New Shooting Category

dd

<div class="IPBDescription">Working Cowboy</div>

Working Cowboy Category

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We've had several folks inquire about this shooting category and in checking around, we've found that several clubs in this region are beginning to offer it. So, we will also - beginning with our July match.<br />
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What is it? Well, I remember a movie - Tom Selleck I believe - where the cowboy has ridden into town, left his horse and saddle at the local stable and is now walking towards the hotel. He has a pistol on his hip, a rifle in one hand and his saddle bags over his shoulder. This was the image that came to mind when the Working Cowboy class was explained to me. In the Old West, a real cowboy commonly owned one pistol and if he owned a long gun, it was more likely a rifle. <br />
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SASS makes no claim to being "authentic old west" in the way NCOWS does. But the Working Cowboy class comes closer to how the Old West was. NCOWS has this class and they even go so far as to require the shooter to carry his rifle and ammo - no guncart. (Think of the movie scene above.) We won't be THAT authentic! But SASS allows local clubs to try new classes and, if they become popular, SASS may adopt them nationally - like they did with Classic Cowboy and B Western.<br />
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Here are the rules in a nutshell -<br />
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1. Ignore the shotgun - no shotgun will be used.<br />
2. One pistol & rifle only - reload as necessary<br />
3. The shooter will shoot the same stages in the same order as other classes - EXCEPT the shooter will ignore the shotgun parts and reload the single pistol for the "2nd pistol" in the stage scenario. The pistol may not be reloaded until immediately before firing - NO holstering a RELOADED pistol.<br />
4. Have fun!<br />
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We'll do it this way for the rest of the season and make any adjustments next season based on shooter comments and feedback. Also, since this class is not shooting the same targets as the other classes, Saguaro Kid tells me he will keep the Working Cowboy class separate from the other scores - only seems fair. But we won't be sub-dividing this class into age/gender groups, just one class for this year.<br />
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Also, there is less gear to haul to the range, fewer guns to clean and cheaper with no shot shells to buy.

Thunderbird Kid

That sounds like fun. I'm going to try it at the next shoot.

jeweler jim

Will mean shooting five stages instead of six because our #6 stage is all shotgun. If the Doc (the sturgeon who did my shoulder not Dev) okays the use of my left shoulder and I'm able to get the rifle up and hold it there, I'll try it also. By our shoot on the 27th I might be able to hold a long gun up to shoot the ten rifle rounds.<br />
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What am I saying?!? The he!! with what the doctor says. If I can get the rifle up and hold it there I'm shooting the new class.

dd

jeweler jim wrote on Jul 16 2008, 05&#58;04 PM:

the sturgeon who did my shoulder

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OK, JJ. Once more -<br />
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This is a sturgeon:<br />
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jeweler jim

I prefer sturgeon.

Kidd Casey

BUT...BUT...I DON;T HAVE ONE OF THOSE OLD COWBOY PISTOLS,THAT FIRED THIRTY TWO ROUNDS BEFORE RELOADING. <br />
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<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/gunslinger.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':gunslinger:' />

Huckleberry

<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/gunfighter.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':gunfighter:' /> This category sounds like a dead sturgeon to me. Hey half the fun is blastin away with a shotgun anyways!..... no shotgun! If I was a working cowboy thats the gun I'd be hanging on to most of the time... a sawed off 10ga / 0 buck ,in the dark, let er rip, clear the way kinda gun. I didn't mention good for game animals, Injuns, cougers, Sturgeons.<br />
This catigory stinks like a dead surgeon IMHO.<br />
<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cowboy1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cowboy1:' /> Huck

Big Grit

I wouldn't of been surprised if maybe the camp cook had some sort of shotgun in the chuck wagon to add variety to meals. Grit

dd

Big Grit wrote on Jul 17 2008, 06&#58;02 PM:

I wouldn't of been surprised if maybe the camp cook had some sort of shotgun in the chuck wagon to add variety to meals. Grit

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Or to keep the likes of Sleepy out of the chuck wagon!

Huckleberry

In this catigory you'd be reloading your pistol every stage, not just once in a while. Reloads will come out of the saddle bag. Well if cowpunchers only had to shoot injuns and ruslers and a shotgun didn't work for them it's funny that it's the gun used on a stagecoach against injuns and rustlers and we know a sheriff who used a SXS never used them on rustlers but town drunks. <br />
I like the idea of a Josey Wales Catigory better. 4 loaded pistols and a SXS.<br />
<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cowboy1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cowboy1:' /> Huck

Huckleberry

The biggest worry of a real cowpuncher was stampeeds, and snakes. I only meant that the catigory would be better including a SXS... thats all. Now if'n I were a cowpuncher I'd have pistol, rifle and one of these bad boys.......<br />
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http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee144/H...wboysHowdah.jpg<br />
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<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cowboy1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cowboy1:' /> Huck

dd

Huckleberry wrote on Jul 17 2008, 09&#58;40 PM:

The biggest worry of a real cowpuncher was stampeeds, and snakes. I only meant that the catigory would be better including a SXS... thats all. Now if'n I were a cowpuncher I'd have pistol, rifle and one of these bad boys.......<br />
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http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee144/H...wboysHowdah.jpg<br />
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<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cowboy1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cowboy1:' /> Huck

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Your points are well taken, Huck. But folks have asked for this class, we're not forcing it upon anybody. Just trying to give folks what they want.

Huckleberry

I haven't heard of any clubs shooting this catgory. I would like to see a catigory designed for the shooter who wants to shoot pistols & rifle and for some reason can't physicaly shoot a shotgun because of recoil. Toting a sadlebag with them won't help eather and not somehow finishing a stage of fire moving the class out of the scoring of the match makes it more a club Catigory than an official SASS catigory. That said, 2 pistols 1 rifle and reload rifle and shoot extra rifle shots as many as the shotgun would be but at a rifle target. Good for new and ailing Cowboys and goes in the main match scores.<br />
Flame me.... burn baby burn<br />
DD, I am only voicing my opinion on the new catigory because I thought we were Dis Cussing about it.. lol........ still want a Cowboy Howdah tho <br />
Huck <img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cowboy1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cowboy1:' />

dd

Huckleberry wrote on Jul 18 2008, 08&#58;42 AM:

I haven't heard of any clubs shooting this catgory.

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Huck,<br />
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The folks at Tri-County were the ones who approached me on this. They offer it and since many of them shoot at our shoots now that we are closer to them, we'd like to accommodate them. The Mclean County Peacemakers in Bloomington are offering this and the folks at Fandango are doing something too, I hear. The Tri-County folks were also contacted by Back 40 down at Sparta. He is going to get it going down there too, I believe.<br />
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And, as I said above, we will be using guncarts. If people wish to use saddlebags, that's fine, but it is not required. It seems that folks are reading a lot into this that was never intended. Simply stated: ignore the shotgun, reload the pistol as necessary and EVERYTHING ELSE IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER SHOOTING CLASS.

StoneyMike

This is an interesting idea, but I do have a concern. We all know that proper stage design says you should never end with the rifle. If you take away using the shotgun, the next to last gun is usually the rifle. Does the match director have to make every stage Rifle-Pistol shotgun just to accomodate this new category? We've all seen that rifle shots don't always catch on the timer (some shooters more than others) which would cause some funky scores, and then more headaches for the scorer. <br />
At first I had thought it would be cool, but I'm kinda lukewarm on it now.<br />
Just my thoughts.<br />
Regards, StoneyMike

dd

Mike,<br />
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This potential problem occurred to me also. And, as you point out, the only absolute cure is to rewrite the stages to always end on a pistol. Since I don't anticipate more than a handful of shooters in this category, I couldn't see rewriting everything just to accommodate a few shooters. I thought we'd try it this way and see how it works, keeping in mind that their scores will not be mixed with the other groups. I will be printing a sheet to put on the clipboard and as a handout describing the category and cautioning the timers to pay particular attention to timer position when the rifle is last - also at the briefing. If it becomes a problem, we'll just have to find another solution.<br />
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Thanks for your input!

Huckleberry

Well this will be my last coment on this, as now for safety. A newbee ( since this is targeted for a new shooter who has not all his guns) who only has one pistol and probably not much experiance on the fireing line, trying to go fast getting five spent shells out of his SAA and wanting to not drop the brass on the ground, then re loading on the line five or six rounds out of a pocket dose not sound safe. Yes it will be up to the RO to watch him like a hawk and the fumbling shooters responsibility not to drop the pistol..... all when he could have had a loaner pistol and SXS and shot a normal class. That is all.<br />
See ya all this next weekend,<br />
Your buddie and pal old Huckleberry

dd

OK, my last comment also. While this may be somewhat useful for the new shooter, it is not primarily designed for the new shooter. The folks who have asked for this have been shooting it elsewhere for some time and don't seem to have encountered the sort of problems you have described. All our new shooters are given a "proof of ability" check by our Safety Officer, Pair-A-Dice, which includes loading and unloading procedures. If there is any doubt in his mind as to the shooter's ability to safely shoot any particular class, we certainly will do whatever is necessary to assure a safe match.