Greenville Gunfighters' Monthly Cowboy Matches

Crunchy Frog

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Greenville,SC
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I've been shooting cowboy action for a little over seven years; my "home" club is the Greenville (SC) Gun Club which is a SASS-affiliated club offering cowboy action matches as the "Greenville Gunfighters". Our monthly match is held on the 4th Sunday. New shooters and spectators are always welcome; we shoot steel targets so it's fun to watch, but even more fun to shoot.

There is information on the GGC website but up to date information can be found at www.greenvillegunfighters.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/246042718028/

I post videos from cowboy action matches on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRzQlsAiZC9b2nvSqlKUyNg
 
I'm very interested in getting into CAS. I've been watching a lot of videos. Hoping to come down on the 28th for some first hand experience.
 
We're also shooting a match in Belton this Saturday; I started a separate thread about the Belton matches.

Either way looking forward to seeing you.
 
Very cool. I noticed that the Belton Gun Club isn't excepting new memberships. Can I assume this is a separate situation to partaking in events with the Belton Bushwhackers and that a membership at the actual gun range isn't required?
Looking forward to meeting you as well.
 
Correct. You don't have to be a member of the "host" club to shoot matches there. That's true in Greenville and Belton for sure and for just about every other club I've heard of.

Most clubs don't require shooters to be SASS members to participate in monthly matches. It is required for shooting a State Championship and above. Once someone becomes a regular shooter I encourage them to join SASS to support the game.
 
That's good to know. This definitely isn't the cheapest hobby to get into. :) In fact there's a few new toys I have to acquire in order to have all of the required armaments. Just recently bought a very nice Uberti 1873 "Gunfighter".
 
You are one Gun ahead of where I was when I got started!

It may seem counterintuitive but I tell "prospects" not to wait until they have all of the gear before attending a match. Come and check out the game first.
 
Before I read the SASS Shooters Handbook and watched the myriad of videos I've checked out so far, I thought I was pretty close already having a Heritage Rough Rider, Winchester 94 and an old N.R. Davis & Sons side by side 12 gauge. But seeing that 22 cal is only allowed for kids, the 30/30 is much to powerful for the close range targets and the shotgun has ejectors, I've got a couple things to get. Not that I've ever needed an excuse to buy new toys though. ;) Just going to take a little while. I'll definitely stop by before all that though.
I really do love that Uberti revolver. Been wanting one for quite a while now. Just have to get another one to keep it company.
 
Too many times I have seen new folks show up with equipment that is less than ideal for the game and struggle with it. Occasionally people buy gear that is not allowed under the rules, based on a salesperson's recommendation. Good on you for scouting out and reading the Handbook.

The only thing worse than having to buy new guns is having to buy twice.
 
Getting the right toys can be tough and expensive. I have several Uberti firearms and have nothing bad to say about them. Before you start shelling out a bunch of money you need to ask yourself whether you want to shoot both regular Cowboy and Wild Bunch. If you want to do both, you might consider getting a 1897 shotgun and a rifle that is 40 caliber or larger so you can use them for both. If you just want to shoot Cowboy, 357 Magnum/38 Special revolvers and rifle will work fine.

If you reload, you might want to look into 44/40 revolvers and rifle. A 45 Colt seems not to seal up as well as a 44/40 when shooting fairly light loads and can give some blowback when shooting a rifle. I have fairly robust loads for my 45 Colt Marlin rifle and lower power 45 Colt loads for my revolvers but use the same mild loads in rifle and pistols when I am shooting with my 44/40 firearms.


If I had to start over buying toys for both Cowboy and Wild Bunch matches, I would probably get a Uberti 1873 rifle in 44/40, a pair of Uberti 44/40 revolvers, and an 1897 shotgun. All of them should be fairly easy to find. Throw in a 45 Auto 1911 and some leather and you are set up for about anything.
 
I definitely want to do both Cowboy and Wild Bunch matches. I went with 45 Colt in the Uberti revolver. Going to stick with that for the next one and whatever rifle I can obtain/afford. This is the first I've heard of a blowback problem with that caliber. Guess I'm going to find out one way or the other. I don't currently reload but definitely plan too. It's the only way I'll be able to afford the ammo. A Winchester 1897 has also been on my want list for a while. Want to get an original. They are, surprisingly, not prohibitively expensive. The rifles on the other hand....not a remote chance of being able to get an original. Even the Uberti made 73's and 66's are out of my range. Would much prefer to get one of those both for sheer aesthetics and to qualify for the Classic Cowboy category. If I could ever find a used one with a similar affordability that a Rossi 92 has that would be great. Doubtful though.
 
I resemble that remark!

The sad part is when the first set of guns are unsuitable so you have to buy a second set.

Fortunately, I have kids who will happily relieve me of the responsibility for owning and caring for any "extra" firearms...
 
45 Colt will do fine. I am shooting 45 Colt tomorrow at Buccaneer. Having 45 Colt will also mean that you are set for Cowboy Fast Draw matches. They are a hoot.

Some of our folks shoot Rossi 92 rifles and some shoot Henrys. They seem to work fine. We also have lots of Marlins, Winchester 92 rifles, and Uberti 1873 rifles.

The top contenders seem to gravitate towards the Uberti 1873 that can be made real slick. I generally shoot a Marlin.
 
I definitely want to do both Cowboy and Wild Bunch matches. I went with 45 Colt in the Uberti revolver. Going to stick with that for the next one and whatever rifle I can obtain/afford. This is the first I've heard of a blowback problem with that caliber. Guess I'm going to find out one way or the other. I don't currently reload but definitely plan too. It's the only way I'll be able to afford the ammo. A Winchester 1897 has also been on my want list for a while. Want to get an original. They are, surprisingly, not prohibitively expensive. The rifles on the other hand....not a remote chance of being able to get an original. Even the Uberti made 73's and 66's are out of my range. Would much prefer to get one of those both for sheer aesthetics and to qualify for the Classic Cowboy category. If I could ever find a used one with a similar affordability that a Rossi 92 has that would be great. Doubtful though.

The "blowby" phenomenon affects some folks more than others. It seems to be caused by the combination of generous chamber dimensions, the rather rigid walls of the .45 Colt cartridge, and light loads. Some folks find that using a heavier bullet or a greater powder charge clears it up. I recently shared a friend's .45 Uberti rifle; using Georgia Arms cowboy ammo I didn't notice any problem with blowby.
 
That's good to hear. Hopefully I'll be one of those that it doesn't effect. :) Nice that the caliber qualifies me for another separate category too. Just really looking forward to getting in on all of the fun.
 
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Personally if I were buying a big bore pistol caliber rifle I'd go with the .44-40. I occasionally shoot a black powder category and the .44-40 is a superb black powder cartridge.

Cowboy Fast Draw is a separate sport using wax bullets on electronic steel targets. They use a single revolver in .45 Colt.
 
I made some test loads for my 45 Colt Marlin and found that the max charge given for the Cowboy loads using Trail Boss and 250 grain bullets did not give any blowby. Lighter charges of Trail Boss did. A 250 grain lead bullet in front of about 8 grains of Unique also seals up fairly well in my Marlin.
 
Personally if I were buying a big bore pistol caliber rifle I'd go with the .44-40. I occasionally shoot a black powder category and the .44-40 is a superb black powder cartridge.

Cowboy Fast Draw is a separate sport using wax bullets on electronic steel targets. They use a single revolver in .45 Colt.

The problem with 44-40 is that it's more on the pricey side and not nearly as common. With no reloading capability at the moment I'm stuck with buying commercial ammo. Plus the added convenience of having the same caliber for both pistols and rifle. As far as black powder, what makes the 44-40 preform above the 45 Colt? Also, how much of a task is it to clean a lever action rifle using black powder? I fully disassembled my 94 once and it wasn't fun getting it back together. Not on the level of getting an old H&R revolver back in place but tricky nonetheless.

I made some test loads for my 45 Colt Marlin and found that the max charge given for the Cowboy loads using Trail Boss and 250 grain bullets did not give any blowby. Lighter charges of Trail Boss did. A 250 grain lead bullet in front of about 8 grains of Unique also seals up fairly well in my Marlin.

Is Trail Boss the best powder to use for loading Cowboy Loads? I've seen it mentioned several times in various posts.
 
The problem with 44-40 is that it's more on the pricey side and not nearly as common. With no reloading capability at the moment I'm stuck with buying commercial ammo. Plus the added convenience of having the same caliber for both pistols and rifle. As far as black powder, what makes the 44-40 preform above the 45 Colt? Also, how much of a task is it to clean a lever action rifle using black powder? I fully disassembled my 94 once and it wasn't fun getting it back together. Not on the level of getting an old H&R revolver back in place but tricky nonetheless.

There are some sources for cowboy factory ammo that can supply .44-40 at reasonable prices. The .44-40 (aka .44 WCF was developed by Winchester and introduced with the 1873 rifle; it was one of the first commercially available centerfire cartridges. It was, of course, loaded with black powder at that time. Colt introduced the Single Action Army revolver the same year, chambered in .45 Colt but in the 19th Century that was a revolver cartridge-no rifles were made in that chambering.

The .44 WCF, like its progeny the .38 WCF (aka .38-40, which despite its name is a .40 caliber round) and the .32-20, are slightly bottlenecked rounds and the case mouth is fairly thin compared to the .45 Colt. These features cause the case, upon ignition, to make a good seal in the chamber so that all the gases and fouling pretty much go down the barrel, with little or none flowing back through the chamber into the action.

Not all rifles are the same. A friend of mine who is a big black powder cartridge shooter likes the Marlin 1894 for black powder shooting because you can remove the lever screw and pull the bolt out of the back of the receiver, making cleaning very easy. He shot .45 Colt in his revolvers and rifles for years. When he finally bought a Uberti 1873 in .44-40 he pronounced it "very good" for black powder. The 1873 is not quite as easy to disassemble as the Marlin but it's much less complicated than the 1892. Of course, he tells me that his action stays so clean shooting the .44-40 that he rarely has to take the rifle down.

Is Trail Boss the best powder to use for loading Cowboy Loads? I've seen it mentioned several times in various posts.

Trail Boss is a good powder; some folks like it because it is fluffy and bulky and it fills the cases more than most smokeless powders. To me, however, this means fewer charges per container (what would normally be a one pound can will hold only about 9-10 ounces of Trail Boss. I don't think it performs any better than several other powders that are suitable for pistol cartridges.
 
Powder Valley lists Trail Boss at just under $23 per pound. That is a little more than Unique and a few other powders, but not by a whole lot. It is nice to have that fluffy powder to fill up those large cases when you go to inspect visually the amount of powder in the case before you seat the bullets. I do often use other powders that seem to perform just as well.


I do not load black powder cartridges, but my friends who do like the 44/40 because the thinner walls expand more easily to seal up the chamber better. That reduces the amount of fouling that gets into the action of the firearm and makes cleaning the firearm a little easier.
 
Interesting. There's so many different options with reloading. It seems a bit overwhelming to one looking to start out.
Concerning the 44-40Anything that makes clean up easier is a good thing. Especially with black powder. That makes perfect sense. Definitely something to consider.
 
Looks like the rain has ended and we should have good weather for the match on Sunday. There are two or three folks (that I know of) who are coming to check out the game. Always room for more!
 
Lemme brag a bit on Ken W. He shot the match on Sunday and managed a "clean match", which means no misses, no procedural penalties and no safety infractions. When you consider that a six stage match presents between 145 and 150 targets, this is quite a feat. Some cowboy shooters go years without shooting a clean match.

My iPhone ran out of memory during the match but I managed to snag one video of Ken:

So...who's our next victim?
 
Even with the heat yesterday we had 39 shooters. The SC State Match is at the end of September and we often see a good turnout at monthly matches in the couple of months preceding the state and regional matches. Ken W. (alias Hare Trigger) had a new-to-him but vintage Winchester 1897 shotgun. Although the modern reproductions are fine, it's always good to see the "period" firearms in action.
 
The Greenville Gunfighters are shooting on Sunday November 26. Shake off the lingering effects of tryptophan and come check it out.

Our usual match day in December falls on Christmas Eve this year so we won’t have a December match, so this Sunday’s match will be the last for 2017.
 
Gearing up for the Greenville Gunfighters’ monthly match this Sunday January 28.

I’m betting someone in the area got a new single action revolver or a lever action rifle for Christmas.
 
I'm looking forward to Our May 27 match. In addition to the usual cowboy action match we will have, as an alternative, a six stage Wild Bunch match.
 
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