Here is my Delema

[Howdy Doody]

Once a year a club I belong to, the Brimstone Pistoleros, have a match at the end of the year. It is an all blackpowder club and no smokeless allowed.
Well, they have unique classes. Last year I shot Monte Walsh. That is two sixguns and shotgun and a rifle caliber rifle. I shot my 38-55 lever gun. Other classes include Real Cowboy, which I shot last year too, because since it is a one day event of 6 stages, they let you sign up for two classes if you want and you get in 12 stages, same as an annual, Real Cowboy involves just one six shooter and you reload it on the clock. They also have a Plainsman class and of course that is a single shot rifle caliber rifle. Ten there is Josey Wales. That is four sixguns and no rifle, plus SXS or lever shotgun. There is my delema.
I have signed on this year to shoot Cowboy, which is two C&B pistols, pistol caliber rifle and SXS or Lever shotgun and .........
Josey Wales. I never shot that one before and I was sitting here thinking, just how am I gonna carry the four pistols. I have a pair of 7 1/2 inch Rugers and I plan to use them to attempt to hit the rifle targets, I'll use my 5 1/2s to shoot at the pistol targets and probably my 87 shotgun.
So, I am not about to buy a couple shoulder holsters like Doc had in Tombstone, and I guess I will string four holsters on my belt and go for that. It will be tight though, I have a 36 inch waist and for once I wish it was bigger. I am leaning on stringing the holsters on the belt and turning the buckle to the rear. Then I could do a calvary draw or twist because the butt will be all forward. I could also do a double crossdraw, since I shoot either hand anyways. That would be doing the dance both directions with the crossdraw versus stand and deliver by doing the twist.
Any other ideas for a one time thing?

[litl rooster]

lanyarns and wear them around yer neck... Good luck I have enough problems keeping my britches up with 2 hanging from a belt


I'd like to see the Monte Walsh class being shot.

[Major 2]

That is a cool concept ..I'd like to see it catch on here .... kinda shoot your interest in stages
something different , over two pistols , shotgun & pistol Long gun every stage.
I also think it might appeal, to newer shootesr as well as old timers.

A double Huckleberry, would solve the keeping my britches up problem, but what about the 170 issue ?

[Forty Rod]

Stay away from deep water, Howdy.  With that much weight you'll be a goner, because as much as I'd miss you, I ain't comin' in after you.....

[Howdy Doody]

Rooster, the Monte Walsh class is similar to the Plainsman class, except you shoot a lever rifle rather than a single shot. I love that class, but I don't have any ammo for my 38-55 loaded up, because first i ahve to cast some bullets. So, I am shooting a couple other classes instead. The rifle targets for the Monte Walsh are placed out beyond the rifle classes rifle targets. You only shoot five rounds instaed of the ten that pistol caliber shooters shoot. Targets are staggered usually, but I think they are about 80 yards out on each stage. It is a hoot.
They have the stage descriptions for this years match on the website if you want to take a peek.

http://www.brimstonepistoleros.com

[Howdy Doody]

Forty Rod, I see you signed up for the match too. Great! If you are worried about sinking, I would be willing to eat your FREE lunch for you. I'll risk it.
As for sinking myself, I have a plan. I am gonna tie a couple garbage can lids to the bottom of my boots to distribute the weight. You might want to bring yer camera, cuz I might be standing there in the mud with my garbage can lids and my pants fallen down due to the weight of four loaded pistolas. I'll wear my long handles so I don't embarrass myself. 

By the way,don't you need some rain for mud? What mud? 

[litl rooster]

just happen to pulled my Brimstone pistoleros T shirt out to wear tomorrow,  Last time I visited over there the site wouldn't come up for me glad to see it back up.  The rules say you can stage 2 of the pistols for the Josey Whales class

[Howdy Doody]

Dang it Rooster, ya read the rules and now I have pie on my face. I know you can stage a couple of them at the designated spot.

I have been found out. That is what I will be doing.

I don't even have a Brimstone t shirt (embarrased ) I am a charter member too. Shame on me, I'll have to get one. Meanwhile, I have rummaged through the closet and got my old shooting outfit out and it always nice to shoot with the Brimstone bunch, since they don't cotton to puppet clothes. Ya gotta look the part ya know. 

Major, you could always do a shoot yourself like that. Offer it up to a club and tell them you will ramrod it. You can start by letting the smokeless folks shoot it too. Here Rowdy Yates got the club rolling. He being the one that introduced BP to SASS way back before my time and a great BP shooter himself, among other things. The best part of the Brimstone bunch is the matches are real fun. The stages are real fun too. You might have noticed the stage with the cannonball. It will be a hoot. Last year we had to split a playing card edgewise. They have had knife throws and other fun stuff. Most CAS matches have gone away from so much movement and the old do something on the clock stuff. Since we are having only a one day event, they allow you to sign up for two classes and I always do that, so I can shoot 12 stages. I like to shoot. 

[litl rooster]

 I guess there's one good thing about the left coast, ya'll have fun chutin'.    be safe, post some> as PUK sez Piccies<

[Silver Creek Slim]

That sounds like a fun  match.

Slim

[Howdy Doody]

Slim, I seek out fun matches. If I ain't havin' fun, I don't go back. You would love the Brimstone bunch, probably fit right in with the DAMMITT gang and just might have a blast with the Dooley Gang too. 

My feelings are that a pard should have a good time. Matches that design stages for everyone get the biggest turnouts around here. Even top shooters don't like in your face targets and stand and deliver stages very much. A challenge and smiles are what most folks seek. It is a good way to forget for a few hours the state of the economy, wars and the world in general. That has always been the attraction to me along with some really great friends I have made along the way.

Too bad ya live so far away Slim, I would love to shoot with ya. Maybe someday, never can tell.

[Jamie]

Being something of a Josie Wales fan myself (I just had a discussion as to the guns he used being Walkers as opposed to Dragoons with my gunsmith this very afternoon - boy is he going to be chagrined when he sees the rounded corners on the grips!) and he wore the two WALKERS in holsters on one belt, often with an 1860 stuck right in front, in the belt, and what appeared to be an 1849 Pocket Colt or possibly an 1861 Pocket Navy in a shoulder holster.  That had to get pretty heavy on the gun belt.  From what I've read, many Southern gentlemen especially during the Civil War had as many as 6 revolvers deposited around their belts in various ways when they went on a raid, and I doubt that many of them were any more generously endowed with belt space than you.  Personally, I could maybe get one or two more on mine without rubbing gun butts with adjacent hammers. While they typically carried more in saddle holsters (making the "staged" guns all the more historically accurate) It wouldn't be historically even questionable to just stuff them in the belt and belly up to the line.  An over-the-shoulder leather "helper" strap wouldn't be a bad idea, and could be easily rigged from another belt or two from Sally-Anne as we call them here in New York (WESTERN New York thank-you very much) or a Goodwill.  Heck, a simple chunk of bailing twine wouldn't be out of place when you think about it. I don't think that Lawrence, Bianche, or Alfonso's were around in those days.  Better yet, some scrap leather, an awl, some artificial sinew or good strong thread (dental floss is great - and serves multiple purposes) could put you in good shape with just a little ingenuity and a modicum of time.  It might lead to a new hobby, and, believe me, yes you can.  Check out the leatherwork forum. Wow!  I make my own stuff because I can produce adequate quality at minimum investment, and can actually have several holsters for one gun, depending on how I want to carry it.  Also, don't forget rawhide (a standard native American holster material - check out the huge rawhide bones you can get at a decent pet store) a leather punch and a few leather boot laces.  And if you think that they didn't carry guns in pockets or haversacks hanging at their sides, you're crazy.  They carried their guns, as many as they could, any way they could, because with cap and ball, a stuck cap could kill you.  The more revolvers, the better the chance that they would be eating camp stew or corn pone that night, or the next morning. 
You gotta love a gang that actually is creative in building different shooting opportunities for it's participants like this - congratulations, and however you choose to "walk the big dogs" have fun!
Good luck,
Jamie

[Silver Creek Slim]

Slim, I seek out fun matches. If I ain't havin' fun, I don't go back. You would love the Brimstone bunch, probably fit right in with the DAMMITT gang and just might have a blast with the Dooley Gang too. 

My feelings are that a pard should have a good time. Matches that design stages for everyone get the biggest turnouts around here. Even top shooters don't like in your face targets and stand and deliver stages very much. A challenge and smiles are what most folks seek. It is a good way to forget for a few hours the state of the economy, wars and the world in general. That has always been the attraction to me along with some really great friends I have made along the way.

Too bad ya live so far away Slim, I would love to shoot with ya. Maybe someday, never can tell.

I would surely enjoy shootin' with the Brimstone bunch, DAMMITT gang, and the Dooley Gang. I might make it out West one of these years. 

Slim

[Howdy Doody]

I am set to go at daylight tomorrow. I decided to wear not one, but two gunbelts. One with the my short barreled pistols in holster turned around and will be drawn crossdraw each way. The other belt will have two strongside holsters on it turned backwards and I'll have the long barreled pistols in them and I draw the with the calvary twist.
Since I am shooting two classes, the Josey Wales and the regular cowboy with just two C&B pistols, I figured it would be faster this way to shoot the second class at each stage. I am going to be busy feeding four pistols anyway and I am looking to cut down on excess work.
The other problem I face is keeping the stage descriptions in order, remember to do the dance both directions and shoot the rifle targets gunfighter style, pistol targets duelist or traditional style and hope for not too many procedurals along the way.

[Dalton Masterson]

Howdy, how did you do??? Your fans want to know?
Also, when you coming to nebraska??? Its only half way across the country ya know?!
DM

[Steel Horse Bailey]

He's still tryin' to git home with all his guns stuck ev'ry which way and t'other!

Hope ya had fun HD!

[Dalton Masterson]

Probably got all the puppet strings tied up around everything. Quite a picture in my mind, 4 pistolas sticking out of every little nook, strings wrapped around everything.........

DM

[Howdy Doody]

I am exhausted! I shot all 12 stages. Loading 6 C&Bs was too much. I was gonna quit one class, but I found a burst of energy after the lunch. I had to apologize to the posse for not getting a chance to do any posse chores. I learned my lesson on not to bite off more than I can chew. I had a lot of fun though and I'll recover in a couple days. I just got through about 3 hours of gun cleaning and putting away. Lesson learned.
Well, the match though was fantastic. Yeah, I had no clean stages, but I had two that only had one miss. My first stage was a train wreck. I had ten misses and a procedural. I was proud of that feat until another posse member beat me out with 11 misses. He was also a Josey Wales shooter. The furthest rifle target was 100 yards on that one and I actually hit it with a pistol and the closer ones I couldn't hit to save my life. I started to get the hang of how high I had to hold for those rifle targets toward the end, but I think I will refrain from trying that again.
The stages had a lot of movement and some old fashioned things to do on the clock, like carry a journal, roll a cannonball to trip a target that went across the width of a stage and you had to try to get five on it before it hit the other end with a pistol. Everyone got a big kick out of that one. One stage had a tomahawk throw, there was a bobbing woman hostage and all kinds of fun stuff. Big bore shooters shot at targets way on out there and those guys did well with trapdoors and such. They also divided everyone up into two groups, good guys and bad guys. There was different lines to say at each stage depending on which you were. At the awards it was determined the Bad Guys won and I was a bad guy, so I got a bag of gold coins for that and I didn't leave empty handed.
I wore two gunbelts to carry my four pistols, but I staged the two I was using in place of rifle at the places designated for the rifles. It was better that way than trying to draw all four and remember which was for what. I was still pretty confused though. I got two procedurals, rare for me. I can't tell you how many shotgun I fired all together, but towards the last stages it was like shooting a rifle it was so clogged with junk. I shoot plastic wads.
So, my good pards that is how it went for me. Others in other classes fared a lot better. I think there was about 3 clean matches shot by what I would call crack shots. We all had fun though. There was lots of smiles and comraderie and the weather was great. Clear skies, no wind, no dust and about 78 degrees. I had a great time but it is the last time for this kid and the Josey Wales class.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

 

[Texas Lawdog]

I'm surprised that Howdy could walk around very good haulin' around 6 hoglegs at one time. We had a guy in Spec. Ops. that he needed to carry at least 4 pistols on his person at all times. He had a double shoulder rig, a belt rig, and an ankle holster.