Agarita Ranch Lockhart, Texas

A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting Society

February 2012

LONG JUAN Here!! As everyone should alreadyknow, next month the Plum Creek Shooting Societywill host its annual “Ride with Pancho Villa” cowboy

action shooting match. The match registration form andshooters’ schedule are the last two pages of this issue.Registered shooters will each get a raffle ticket for an 1897shotgun. To improve your odds, additional tickets can bepurchased at the match for $5 each or 5 for $20. We willalso have an auction of items donated by sponsors and clubmembers to raise money to continue improving ourshooting facility at Agarita Ranch. Included in the items tobe auctioned will be a large framed copy of the officialmatch poster created by our own Sterling Sage.

I hope everyone enjoys my article about Pancho Villa,which begins on the next page. For those interested inreading more about the notorious (continued on page 4)

Where’s Chuck?Congratulations to

Boosey Babe, BoonDoggle, MuleshoeBill, Lefty Leo, SkinnySteve and Artiman, allof whom found Chucklast month. See whitecircle to the left. Leoassures me he wasshooting at the rifletargets behind Chuckand not at him. Be sureto look for Chuck againin this issue.

February Match The February match was a repeatof the December match. It was wetand cool, as 23 shooters braved themud to shoot six stages. Results,page 8. Doc Wade and his Dad,Hunter Creek, shot their firstmatch. We hope to see them backsoon and often. Welcome also toKettleman and Circuit Judge, bothof whom shoot regularly with theTejas Caballeros, Buckeye Slim andothers. Several more shooters paidtheir dues for 2012. See page 10 fora list of dues-paying members.

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Pancho Villa"Pancho" Villa was born to ruralpeasants on June 5, 1878, in SanJuan del Rio, Durango, Mexico.He was the oldest of 25 children.His given name was JoséDoroteo Arango Arámbula. Asa child, Doroteo was raised inpoverty, helping on his parents'farm in Durango. He receivedonly limited education. Afterhis father's death, he becamehead of the household, but theturning point in his life came theday his sister was raped by theowner of the hacienda on whichin family lived and farmed.Villa shot and killed the haciendaowner and then fled into themountains, where he joined agang of bandits. Sometime later,he was arrested for stealingmules and for assault. Aspunishment, he was forced to

join the federal army (“thefederales”). In 1903, he killed anarmy officer, stole his horse andfled to the neighboring state ofChihuahua, where he took thename Francisco “Pancho” Villa,after his grandfather, Jesus Villa.He was also known by hisfriends as La Cucaracha (“thecockroach”).

In 1910, Villa became a full-fledged revolutionarydedicated to overthrowingMexican dictator Porfirio Díaz.A supporter of the FranciscoMadero, Villa joined Madero'suprising against Diaz. Becauseof Villa’s skills as a fighter andleader, Madero made him acolonel in the revolutionaryarmy. On May 11, 1911, Villaled a daring raid against thefederal stronghold in Juarez,soundly defeating thegovernment forces and securingMadero's position as the newpresident. After Diaz wasdriven from power and Maderowas installed as president, Villawent home to Durango. He didnot stay long. Madero wasoverthrown and murdered byrenegade General VictorianoHuerta. Villa opposed Huertaand supported the formergovernment. He was almostexecuted for his efforts. He fledto the United States, but laterreturned to Mexico and formedthe Division del Norte (Division

of the North) in the Mexicanstate of Chihuahua.

Villa joined forces with otherrevolutionaries VenustianoCarranza and Emiliano Zapatato overthrow Huerta. Villa'smounted troops, called"Villistas", were highly mobile

and seasoned by years offighting against the Diaz regime.They inflicted a decisive defeaton Huerta's army in northernMexico at the Battle of Zacatecason June 23, 1913, and then begana campaign to drive Huerta'sforces south toward MexicoCity. By December, inconjunction with the armies ofCarranza and Zapata, Villacaptured Mexico City, forcingHuerta to flee and placingcontrol of the government in thehands of the three rebel leaders.The following spring, however,Villa was forced out of thetriumvirate when he lost apower struggle with Carranza.In the ensuing conflict, Villa’stroops were badly defeated byCarranza's army, led by GeneralAlvaro Obregon. Villa was

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forced to withdraw to hisheadquarters in Durango. Fromthere he resumed his life as abandit. He raided isolatedAmerican border towns, miningcamps and Mexican villages,robbing and rustling cattle tosurvive. Armies from both sidesof the border were unable tostop him.

Angry that U.S. authorities hadallowed parts of Carranza'sarmy to cross through Americanterritory in their pursuit of hisforces, on March 9, 1916, Villaled troops under his commandin a raid on the town ofColumbus, New Mexico. TheVillistas looted and burned thetown and killed more than adozen residents. About 30 ofVilla’s men were killed byAmerican soldiers and civilians

defending the town. After theraid, U.S. Army General John J.Pershing led an expeditionaryforce on an eleven-month“punitive expedition” in aneffort to capture Villa. In theirpursuit of Villa throughnorthern Mexico, Pershing andhis troops employed aircraft andtrucks for the first time in U.S.

history. Villa's maneuverabilityand superior knowledge of theterrain, however, enabled him toelude the American troops.Although the punitiveexpedition was not successful incapturing Villa, it did prepareU.S. troops, Pershing and his

officers for World War I. Thepunitive expedition ended whenPershing was recalled to leadthe United States entry into thewar. Future General, thenCaptain, George S. Patton wasone ofPershing’sofficers.

In 1920, therevolutionfinallyover,PanchoVilla waspardoned by Carranza andgiven a large estate. Villaturned his estate into a “militarycolony” for his former soldiers.Later in 1920, Alvaro Obregónbecame president of Mexico. Heand his supporters feared Villa,who was the one man whocould still raise an army large

enough to challenge and defeatthe federales. On June 20, 1923,Villa was ambushed andassassinated in Parral. Manybelieve the assassination wascarried out by followers ofObregón. Villa is reported tohave said just before he died,“Don't let it end like this. Tellthem I said something.” Villa’s exploits were heavilypublicized in the U.S. andaround the world. A hero tosome and a villain to others,Pancho Villa was a brutalmodern-day version of RobinHood. His sympathy forpeasants and his early battlesagainst the corrupt Diaz regimemade him popular withMexico's poor. ManyAmericans responded to the callRide with Pancho Villa – forglory and for gold. Following his assassination,the name Pancho Villa wasremoved from all Mexicanhistory books, children's booksand monuments . It wasn't until1975, more than 50 years afterhis death, that Villa’s body wasmoved to the cemetery wheremany Mexican revolutionaryheroes are buried. A largeparade was held and manymonuments have since beenbuilt in his honor.

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Marshals Range Marshal - Delta Raider Territorial Governor - Jake Paladin Safety Marshal - Elroy Rogers Protest Marshal – Schuetzum Phast Stage Marshal - Phantom Long-Range Marshal - Wild Hog Administrative Marshal – Long Juan Medical Marshal - Jake Paladin Raffle Marshal – True Blue Cachoo Costume Marshal - Lorelei Longshot Entertainment Marshal-Old Bill Dick Special Events Marshal - Belle Fire Side Match Marshal - Texas Sarge Editor, Agarita Gazette – Long Juan

(Continued from page 1) PanchoVilla, I recommend thefollowing books: The Life &Times of Pancho Villa, byFriedrich Katz, Villa and Zapata:A History of the MexicanRevolution by Frank McLynn,The General and the Jaguar:Pershing’s Hunt for Pancho Villaand A True Story of the Revolutionand Revenge by Eileen Welsome.For those who read Spanish, Iam told that Pancho Villa: UnaBiografia Narrativa by PacoIgnacio is very good.

Whether you plan to ride withPancho or against him, you willhave fun at the match in March.Hope to see you there!! We startwith a 3-stage, Western 3-Gunmatch Friday morning at 8:30. Ifyou have not tried Western 3-

Gun, this is your chance to haveLOTS of fun. We continue witha 4-stage Wild Bunch matchFriday at noon. Side matchesbegin at 1:30 and will continueSaturday afternoon. There willbe a single-stage, black powdershoot Friday evening.

Saturday and Sunday we willbe shooting a 10-stage MainMatch. There will be a banquetSaturday evening and anawards lunch Sunday. Thosemeals, together will breakfastSaturday and Sunday and lunchSaturday are included in theregistration fee. Lunch anddinner Friday will be availablefor a small fee.

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WinchesterModel 1885

Last month we looked at theCody/Dixon category. Thismonth, we will look at a popularrifle used by many Cody/Dixonshooters, the Winchester Model1885 Single Shot. Before we dothat, however, I want to correctan error in last month’s article.Cody/Dixon shooters competingwith a lever-action rifle areNOT required to reload oneround on the clock. That usedto be a requirement whensingle-action rifles and lever-actions completed in a singleCody/Dixon category, but nowthere are separate categories,and the “handicap” is no longerrequired to level the playingfield between single-shots andlever actions. .

The Winchester Model 1885 is asingle-shot rifle with a falling-block action. Two models wereproduced, the Low Wall and theHigh Wall.

“The 1885 High Wall isno doubt stronger thanthe Sharps rifle, betterdesigned, made of bettermaterials and is of betterappearance than that

famous arm... All theserifles proved veryaccurate and reliable inevery way.”

Major Ned Roberts,author - The Breech LoadingSingle Shot Rifle

In 1878, at the end of thebuffalo hunting era, 23-year-oldJohn Moses Browning designeda falling-block, single-shot rifle.He was granted a patent for hisdesign one year later. Browningand his brother commencedmaking rifles byhand in theirsecond-floorworkshop inOgden, Utah,but met withonly limitedsuccess. At thetime, Winchester RepeatingArms Company wassuccessfully selling its Models1873 and 1876 repeating (lever-action) rifles, but these actionswere too weak to be used withthe large powerful cartridgesused by western hunters andwere not well liked by thepublicity generating targetshooters of the day.Recognizing the quality ofBrowning’s design and wantingto compete effectively withSharps, Springfield and othermanufacturers of single-shotrifles, Winchester acquiredBrowning’s patent. Winchester's engineers

modified Browning’s design tomake it easier to mass produceand released the resulting rifleas the Model 1885. Two popularmodels were made, the “HighWall” (with steel-frame sidesthat extended up to the height ofthe top of the barrel shankcovering most of the hammer

when viewed from the side) forstronger cartridges and the“Low Wall” (with the sidesmilled away showing anexposed hammer and allowingeasier access to the chamber foreasier loading). Because the

Low Wall breech block was notas well supported, it was not asstrong as the High Wall and waschambered only for cartridgescommonly used in revolvers.Both the High Wall and the LowWall were officially marketed by

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Winchester as the “Single-ShotRifle.” They were first shippedin November of 1885.Production ended in June 1920,after almost 140,000 rifles hadbeen built.

The Model 1885 or WinchesterSingle-Shot Rifle made a namefor itself in the golden age oftarget shooting. In the lastquarter of the 19th Century andthe first quarter of the 20th

Century, the international sportof competitive long-range rifleshooting was widely followed inthe United States and enjoyed astatus similar to golf today. Thebiggest event was the UnitedStates National Match inCreedmoor, New York, whichbegan in 1872. To satisfy thewants and needs of the shootingand hunting public, the Model1885 Single Shot was eventuallyproduced in more calibers thanany other Winchester rifle.

The falling-block action (alsoknown as a sliding-block action)is a single-shot firearm action inwhich a solid metal breechblockslides vertically in grooves cutinto the breech of the weaponand is actuated by a lever. Inthe upper position, it is lockedand resists the force of recoil,while sealing the chamber. Inthe lower position, it leaves thechamber open to be loaded witha cartridge from the rear. Whenthe breech is closed, the receiveressentially becomes a single

piece of steel (as opposed toother actions which rely on lugsto lock the breech), which makesit very strong. The falling-blockaction is also used in heavyartillery. Military rifles withfalling-block actions werecommon in the 19th century.They were eventually replacedfor military use by faster bolt-action rifles, which can bereloaded from a magazine.

The High Wall was one of thelast successful single-shotactions designed. Unlike riflesbuilt on the rolling-block orSharps actions, its breech blockmoves at an angle to the bore,allowing the cartridge to be“cammed” into the rifling, . Thelight, centrally hung hammer ofthe High Wall does not disturbthe rifle as much as the heavyside-hammer of the Sharps andTrapdoor Springfield. Thefiring pin is not as prone tobreak as the dog-legged Sharpsfiring pin. The High Wall

hammer drops down out of theway for cleaning. The HighWall action is strong enough tohandle almost any cartridge andthe extractor is strong andprovides good leverage. TheHigh Wall is also a gorgeousfirearm.

In 2005, Winchesterreintroduced its famed 1885Single-Shot rifles. TheseLimited Series rifles are builtwith the latest technology andmodern steels, enabling them tofire modern smokelesscartridges, including the .17Remington, .243 Winchester and.30-06 Springfield. Four of theLimited Series Model 1885Single-Shot rifles are furtherlabeled as “Traditional Hunters”and are chambered for .38-55and .405 (continued next page)

What does it mean to be“Mentioned in the Dispatches”?

A soldier “Mentioned in the Dispatches” is one whose nameappears in an official report written by a superior officer and sentto the high command. In that report (dispatch), the superiordescribes the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face ofthe enemy. In many countries, a soldier's name must bementioned in dispatches as a condition for him to receive certaindecorations. Being mentioned in the dispatches also enhancesone’s chances for promotion. I have it on good authority thatChuck, aka Delta Raider, was mentioned in the dispatches often.

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Winchester, .45-70 Government,and .45-90 BPCR. TheTraditional Hunters are built inthe style of the 19th century,with crescent steel butt platesand 19th century style foldingtang sights, together with fulloctagonal 28" barrels. C. SharpsArms Company makes moderncustom versions of the Model1885. Uberti and Pedersolimake fine replicas. With anyone of these rifles, you can relivethe experience of shooting aclassic. Try it; you might reallylike it!

RO’s Corner:Posse Etiquette

This month’s column is notabout rules, shootingcategories or the SASShandbooks. It is aboutposse etiquette. We allneed to remember thateveryone in the posseneeds to help. In additionto the timer operator, foreach stage, a posse needsthree counters/spotters,someone writing downscores, at least one personpicking up brass andsomeone at the unloadingtable to check that eachgun is properly unloadedbefore the shooter leavesthe table. Ideally, thereshould also be someone atthe loading table checkingto be sure guns are safely

loaded. Picking up brass is aparticularly thankless andsomewhat more difficult task.More help and frequent relief

helps. Bottom-line, everyoneneeds to pitch in. If you shootearly, unload and relievesomeone from the job they are

doing. If you plan toshoot later, volunteer rightaway for one of the jobsthat needs to be done andthen look for relief. If youare not loading, shootingor unloading, you shouldbe helping with one of themany tasks that make aposse’s shoot go smoothly.Only if everyone helps canthe posse proceedefficiently through allstages. Please volunteerand don’t be offended ifthe posse marshal orsomeone else on the posseasks you to help.Everyone can and shoulddo something.

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Category winners are indicated in bold type. Cree VicarDave was the only CLEAN shooter, indicated by the bold

zeroes for misses and P’s. Congratulations to all!!

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Message from Buck Bradley –My new price list for Renegade Bulletsappears on this page. For the past 2+ years,my prices have remained constant, but Irecently renewed my contract with my alloysupplier in Houston and my cost has gone up11 cents per pound. I have adjusted all theprices, effective on 1 February.I picked up 7000 lbs. of alloy in earlyFebruary and immediately began castingwith the new lead. Orders that have not beendelivered, but were placed prior to 1February, are at the old price. All new orderswill fall under the new price list.You will note that the prices have increasedonly as much as the price for the alloy hasincreased, in some cases, a bit less than thealloy increase.We've enjoyed stable bullet prices for a goodlong time. Fortunately for me, my lead alloysupplier knows I am one of his best (andmost consistent) customers and has notcharged me what he could have charged. Thedifference between what I get charged andwhat he charges the "average" buyer is about30 cents per pound. Tin and Antimony priceshave increased dramatically this past yearand those two elements, coupled with lead(the price of which also has increased fairlysignificantly this past year) are whatRenegade Bullets are made of.The new prices will remain constant for thenext year when I'll again negotiate a newcontract for alloy. I appreciate your businessBest Regards, Buck

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Plum Creek Shooting Societyrecords indicate only those listed

below have paid dues for 2012. If youthink our records are wrong, please letme (Long Juan) know when you paid

your dues, what category, etc. and I willmake the necessary corrections. If ourrecords are correct and you have not yetpaid dues for 2012, please do.See next page for membership/waiver

“A man’s worth has got nothing to do with money.”Sam Kendrick, played by Stacy Keach in Desolation Canyon (2006)

from Western Movie Wit & Wisdom by Jim Kane

2012 Plum Creek Shooting Society Dues

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Plum Creek Shooting Society 2012 calendars for everyonewho ordered during the shooters’ meeting in January andattended the February shoot have been delivered. We stillhave 12 that were ordered and were not picked up. You canpick them up at Ride with Pancho Villa. Just look for us andask. Price is $20 per calendar.

Long Juan & Sterling Sage

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