Wild Bunch North of the Medecine Line "kinda!"

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

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"Kinda", because Victoria BC is quite a bit South of the 49th, and surrounded on two sides by certain portions of the old Oregon Territory!  (The San Juan group stolen from us after the Pig War, and the desolate wastes of the Olympic range.)

Next Sunday, September 11, 2011 the Victoria Frontier Shootists are holding their second Wild Bunch match.  I attended the first, and had a buncha fun.  Everyone was feeling their way and much improvement is expected.  Murray Charlton, gunsmith and S&W expert, told me many shooters have been in for work on wild bunch firearms.

[PJ Hardtack]

Well, Sir Chuck, I'll see if I can talk another shooter into attending.

I've been generating some interest locally in WB, but so few have 1911s that we will start off being mainly "Outlaws". Many have other guns from the era and we want to be inclusive. Same for '97s. We will allow SxS shotguns.
Since we also have so many turn-of-the-century main battle rifles in the group, next year we'll likely have a WB match with them as well on the 500m range.

This week end we are having the 1st annual memorial Cap & Ball/BP match in honour of the fellow that founded the CAS section of our club. Ought to be a hoot!

I'll be wearing a kilt, sporran and tam, my persona being that of Kiefer Sutherland in "River Queen", the story of one of the battles of the NZ Maori wars. He plays the part of a Celtic mercenary fighting for the Brits and wears a kilt in the movie. We'll be starting one stage shooting one of my P-H Enfields as a sentry warning shot.

That will be a first for many!

[Bugscuffle]

Sir Charles, How i wish that I could be there. I have such fond memories of B.C. Scenery that is so beautiful that it can't be photographed and some of the nicest people on this planet. Besides, any province that has a town named Bella Coola in it has my vote!! Did I mention that I speak Spanish?

[Hedley Lamarr]

"Stolen from us after the Pig War."
Harumph from the Washington State resident.

Your government lost it fair & square.

In 1871 Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Washington, which dealt with various differences between the two nations, including border issues with the newly formed Dominion of Canada. Among the results of the treaty was the decision to resolve the San Juan dispute by international arbitration, with Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany chosen to act as arbitrator. Wilhelm referred the issue to a three-man arbitration commission which met in Geneva for nearly a year. On October 21, 1872, the commission decided in favor of the United States.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

This is a cut & paste from the poster, as I don't know how to post it.  Bring some ammo and borrow a shotgun is you don't have a mod 12 or 97.

VICTORIA FRONTIER
SHOOTISTS
of the VICTORIA FISH & GAME PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
700 Holker Place, Malahat Dr.
(Across from Spectacle Lake Turn off )
Invitation to Attend Victoria’s First
WILD BUNCH MATCH
Sunday September 11th, 2011
Four Stage Match to be held at the Multipurpose Range (turn right at the sign-in kiosk)
Lead Bullets Only
Minimum ammunition required:
pistol 70 rounds, rifle 40 rounds,
and shotgun 24 rounds.
8:00 A.M. Set up and Registration
8:30 AM Safety Meeting
Shooting from 9 a.m. until noon.
Cost $20. Water provided. Please bring your own lunch and other beverages.
Rules can be found at:
http://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/RO/SASSWBHandbook_OCTOBER_2010_final.pdf
There are three categories Traditional, Modern and Outlaw.
Traditional is shot one handed and requires a 1911, 45 ACP pistol with no match triggers,
hammers or beaver-tail safety. As well, a 40 calibre or larger lever action rifle and a 12
gauge Winchester ‘97 shotgun.
Modern is shot two handed, has the same requirements as Traditional and allows more
modified 1911s.
Outlaw is not an official Wild Bunch Category.  You can shoot any semi-automatic pistol,
any lever action pistol caliber rifle and a model 12 or a model ’97 shotgun in any gauge.

Please come at 8 A.M. to help with set up and register.
For more information contact the Match Director Haweater Hal at (250) 656-2520 or
Haweater.hal@gmail.com

[PJ Hardtack]

I've reenacted as a Royal Marine at SJINHP a number of times. The Brits could have kicked Captain Pickett's rag tag bunch off the island at any time. The interruption of the USCW drew out the negotiations, resulting in a 12 year joint occupation. Britain was bled dry financially and militarily from the Crimean War and didn't want another foreign war.
A pox on the German Emperoor for his arbitration! It stlil isn't too late to retake the lost islands. Rule Britannia!

Bugscuffle - Spanish, you say? Bella Coola isn't Spanish any more than is Bella Bella. Try West Coast Salish, Nuchalnuth (Nootka), Kitsan or Haida.

Sir chuch - Model 12, you say ..... not only do I have a '97, I have a brace of M12s. Not trench guns, but 28" and 30" barrels.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Governor Douglas gave the Royal Marines orders to expel Pickett.  They refused!!!!

Would have saved Pickett's division as his infamous charge might not have happened.  Maybe there is an alternative history in the offing

Trivia;  -The US Parks Service raise the Union Jack daily at the British camp.

Picketts ragtag bunch! TRUE.
          - The US surveyors placed the border too far North at the present Douglas crossing!
          - A US soldier committed a robbery in BC and fled back to the US camp (actually on BC soil!)  His buddy was on sentry duty and shot the pursuing BC victim who wanted redress.  They got away with it!!

[Bugscuffle]

Bugscuffle - Spanish, you say? Bella Coola isn't Spanish any more than is Bella Bella. Try West Coast Salish, Nuchalnuth (Nootka), Kitsan or Haida.

Au contraire:
That part of the world was explored and mapped by the Spanish. In particular by the Spanish Sea Captain Revillagigedo. The Island that Ketchican, Alaska sits on is named after him. Bella is, in Spanish as it also is in Italian, translated as the noun Beauty or the adjective Beautiful. Coola is a rather crude word that is/was well known to Spanish sailors and translates to "butt".

[PJ Hardtack]

Bugscuffle

"Bella Bella - This settlement grew up around the former HBC Fort McLoughlin  (1833-43). It takes it's name from the Indians living in the vicinity; the Bella Bella (Bil-Billa or Bill-Bellah) tribe."

"Bella Coola - After the Indian tribe living in the vicinity. Early versions of the name show a wild divergence in spellings as white men tried to cope with the guttural mouthing of the Indian tongue - Billa Whullia, bell-houla, Billichoola, Bill-Whoalla, etc."

From "1001 British Columbia Place Names - GPV & Helen B. Akrigg 3rd Edition (revised).

I'm not challenging your Espanol, and I am well aware that the Spanish explorers may have preceded Captains Cook and Vancouver on the Northwest Coast, but I'll go with the Akrigg origins of the names.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Re: Bella Coola   http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=10658

`Bella Coola is a Coastal Town in British Columbia, Canada. Named for the usual term for the local First Nation, who call themselves Nuxulk . Bella Coola is an adaption of /bəlxwəla/, the Heiltsuk name for the Nuxalk; their meaning is not limited to the band at Bella Coola but to all Nuxalk.`

It has nothing to do with any form of Vulgar Latin.

Revillagigedo;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Vicente_de_G%C3%BCemes,_2nd_Count_of_Revillagigedo

He never saw the Pacific Northwest and thought it wasn`t worth the effort.  Through Malaspina, Galiano was sent to check out the Strait of Georgia in 1792.  Many place names in Southern BC bear Spanish names but Nootka Sound was as far North as they got.  Later, by treaty Spain ceded their right to Western North America above 42 degrees Latitude to Britain.

There is a lot of interesting history here. How many other forums can a thread about a shooting competition morph into linguistics and geopolitical discussions just like that

[PJ Hardtack]

Sir Chuck

Forgot in my last message .....

As Colonial Governor, Douglas did not have the authority to order British naval or military intervention in the Gulf Islands. He might have thought he did (or wanted to), but the British Foreign Office, Whitehall and the Lords of the Admiralty didn't quite see it that way. Douglas was told to 'maintain the peace' and let others resolve the matter.

The Brits preferred a dignified, diplomatic approach in lieu of the paucity of the national treasure following the Crimean War. It wasn't for a lack of sea power or man power, the Royal Navy having a major base at Valparaiso, Chile and the services of Royal Marines aboard ships, many of them veterans of both the Crimean and Opium Wars in China. They thought a tour of duty in the Gulf Islands a bit of R&R by comparison.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I think a reasonable paraphrase of the Marine commander's response  was along the lines of;

"You must be kidding! - Start a war with the US over a pig?"

I did attend the WB match in Victoria yesterday.  Had to miss church to do it!

I went clean for two of the four stages, with a miss each on the other two. Too slow to win anything, I think, I had to leave right after the last shot.  I'll post a report in Chinook Country very shortly.

There will be more heard from The Wild Bunch in Victoria, next July and September. 

If anyone else in Canada is holding Wild Bunch matches, let me know.

[Bugscuffle]

I think a reasonable paraphrase of the Marine commander's response  was along the lines of;

"You must be kidding! - Start a war with the US over a pig?"

I did attend the WB match in Victoria yesterday.  Had to miss church to do it!

I went clean for two of the four stages, with a miss each on the other two. Too slow to win anything, I think, I had to leave right after the last shot.  I'll post a report in Chinook Country very shortly.

There will be more heard from The Wild Bunch in Victoria, next July and September.

He might as well have, we've fougt wars over much more trivial things than a pig. 
If anyone else in Canada is holding Wild Bunch matches, let me know.

[Hedley Lamarr]

I wish I hadn't needed to work, it would have been fun.

Perhaps a "Pig War" match might be set up some time - USA vs Canada

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Hedley;  A Pig War match.     Great idea.

This would be right in the middle of the Plainsman Society period.  Maybe we could compete under their rules once they discover them

[wildman1]

Hedley;  A Pig War match.     Great idea.

This would be right in the middle of the Plainsman Society period.  Maybe we could compete under their rules once they discover them

I have an answer to yer post Sir Chas., I am not going ta post it. NO. NOWAY.  WM

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Wildman;  Did it have anything to do with rivers, canoes, and bows?

[PJ Hardtack]

Re: A "Pig War" match - you gotta like a war where the only casualty was a pig.

An event like this requires a pig on a spit as supper. No - it DEMANDS a roast pig!

[wildman1]

Wildman;  Did it have anything to do with rivers, canoes, and bows?

Not unless r c & b is included in the APS. WM

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Not unless r c & b is included in the APS. WM

We don't know yet.  They are still working on the rulebook.

[wildman1]

We don't know yet.  They are still working on the rulebook.

Apparently.  WM

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

The news today is that there is flooding in the Bella Coola valley.  The only highway out is covered in water.  Rainfall has been severe but is currently slacking off;

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CABC0029

[Bugscuffle]

Damned raindances. They ought to be outlawed.

[PJ Hardtack]

Bugscuffle - re: "outlaw raindances"

Especially in isolated communities with one road in and out; a road the residents built themselves that would turn your hair white and make you abandon any trailer you were towing. The only other access is by boat.

Brush up on your 'Spanish' and check out a few "beautiful butts" in Bella Coola .... ;>) Bring along your PFD and check out the flooded Atnarko River banks. Watch out for the grizzlies who are trying to pack on some weight before winter.

[Bugscuffle]

Bugscuffle - re: "outlaw raindances"

Especially in isolated communities with one road in and out; a road the residents built themselves that would turn your hair white and make you abandon any trailer you were towing. The only other access is by boat.

Brush up on your 'Spanish' and check out a few "beautiful butts" in Bella Coola .... ;>) Bring along your PFD and check out the flooded Atnarko River banks. Watch out for the grizzlies who are trying to pack on some weight before winter.

Irrespective of how the town got it's name, it still translates to "beautiful butt" in Spanish. Y si, yo hablo Espa~ol, y Ruski tosha!