Frederick Jackson Turner

I'm just back, catching up on my sleep after a whirlwind weekend at Cowtown, AZ, after shooting the fun and challenging Arizona State Wild Bunch State Championship. Zona and Barwire did a great job crafting this match; reasonable and occasionally exacting target placement, interesting and sometimes brain-teasing sequences, and lots and lots of variation. And SO MUCH steel! No two stages were the same, there was plenty of variety, and more 1911 shooting than you could shake a Colt at. Everyone to whom I spoke had a great time. I've been away for several years, and I must say, this match made me glad I came back. There were shooters from at least four states; they must know a good thing when they see it! Side note; i had a new shooter along, Ms. Penny Ante, who shot her first WB match. It's a steep learning curve, and folks helped her, every inch of the way. A new shooter, her kit was not yet complete, so in the course of the match, various folks loaned her; holsters, belts, mag pouches, ammunition, rifles, pistols, shotguns, and magazines. She hasn't stopped smiling, in three days. Well done, Zona and Barb; well done, Cowtown, and congrats to all the winners!!!! Cheers, FJT

Good choices, all! Cheers, FJT

Sam; A pleasure being on your posse once again! Your posses are always fun, efficient, a bit crazy; and watching you shoot is pretty amazing. I look forward to our next meeting. Cheers, FJT

Congrats on a your win, BD!! I thought that the Wild Bunch Action Shooting match this year at last fulfilled the promise of what the title "WBAS" implies. For the first time, I really enjoyed shooting a WBAS match at this level. The stages were well designed, the ranges were reasonable but far more challenging than a cowboy match, and, honestly, I thought whoever designed the match for Winter Range got it damned close to right. I'll do it again next year, in a heartbeat, if it's going to be an action match like this one was. Big fun, and highly recommended! :D :D Cheers, FJT

This is excerpted from my post on the SASS Wire: One clean match? Sheesh. I'm not sure exactly what we're after here in WBAS, but I was underwhelmed by the match. Lots of shooting, to be sure, but some truly strange stage scenarios, and, it seemed to me, a bit more of a precision pistol match than an action match, just with lotsa mag changes, more than anything else. The consensus among my group, including some very experienced shooters, from all over, was that better is out there, and this was - not a very good match. Somehow, the stages didn't feel as if someone had run them through a match or two, just to make sure they worked. I respect the enormous effort that goes into putting together a match on this scale, especially in a remote location! I don't want to ruffle anyone's feathers, or step on anyone's toes, but I have shot far more enjoyable matches, and would like to see improvement, especially at the National, and World level. Don't get me wrong; you put it out there, and I'll shoot (at) it; but I do keep hoping for better... Respectfully, FJT

Great pistol, the Sig 1911! Cheers, FJT

This is a really good discussion! Keep 'em coming! Cheers, FJT