I was turned off from having anything to do with SASS when I noticed the recoil on the guns. It looked like they were shooting .22’s. Don’t they need a proven power factor in order to compete?
I did like the use of shotguns, rifles and handguns but all at the same time? No thanks.
I'm starting out with .38 Special/.357 just because the distances are relatively short. My carry gun is a Combat Commander in .45 ACP and my target pistol is a 1911A1 in .45, but they won't let me shoot those!
There are some people who download the .38 spl but there aren't many of them. The big problem with that is that you don't get knockdown on the moveable targets. It's like using downloaded .30 caliber on the metallic silhouette and then hearing it hit the rams and just watching them sit there. It's counterproductive.
The scenarios can be a good deal more creative than IPSC and the time pressure is fairly intense. I like it! (I've just got to get the hang of loading those darned revolvers! I have never been a wheelgun person!)
And of course you don't shoot all three arms at once! (you put the others down first.)
I think SASS is probably the best thing to happen to shooting sports in recent history. They have 10 times the membership of USPSA or IDPA, and their membership and funding have helped build - and protect - some magnificent shooting facilities. It's a very nonthreatening shooting sport - that aspect entices a lot of people to shoot that might not otherwise be interested.
But it's easier shooting - the guns don't recoil much, the targets are big and up close, all steel - so no taping, and scoring is a no brainer. A hit is a hit, perimeter or A zone. It takes a lot of skill to win, but it's different.
They did a lot of stuff right, and they have the membership to show for it. Plus, you get to participate in the masquerade aspect, from a period that many Americans hold in romantic high esteem. And the stages are incredibly ornate and imaginative, within the constraints of the SASS design limitations.
That said, I wish they'd be a little less hostile to other shooting sports, their founding membership seems to have inculcated a specific hatred of USPSA/IPSC in particular, and I'm not sure exactly where it came from because the disciplines aren't all that different.
If Doc Holliday were walking around today, he wouldn't be packing an Uberti SAA.
No PF for SASS, in fact they often use cream of wheat to top off the small charges in those big cases.
No need to cycle any action - your thumb does that - so as long as the bullet makes it to the target you're good.