, and a good time! Sorry I had to jet early to get to the show, but I was glad to give you all a shout out on the air. Hope to make it again, next year! Cheers, FJT

I'd like to come to this match. Which WB rules will be in place? I'd like to bring along the proper kit! Cheers, FJT

How was the match? Cheers, FJT

I had the misfortune of breaking my Les Baer Premiere, two weeks ago, on the eve of the Nevada State Wild Bunch Championships. A quick phone call to Les Baer netted a brief but very enjoyable conversation with Les Baer, himself, (seriously? he's got nothing better to do than answer questions from some yahoo out in California?) and I overnighted the pistol back to them, in Iowa. It was returned to me at no cost, in as new condition, in three days. I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I am, with both the 1911, and that level of customer service. Nevada State WB was a challenging match, and my freshly repaired Les Baer performed brilliantly. I can't imagine another manufacturer doing that, in that time window. Look; I get that computers crash, BMWs break down, and even space shuttles blow up. It's what happens after that that matters. Very pleased, Frederick Jackson Turner

No preference here; just looking for a good shooting match. That said, I understand the desire to have mercy on match directors...$$$$ Cheers, FJT

Brushed off the last of the jet lag, shaken off the remnants of the 10 day hangover, rinsed out my clothes, and ready to get back at it. Question: given the difficulties of obtaining firearms and associated kit which far exceed ours, why is European Wild Bunch doing so well, especially compared to the US? While I have my thoughts, I am open to suggestions. Cheers, FJT

Duly noted; should have read "Outside the US..." 😉 I was more than a bit impressed by the % of Cowboy shooters who chose to participate in WB. Especially given how much more difficult to access any firearms, let alone those specific to our game, in Europe. If WB at Eot had that kind of turnout, the match would have about 275 entrants... Cheers, FJT

Hey, folks; I'm headed home, after about the best week of Cowboy Action Shooting anyone could ever hope for, the Days Of Truth European Cowboy Championships. I'll be writing an upcoming article for the SASS Chronicle, where you can get more details, but for now, here are the highlights. The event was limited to 360 shooters, and it still sold out in under 24 hours. Shooters from ELEVEN nations were present. Sadly, there was only one American on hand. Still, they went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Their Wild Bunch match featured 130 shooters, making it the LARGEST Wild Bunch Match, outside the US. And, incidentally, that is nearly 40% of the shooters at the main match, who wished to participate in the Wild Bunch match. It is far harder for them to acquire Wild bunch gear there, than here. And yet, they outnumbered us in attendance and participation. WHY??? Way back in 2010 and 20011, I went over there to help give European shooting a kick in the tail, and offered a Cowboy Action Shooting Class, to show how we do things in the US. (You can find the results of that event in the September and October 2010 issues of the Chronicle, here:) https://www.sassnet.com/resources/cowboy-chronicle A dozen years later...this. They have a load of shooters who can compete with anyone in the US. Every kid under about 30 is shooting 2-second rifle strings. This was the best SASS event I have ever attended. It was GREAT! Cheers, FJT

A million thanks to Tully for picking this up, so that the most populous state in the union can have a state WB Champinship! In addition, I've attended his matches, and they are the best, most fun, and challenging WB matches I've ever seen. Pencils down. Period. Tully, if I'm not in the Antarctic, I'll be there. Cheers, FJT

Hi, Zolas; After trying a Les Baer, (and watching Silvertip shoot one!) I (pardon the pun) bit the bullet, and sprung on one. I could not be happier with my purchase. Prior to this, I was using a very nicely gone over Remington R 1, which worked just fine. But, with the Baer, there IS a difference. Once in a while, when I went to the line with the Remington, I'd see distant targets, and hope I would hit them. With the Baer, I KNOW that if I get a good sight picture, I will get a hit. I 'm not any faster, but I'm a lot more confident. Honestly. You will have to get it resprung if you are shooting less than industry standard loads. YMMV, but that is my experience. Cheers, FJT