Ah Ha 

I just knew it.  I've known it all along.  A most worthy challenger for PosterGrump!!  Finally out of the closet are we.  Well Harrumpff to you two.  As it twer, sorta.

And, Unfortunately, you are entirely correctamundo.  There is no benefit of SASS membership for the Rank and File.  What??  You say??  An Alias list??  So what.  Oh I forgot, also a tiny little sticky sticker for your vehicle window to identify it as a theft magnet.  All that for 65 bucks.  Whoopie.  Oh, 65 bucks and rising.  And, let us not forget, SASS/CAS is slowly, inexorably imploding.

Couple Lustrum ago, there were a number of folks making a tidy little living off CAS.  For some (like me) is was a nice Side Hustle to fund toys.  In case nobody has notice, the numbers of those folks have dwindled to almost nothing.  Most Haberdasheries have closed up shop.  Grip makers have packed it in.  Lots of specialty gunsmiths have bagged it, others in all these activities have simply aged out with no replacements interested in the activity.  Let us also not ignore, the Firearms Manufacturers who have supported the game are reducing production and branching out into other realms.  The Hay day has left the building.

Membership, now with membership numbers well over a Hundred Thousand, are misleading to say the least.  If you were to wander around the country, counting active participants, I seriously doubt you could find 30,000, total active players.

The Players that started this Game (IT'S JUST A GAME) have all aged out.  The original Wild Bunch are gone.  Those who have followed are just short term custodians.  I doubt there is going to be a well funded retirement down the road.

It is a really fun GAME.  I'm gonna play as long as I am able and as long as there is someone hosting a match.

SASS needed to get out of California.  But boy did they ever blow it.  Should have found an already established existing venue.  Oh well.

In other news . . . .  they finally moved the Big Boat 

Well Golly Gee Whiz Mr Grumpbutt    A tiddly bit of Speculative Humor is always appreciated. 
…..

Unfortunately, Founders Ranch was a fools errand from the beginning.  P
…..
What Were They Thinking

AHA! I dont just resemble that, I am the postergrump!

I can LITERRALY see what they were thinking….
1. California was already unfriendly, hadda move “somewhere”
2. New Mexico is still a firearm freindly state, and NRA Wittington has been here for ages, setting the precedent,
Along with the Boy Scout Philmont Ranch, both of which have had great history here.
(Btw i myself dreamed of going th Philmont as a kid, and Wittington for many many lustrum)
3. The ranch selected got the folowing near it walmart supercenter, couple NICE motels, several feed stores selling ammo, Smiths supermarket, quite a few other amenities for a rural town.
4. 4the ranch is literally 40 minutes from Albuquerque with all its amenities.
5 until 2022 Albuquerque and NM have been VERY gun friendly
6. They succumbed to the same hopeful mindset that all real estate speculators fall prey to:
It will expand and succeed if everybody does their part! I can point to such debacles as Pueblo West Colorado,
The Sallton Sea resorts and suburbs, several rural burbs built aro7nd the concept of “private plane commuting”
And several company towns that died as soon as that specific business dried up.

The old, if we build it they will come.

But theres not that much other stuff to visit once you are done shooting.
If you are extremely interested in “Indian Country” , visiting the Pueblos, visiting Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo land,
And ancient archialogical sites… there aint much here.

Others hav esaid they shoulda built it near Las Vegas - easy cheap airfare and lots of other stuff to do!
And they are right! Desert in nevada probably cost more that the Bunch wanted to spend.

They invented a cool hobby game.
They ruined a good hobby by turning it into a business
They tried to build an international business model based on a Very Small Niche hobby market.

Their heads got too big, they became too self important and did not listen to the user base.
They stifled outside ideas, stifled any opinions outside of the wild bunch. Even to the point of censoring
Any body who disagreed.

They kept increasing the cost of membership! With no real value added! I myslef kept saying
Well, this year I can budget in the cost…. And they increased the cost past the pain point.
And frankly, what value did they add? The excuse is “covering costs and insurance” . The rality is
Every single club outside of founders ranch found a way to play CAS without requiring SASS membership,
Usually thru a “one time” five dollar fee. For a person such as myself, who could not shoot more than once or twice a month, and who goes all winter without shooting an outdoor event, SASS membership was a overbearing expense that literally was not worth it. Especially since most clubs are a “shoot and leave “ crowd. No point gearing up, dressing up, etc if I am only there for a 2 hour shoot and no visiting…..

Now, before anybody starts trying to prove “why I am wrong” …..
Look at any of the weekend or week long Rondesvous Events held all over the country.
These are hobby events, run by hobbyists. Not by Egomaniacs who want to make a living off it.
Most all these rondys are still reasonable and affordable, and except for specific stuff like national sanctioned matches, or civil war anctioned matches, are all easy going and affordable.

Sooooo

Let the opinions fly!

How much can a gofundme raise, i wonder…..

Yhs
Prof whatever

 

Big hole cylinders and little hole barrels can get really messy   

Da odder Mike 

In a hurry!!!!!   

  Yep, I knew of your exploits with the Piettas and I've done a few Uberti's with different length barrels ( 19th century  Pistol Packs ya know). Anyway. I've not had different caliber '72's  here at the same time to get that "I otta try that" ding in my head. In fact I've got a pair in 45C visiting but no others.
  I'm glad you mentioned it though,  definitely worth looking into!!!

Thuther mike

They're also taking backorders on .38-40 and .32-20.

Starline accepting backorders right now.