For me, it may seem trite, but I grew up wanting to be Matt Dillon, or at least Newly O'Brien . . . Perhaps Brett or Bart Maverick, maybe even Jim West on a particularly wild day.
I come from a long line of rednecks & I grew up around firearms. I was taught firearm safety at an early age & learned to appreciate the mechanich of guns almost as much as the usage. I used to compete with rimfire pistol early in life, but the clubs shrank from around my area & most of the ranges went away, so I kinda fell out of touch with the circuit.
I went out in search of a replica SAA to practice twirling, then I needed a rig. While looking for a suitable gun rig to "play cowboy" in my workshop I kept coming across the same sets of initials "SASS" and "CAS". Not willing to let a known unknown remain, I Googled the terms, then I eBayed them. I found my answers and discovered the wonderful world of Cowboy Action Shooting.
I was in heaven. Okay, it wasn't Dodge City, but the iron down range wasn't shooting back either! I set about selling off all my old hobbies to buy a set of Uberti Colt clones, traded off my BuckMark & Grendel for an M'92, and began selling some leather work to save up for a shotgun.
I searched the resale shops for period clothing (with great success), and bid on 50 pair of spurs on eBay before I could afford to win a pair. Got a deal on a pair of shooter boots on-line, & worked up a pretty good outfit (my wife says I dress like a dandy - I say I could ride all day & work all night . . . dressed just right).
Along the way I met fellas like Big Shooter Mike, Six-Fingered Shootist, Jailbird, & Laity Kid who offered advice, sources, and even the loan of guns when I hadn't collected mine yet. I found the Kishwaukee Valley Regulators, & was welcomed right in.
I got to work and built myself a gun cart using lumber on hand form past projects and wheels I found on sale at the local Harbor Freight Tool Store ($5.00 EACH!!). Made the axel myself. Painted with a Red & Yellow scheme akin to an Overland Coach. Even found a patio umbrella for $6.00 to give a bit of shade at the range (Harbor Freight again)
I've learned (am learning) how to reload. I've accumulated all the reloading equipment I need, I used to shoot rimfire, I was clueless to the cost of .45LC!! Reloading is a must.
So what started out almost a year ago has evolved into a realization of a childhood fantasy, a renewed appreciation of shooting sports, a change of wardrobe, a new challenge, a new set of interesting acquaintances (present "cyber"company included), and a small grass roots Dry Goods concern.
My first year in CAS has been good to me, and my wife likes that I dress like a (modern) cowboy (sans suspenders or vest) most of the time now. I wear my hat every day, & spread the word about the wonderful hidden world of CAS.
Why, I'm like a Cowboy-vangellist.
I CRACK ME UP