New Sheriff In Town, Cowboy Action Fun

All dressed up with no place to go? Cowboy Action Shooting requires an alias (Democratic Chuck) and period dress. I find cowboy boots uncomfortable and these are no exception and this is the first cowboy hat I've owned since I was a kid (you guess that was a while ago?) but it is a Stetson and fairly comfortable. The drawers are Carharts, work pants repurposed, and the string tie and western shirt - well rules are rules.


The firearms are the real fun, that's a matched pair of Uberti single action army Colt .45s with birdshead grips in the custom rig. In the left hand is a Russian Remington 12ga side by side hammered coach gun and in the right is a Chaparral Winchester Model 1873 in Colt .45.

All of the firearms are new makes of historical guns, clones if you will, firing smokeless powder but the beard is vintage stuff, home grown if you will. There's no particular point to this posting, just fun stuff that I enjoy doing. When you were a kid playing cowboys your cap guns went pop not boom and they didn't make metal silhouettes go ding nor did anyone keep score. Yep, it's silly stuff, but it is fun. It is also good practice and a lot more real than a video game.

A Busy Friday

Powder River Sportsmans Club Range, Virtue Flats, Baker County, Oregon

I've spent the day racing around trying to accomplish a week's business dealings in one day - a casualty of 4 days at 10 hrs building - and now I've got bullets to load. Lots of .45 Colts and I'm out of time, The Vigilantes of Virtue Flats are in action Saturday morning, so you all can get your Chuck fix another day. Thanks for stopping by.

Cowpoke - Cowboy Action Dress

right click for full size

I know I said I wasn't interested in playing dress up, well, it is a part of the game and so I went far enough with it to satisfy most requirements. Though it insulted me no end, I bought a pair of cowboy boots, my logging boots are disqualified by having traction soles. I have never liked cowboy boots, my feet are wide and my toes completely unacquainted with pointy toed shoes. I've been putting a bunch of boot oil on them and achieved minor relief. The drawers are Carharts I wear for work, the shirt and tie are new western stuff, the vest is Salvation Army suede and the hat is "cheap" Stetson felt. Overall about $140 invested in dress-up cowboy gear.

I can't keep a straight face in that get up. No, I'm not in the least interested in buying a horse or a steer.

Look out Republicans, there's a new sheriff in town.

Custom Cowboy Action Gunleather

1873 Win Cowboy Action

Ruger Bisley Vacquero

Hammered Shotgun Cowboy Action

Virtue Flats Vigilantes, Baker City

The Virtue Flats Vigilantes are the Cowboy Action Shooting club at Powder River Sportsman's Club Virtue Flats range. Tonight we had a night shoot, the first one. It was also my first shoot in this sport. It is fairly involved shooting and because a certain amount of moving around is involved the safety rules are extensive and rigorously enforced.



Because I don't want to get into the dress up part of the sport, wearing period clothing, and because I shoot single handed I am shooting in the Duelist or Gunfighter category. Now for those who'd enjoy period clothing Classic Cowboy requires it but neither my budget nor my comfort requirements put me in mind of doing that. My weaponry allows me to shoot in any of the classes and was acquired with that in mind. Some clothing is required or prohibited .



(2) 3 1/2 in. SAA Colt by Uberti w/Birdshead Grip .45 Colt

1873 Winchester octagonal barrel lever action by Chaparral .45 Colt

2 3/4 in. 12 Ga side by side double barrel hammered stagecoach Remington shotgun

double holster with 2 sets of 6 cartridge loops and 20 round load tail

all ammunition is low power loads to reduce target damage and chances being struck by bullet splash.



Target sets are varied as is the order of fire and order of weapons. Since I forgot my camera I'll have to give a written description of one of the sets. There were two firing stations 30 feet apart. The shooter approached the far (right) station and lays down unloaded shotgun and holds loaded rifle at port arms, at the timer's signal, cocks and fires at 5 silhouettes at 30 yards one shot left to right and again left to right (10 rounds), lays down rifle action open, picks up shot gun and moves to left station, lays down shotgun. Draw revolver, fire 5 shots at 5 silhouettes at 15 yds, holster, load shotgun, knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), carry shotgun to right station, lay down shotgun and draw revolver. Shoot 5 rounds at 3 silhouettes (15yds) any order hitting both at least once, holster, load shotgun and knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), time ends with unloaded shotgun. Scoring is by time with 5 seconds added for each miss and a "P" for any procedural errors. I managed to finish last, I wasn't doing too badly until the last stage where I lost the front sight of the revolver when my wind dried contacts blurred out completely and I missed 5 of 10 shots. I didn't mind whatever place I finished in, I was there to have fun and learn how to actually do this.

This isn't a rich man's sport but it also isn't cheap, purchased new the firearms will run around $2000 and factory loaded ammunition for .45 Colt cowboy action is about $25 for 50 rounds and this shoot involved over 120 rounds plus a box of shotgun shells. Dress will cost as will some accessories like a cart for holding long guns and ammo. Reloading is the most reasonable approach to ammo costs which will drop the 50rd cost to around $5 and used firearms are available. Now while I find this to be a lot of fun, I'd suggest anybody with interest attend a shoot and if possible borrow some equipment.

SASS is the organizational body for this shooting sport. Much more information than I've been able to provide is located there. This sport is strong on procedure and a large part of the competition involves an ability to stay focused while moving about and changing shooting order and firearms.

Cowboy Action Custom Gun Leather

***click pictures for full size***
This belt is custom cut for my waist and hips and the holsters are custom fit to the 3 1/2 inch .45 Colt SAA Ubertis. The load tail is for .45 Colt shells for either extended shooting, beyond the 6 loops each side, or for the 1873 Winchester by Chaparrel. The holsters are canted at 30 degrees for a draw that brings the revolvers to point rather than vertical draw. Trailsman Leather Co. of Baker City, OR - mailto:trisman@msn.com, Vern Trowbridge, for information.

I chose the dark brown stain in a mottle finish and plain buckle & conchos as my taste runs to less ornamentation, the rigs are available in various colors and degrees of ornamentation, tooling, and fittings (shell loops, etc.) Vern will travel distances for fitting and option choices. This is high end leather work, intended for competitive shooting and authentic re-enactments. I have inspected one of his top end tooling and decorative option rigs, a thing of beauty and function, carrying a price tag commensurate to that.

Because I am neither a representative nor principal I will not give pricing, but be ready to spend several hundred dollars for a simple set-up. You will be rewarded, there is absolutely no break-in or personal forming required, the rig will be absolutely comfortable, gun safe, and ready to use the minute you pick it up.

Yes, Vern is a member of my sportsman club, the local director of Cowboy Action Shooting, and a friend, but this product would be worth this endorsement if he were a stranger.

For more Cowboy Action Shooting click this link.

Ruger No.1 Rifle in 45-70 Government

The Ruger No.1 is a falling block , under-lever, single shot rifle which follows some of the Farquharson design characteristics but contains features never previously found in rifles of this type. The No.1 buttstock is mortised onto the receiver with a bolt passing through the stock into the receiver. The forearm is attached to a heavy steel extension from the receiver. The hammer is concealed and retracted by the first opening motion of the lever and can never strike the firing pin unless the breech block is fully elevated. The swinging transfer block virtually locks the firing pin forward against gas pressure during firing.

At the top rear of the receiver is a sliding ambidextrous safety which can only be moved to safe with the hammer cocked. Loading and unloading can be accomplished in the safe position.

This rifle loads from the breech, or rear of receiver and ejects rearward as well. Fast operation of the lever can throw hot brass onto the shooter, the standard ejector mechanism can be modified easily to only partially eject cartridges. Directions are included in the manual.

This is one of the strongest actions available in a rifle and has been known to handle outrageous
pressures. This is not a recommended policy. Within the safe operating pressures high performance loads can be accomplished, loading data for 400gr bullets show muzzle
velocities of 2100fps and 500 gr bullets at 1900 fps.

The 45-70 Government cartridge is the oldest rifle cartridge chambered in modern firearms. It is a straight taper rimmed cartridge and the bullet, although a 45 is a .458 diameter bullet vs the modern 45 Colt which is .451-.452. Commonly available bullets are 250, 300, 350,
400, and 500 grain. For comparison's sake typical 30-06 rounds are 150, 180, 200, and 220 grain. Loading data for the Ruger No.1 show muzzle velocities of 2100fps with 400 gr and 1900 with
500 gr. A typical 30-06 muzzle velocity is 2600 fps. This is an extremely powerful rifle and is capable of hunting anything that walks the earth. The cartridge and un-cased bullet shown are .458 Speer Jacketed Flat Nose 400 grain which were loaded for Model 1895 Marlin.

With all that power comes significant recoil. This gun will hit the shooter quite hard and with big game loads is not for the faint of heart or small of stature.

Due to the relatively low speed of the rounds serious drop occurs over distance so the shooter must allow for an occurrence that is not common in smaller high velocity rounds. It is of very real importance to remember that rounds suitable for the Ruger No.1 are not suitable for other rifles chambered in 45-70 and serious care must be taken with vintage arms to not use rounds that even a Model 1895 Marlin is capable of using, that rifle is considerably stronger than the old Springfields.

From my first exposure to the 45-70 Govt, which was a Marlin Model 1895, I have wanted a Ruger No. 1 in 45-70. Today it arrived, the rifle you are seeing is unfired and anticipation is killing me - it is also not nice out today, mixed snow, rain and wind.

RIGHT CLICK PHOTOS FOR FULL SIZE

Update

This thing kicks like a mule, I ran some 400gr 1900 fps loads for my 1895 Marlin (57gr IMR4895) through it and am quite sure this thing is never getting the very nice scope rings, that came with it, attached. I will very soon begin a hunt for a nice peep sight and update when I have located something worthy of this firearm. At full load with 500gr I don't want anything near my face and the factory leaf sights are inadequate. This post is about a tie with the Ruger Vaquero post for top popularity. There's some good lefty politics on here as well, check out the main.

Regarding Ruger No1 peep sights.
Hot Rodded Loads

Chaparral "Winchester Model 1873 in .45 Colt-Cowboy Action

This is a 22 inch octagonal barrel rifle in .45 Colt, Charter Arms and Chaparral Arms joined together in this production. It is an historically accurate reproduction of the Model 1873 Winchester lever action saddle gun with case hardened receiver and butt plate, brass case lifter and brass front blade sight.
The rifle being an accurate reproduction does not utilize modern "safes." The hammer down rests on the firing pin and half-cock can be overridden with a blow, therefor it should not be carried with an unspent round in the chamber. The rifle was designed for the black powder .45 Colt cartridge and is unsuited to higher power smokeless cartridges.

The lever incorporates a trigger locking pin which disables the trigger unless the lever is closed to the stock, requiring pressure. When the hammer is in half cock the trigger is also disabled. These safeties are of modest utility in preventing accidental discharge. The receiver has a dust cover which can be manually closed to keep dust and debris from the receiver, it is opened by either drawing it back with fingers or opening the lever. At the rear of the lever is a toggle for locking the lever against the stock.

It is available in the following calibers: WCF 38-40, WCF 44-40, .45 Colt, .357, and .44 Special. Because this is a tubular magazine rifle only flat nose or soft lead round nose ammunition should be used.

The rifle is considered unserviceable by the consumer and there is no exploded drawing with the manual. It is warranted for one year.

The rifle is quite pretty, fit and finish is outstanding and it fairly comfortable to shoulder. You can expect to pay close to $900 for this gun. The 1873 Winchester is a popular Cowboy Action Shooting rifle, which is my intended use for it.

Right click picture for full size

Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt

The Vaquero is a single action revolver utilizing a transfer bar between the hammer and firing pin, enabling safe carry with the hammer down on a loaded chamber. As with any single action cocking is accomplished by bringing the hammer to the full back position. The hammer has only two positions, cocked and hammer down. Loading and unloading is done with the hammer down, the loading gate cannot be opened with the hammer back nor the hammer drawn back with the loading gate open.

This model has fixed sights, blade front and a groove in the upper frame for the rear and a six inch barrel. The gun is strong, well balanced, and the fit and finish is excellent. The barrel and cylinder are blued, the frame is case hardened finish. Case hardened finish is not as durable as bluing so more care in cleaning is required.

Dry firing will not harm the mechanism, though when purchasing this gun I dry fired with my thumb on the hammer to avoid "snapping" it. Until I actually fired the gun I was impressed with the trigger pull. At the range firing single handed I found myself pulling to the left, the trigger pull was not overly heavy but there seemed to be a hitch in the middle of the pull. Firing with a two handed grip cured the pulling but left me dissatisfied. In later conversations with the clerk I learned that Brownell makes a spring kit for the Vaquero which eases the trigger pull and hammer draw which he indicated frequently solved this issue. At around $20 for the spring kit and a revolver that had not been back out of its box for nearly a year it seemed worth the chance.

Re-springing this revolver requires near total dis-assembly and a great deal of care not to mar the gun or lose parts that are involved with springs which can toss them quite aways. The springs involved are XR00400 mainspring and XR03700 trigger spring which can be seen in the exploded drawing. The process of dis-assembly and reassembly should not be undertaken without the manual, which is available from Ruger if you do not have one.

I was quite prepared to be disappointed and have to take a trip to a gunsmith so you can imagine my delight to find that the kit had cured all the ills. The revolver went from a gun I was disinclined to shoot at all to one of my favorites. It does not match my Uberti SAAs for point with my hands but it is a great gun to shoot. The recoil with 250gr loads is quite manageable, with 300gr P+P it is just tolerable, but at that level you are reaching 1200fps muzzle velocity with a quite heavy round. That round at a reasonable range is suitable for deer, elk, or black bear. The round is unsuitable for SAA Colts and replicas and S&Ws, Rugers and TCs only.

Because this revolver uses an old cartridge, the .45 Colt is well into its second century of use, and it is a single action it is suitable for cowboy action shooting. I only use it for general shooting and hunting but in its current configuration I would recommend it to any shooter. Although I have included an exploded drawing, right click on either and follow link, I strongly discourage re-springing without a manual.

Hot Rodded Loads

Remington Stagecoach Shotgun, Hammered Side by Side

Due to the large interest demonstrated by the site meter I decided to put up something a bit more detailed about a "coach gun" with better pictures. This is a Remington Rockledge Model SPR220H. It is the top model in all walnut stock hammered sided by side in blued steel with screw in chokes. It uses 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge shells, has a top sliding safety and breaks down. Left click pictures for full size.

This is a Russian built - IMZ&P - short light double barrel shotgun and it kicks like a mule. I am of medium build and it fits well and comes to point quickly with enough stock rise for my somewhat long neck. The fit and finish are excellent, moving parts are smooth and their action is crisp. There is no take up or sloppiness in the triggers. The sliding safety sets to safe automatically when the gun is broken open and closed. The stock's walnut figuring is nice, checking is sharp and clean. Assembly from broken down is simple, the barrels/receiver to stock fit is quite tight but straight forward, the fore end has a lever lock attachment which allows the fore end to block the barrel into the stock.

The hammers are the cocking mechanism, they strike external firing pins. Decocking is accomplished by breaking open the shotgun, moving the safety to fire position, and releasing the hammer with the trigger while holding the hammer with your thumb. Closing the shotgun sets the safety to safe, each hammer must be cocked to fire its barrel and each barrel has a separate trigger, front is right, rear is left. The instructions clearly state, one finger-one trigger, fingering both triggers risks double fire. The screw in chokes come in full, improved modified, modified, improved cylinder, and cylinder and are available in both lead and steel shot chokes. The gun should never be fired without a choke tube installed. The choke tubes walls are quite thin and care must be used in handling them.

The shooting season ended before I had a chance to do much shooting with it but I am impressed. Delivered this model runs about $500, it is available in a number of configurations of varying prices.

For more see Cowboy Action Setup
Bisley Vaquero

Hammered Stagecoach Shotgun and Cowboy Action

The shotgun is a Russian built 2 3/4" 12 Ga Remington hammered double barrel with screw in chokes and the top grade walnut stock. It is a very nicely made breakdown shotgun, the fit is excellent and the finish is very nice. The chokes are full, improved modified, modified, and improved cylinder. The gun is quite light, subsequently it kicks like a mule, there comes a point when you've had enough fun with this beast.

The setup shown is for cowboy action shooting, the revolvers are SAA Colt patent Uberiti's in 3 1/2" barrel .45Colt, the rifle is a Marlin Model 1895 Lever in 45-70 Govt, 400 gr flatnoses with 57 gr of IMR 4895 pushing them means it shoves a shooter around. There is nothing in North America that has not been hunted with that rifle and round. The dollar bill is for scale, the rounds are next to their guns.

Cowboy Action shooting involves a course of fire that is set up as a scenario, typically Old West, many competitors dress in period dress. I don't plan to. The part of the set up that is not shown is the double holsters for the revolvers and scabbards for the shotgun and rifle, the part that I have not yet put together.

All the pieces perform excellently, the shotgun is quick on the point, the revolvers are a pure delight to shoot, the lever action is very accurate and hits like a freight train. Once I start to compete I'll put up some photos of competition, better ones than these taken with dying batteries. The idea probably seems a little like playing cowboys and Indians with real guns, yes there is that aspect, but it also involves becoming very proficient with these guns in near real world practice and every one of these firearms is a very serious piece.

My Blog has been hit several times per week with Google searches for coach gun because I mentioned the shotgun once, I have now put up a result for those searchers. I consider this particular shotgun a very good buy for the price.

Remington Coach Gun , Bisley Vaquero