Flash in the pan?

Z

ZVP

New member
At my shooting club they have a nice town and a small group of members who shoot it,
In talking with other shooters I mention my admiriation of S/A and BP revolvers and get laughed at. Seems the group has alienated the mass of members and most have little respect for the sport.
I own around a dozen revolvers and only 2 are D/A's!
The consensus is that CAS priced itself out because most shooters can't or won't afford all the related costs of it. Too bad cause it's fun to watch and would be fun to do if it didn't have so many requirements!
Just being able to shoot the targets would be neat but the shooters act like you'll hurt their steel targets that they got from the Club... Too bad cause these guys are gonna shoot themselves in the foot if they haven't already!
As for me?
We own 3 Arabians and a Nat'l Show Horse Stallion.
I wear Dockers, shoot my Double Barrel Shotguns on the shotgun range shoot S/A and BP revolvers on the Pistol range, and I guess I'll never be a "real" Cowboy,eh?
ZVP
 
Suit yourself and it looks like you have bought into the anti crowd.

I am aware that the plastic bottom feeder pistols with an autoloader shotgun with an extended tube and an AR of some sort are "cheaper" than the SASS required guns. Also the blue jeans, leather footgear and long sleeved shirt that are the "costume" requirements place a heavy burden on the wallet.

Target damage? Yes, we are protective. I had a full set of targets destroyed in a matter of minutes by a kid with an AR.

If you think you can do it with an open mind, go to a SASS match. Try to learn what we offer than try to show us where we have gone wrong.

If you go with the attitude that your guns and your methods of shooting are right and we are wrong, don't be surprised if you get a cool reception.

Yeah, we keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We just had SASS member #100006 issued last week.
 
What do you mean Anti Crowd???
I DO and do own real co it stuff but the CAS gang
have an exclusive little club and snob the folks who support and would also like to play too!
You guys need to accept levis and straw hat competitors. Might.make new friends rather than alienate em!
BTW, never start a post with name calling.very poor manners!
You didn't even get the jest of the post.So nevermind!
ZVP
 
Mostly positive stuff from the Howdy Doody crowd, lotsa info etc. I thought about tryin it, however there seemed to be a large crowd of contentious types in the game. That and the ridiculous squib loads some of them favor made me change my mind.
 
I don't shoot SASS, but I do shoot N-SSA.

Yes, you do have to meet certain minimum requirements to play. That's the nature of the game. Yes, it can be costly to get into the sport. So is golf or boating.

For N-SSA shooting, you will spend about $200-$500 getting a sutler-quality uniform and leathers together. You can start with just a rifled musket. Figure $600-$900. You'll probably be casting your own bullets, so figure another $100 for a Lee pot and bullet mold, and another $100 for a sizer.

So, you can figure $1000-$1500 to get started with a single gun. If you wanted to jump in "whole hog" and be able to compete in every kind of event you will be looking at a revolver, a carbine, a smoothbore, and a rifled musket. Now you are looking at $2800 in firearms.

Since there are typically 3-4 different team events at a weekend skirmish (Revolver, carbine, smoothbore, rifled musket) this means you'll be sitting out most of the weekend's activity if you just have one gun. Though sometimes people will loan you a gun to shoot.

Then there is the cost of shooting. You can figure about $.30 a shot for muzzle loaders, for lead, powder, and percussion cap. I make up 100 cartridges per gun, so figure 300 cartridges for a weekend. That's $90 for ammo. Team events are typically $7 per entry. Individual targets are $2 each plus $1 for each re-entry. So you can figure $40-$50 in shooting fees for the weekend. If you stay in a hotel, you can figure another $75 or so for a place to stay. Figure $30 in gas. If you are like me and bring the RV, figure $100 in gas. Then there's food. Say another $30 for food and refreshments.

So you are looking at about $250 for a weekend shooting event.

The sad reality is, competition shooting is not a cheap sport.

The good news with the N-SSA is you can get started with just a single gun. And you don't have to shoot team competitions - you could go to a weekend skirmish and only shoot individuals. So you could get by for a lot less if you were careful about it.

Your criticism isn't new but I'm glad you voiced it as it is getting me thinking about ways we could modify the sport to be more friendly to new people who might have just one gun to get started.

Steve
 
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FWIW, myself & nobody out of my circle of about 30 close friends (of the shooting/hunting type) won't even think of entering any role-playing/dress-up games.

Life's too short............ :rolleyes:


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SASS has a little something for everybody. Yeah they have their speed gamers but those guys are some of the most helpful people at a SASS shoot. A long sleeve button down work shirt, jeans and a pair of work boots without lugged soles is not that expensive. A hat is not required but you will be glad you have one, just not straw or a shady brady like Richard Petty wears. Yes the guns are since you need four. Its like anything else, its what you make of it. Don't wanna dress the part fine, don't go. Don't knock the ones that do because you want to shoot in sneakers and a t shirt. I don't care for the mouse phart loads some of them use but you don't have to load down that low unless you really want to compete. A lot of them use full house bp loads and have a ball doing it.
 
I have shot BP for over 50 years - doesn't make me an expert but I've seen a lot of things. I shot NSSA for a number of years - musket and artillery. I've watched CAS a couple of times and have been active in several other organizations over the years.

I guess that there will always be those who are "quite involved" and due to personalities, will "put on airs". That's not what it's all about. It's about making the sport grow, helping "newbies" out and making new friends along the way . . as well as learning things that you didn't know.

Any hobby can be expensive . . golf, cars, boating, etc. If a person wants to be "part of the group" . . the groups have their requirements and if you want to play, those are the rules from the get go. NSSA, as already mentioned, is not cheap. CAS isn't cheap. But . . those are the requirements set down. Hopefully, if a person wants to be a part of it, someone will take 'em under their wing and help 'em out - loan them a uniform until they get one, etc.

Not all members of a group are "stand offish", but you're going to have that with any group no matter what the sport. One of the best times I've ever had was with a group of round ballers who got together once a month for an informal shoot. You could "dress up" if you wanted to but it wasn't required. There were no restrictions to caliber or whether it was flint or percussion - traditional or modern ML. Everyone would bring a little trinket and throw it in a pile . . . first place got their pick and so on down the line - everyone went home with something. It was always good fun and a lot of good kidding along the way . . . basically, nobody took either themselves or the shooting seriously . . we were there for the fellowship and fun.

Everybody has their likes and dislikes and if they want to join a group, more power to 'em. Personally, I'd rather shoot with a "loose" group of guys that just want to enjoy the shooting and have fun that to take it too seriously.

Perhaps that's why I always loved to go to Friendship. It was individual matches . . . yes, you shot against others but you were also shooting against yourself . . . trying to do better each time. I'm sure there are some "clicks" along the way, even at Friendship, but I always felt relaxed there and met so many nice folks who had an interest in all of the aspects of BP. In the end . . you have to do what makes YOU happy. Life's too short for it to be any other way.
 
FWIW, myself & nobody out of my circle of about 30 close friends (of the shooting/hunting type) won't even think of entering any role-playing/dress-up games.
Click to expand...

Wow, I have two close friends and thats only because I give them doggy treats....anyway I wasn't badmouthing the cowboy guys I was just saying a lot of the ones I run into aren't happy people. It's probably me.
 
I joined SASS early on in the game and after watching a few matches...including one End Of Trail, I decided it wasn't for me. I've shot a lot of competition over the years, but just decided it was a little too intense for my tastes.
I do have to say though, the other shooters seemed a happy friendly bunch and encouraged me to get in and shoot. No matter what type of competition you run into, there will always be a clique group.....it's just human nature.
 
salvadore said:
PetahW said:
FWIW, myself & nobody out of my circle of about 30 close friends (of the shooting/hunting type) won't even think of entering any role-playing/dress-up games.
Click to expand...

Wow, I have two close friends and thats only because I give them doggy treats....anyway I wasn't badmouthing the cowboy guys I was just saying a lot of the ones I run into aren't happy people. It's probably me.
Click to expand...


I have "best" friends & "close" friends, and have moved in different hunting/shooting circles/camps (different folks), over the past 50 years.

I think actually have fewer acquaintances than friends................ I guess "that's me", too. :)


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