Four years ago in a motel room in Southern Indiana, I turned on the TV set and flipped through the channels 'till I found something real good.  I had always been a fan of old westerns, but this time  I found something quite different.  I watched a program where a bunch of cowboys were shooting bad guys with real bullets, and not going to jail!  Then out came a shotgun, and down went something called "poppers".  The more the cowboys shot, the more excited I became.  The program couldn't have lasted long enough for me.  I was really interested in what the cowboys were doing, because it looked like so much fun.  I had never seen shooting in this manner before...just so much fun. Who were these people?  How do I join their groups so I can have some of this fun?

Hooked at first sight, I told myself I was going to join the cowboys so I too, could play the game.  I really wanted to dress-up and shoot cowboy action style.  I have shot targets before as a paper puncher with a 1911 and M1 Grand but I didn't own a single action, lever action, or old double or '97 shotgun.  That didn't stop me.  I called E.M.F. Corp., obtained SASS® phone number, and called to receive my first Cowboy Chronicle.

I discovered a club in Detroit shooting cowboy action style.   I called this club, and they said, "Come on up."  They helped me with what gear I didn't have, setting the hook deeper while I had a great time shooting that first, wonderful match.

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Next I went after my own gear, and couldn't find exactly what I wanted to buy in a rifle.  I wanted an 1894 Winchester lever action rifle in a cowboy caliber.  So, I proceeded to convert my first 1894 Winchester to a .44-40 caliber.   I have continued to do these conversions in many caliber's for other cowboys who wanted a special rifle not obtainable elsewhere at a reasonable price. 

With rifle handled, I tackled pistols and shotguns, and obtained what I wanted - Colts and a Winchester '97.  Then I turned to leather goods to hold that gear.  Eventually, I became a distributor for leather products to help other cowboys and cowgirls get their own gear.  That's one thing I like about this sport - it's for cowgirls and cowpokes alike, and we can't have enough of them.

I enjoy instructing and guiding new people  and helping them out.  I am constantly promoting and encouraging others to join SASS® and to enjoy Cowboy Action Shooting™.  I now shoot several times a month all year round, and go to different matches to meet new people and learn about others and their styles of shooting