The Price Of Guns Is Making This A Richmans Only Sport

[smoke maker]

Wow with the price of guns how does a working man afford this sport. Then add in leather, clothes , ammo, and gunsmithing. Why is there not a 22 rimfire class

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Smoke maker


        If you shoot in NCOWS, you can go as a working cowboy, where you only need a hand gun and a lever action rifle, so that's not too bad money wise, and they give you time to get your clothing together, once you get started and have a little time under your belt, you can add more weapons and trappings to your character, it's the starting out that's a little hard, but the working cowboy category, makes it a lot easier on the pocket book. I'm a SASS and NCOWS member, which makes it nice to be able to shoot with either group, they're all a good bunch of pards. I hope this gives you a little hope of being able to join in. A lot of pards will let you try their guns out to get an idea of what you might want to buy, it's the cowboy way.


                                              tEN wOLVES   

[Curley Cole]

You can still shoot and play this game on a budget. Yes the guns are a bit pricey, but you can go to EMF and get a full set of weapons very reasonably.
When I started out in this game, I was using a double I got on sale at Big 5. Cole Harbour still uses it.
As for clothes I know many folks that make their own, and a nother bunch that shop at secondhand stores. You can get a hat on ebuy or even at a secondhand store.
Leather can be had at Oklamoma Saddlery or Cabelas...(I have a pard that still uses his OS stuff and loves it.

Ammo is almost a must reload these days, but I find I enjoy my reloading anyways...

It can be done much more cheaply than you can imagine.

You can't play golf and cut corners like ya can at SASS...

goodshootin
curley

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[Adirondack Jack]

A pard of mine started shooting when he was really strapped financially.  He bought a USED marlin in .45, used SXS, and a pair of cap and ball 51 navy clone pistols.  He casts his own lead, uses real BP and homemade lube, and the cheapest BP he can get his hands on for the shotgun.  Using wad punches he makes most of his own wads (excepting any filler wads), and so on.   He's been doing it that way so long now he probably wouldn't know how to act if somebody gave him fancy cartridge guns and smokeless ammo...

[August]

1. Only people who've never owned a sailboat think this sport is expensive.

2. No matter how much money you have, you have more money than time on this planet.

3. Any sport that gets you completely involved costs big time.  You should see the geezers buying drivers at the sports store.

4. If you're fortunate, you'll make some life-long friends doing this.  Priceless.

5. If you're diligent at learning this sport, you'll learn something about yourself.  Priceless.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

You can't play golf and cut corners like ya can at SASS...

Yes, you can.  Just like in SASS, you use more iron and a little Kentucky windage...   

[Jefro]

I dunno when you think about it CAS is not really that expensive compared to other popular outdoor stuff. Lets see........boats, horses, golf, camping-RV, NASCAR, I've done all of those except the horse, and they all cost way more than CAS. Yes there is an initial investment, but after that it's fairly cheap. You may have to sell something to play more, but whattahay, you only go around once
Pistols $400
Rifle $520
Shotgun $430
Combo Belt $60
Holster $55
Lee Classic Turret Kit $178

Jefro

[Shotgun Franklin]

I spend more on horses than I ever will at CAS. Besides, I use my guns for filling the pot too.

[Curley Cole]

Yes, you can.  Just like in SASS, you use more iron and a little Kentucky windage...   

Not the way I would play, I would have to buy a new set of clubs after each game. Lets see 1st hole, club broke over knee, 2nd hole club broke over knee, and thrown into water trap, 3rd hole club broke over knee and thrown at Old Top who was kibitzing..
anyways......you get the idea...

My brother in law plays golf and I don't see him keepin his temper...wow..

I will stick to SASS.
curley

[Daniel Nighteyes]

My brother in law plays golf and I don't see him keepin his temper...wow..

Yup, golf surely builds character, patience --- and vocabulary.  Every time I play I learn a new way to say @#$%@#$%!!!!

[mestiza letty]

Yup, golf surely builds character, patience --- and vocabulary.  Every time I play I learn a new way to say @#$%@#$%!!!!

Try playin' with an Irish priest and holdin' the your tongue in your head
Letty

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I used to have to push/pull my father's cart back in the day where carts were two wheeled and non-motorized ... just to see one P----- me off  ....

Two of my favorite Will Rogers comments are on Golf:

1.) Golf is a perfect way to ruin a nice walk.

2.) In olden days, men smote the ground with sticks and cursed, and they called them Warlocks. Now they just call them golfers ...

But seriously, here are a few tips from an impoverished SASS member:

1) Let people in the club know that you are impoverished and searching. Not only do you get guns that someone has already worked the kinks out of, but the member who sold them will  have to shoot with you. So the guns will probably not have any quirks left in them. I bought my Schofields and Ruger Old Armies that way ... and have been very pleased.

2.) Check out the ads on your local club's website. For instance, at californiagunslingers.com, there is a member and his wife both selling their leather, guns and clothes ...

3.) Check the casccity.com website ... often time there is exactly what you are looking for. I have bought a very nice old Pietta '63 Remington Conversion and an early Pietta 1851 that way.

4.) Finally, check Craigslist. I have bought all my cowboy boots for $30-$60 per pair ....

[delmar]

Wow with the price of guns how does a working man afford this sport. Then add in leather, clothes , ammo, and gunsmithing.

It does get expensive, and those of us who don't have a couple thousand lying around have to be more patient looking for  just the right deal on our guns. I bought a pair of cap and ball guns for $150 each and a guy from this forum invited me to use his rifle and coach gun while I am saving up for my own. I bought I pair of old boots at goodwill, for $3 that I cut up to make holsters out of they are not real pretty but they will hold my pistols securely.

Why is there not a 22 rimfire class

There is, but you have to claim to be ten years old! Maybe you can convince people you have that Benjamin Button disease?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

As a continuing example, I bought a very used post-64 Model 94 and a Baikal SXS Bounty Hunter for less than $400 for both.

They got me competing until I could afford better long guns, and I am pleased with both of them ... the Model 94 has become a backup, and the Baikal is now awaiting parts, so I am using the Cap Coyote Model 87 shown below ...

I also have a kind of 'special situation'... I kept watching my AIG/Valic 401K plummet, and I realized that I could probably pull the funds (I am over 60) to purchase the guns, use the weapons, and sell them for what my 401 K would have been worth by the time I get ready to sell them ... I don't know wether to laugh or cry about it, but it seems to be the truth ...

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Every time I play I learn a new way to say @#$%@#$%!!!!

Try playin' with an Irish priest and holdin' the your tongue in your head
Letty

Oh, it isn't me that's using the vocabulary.  Its the other golfers, ya see.  I'm just takin' notes...

My lovely wife grew up Roman Catholic and attended parochial schools.  Our son did likewise.  Nearly all the parish priests came from Ireland, so I'm knowin' exactly what you're sayin'

[Driftwood Johnson]

Wow with the price of guns how does a working man afford this sport. Then add in leather, clothes , ammo, and gunsmithing. Why is there not a 22 rimfire class

Howdy

The idea that you need to spend a lot of money on clothing in this sport is completely erroneous. You can show up in a Sears workshirt and a pair of jeans if you want, as long as you are not entered in a costume category. Anyone who says otherwise is flat wrong.

You don't have to spend money on gunsmithing either if you don't want to. Most guns are completely shootable right out of the box. If you want to compete at the highest levels, you might want to spend some money on smithing, but otherwise it is usually completely unnecessary. Just for comparison, try pricing a high priced Trap shotgun or a tricked out IPSC pistol sometime if you want to see how expensive guns can really be.

Inexpensive leather is available from Cabellas and other outfits like that, Mrs Johnson is still using the Cabella gunbelt and holsters I bought for her. You don't have to spend top dollar on leather if you don't want to.

As far as rimfires are concerned, CAS has always been a centerfire sport. That's the end of the story. Always has, always will be. That's the rules, if you don't like them, don't play. If you are stretched for ammo money, shoot 38s, they are much cheaper to shoot than 44s or 45s.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Ammo; I was lucky ... I met a man who extends his retirement by reloading for other people ... I buy my Schofield reloads at 28.00/50 catrtidges.

And often times, a person has a set of custom leather holsters that he is selling for what you would pay for cheap er, inexpensive stuff brand new. Often there is nothing wrong with it; the owner just wants to go from double strong side to strong side & cross draw or some such.

The pics below are the leather that is for sale on californiagunslingers.com ... if I didn't shoot Schofields, and shot Colt, I probably would already be the owner of at least one set.

[Fairshake]

Well I can tell you from experience that the cheapest thing about a horse is the price you pay for it!! I started this sport with one Colt Cowboy in 45Colt that I already owned. It was luck that I found a Taurus Gaucho in SS for $275. One of the pards that was in the club had some old leather. So I had one blue gun and one bright SS gun. I told everyone that was so I could tell left and right. I also already owned a 357 Marlin that was purchased in the late 70's. I bought a used Bakiel shotgun and I was shooting. I already was a reloader and caster from the 70's so it was not that hard. You can shoot in SASS if you want. If you don't want to then the excuses are many.Oh by the way I'm on disability income of less than $1000 a month

[Danny Bear Claw]

There's no doubt that as the popularity of CAS has grown, the prices for the equipment has followed.  I started collecting cowboy guns back around 1990.  I've amassed over half a dozen single action revolvers in caliber 45 Colt and along with that caliber now have full sets of cowboy guns in 44-40 and 38-40 along with rifles and gun leather for them.  I've watched the prices climb.  Maggie Three Feathers and I are childless, (by choice), so the entire "toy budget" gets spent on ourselves. 
I've also noticed many companies have jumped on the CAS band wagon over the last 20 years.  I can remember calling a leather maker back in the early 90's to get a double SAA rig made and having them talk down to me on the phone, snootily replying to my request with, "We only make gun leather for modern weapons"!  Nowadays they advertise in The Cowboy Chronicle, as well as most of the other gun mags bragging about how many years they've been making cowboy gun leather.  I won't mention their name because even bad press is good advertising.  Needless to say, I've never bought anything from the company in question.
I'm probably almost done buying cowboy guns... but I still do have to buy ammo as I do not reload.   

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Danny Bear Claw,

I don't reload either ... when I started I found that I could either buy reloading gear or guns to compete with.

Fortunately, I met a man on my first shoot that reloads my brass for about half what I would pay for new ammo.

If there is not someone overtly doing as a business, I would think that, were you to buy the dies and such to get started, a member might be happy to reload at enough to pay for supplies plus a little extra for the 'boss' ...