Dang, Mako, are you trying to give me writer's (typer's) cramp?

I used to shoot mostly BP.  The last few years I shoot more smokeless than BP.  I shoot a lot of different guns.  I like the variety.  I'm prepping a post now on "braces" of pistols, and I have nine pairs that I shoot, at least occasionally.  About 3 or 4 more if I mix and match the pistols.  Basically, I have my smokeless main match '51 conversions with 4 3/4" barrels, though I do occasionally shoot BP in them.  All the other braces get BP only, or a mixture.  1st, 2nd, 3rd gen Colts in 32-20, 44-40, 44 Spcl, and 45 Colt.  Those get shot occasionally in monthly matches. Also assorted Cimarron Model P's, one Thunderer, and a couple of Type II's.  At the annual matches I only shoot BP, and that is in my engraved 5.5" '51 conversions.

No specific wet weather guns, but then they are all cartridge. I prefer not to shoot in the rain at all, and I have skipped some monthlies when the radar didn't look too good.  Just this past weekend, I shot both Saturday and Sunday (Texican Rangers shoot both days), and I went Sunday because the radar looked good, but that is because mist doesn't show up on radar!  We were misted on until the last stage.  My main concern was my guncart which uses a vintage piece of luggage, a "train case" that I didn't want to get wet (I ruined one of those that warped in a downpour once and it took some convincing for my mom to let me have another one from her collection).  Captain Baylor was there with his cap guns (ROA's), and he had them pushed into ziplock baggies, then into his holsters, until time to shoot.  He told me about some guy once at Winter Range (where it was "traditional" for at least one day to get a gully washer) who went into a porta-potty after each stage to recharge his cap guns.

Calibers are more .38's than anything now, partially because now that I have a 550 set up for .38 I can crank them out, but I also shoot 32-20, 44-40, 44 Spcl, 44 Russian, 45 Schofield, 45 Colt which I load on my Turret that is usually 90 miles away for the last few years.  Whatever guns I decide to shoot for any particular match, well whatever caliber that is.  I don't just say I want to shoot a particular caliber this week, I say I want to shoot certain guns.

I've pretty much got my dream guns.  I do have a bucket-list thing that I plan to do shortly.  My Thunderer is a 3.5" and I got it with a one-piece pearlite grip.  The only other Thunderer I've ever seen with that grip is one of Mike Harvey's show guns, the "Pimp's Dream" as he named it, which is a nickled engraved Thunderer that was the first one Uberti made.  His is .45 and mine is 44 Spcl with an extra 44-40 cylinder.  I want to make mine to be a "Tribute" to that first Thunderer.  I've showed the Pimp's Dream gun to master engraver Terry Theis, and he is familiar with that engraving style (it is somewhat different than the norm) and he says he could do it up good for me, even fancier than Mike's.  Then I think Mike would go for getting the two guns together to do an article on them.

I started using APP (Shooter's World Multi-Black, actually) in my .32 and .38 rifles just this past year, due primarily to the ease (use coated bullets) and minimal buildup in the bore so easy cleaning.  Laziness, basically.  BP only in pistols and shotguns, when I'm shooting smokey stuff.  I would miss the flame, the boomier boom, and the smell if I used a sub in everything.  I will use the coarsest grain (currently 1Fg) for the shotgun for more flame.  I have noticed that the majority of the CAS BP category shooters these days are using APP in everything.  A lot of them have never used real BP at all.  Kind of sad, really.  As I've always said, Subs are fun, BP is funner.  I guess I need to update that to: Smokeless is fun.  BP Subs are funner.  BP is funner still...but smokeless is still fun. 

As for shooting more smokeless that BP, I guess laziness is a big reason.  I've never had a shortage of BP and no cap guns so no cap shortage for me.  Cleaning them is easy but messy and takes time, and I shoot every week.  Now that my mom has passed, I'm even busier than I used to be dealing with estate stuff and moving, but once I get permanently moved into this house, I do intend to shoot BP more at monthlies like I used to.

As for long guns, 5 '73's in 4 calibers (32-20, .357, 44-40, 45 Colt) and a '66 in 44 Spcl, plus an original '92 carbine in 32wcf.  Used to shoot lots of BP in the 44 Spcl but that rifle has some issues so don't shoot it much now and just smokeless.  I do not shoot BP at all in the 45 Colt '73, it is just too messy and no need at all, since I have others to shoot.  One of the .357 '73's does most of the BP now with .38's, but I would like to make the 32-20 (Uberti) my main BP match gun.  I have been fighting extraction issues with it for years now.  The fact that I don't want to ship it off and will only deal with a gunsmith that I can hand it to, has not helped any.  I'm hoping to hand it off to Lefty Wheeler at the state match in two weeks.

Shotguns, I have two TTNs, but just use them occasionally at monthlies - I use a Baikal hammerless for BP at annuals because it is faster (duh).  I cock the TTN hammers one at a time while reloading, and it would have been okay years ago but most folks are cocking faster than that now. I've been shooting '97's lately with smokeless because I found out I love to slam-fire, but just last weekend a friend was shooting BP in his '97 and it's giving me the itch to give that a try as well.

Macon,

Email me your address.  Mine is fsgrand2@fairpoint.net

I'll see you get one.

Two Flints

 40-65 down to 40-60 will work, 40-65 usually runs .406-.408. Just ck the dia. of expander plug in the sizer die in the 40-65. Cut the 40-65 down then anneal before sizing & trim to OAL.

   coffee's ready.  Hootmix.

1871-72 Colt Opentop Sixgun Spotlight.

https://youtu.be/_iyaODXMfg0?si=I-OJdl1fWb5NPTmR

My personal preference also runs to Brass Rifles.  Originals, Henry and 66 were as MAKO states, more Bronze than Brass.  Uberti rifles are Brass.  I feel the Brass rifles "feel" much different than '73s although I have two '73 Trappers.  The Brass rifles just seem to feel "right."  I also use to have several '66s, but found myself "Rifle Poor" and needed space in the safe for another Henry or two.

Henrys, '66 and '73s ALL have exactly the same internals.  Also Uberti standardized the Butt Stocks some years ago and all have basically the drop although the Henry stock is about a half inch longer.  A real shame Uberti dropped the cleaning rod space in the Butt Stock.  Icky Foo.