Arizona Gunslingers Roadrunner Jackpot Shoot 3-22-2014

We are still having a lot of fun at Cowboy Fast Draw.  This is a video that was taken at the Roadrunner Jackpot shoot that one of the Phoenix clubs hosted.  I was lucky enough to make it all the way through the day without losing a round and finished in the top spot.  I shot against folks faster than I, but was fortunate to hit the target when they didn't.  I really like the surprise in the voice of the announcer when I win it.  I had no business beating Rodeo Romeo.  He is so much faster than I.

AKA Hankerin' Hank

Wow, it has been a very long time since I have posted anything on the blog. Last January I was doing an internet search on “The Old Pueblo” and the web site for the Old Pueblo Gunfighters came up in the search. It was unrelated to what I was looking for but hey, it was about guns so I clicked on it. That is how I found out about the sport of Cowboy Fast Draw. I went out to Old Tucson to watch a competition and that’s all she wrote. I was hooked.


Kris had bought me a Ruger Vaquero years ago and always gave me a hard time because I never shot it. Not that I rarely shot it, that I had never put ammo in it and pulled the trigger. Well, that was going to be the most expensive part of getting into this sport and I already had it. I went to work making myself a holster and gun belt. By February I was ready and went to a “town alley” shoot that the club was holding at Old Tucson, right in front of the High Chaparral movie set. What a great place to start out in this sport. Kris went with me and was soon hooked as badly as I. We have since outfitted ourselves with the required 1800s style clothing and two new stainless “New Vaquero” guns. It seems like no matter how little you think a sport is going to cost you, there is always something else to buy. There are clothes, boots, hats, guns, shooting boxes, shooting bags, brass, primers, wax bullets, trigger jobs, custom grips, and that doesn’t include travel to competitions you may want to shoot in.

Along with dressing in period clothing and using period guns or replicas, we also assume aliases. My first alias was Locoweed. I liked it, but silly me, I just thought of the weed that makes cows and other animals sick. It didn’t take long for me to realize that everyone was associating the name with marijuana. Well, I didn’t like that association so had to change the name. My Granddad’s nickname was “Hank” and I dearly miss that great man so I came up with Hankerin’ Hank as my new alias. I’m often asked what I’m hankerin’ for and the answer always depends on my mood at the time. Kris became Gold Dust. It actually comes from the formal name of our horse “ Gold Dust Review”.

Krystal accompanied us to a practice last weekend for the first time and I think she is getting hooked also. We have done a little practicing at the house and last night she even wanted to learn how to clean my gun. It just happened to still be dirty from the jackpot shoot last weekend, so we broke that sucker out and cleaned it together.

We shoot at 24” targets that are 21ft away. You compete against the shooter next to you. Whoever hits the target the fastest 3 out of five times is the winner. When I first started, I was shooting over a second and although my accuracy was good, it wasn’t great. I purchased a laser to practice at home and my accuracy is now great and I hit the target around 0.7-0.8 of a second, with an occasional shot down into the 6 tenths of a second range. I want to get down into the .4-.5 range consistently, while still keeping the accuracy. It will come with time and practice.

4-H Winter Points Show 2011

The 4-H Winter Points Show has come and gone, and all we have left are memories and PICTURES.  So, here are the pictures.  This year, there were a couple of professional photographers there so we purchased one of their discs.

Pathfinder's Prepoint Horse Show 3/12/2010

Here are some pictures of Krystal competing in the Pathfinder's Horse Show.

4-H Winter Points - Western Riding Day 2010

Today was the Western Riding portion of the 4-H Winter Points show.  There are only two shows a year in which the kids can earn points towards the silver buckels given to the winners at the end of the season.  This show, and the one that happens at the Pima County Fair.  So all the horse shows thus far this season, have been practice for this show.  It's been kind of a long day, and we have to get up bright and early tomorrow to go back to the fairgrounds for the English Riding portion of the point show.  So, all I'm going to do is post a few pictures and videos and climb into my bunk for the evening.  I do believe that is the first time I have ever written the word bunk.  Somehow it seemed appropriate for Western Day.  I wonder what the English call it.

She didn't place in the Western Bareback Riding, but I have to say this is the one that I am most proud of.  She went out there and competed even though she was scared to do it.