Actor/Producer Looking for Cowboy Action Mentor/Trainer

[Smesh]

Hey guys.

I'm relatively new to California. I came from a 40 acre horse ranch in Manitoba, Canada and have been back and forth for a few years, but married my Valley girl GF and am now living here full time with a ten year green card and about to apply for citizenship.

I have shot a variety of guns and bows off my own horses, but never revolvers. Handgun laws being what they are in Canada, I could not shoot handguns anywhere but a licensed range. I acted on a few episodes of the AMC show Hell On Wheels (filmed in Calgary, Alberta), but never got a change to shoot any of the guns.

I used to shoot IPSC and PPC, but never Cowboy Action. I have a lot of experience with black powder shotguns and muzzleloaders, but not BP revolvers. I want to learn how to spin and shoot BP revolvers, but I'm not sure what models to get or where to learn some of the tricks that would be an asset as an actor. Originally I planned to just get BP guns like a Remington 1858 or Colt 1861 Navy, but now I'm interested in some of the cartridge guns too.

If anyone with experience is willing to share some information on gun choices, clubs, trainers, or provide some one on one to a greenhorn, I sure would appreciate it. I'm located in San Pedro, but am willing to drive.

[Lebaneseblonde]

Cowboy shooting has a big following in Arizona.
Sierra vista , Tucson

[TRICKSTER]

Cimarron Firearms has a wide assortment of black powder and cartridge replicas of old western guns as well as accessories. https://www.cimarron-firearms.com/

[shooter1975]

Not that this helps the thread but Hell on Wheels was a great show!!! I was hooked on it!!!

[CamW]

Check out West End Gun Club, they have 2 cowboy action matches a month. The matches are open to the public, go watch a match and talk to some of the shooters, very friendly bunch of people.
Contact the match director, he can answer some of your questions.

http://www.wegc.org/wordpress/?page_id=100

[Dynamic]

Loved the show hell on wheels. What did you play ?

If you are in the valley I think Angeles might have some cowboy action shooting, if not then for sure WEGC in Lyttle creek

[big red]

Check around the studios and I am sure they have people that can direct you to some good trainers who do work on the side. be prepared for a lot of practice, practice, and more practice. also the shorter the barrel the easier to it will be to master many of the tricks. Four to five inch barrels are not that easy to come by used. In northern california there are several groups up around Placerville, Jackson, and Plymouth that do skits and reenactments. Good luck.

[aghauler]

Carson City NV Club shoots 3rd Sunday of the month, but it's long drive!

[Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Smesh

Hey guys.

I'm relatively new to California. I came from a 40 acre horse ranch in Manitoba, Canada and have been back and forth for a few years, but married my Valley girl GF and am now living here full time with a ten year green card and about to apply for citizenship.

I have shot a variety of guns and bows off my own horses, but never revolvers. Handgun laws being what they are in Canada, I could not shoot handguns anywhere but a licensed range. I acted on a few episodes of the AMC show Hell On Wheels (filmed in Calgary, Alberta), but never got a change to shoot any of the guns.

I used to shoot IPSC and PPC, but never Cowboy Action. I have a lot of experience with black powder shotguns and muzzleloaders, but not BP revolvers. I want to learn how to spin and shoot BP revolvers, but I'm not sure what models to get or where to learn some of the tricks that would be an asset as an actor. Originally I planned to just get BP guns like a Remington 1858 or Colt 1861 Navy, but now I'm interested in some of the cartridge guns too.

If anyone with experience is willing to share some information on gun choices, clubs, trainers, or provide some one on one to a greenhorn, I sure would appreciate it. I'm located in San Pedro, but am willing to drive.

If no one has said it: go to the SASS website and look for a club in your area; look here: http://www.sassnet.com/clubs/Clubs_l...ate=California
Find out when their monthly match is and go! Doesn't matter if you have the gear, the guns, etc. Just go. Cowboy shooters are generally the most welcoming, helpful people you'll ever meet. You won't be sorry, its a hoot!

[Smesh]

Thanks guys. For those who asked, I played one of the dead rabbit gang. We were brought in for the last few episodes of season four as a set up for season 5, where we would be a major part of the story line and kill lots of people. Then AMC decided to end the show at season 5, so they wrote our storyline out to finish the whole show in 14 episodes and released it in split seasons.

I checked out the SASS and there is a range out in Corona. I sent them an email since there is no schedule I saw on the website. I've been to Angeles, but didn't know they had any cowboy action shooting there.

What do you guys recommend I look for in the way of guns to be able to have some fun and compete? My wife is interested as well.

[Dynamic]

As far as guns well that would depend. All BP guns are cash and carry no wait time or back round check and most are 350 new or 200-250 used. Depends what Era you are playing they can vary from 1847 Walker - 1861 Navy. Post civil war like hell on wheels is a lot of converted 51/60/61 colts and converted 1858 Remington's firing black powder cartridges. Post 73 you have the Single action army's / Schofields ect.

If you are in San Pedro you are about 1 hour and 15 minutes from West end gun club which is going to be your best bet. I myself have been procrastinating to go to one , havent even picked my SASS name yet.

[Dynamic]

Here are some of my bp and 1 cartridge gun

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Ora Serrata]

Mike Raahauges in Corona also does regular cowboy action shoots. Copied this off their website

COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING

Meets the fourth Sunday of the month at 9 a.m.

The Cowboys bring the Old West cowboy version of shooting back to life.

Come on down -- y'all welcome -- spectators and future cowboys.
INFO: Lil Sure Shot at (714) 636-4297 or email her at LilSureShot@yahoo.com

[SoCal Bob]

Cabela's frequently has BP revolvers on sale. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/brows..._SEQ_567338580

[Ora Serrata]

BTW: if you keep an eye on the CG Marketplace you can find some good deals on BP revolvers. I picked up a Pietta 1851 Navy in .44 cal pretty cheap (like half the price of a new kit from Cabellas)

[Revhendo]

Cimarron Model P in .357. It's not expensive, pretty as all get out and you can shoot .38 Special relatively cheaply.

IMAG1357.jpg

[aghauler]

Originally Posted by SoCal Bob

Cabela's frequently has BP revolvers on sale. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/brows..._SEQ_567338580

Frequently the last few months of the year, at least that has been a pattern in the past.

[Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Revhendo

Cimarron Model P in .357. It's not expensive, pretty as all get out and you can shoot .38 Special relatively cheaply.

Attachment 646030

^^This. 38spl is the best way to go.
Unless you have some specific masochistic desire to shoot cap and ball (frontiersman) I'd just hold off on that for a bit.

[Dynamic]

Originally Posted by Sputnik

^^This. 38spl is the best way to go.
Unless you have some specific masochistic desire to shoot cap and ball (frontiersman) I'd just hold off on that for a bit.

Shooting BP is a blast, gets addicting

[DVSmith]

The club that shoots at Raahauges used to give free introductory lessons in cowboy action shooting. They would pair you up with an experienced club member and walk you through some stages, teach you how to shoot the stages and then let you try your hand at it. At the time, I seem to recall it was free, but maybe they charged for ammo. It has been a while and I don't remember. You should ask them about it.

Originally Posted by Ora Serrata

Mike Raahauges in Corona also does regular cowboy action shoots. Copied this off their website

COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING

Meets the fourth Sunday of the month at 9 a.m.

The Cowboys bring the Old West cowboy version of shooting back to life.

Come on down -- y'all welcome -- spectators and future cowboys.
INFO: Lil Sure Shot at (714) 636-4297 or email her at LilSureShot@yahoo.com

[Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Dynamic

Shooting BP is a blast, gets addicting

No argument there but its far easier to shoot Frontier Cartridge and just load up BP cartridges rather that jumping into cap n ball straight off. I think thats a category one needs to grow into.

I did my research before I started doing CAS and by far the most common, popular cal is the .357/.38. Its easy and cheap to reload and if you don't reload ammo is easily available.

OP: find a club, go to a match and ask questions before and after the match. Don't be surprised if someone doesn't offer to set you up at a match so you can try it out.

I somehow manage to go to a match a couple months ago without my leather or ammo...wtf how did I do this I dunno but I simply was not allowed to stay on the sidelines. Multiple people loaned me all the stuff I forgot and then some.
Go to a match, talk to people, ask opinions. Have fun.

[emtmark]

Hell on Wheels! Loved that show !!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Madpyro]

Corona Sportsmans Club has a cowboy shoot the 2nd Sunday of the month. It's usually a fairly small group, and lots of fun.

[Smesh]

Originally Posted by Sputnik

No argument there but its far easier to shoot Frontier Cartridge and just load up BP cartridges rather that jumping into cap n ball straight off. I think thats a category one needs to grow into.

I did my research before I started doing CAS and by far the most common, popular cal is the .357/.38. Its easy and cheap to reload and if you don't reload ammo is easily available.

OP: find a club, go to a match and ask questions before and after the match. Don't be surprised if someone doesn't offer to set you up at a match so you can try it out.

I somehow manage to go to a match a couple months ago without my leather or ammo...wtf how did I do this I dunno but I simply was not allowed to stay on the sidelines. Multiple people loaned me all the stuff I forgot and then some.
Go to a match, talk to people, ask opinions. Have fun.

Cap and ball honestly is what I'm most excited about. I'm a long time black powder shooter with muzzleloaders. I started loading BP for shotgun when I was 11 after my dad and I found my grandfather's old butter box with single hand bomber loaders, dippers, full brass and paper shotshells, horsehair wads, etc. Shot my first duck with BP from the shotgun. Never forget the horsehair wads flaming across the water through the early morning fog, all the smoke, the taste of it and the grit it left on my teeth. Was messy and we broke one of the slides on the mossberg at one point but loads of fun.

[k1dude]

When learning to do gun tricks like spinning, use a beater. Find something cheap with a short barrel. A fake gun or airsoft will work if it's the same weight as a real gun. But some of the airsoft guns cost a bundle too. You'll drop it a bunch, so unless you're practicing on a king size bed in a carpeted bedroom, use a beater. Or practice keeling on a bed in a carpeted room. Also DO NOT USE A LOADED PISTOL!!! It seems ridiculous to even mention it, but you'd be shocked to hear about the accidents that happen.

Every gun will spin different. So once you get good with one, try another. After some experience, you can figure out each gun's balance faster. But it still takes some practice with that particular gun to get good with it.

Usually there's a few takes to get a good spin without screwing it up. Hollywood just doesn't show you how many times the actor screwed it up to get the shot. That's why the spins are usually pretty simple in the movies and shows.

Your trigger finger knuckle is going to get sore and achy from the weight of the gun. So limit your practice sessions.

There's some youtube vids that might help until you can find a coach. Some of the youtube vids are by Hollywood coaches.

If you can find western gunfight reenactments like at a theme park (Old Tucson comes to mind (Old Pueblo Gunfighters) - unfortunately, it's outside of Tucson) I'm sure you could convince one of the actors to help you out.

Good luck.

[TRAP55]

Smesh, sign up on the Great Western forum, and contact member Jim Martin.
He is the guy that taught the actors in all the old westerns what to shoot, and how to do it. He is a wealth of information, has some great "behind the scenes" stories, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to.
http://gwcollector.proboards.com/

[Smesh]

Originally Posted by TRAP55

Smesh, sign up on the Great Western forum, and contact member Jim Martin.
He is the guy that taught the actors in all the old westerns what to shoot, and how to do it. He is a wealth of information, has some great "behind the scenes" stories, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to.
http://gwcollector.proboards.com/

Thanks Trap55! Will do!

[Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Smesh

Cap and ball honestly is what I'm most excited about. I'm a long time black powder shooter with muzzleloaders. I started loading BP for shotgun when I was 11 after my dad and I found my grandfather's old butter box with single hand bomber loaders, dippers, full brass and paper shotshells, horsehair wads, etc. Shot my first duck with BP from the shotgun. Never forget the horsehair wads flaming across the water through the early morning fog, all the smoke, the taste of it and the grit it left on my teeth. Was messy and we broke one of the slides on the mossberg at one point but loads of fun.

My advice still stands: find a club (or two, or three) and go to their matches. You will almost be guaranteed to find people shooting "frontiersman" category (thats cap and ball) or at least someone with experience there. There is nothing better than first hand knowledge of the game when you're starting out.