I’ve always been an avid shooter since I was about eight years old. My dad started me with a High Standard Auto and it has grown in the last twenty-one years as much as money would allow. Like most everyone else I know I am not able to buy gun that are not versatile, so when I got into Cowboy Action Shooting I decided these gun are going to do everything. Being cheap and born poor I have been a reloader since I was 15 and since I was hurt and out of work a bullet caster      

My cowboy guns consist of a pair of Vaquero’s and a Winchester 94 both in 45 Colt. As strange as it sounds these two American companies were the cheapest way to start. I load these with 6.0gr. Titegroup and a 255gr. Lead that I cast with a LEE mold and wheel weights I buy for 10 cent a pound. The bullets are lubed with a mix of 50% beeswax and 50% olive oil. I use this lube for my black powder rounds for my 45’s and my Sharps replica and I found it worked pretty well for my smokeless rounds to.

With all the shooting I do with these gun I have a lot of faith in my ability with them, this made this a no brainer as to what I would take for our (Missouri) firearms deer season. Armed with my 45-70 Sharps copy with home rolled ammo my right hand Vaquero and kit knife my middle nephew and I put together and finished I was off to the woods.

At zero dark thirty I get to my seat at the base of a nice big ol hedge tree (I think the rest of the world calls them Osage Orange). And in my infinite wisdom decided that it should face south instead of west. I think the deer must have moved it on me, lucky I got up to early to fool me. I finally got all set, which means I had broke out the coffee and granola and was watching the wheat field waiting.