Suggested BP minimum load causing a ruckus on TOB

[Pukin Dog]

650 is by no means a 'warthawg' load, and there are those who are trying to skew the argument into a warthawg take over, which it is not.  They're using this to cloud the issue, without understanding the warthawg is the guy who loves the recoil and probably won't place anyway, nor could care less.

Yeah, I've seen posts about this 1cc minimum being a "warthog" thing being "forced" upon other users.  What a crock.  At a match a month ago I was shooting up the last of some commercial 44-40's I had that were loaded with cleanshot.  They are a pretty light load but still put out a good cloud of smoke and a nice boom.  My pistol cartridges were loaded with about 22gr of APP and also are nice shooting with a nice cloud of smoke.  After my last stage I overheard a guy commenting about my "really light loads".  So I was at least 7gr over the proposed limit and folks were saying I was a "gamer"

[El Paso Pete]

I think a simple solution would be use the powder manufacturer's recommended load.  I use Goex and their recommendation for 45 Colt is 42 grains.  It ain't easy to get it all  in, but it can be done.   

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Shucks!

I'm helpin' out my NCOWS club by loadin' the 44/45 blanks that we use in our train robberies and other re-enactments.  He** I'm puttin' over 30 gr (vol) in the blanks we use in 44 Russian cases!  Y'all come to Great Lakes Freight & Mining Co.;  even our blanks are Warthog loads!

Seriously, the only problem I see about a minimum (which I'm all for) is enforcement.  I've only been doing the Cowboy thing for 6 years now and BP Cowboy about 3 yrs. and the Pards I've seen and shot with, both SASS and NCOWS, play by the rules without having to be checked on.  Calamity Jane and Lou Grahm have raised a valid point:  Ya don't have to shoot Warthog loads to play this game.  CJ did some studyin' and found that her gunns were more accurate with (if I remember right) about 20 gr. of BP and the rest filler.  That's still a pretty respectable load and I wouldn't want to get hit by it!

In Lou's case, she has a wrist or arm problem, so when it gets to bothering her, she switches to 38.  Again, I sure wouldn't want her to shoot at ME with those "reduced loads!!!  I'm sure she's not alone - both men and women have these problems and it doesn't hut us a bit to accomodate these folks:  the more the merrier, I say!

This whole issue revolves (as I see it) around common sense.  And there seems to be less and less of that these days.

Well, there's my 2 cents worth - and it prob'ly aint worth much.  I'll continue to be a Warthog as long as I can A:) afford it, or B:) I can safely handle the firearm.  But I CHOOSE to shoot full power loads, not because someone tells me to - but they'll never mistake me for a true gamer!

[Silver Creek Slim]

Shucks!

I'm helpin' out my NCOWS club by loadin' the 44/45 blanks that we use in our train robberies and other re-enactments.  He** I'm puttin' over 30 gr (vol) in the blanks we use in 44 Russian cases!  Y'all come to Great Lakes Freight & Mining Co.;  even our blanks are Warthog loads!

I'd like to make it down to see and/or be in it one of these years.

I pard at our shoot on Saturday was using, I think, nickel-plated 1851 Colts. There was plenty of smoke, but the problem was the spotters were having a hard time determining if he hit the target. He said he was using 60gr balls. He said he was going to try to find a conical bullet for it so it would be easier to see and hear the hits.

Slim

[French Jack]

My suggestion for a "standard" is to have all loads loaded to case capacity.  If it is too much buck and beller, get a shorter or smaller case.  That is the way they were made and designed, that is the only proper way to do it.  If a 45 Colt is too much, use a 45 Schofield.  38 Special too much? use a 38 Long Colt. Then if there are any questions, pull a bullet at random to check any questionable loads.  No fillers. Just a capacity load of BP or substitute.

[Adirondack Jack]

Over the weekend, I got the chance to meet Tex, and speak with him on this issue.

I heard him tell of various schools of thought, including charge weights, etc, and how they might be hard to enforce.  He talked of proposed issued ammo  (does anybody wanna shoot some brew from goex ya pay through the nose for and don't know how yer guns will shoot with it?)

Then I told him I thought the "seven year old" test was a good one.  If a seven year old at seven yards doesn't say "now that's black powder" yer not smoking enough.

He asked how that might be enforced.

I said simple.  Just as a SOG penatly is discretionary, so too could a smoke rule be discretionary.  A rule could say, simply, "If, at the discretion of the match director, a shooter's ammo is determined not to smoke sufficiently for use in a BP category, the shooter will be involuntarily reassigned to traditional category"

Then I showed him my  little .45 "Colt-Eley" reproductions.  (.45 colt case cut back to ACP length, loaded with 18 gr volume of 777 and a 230). and offered to let him shoot some in the team event he was shooting at the time.  He used my 5.5 inch ruger, loaded one of my short rounds, and the rest with his .45 colt loads.  He said mine felt like a "nice soft shooting round that still smoked plenty" (they run 750 fps).


Anyway, back to the subject.  He said a committee has been formed to deal with this issue and some answer or other will come down.

FWIW, Tex is a helluva nice guy and a good shooter to boot.