Hey there!

[Goldie]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the site, (my husband CharlieJ and I just registered:) yay!) We wanted to say howdy, and compliment the Belles and Livermush Buck on a great site! Everyone seems really friendly, and fun loving! We were hoping to get some good advice on how to jump into Cowboy/Cowgirl Action Shooting. We live in the LA area. My husband likes to shoot, and I grew up around lots of firearms, and I love to sew, so it seems like a good fit for us. What do you all recommend? Thank you, thank you, and hope to shoot with some of you soon!:gf

[Wallaby Jack]

WELCOME !!!! :)

I love yer aviator, yer very pretty :)

I'm thinkin' you might want to talk to some of our LA type folks..... they'll show up soon'nuff...... they'll help gitchas startemupp'd

You are aware, of course, that this sport is addictive and has a tendancy to empty yer bank accounts an' put tha BIGGEST grin on yer face thetcha ever had ;)

:D :D

if yer ever in my neighbourhood, call in an' say howdy......


:fm

[Black Hills Barb]

We were hoping to get some good advice on how to jump into Cowboy/Cowgirl Action Shooting.

There's only one answer to that ---WITH BOTH FEET!

Gotta agree with Wallaby too. Once heard a comment made to some new shooters at a safety meeting "Welcome to a sport guaranteed to soon become wildly addictive, that you probably can't afford!"

[Zeb]

:wave Welcome Goldie Darlin'! Thought maybe ya might like ta be welcomed by a cowboy frum tha prairie!:w2 Everybody above iz right.:rolleyes: Howsumever, yer not gonna meet a bunch a frin'lier people any 'ere's else!:sk

[Tornado Alli]

Goldie: The best way to get started is to find a club in your area and GO! Wear some jeans, a long sleeved shirt, your cowboy boots and a hat, (eye and ear protection but y'all probably know that!) and announce to all when you get there that y'all are wanting to get started. People will fall all over themselves shoving guns in your hands, strapping leather on you, giving you all kinds of advice on their favorite way of playing this sport and before you know it, you will be hooked.

The secret to this sport is that, while the shooting is fun, you can go shoot about anywhere. What really hooks you is the people in this sport. Yes, you will run into a few buttheads now and then, but that is just life. By and large you will meet the nicest friendliest, most gracious bunch of people in your life!!!!

Now for my advice: go slowly before buying. Watch a few matches, ask to try some things, ask questions about why someone does what they do BEFORE you go invest 1000's of dollars in guns, leather, guncart, etc. People are more than willing to let you try their stuff. Doc Workday, from this board, has a leather display that he is working on to show all the different types of gunleather and manufacturers available. And everyone has an opinion on guncarts! You can spend anywhere from $50.00 to $500.00 or more! But if you are shooting together, don't underestimate how much "stuff" you will want to carry around for a daylong or weekend long match! Make sure you can haul it comfortably. However the most common mistake with guncarts is building one that is too heavy! That is the most common reason people replace their guncarts! (I am a little prejudiced, since I am the "Off the Wall" guncart model! Gunther makes a NICE guncart!)

You can find a club near you through the SASS Homepage at www.sassnet.com (which I hope to have linked to our site soon!) And Wallaby is right in that when our left coast guys and gals wake up, they will be happy to invite you to visit their clubs, which I wholeheartedly recommend, even if you have to drive a bit.

In the meantime, hang out here, especially if you like to sew! Right now we are all getting ready for the 4th Annual SASS convention in Las Vegas the first week of December (you'll see that on the SASS Homepage too). That is my favorite time of year to go and see all my friends from around the country and around the world, do some world class shopping! and wear all my favorite Victorian dresses for the better part of a week! If you can, plan to drive in for a day or two of the Convention! It really is a great time to get to know SASS!

I look forward to meeting you and Charlie J one of these days! Welcome to the Alley!!!

Tornado Alli

[Allie Mo]

Hi Goldie and Charlie,

Nice to meet ya. If you ever plan to come up Sacramento way, check out www.californiagunslingers.com for information.

In your area, try
http://www.thecowboys.org/
or
http://www.western3gun.com/

Regards,

Allie Mo

[Goldie]

WOW! Thank you for the warm welcome and all the info and links! Were so excited! :ban :tban :D

[Lizzie Marie]

Goldie if you and hubby don't mind driving about 45-60 minutes try coming to our little local shoot....we shoot the third sunday of the month out of Acton (off hwy 14 north) I won't be there this month but will next month....we are very new shooter friendly and the lady shooters love us since we are so small...just ask Gypsy.....pm me and I will give you some more info if you are interested.....

[Clancy]

Hi Goldie,

Welcome to the insanity, as you can see it even flows as far across the pond to us down under........

I ditto the advice that Alli has given, take your time getting your gear together and it will take time, even trying to build up your costumes.. Best advice is ENJOY, you wont regret it one little bit.......

Clancy

[Iron Ed]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the site, (my husband CharlieJ and I just registered:) yay!) ...
"YAY!" to you too! And welcome home!

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Goldie,
Welcome to both of you. If you can, find a mentor for yourselves. Ask around at your local toy stores (thats Gun Shops) and see if the employees can recomend a shooter near you. I'd do it, but the cost of gas just prohibits the commute from NC. Working with someone now.
What Allie said about borrowing guns, shot my first match with two of mine and two borrowed guns. Been hooked ever since.

Chihuahua Floyd

[Goldie]

Thanks for the thought CF, I'd hate to break the bank, got a good horse?:re ;) But good advice too!

[Iron Ed]

Goldie,
Welcome to both of you. If you can, find a mentor for yourselves. ... Working with someone now.
What Allie said about borrowing guns, shot my first match with two of mine and two borrowed guns.
Once Chihuahua Floyd got going good the varmint went and got me hooked too! ...and I borrowed HIS guns for a while. :)
Someone helps you along, then you turn around and pass the help down to the next 'greenhorn' to show up all bright-eyed and excited. :2

[Goldie]

That's us in a nutshell :)

[Chihuahua Floyd]

That's us in a nutshell :)
Goldie,
Is you "Varmints" or "Greenhorns"? And we won't even go near the nutshell/California setup line.
I love a good straight man.
CF

[Carolina Chipmunk]

Nutshells? Where?!?!?

The Chipmunk :)

[Nellie Blue]

Here's a few links for costuming info...
Nellie Blue's Links (http://members.cox.net/nellieblue/links.html)

The best patterns...
Truly Victorian (http://trulyvictorian.netfirms.com/)

Glad you've decided to join us!

[Goldie]

Well, I call my hubby a varmint daily, and were definately greenhorns!:w2 Originally were from Mississippi, so do the Cal. joke still apply? NB I LOVE TV patterns! They are just the best! They go together like a dream, they fit the first time without fail and look better than most other patterns I've tried. Not only that, but they leave so much room for creativity where a lot of other patterns don't. I love them! And they come so fast! I can't praise them enough! I just wish they had more men's stuff. I haven't found too many good men's patterns. Any suggestions? Great photos on your site BTW

[Garnet Rose]

Originally were from Mississippi, so do the Cal. joke still apply? Goldie, If his California joke is the one I'm thinkin' of, it applies even moreso... the legend is that the United States is tilted and all of the nuts slide into California. 'Course some of us nuts were born here :)

[Goldie]

Ahhh! I get jokes:kbutt :rofl Yeah unfortunately that applies too, but we came out as kids (we both had parents in the service), so I can point the finger there. But you know what they say, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree':w2 So I should fit right in?

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Garnet Rose,
I never heard that particular joke, I was just figuring the Peoples Republic was a nutshell, since its full of em. This don't necessarily mean anybody in SASS, they send most of the nuts to work in the Government.
Goldie,
Ever thought of moving to God's Country, NC can always use more cowboys and cowgirls. Yeah, I got Iron Ed hooked, then Chihuahua Floys Kid, now one of the guys I work with. Next month I will try to take my Dad, brother and brother-in-law to a shoot in Fayetteville. Unfortunately, with CFK, that means I got to buy more guns all over again. I like it.
CF

[Iron Ed]

... with CFK, that means I got to buy more guns all over again. I like it.
"Got to" or "Get to"? :)

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Iron Ed,
Yes.
CF

[Garnet Rose]

they send most of the nuts to work in the Government.
CFAnd although I am a native Californian, I'd like to go on record and say that I did not vote for the Governator (who is infringing our 2nd Amendment Rights) (although I did ride in a Rolls Royce from one of his movies once but he hadn't taken office at that point in time)

[Nevada Skye]

I was born and rasied in California, and back then it was a wonderful state, don't know exactly what the heck happened....! :18 It is still a beautiful state and full of a lot of awfully nice people but somehow the nuts make more noise~
Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of nutty people (just imagine, some people think I am a little nutty with all my dressing up and shooting and stuff) but them are the nice, leave my gun rights alone, live and let live, nuts. Gotta stay on the ball in my adopted state of Nevada to make sure it doesn't follow the same path. Skye

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Nevada Skye,
We all need to stay on our toes about the 2nd amendment and our rights, where-ever we live. The anti's just don't seem to understand whats happening in England. No guns, major rise in crime. I know, preaching to the Chior.
CF

[Garnet Rose]

Yes, all you folks in states without gun laws as screwy as ours -- remain vigilant because, unfortunately, California is contagious.