NEW World's Record - CFDA

[PawPaw]

This weekend marked the opening of the sanctioned match schedule in the CFDA, the Cowboy Fast Draw Association. The shooters met at Pioneer Village, near Phoenix for the Four Corners Territorial. The Four Corners territory is comprised by the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

We shoot, of course, with singe action revolvers and wax bullet loads powered by shotgun primers. The target is 24" across and the shooter stands 21 feet from the target. A light in the target illuminates to start the shooting cycle, and a piezo switch stops the timer when the bullet hits the target.

Yesterday, a shooter known as Honey Badger set a new women's world record, with a time of 0.357. Yeah, just sliightly over a third of a second.In our game, a lucky shot might just be a lucky shot, so if a new world's record is set, the shooter has three shots to "back it up". The backup shot must be within 0.03 (three hundreths) to validate the record shot.



She is a great competitor, a fine lady and a lot of fun to be around. My lady and I talked wth her quite a bit at the Southern Territorials last summer in Odessa, TX. We're looking forwrd to seeing her next month at Texas State.

Congratulations, Honey Badger.

[Old Grafton]

That. Is. Fast!! And she's a dangerous lady!

[PawPaw]

On Sunday, during the shoot-offs, she did it again, with a .350. She's setting the bar higher, one notch at a time.

The next sanctioned shoot is in April, at the Texas State/Southern Territorials. Five days of shooting in Fort Worth Texas at the historic Stockyards. She'll be there, along with a couple of hundred shooters. I'll be there ,along with my lady and one grandson.

It's going to be a great shoot, April 20th-24th. Anyone interested in the sport should come out and watch.

[rightisright]

Are those three black marks on the target from the wax? Or did someone make a boo-boo or three?

[PawPaw]

Are those three black marks on the target from the wax? Or did someone make a boo-boo or three?

I see four hits on that target,(there's a thumbnail at 7:00). That's totally consistent with match firing. Normally matches are "best of five" matches, which require three hits on the target to win. Then, she might need an additional shot to back up the record shot.

But, that's what a target looks like after a match string. The target is steel, pained black, and coated with white lithium grease so that hits can be visually observed. There are a number of reasons why a near-miss might trip the timer (either a pole shot, or a bounce-back, depending on the target backing). Before the next string of shooters, the range-master is responsible to insure that the targets are re-painted with white grease so that the next shooters are shooting at a clean, white target.

[rightisright]

Are those three black marks on the target from the wax? Or did someone make a boo-boo or three?

I see four hits on that target,(there's a thumbnail at 7:00). That's totally consistent with match firing. Normally matches are "best of five" matches, which require three hits on the target to win. Then, she might need an additional shot to back up the record shot.

But, that's what a target looks like after a match string. The target is steel, pained black, and coated with white lithium grease so that hits can be visually observed. There are a number of reasons why a near-miss might trip the timer (either a pole shot, or a bounce-back, depending on the target backing). Before the next string of shooters, the range-master is responsible to insure that the targets are re-painted with white grease so that the next shooters are shooting at a clean, white target.

Ahh. Roger that. I didn't know if the white marks near the center of the target were from the wax and some bozo fired some live rounds causing the black marks.

[PawPaw]

Ahh. Roger that. I didn't know if the white marks near the center of the target were from the wax and some bozo fired some live rounds causing the black marks.

We're real particular about that. Multiple inspections of firearms before a match, and everyone is on the lookout for full-powered ammo. Even bringing it near the line will get you banned.

One of the big positives about wax bullet ammo is the safety factor, and we can shoot just about anywhere with just a few simple safety considerations. Many of our portable ranges use archery netting or ballistic nylon tarps to contain the bullets. You'll note in the picture above that the backstop they're using is hay bales. That is certainly sufficient.

With the wax bullet ammo, we're able to shoot just about anywhere. We've held sanctioned shoots in the parking lot of a Bass Pro Shop. Last year, we held the Texas State Championship on the front lawn of the Cattle Exchange in the main tourist area of Fort Worth, TX. Thousands of tourists walking around, and we're holding a state championship.I'm told that one year in the recent past, a state championship was held indoors in a large meeting room of a casino.

Wax ammo is still dangerous. You could probably shoot y'er eye out. It's a 37 grain bullet traveling at about 650 fps. I accidently shot myself last year during a practice session. I got on the trigger a little quick, and shot myself in the thigh. It immediately induced a charley-horse and I fell over. My wife (an RN) made me pull my pants down to assess the damage, which luckily was just a large welp that progressed into a large, multi-colored bruise.

Wax ammo is still ammo, but it lets us shoot in places that standard ammunition couldn't be used. Wax ammo is also great for teaching kids. We still observe all the normal rules of safe gun-handling, and the youth have to pass tests before they can progress in the discipline.

[JAG2955]

Obviously it wouldn't cycle, but could you use the same wax bullets in a semi-auto in order to practice drawing and firing the first shot?

I have a garage door that opens into the backyard, and as long as the noise isn't too loud, this might work.

[Cobar]

I'd think that you would need to hand load it in to the chamber so it did not smash on the feed ramp.

[PawPaw]

Obviously it wouldn't cycle, but could you use the same wax bullets in a semi-auto in order to practice drawing and firing the first shot?

I have a garage door that opens into the backyard, and as long as the noise isn't too loud, this might work.

It definitely works, but for one round only. Obviously, you don't have enough energy to cycle the slide, but it works fine.
Here, for example, is the neighbor kid shooting my chromed 1911.

Simply use a large pistol primer and a wax bullet. Load the assembled cartridge carefully, then holster as usual. Draw and fire.

Using a semi, you don't have to worry about the primer flowing back and tying up the gun, like we have to worry about with a revolver. It would be simple to use an IPSC timer (there's an app for that) to time your re action times.