Any SASS or Single Action Shooting Society participances here?

[Outer Rondacker]

I have long wanted to get into the cowboy shooting sports known as SASS. I have a club about an hour away that does shoots once a month. I am looking to learn what others use and learn a bit more on gear, getup and the loads used. I for some reason am leaning torts 38/357. At the moment I do not own the firearms so I would be purchasing them.

I plan on shooting smokeless gunpowder not BP.
This is to be a fun chat where we share some info and expand my outlook on the sport.
What do you shoot?

[Nueces]

I competed for several years and I think the best you can do to get info and an introduction to the sport is to attend a match. Call the club to let them know you will be there and want to get started. I bet they will offer guns, ammo and leather for the match. You'll meet a bunch of interesting folks and learn all you can stand in a few hours. Plus, you will then have local expertise to continue to help guide you in getting geared up. Of course that advice is easy to give here in Texas, midwinter. Still, it's the best way to get started.

[dverna]

When I was in it..

.38 Spl....2.7 gr of Clays under 125 or 130 gr bullet
I used Colt SAA’s but you do not need to spend that much
Either a Marlin 1894 or Uberti 1873 clone...if you get the Uberti, get the short stroke kit
Either a 12 ga SxS...I used a Baikal and added a large bead...or 1897 style pump...I used both. Shorten the LOP to make the shotgun more nimble.

Reload 7/8 oz at 900-1000 fps for the 12 ga.

I started with Rugers, but found them clunky.

[Walks]

Before you make any equipment purchases, Read and Reread carefully the SASS Rule book. And if you decide you want to compete rather then just have fun ? Then plan on a few thousand rounds expended per month.

[Duckiller]

My grandfather was a real cowboy around Las Vegas NM in the1880s. Worked line camp in the summer. Per family history met William Bonny. Have a set of his spurs. SSAS people dress a lot better than granddad and they have funnier names. For those reasons among others I have never been interested in joining or participating. Others seem to enjoy and have a good time.

[warren5421]

I started in the mid 90's, an ASM 1st Model Schofield in .45 Colt, a Texes Longhorn Arms .44 WCF/.44 mag, Marlin .45 Colt, and a Savage hammerless 12 ga double. Don't mix the calibers as you can end up needing ammo for one of them. Don't ask how I know. Call who runs the SASS Club and show up at the first shoot of the season with 150 rounds of .357 and 50 rounds of #7 1/2 or #8 shot 12 ga. Dress as western as you can. Don't have any gunsmith work do for at least 6 months as what will work just fine may not be the high priced work new people run out and have done. Not everyone will spend the time it takes to run at the front of the pack and a lot of gun smithing will never change that.

You want low power loads, if you don't reload learn. https://oregontrailbullets.com/xcart/images/filemanager/uploads/otbc-load-manual.pdf Has a lot of good cowboy loads that work with a lot of the bullet makers.

There is no prize money to be won! You don't have to belong to SASS to shoot local matches. SASS is a for profit organization owned by the Wild Bunch. There is also NCOWS which is nonprofit. You start out with less guns in NCOWS.

Here is a copy of the paper SASS publishes: https://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/21eChron/21OctChron.pdf

[15meter]

When I was shooting cowboy, I used a real Winchester 97, a pair of Ruger Vaquaro's in 45 Colt and an Uberti 73. Wasn't competitive, just shot to have fun. I never cut down the 97, had a 30" full choke barrel. The Uberti is a long barrel rifle. The revolvers were the mid-length--6"??.

I started with a Winchester angle eject trapper in 45 Colt. It only held 9 rounds of 45 Colt. Had to load the 10th round on the line. Killed my time but I didn't have any misses. Well, at least no misses because I ran out of ammo. Then I started loading Schofield's for the the rifle. 10 would fit in the magazine. But the misses still snuck in. Found the Uberti and cured that problem. Except for the misses.

I chose the 45 just because I always wanted a pair of 45's fully understanding the recoil penalty I was going to pay while shooting in competition. Still had fun. With the Lee 160 grain boolit they actually didn't have that much recoil. Not what a mousefart 38 load is, but manageable recoil and lead consumption.

Depends on the club and the other shooters. As in everything there are drama queens and fun police everywhere. The club I shot at everybody but one couldn't care less how you were dressed. There are minimums of cowboy attire that are required and everybody but the one paid no attention. If you covered the basics, you were good.

He hassled you if you weren't dressed like a dime store cowboy. He lived and breathed cowboy, couldn't understand why everybody hadn't spent a $1000 on their outfit.

That was the only issue that I saw, everyone else was there for the fun.

I need to find another club to shoot at. I joined a woodturners club and the cowboy shoot and the woodturners meeting are the same day about 50 miles apart. I couldn't do both.

As someone said above, show up at a shoot or two and ask to try it. The club I shot at would let the curious try it. I assume most clubs are the same way.

My shot gun loads were 3/4 oz. The targets are set up to go down with a 1/2 oz. .410 load. Pistol and rifle don't have to be boomers, all you have to do is clang the target, not knock it over. No gas checks, gas checks damage targets.

Wait on purchasing a rig. Look at what other shooters are using. A friend built mine when I first started. He is an exceptionally skilled leather worker, he made me a great rig for safety if I was riding the range. Just not quite what you would want for fast draw type shooting.

[clum553946]

Yes, I still get to compete. Go to sassnet.com, get on the forum & you will get all kinds of info & help! I shoot 38 special but when I started, shot 44-40.

[Bakebfr480]

I’ve always wanted to participate but I just can’t bring myself to dress like that!

[Outer Rondacker]

Thanks for all the great advice. Here is where I drop some more info on my part.

I am sick of shooting on my personal small range alone. A few years ago I was asked to join a club so I did. It was a nightmare. No one wanted to shoot just talk about the good old times and drink beer. I tried to change it for the few who did want to have some events but was overrun by club BS politics.

I just want to shoot and have fun. Honestly could care less about putting on the getup. It does not bother me other then the price.

I own a few thousand 38 cases or more, and a Rossi 92 in 38/357. Sadly, to say it has a large loop and is 16". Lever could be changed but would work fine to start. Also have a 336 in 44mag. I have a coach db 12 that will work. No single action pistols and living in NYS its a pain in the backside to add them to the permit. So I prefer to do it once. Selling pistols is a pain also.

I do not care to much about setting the world record in times just the fun aspect of shooting. I will be looking into the other group mentioned.

I have been looking into the cost of the pistols and it would seem they are a lot more money in my state then others. Humm...

[Nueces]

Each club has it's own personality, including how anal they want to be about costuming. In my area of central Texas, no one much cares, unless it's a major sanctioned match, in which case SASS rules apply. I dressed in a blue shirt, pearl snaps, Lee jeans and brown leather shoes. Never wore boots. My hat was one of my Dad's old open road Stetsons, with the left front brim turned up, a la John Wayne. Earned me some derision for a while, then folks used it to recognize me across the range and I began getting compliments from strangers. I did shoot with some who got deep into outfitting. Their money, what the heck. Some of our ladies managed to look really special, too.

I enjoyed the shooting and camaraderie, made more friends in a few months than I had the past 40 years. Though I have not competed in some years, I kept the friends.

[Baltimoreed]

My first shoot was with a .45 big loop Rossi, a .45colt anaconda shot single action and a borrowed double. Caught the bug. Decided on shooting .45colt caliber and duelist style. Isn’t that what John Wayne shot? I’m not a gamer and do cas for the fun. Eventually found Ruger 4.5 inch Vaqueros and Marlin 1894s. Shotguns, well I tried an old hammer double, a stoeger coach, Marlin pumps [no longer sass legal but might be legal at your club shoot, they are ok at my club], a repro 1887 lever, 1897 pumps-real and repro and now 1912 pumps for Wild Bunch. Tried them all. Like my Model 24 and 30 Marlins and 1897s. M12s are the bomb but are not sass legal. Attend every shoot you can, learn the game, police up brass, see if you can shoot a few rounds during the lunch break. We allow a hot range during our lunch for shooters to check guns or ammo. Act like you’re interested and folks will be glad to help you catch the bug. Stay safe.

[dverna]

Like others said...some clubs are not anal about costumes. New shooters especially are given plenty of time to get stuff.

Met a lot of good people doing SASS but I left because there was too little shooting. 25-35 seconds to shoot a stage, then help for an hour before shooting again. Most club matches were 6 stages. Spending all day to shoot 150 rounds did not suit me. The worst was in the summer when it got hot and humid as most places had no shade and I do not tolerate heat well.

BTW you need a cart too. Not just for ammo, guns and basic tools. I had a small folding patio umbrella attached to mine and a cooler with drinks. It you build it right; it affords a place to sit as well. Use BIG wheels as some ranges are not well maintained.

Not uncommon to burn 400 rounds in two hours practicing and that was more fun for me. Started attending fewer matches until I moved on.

Interesting to watch a lady God had endowed shooting an 1873....There is good reason for hats with big brims.

If shooting 150 rounds a day with fun folks suits you, you will have a blast.

[shooterg]

Don't shoot it but watch our guys - they always give newbies a few free rounds and plenty of advice - room enough here for multiple scenarios so that most setup time is before shooting starts . Not strict on the dress code, even ball caps and sneakers get by.
I always kid 'em asking the dressed up folks how come they aren't coming out in Mustangs, Broncos, Pintos !
Do have an 1897 and an 1894 Marlin, but only SA is a .22 Ruger I got when I was 16. Is fun to watch but at least here, longest target even with rifles is maybe 25 yards.

[Outer Rondacker]

Made a call into one of the officers running the range hosting the shoots. I will learn more on how much of a dress code they have after we speak. Several years ago I stood in the shadows at one of the events. The getups turned me off but I am a hair older now so......

[Baltimoreed]

The bare minimum outfit, at least at my club, is a long sleeved shirt, cowboy boots/ropers, and a hat with a full brim-straw-felt. No ball caps or sneakers. I like military uniforms so I do Span Am, British, RNWMP, The Punitive Expedition, 1912 summer uniform [what Pike’s bunch wore in the first 20 minutes of The Wild Bunch]. Plus theres the Civil War and the west’s frontier army. Not to mention the outfits worn in western films. It’s all part of the fun of playing cowboys and indians or army with real guns and real bullets.

[Outer Rondacker]

If I was to put that bayonet on my gun here in NYS I would end up in jail. God, I love my state. Nice pictures thanks for sharing.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have been 'BAW' for near 35 years and never lost the desire to compete. At near 70 I don't aspire to be fast as the young gun's but BAW is uncanny with his accuracy, strings of over 4,000 targets without a miss! And by the way, BAW shoots the biggest, meanest guns available, 44Mag, 45 Colt, 44/40, 44 Spl, all at full power, just to make a "no-missus" match a little bit harder. My long range rifles are either an 1886 in 45/70 or the big 50/70 Sharps.


Build your character, mine comes from "Big Foot Wallace" a Texas Ranger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._A._Wallace

https://i.imgur.com/dYzG0TQl.jpg

[rbuck351]

I was interested but the dress up thing is a major turn off for me. I will not wear boots that don't lace up and cowboy hats are out as well.

Same for the muzzle loading thing. I'm not pretending to be something I'm not in order to shoot.

[Outpost75]

My experience was that it was fun in the early days until the "gamesmen" destroyed it, the same as happened with IPSC, IDPA, Action Pistol, Handgun Silhouette, BP silhouette, CBA at al.

We do our own local matches under local rules and matches are mostly retired LE and military. We shoot the DEA concealed carry course with EDC weapons people actually carry under LEOSHA.
Don't care whether a wheel gun or bottom feeder. Shoot your EDC. Civilians can shoot with their actual EDC carries.

Ties are broken firing cowboy rifles, patrol rifles or truck guns over WW2 M1 carbine course.

[dverna]

What surprises me is people blame the "gamers" for taking the "fun" out of shooting sports. My take is people either tire of a sport or they realize they are not very good and stop participating. I suppose we could adopt the rules they have for little kids sports and not keep score. But people are not wired that way.

When I shot Bullseye in the Dark Ages, the "gamers" shot Long Slide Clarks and then .32 Walther GSP's. That is as far back as I go...LOL

Any competitive shooting will have "gamers". A "gamer" is anyone who outshoots you and is using better equipment than you have. In my experience, that "gamer" will take your equipment and outscore you. But if you use his equipment, you do not score much better. That is what makes the "gamer" so despised. He is just better and his skill allows him to shoot even better with better equipment. So, people blame the gamer instead of their ability or just getting bored of something.

SASS is cheap in terms of gamer guns. When I was into it, I could afford the best. A pair of tuned Colt SAA's back then were $3000, a tuned 1873 was $1500 and a modified SxS was $500. $5000 for the best equipment. I had a holster rig that cost $400. Shooting the best loads was cheap as I reloaded mouse fart .38's and low recoil 12 ga....about $4/box...less than $15 to shoot a one day match.

But you do not need the best guns to have fun...only to win against other gamers IF you have the skill.

I do not agree 100% with the post from Outpost. At least as it relates to why SASS stopped being fun. For me it was the lack of trigger time and the long delays between stages. No way CAS can address those issues but for most folks 150 rounds a day is enough shooting and some folks do not mind spending a full day to do it. IMO what has reduced the fun of CAS for many is the result of pandering to mediocrity. Targets got larger and closer. People wanted to shoot "clean" stages and matches. And some thought that larger and closer targets would let them shoot faster and be more competitive with the gamers. Ain't going to happen!!

I once shot with a guy who could put ten rounds on target with a lever action in under 3 seconds. And 10 rounds with two pistols drawn from the holsters in 3 seconds. That is what a skilled gamer can do. My equipment was every bit as good, and I was twice as slow on a good day. I could call him a gamer, get ticked off and stop shooing or accept he was more skilled, and I would never get that good.

To the OP, do not let talk about gamers dissuade you. Unless you want to just plink and have fun, every shooting sport will have gamers. You will find gamers even at the club level. Just go shoot and have fun.

[Hootmix]

Gamer ??? Sounds like just showing up to play makes you a "Gamer", just my thoughts.

coffee's ready, Hootmix.

[Walks]

the 1st EOT I went to was in 1987, shot My 1st match 3 months later. Only 1 revolver was used then. In 1989 the 2nd revolver was staged. After that it was wear 2 all the time. Targets got bigger and closer, bigger and closer, and Bigger and Closer. Shot gun changed from fun targets that could be missed to shoot until they were all down. The action part ended, and you just stepped a bit to the side. Guns were altered to gain any advantaged. There was a minimum power for knockdown revolver targets, that changed to sissy loads.
Yes the gamers ruined the sport. And the greedy wild bunch aided and abetted those gamers for all the $$$$. Until the Baby Boomers got too old or died off.

[Outer Rondacker]

I was not aware the targets where so close. I am being told 25 feet is the distance. Shooting does not start here until late April. Four shoots a year in this area.

[Shawlerbrook]

Always though it would be fun. I have heard that most of the Cowboy shoots are welcoming and helpful. I would stop in and meet some members, make some new friends and then pick their brains for ideas. And I agree, handgun buying and selling is a pain here behind the Blue curtain.

[Baltimoreed]

Watched the most recent EOT in Illinois [I think] and was amazed how close everything was. Ridiculous. I stopped attending a clubs monthly Wild Bunch match because everything was too close. I was consistently coming in second place shooting duelist. My club still places targets the distance that sass originally recommended. We have a small close crowd of 15+-, run two posses, one shooting-one working. We only have 1 or 2 clean shooters. We do a variety of things along with our monthly cas shoots, BAMM, Wild Bunch, double action pre 1916 and self loaders. The best I’ve ever done is 5th place in state and regional sass shoots. Nowadays I do it for fun.

[Froogal]

The NCOWs posse I belong to has pistol targets at approximately 10 yards up to maybe 30 yards, and rifle targets up to maybe 80 yards. Some are small enough to be a real challenge and others are large enough that if you miss, it is most likely your fault. You need only a single action revolver and a lever action rifle to participate. If desired, you can have 2 revolvers and even a pocket pistol, and there ARE targets for shotgun if you want to add that to your arsenal. Proper attire is required, but not necessary when you first start. Plenty of shooting also. You will want to bring at least 100 rounds.

[Baltimoreed]

I could get involved with ncows but don’t think there are any clubs on the coast.