SASS on a budget?

"So let it not be said I know not what I have spoken as I lived it and though YOUR Club may not adhere as strictly to the RUle Book, soe Clubs take it verbatum and enforce it."

Well, if they take the clothing regulations "verbatum", than they are enforcing the no t shirts, no ball caps, tennis shoes, etc. No one is looking at the fabric or buttons to see how authentic they are. There are a couple of categories that require you to wear a vest, scarf, chaps or pick a few other things from the list, but generally all that is required is blue jeans (buttons or zippers) long sleeved work shirt. A lot of people enjoy dressing up a lot more, but according to the rule book, Not required. Assuming that you actually found a club like you described, how about going down the road to the next club and see what you find?
As far as your hammerless double barreled shotgun, very few shooters use exposed hammer shotguns. 90%+ of those shooting double barreled shotguns are using hammerless. If you are really interested in competing with cowboy guns you need to get out more and see what is really out there. Of course if you aren't actually interested and want a reason to not compete, you can just assume that what you describe is what SASS and cowboy shooting is about. Mark
 
Thanks for all of the great info guys. I think my biggest question in all of this was where to find the best deal on a holster rig. I know it sounds strange but I have no issue spending money on the guns, but for some reason I am in sticker shock on the leather. I think I have sourced some decent leather deals now and I am ready to go full steam ahead. I was more or less worried about spending a lot of money on rigs for my wife and I for a hobby that we may quickly loose interest in but after talking with her some more I can tell that she is committed. As far as the guns go, the club that I will shoot at could not be more friendly and have offered to loan me guns for any match I want to shoot. I need to purchase leather now strictly because I don't think I would fit into a borrowed rig :)

I found a great deal on Uberti Cattlemans for $250 each NIB but I am still leaning toward the SASS vaquero set. I am a gun collector before I ever thought about being a cowboy shooter and I think the vaqueros would be a nice addition to the collection. I do have to admit the Uberti guns look tempting though.

Thanks again for the feedback!
 
We attended a CAS workshop where the club members let us shoot their firearms. Before we went out to shoot they had a lecture and demostration and they discussed to rules and regulations. When they talked about clothing they said they used the term "In the spirit of the Old West." which meant you could go as simple as Levis, a long sleeve shirt, straw cowboy hat and boots. They said you could even wear lace up shoes as not everyone in the 19th century wore boots. Sneakers and running shoes would not work at all.
Of course they encouraged members to really go all out and get as authentic as possible but the most important thing is to get folks out and shoot.
 
BBQ, that's exactly what they did for us. Really great crowd and made us feel very comfortable. They even relax the dress code even more in the summer and in the winter it's as you said. I think had we just attended a classroom session we would have not been interested, but after shooting the guns and running some practice stages fun was had by all. It sounds like you belong to a great club.
 
SG and others I offended,
Please accept my apology but I DID apply and got the rules hammered into my head BEFORE even firing a shot! It was hell to get approved to my first shoot!

Approved for what?

I LOVE the Old West and CAS but some Clubs really enforce the rules and some Clubs are real sloppy with them!I am handicapped and need to wear special footwear. I HAD go thru a very stringent review in order to prove that myfootwear was necessary, couldn;t be adapted to a more "Western" look, and would not hinder my shooting.

I to am mobility challenged and need special foot wear, I've never been challenged.


Once I got my shoes approved, I went through the Clothing test, My club har to approve all my activity clothing to ensure that there were no snaps or Zippers that weren't available in the old west!

Nothing in SASS rules prohibit snaps or zippers.


Passing that test, I then needed to have my holsters approved Styrong Side R/H and a 20 degree Crossdraw. Though my gear was deemed "cheap", it passed.

I don't know what you mean by "cheap", I started with home made ones. As long as they hold the revolver safely and look western they are acceptable.


Next came the guns a Borrowed Conversion cylinder for my Remington and my trusty Vaquero I had to borrow a Marlin and a double Shotgun.

As long as the Marlin was a pistol caliber, and the shotgun a 12-16-20 gauge they are "legal" firearms.


Games day:
Showing up I was nearly stripsearched to re-approve my clothing, had to re-address the shoe topic (had the Club President not been there to vouch for my shoes, I would have been disqualified). I had to be measured and demonstrate the function of my "Cheap"Crossdraw and though the box said it was a 20 degree cant, one of the officals wouldn't buy it... Again the President passed my holster.


The questions came up of my using 2 calibers .38 Special and .45 Colt. My borrowed rifle was called too slow and the hammerless shotgun got much scrutiny concerning it's authentic appearance?

Nothing wrong with using 2 calibers, the rifle is only as slow or fast as the operator. Hammerless shotguns for the most part are legal.


All in all the experience was very demeaning and difficult, filled with too much scruitny over the most basic points of adherance to the rules and the Cheap Holsters were barely accepted by the officals.
So let it not be said I know not what I have spoken as I lived it and though YOUR Club may not adhere as strictly to the RUle Book, soe Clubs take it verbatum and enforce it.

What "Rule Book" are you referring to?


Far as the CAS-vs-3 Gun?
3 Gun is cheaper to gear-up for, the rules are more broad, The Pistols are generally cheap as an Italian revolver and you only need one! The Rifle and Shotgun are about the same Cost as a competition 'Lever Action and a '97, and there is no clothing requirement other than closed toe shoes.
Do I want to see 3 Gun beat Cas? Hell NO! I want Cas to lighten-up and let beginner shooters enter individual stage events and not be required to do the whole 3 gun thing! One plastic Holster and nylon belt, one Mag holder. One Pistol and 3 Mags. One Stock AR and one used Semi-auto Shotgun.
To be compeditive just like in CAS, the sky is the limit for spending money!
In the end you still need to pratice to be good!

I've never been to a W3G match so I can't comment on this.


What would be wrong with a single Revolver only stage? You could shoot it and have a lot of fun on it by itself!

Becxase SASS is a 4 gun game, just as you need several clubs to play golf, you need 4 guns to play SASS just the way it is.

You'd get more entry fees and eventually more Club members. Bottom line, more cash for the Club!
I am very Pro CAS, it just needs to wake-up and see where it's missing out getting new shooters involved!
Personally, I gave-up and just go as a spectator now. I can't keep up with the rising costs of clothing and gear.
So all who I may have teed-off, please accept this explaination and see where I have come from...
ZVP

You say CAS, I've been refering to SASS rules since it is the largest CAS orginazation. You can shoot SASS in levies, and a long sleeve shirt, in fact there are only 2 catagorys that require hats and boots. Last year, at Winter Range, the SASS national championship, I was on a possee with a shooter who wore bib overalls, no hat, shirt, or shoes. I have shot CAS (both SASS and NCOWS) for 16 yrs, from Florida to Alaska, North Carolina to California and never experienced what you have described. I would like to know the name and location of the club you described. Here's a link to the SASS handbrook. http://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/SASSHandbook-v18.2-2012Highlighted.pdf
 
you need several clubs to play golf
Click to expand...
You don't need several clubs to play golf. You do need several specialized clubs to play golf WELL, or COMPETITIVELY, but there's no minimum number of clubs required just to go out and play and have fun (there is a maximum, interestingly). It's entirely possible, and I've done it, to play a full round of 18 holes with just one club.
 
I've been shooting cowboy in a SASS affiliated club for a little over two years. I've shot or attended matches in a couple of other area clubs.

ZVP, I take you at your word about the treatment you received. All I can do is (1) echo other replies that whatever rules that club was applying are NOT the SASS rules; and (2) confirm that the reception you were given, as a new shooter, is 180 degrees removed from the way it is done in my home club, in every club I have visited, and in every club i have heard about.

There are other organizations with their own rules. NCOWS, for example, puts more emphasis on period correct clothing and equipment but from the reports I have gotten from friends who shoot NCOWS matches, I don't think what you experienced is representative of that fine organization.

I have been involved in the shooting sports since I was a college student. I have shot IPSC, Steel Challenge, IDPA, trap, skeet, and sporting clays and met good folks in every discipline. I generally find shooting enthusiasts to be good people.

With that said, I received a particularly warm welcome in cowboy shooting. I believe most clubs that are healthy and growing clubs realize that they need to be welcoming to new shooters. Most of them step up.

ZVP experienced something else. I would suggest that he not allow that experience to put him off cowboy shooting, and that no one else reading his story assume that it is representative of how cowboy action shooters behave. It is not.

As for golf, I also require many balls. And if you think cowboy shooting is expensive try joining a country club.
 
"SG and others I offended,
Please accept my apology but I DID apply and got the rules hammered into my head BEFORE even firing a shot! It was hell to get approved to my first shoot!
I LOVE the Old West and CAS but some Clubs really enforce the rules and some Clubs are real sloppy with them!I am handicapped and need to wear special footwear. I HAD go thru a very stringent review in order to prove that myfootwear was necessary, couldn;t be adapted to a more "Western" look, and would not hinder my shooting.
Once I got my shoes approved, I went through the Clothing test, My club har to approve all my activity clothing to ensure that there were no snaps or Zippers that weren't available in the old west!
Passing that test, I then needed to have my holsters approved Styrong Side R/H and a 20 degree Crossdraw. Though my gear was deemed "cheap", it passed.
Next came the guns a Borrowed Conversion cylinder for my Remington and my trusty Vaquero I had to borrow a Marlin and a double Shotgun.
Games day:
Showing up I was nearly stripsearched to re-approve my clothing, had to re-address the shoe topic (had the Club President not been there to vouch for my shoes, I would have been disqualified). I had to be measured and demonstrate the function of my "Cheap"Crossdraw and though the box said it was a 20 degree cant, one of the officals wouldn't buy it... Again the President passed my holster.
The questions came up of my using 2 calibers .38 Special and .45 Colt. My borrowed rifle was called too slow and the hammerless shotgun got much scrutiny concerning it's authentic appearance?
All in all the experience was very demeaning and difficult, filled with too much scruitny over the most basic points of adherance to the rules and the Cheap Holsters were barely accepted by the officals.
So let it not be said I know not what I have spoken as I lived it and though YOUR Club may not adhere as strictly to the RUle Book, soe Clubs take it verbatum and enforce it.
Far as the CAS-vs-3 Gun?
3 Gun is cheaper to gear-up for, the rules are more broad, The Pistols are generally cheap as an Italian revolver and you only need one! The Rifle and Shotgun are about the same Cost as a competition 'Lever Action and a '97, and there is no clothing requirement other than closed toe shoes.
Do I want to see 3 Gun beat Cas? Hell NO! I want Cas to lighten-up and let beginner shooters enter individual stage events and not be required to do the whole 3 gun thing! One plastic Holster and nylon belt, one Mag holder. One Pistol and 3 Mags. One Stock AR and one used Semi-auto Shotgun.
To be compeditive just like in CAS, the sky is the limit for spending money!
In the end you still need to pratice to be good!
What would be wrong with a single Revolver only stage? You could shoot it and have a lot of fun on it by itself! You'd get more entry fees and eventually more Club members. Bottom line, more cash for the Club!
I am very Pro CAS, it just needs to wake-up and see where it's missing out getting new shooters involved!
Personally, I gave-up and just go as a spectator now. I can't keep up with the rising costs of clothing and gear.
So all who I may have teed-off, please accept this explaination and see where I have come from...
ZVP"

Where in the world are you?

That is easily the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Even the local NCOWS are not a strict as these yard birds.
Look around and find a true SASS club. This isn't one.
 
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