Cowboy Action Shooting

Is the shooter ready? Someday you may hear those words from a Range Officer holding a timing device near you. He is asking if the shooter understands the course of fire. If you do and if you are ready you will nod your head and say OK. A few seconds later you will hear a buzzer in your ear. All those hours of preparing for this stage of the match, the skills you have practiced, the ammunition you have so carefully crafted, all the cleaning and tuning of your collection of firearms will all come into focus. According to the course of fire you will have either a single action pistol, a shotgun, or a lever action rifle in your hands. A variety of targets will be downrange. Perhaps some as close as 10 feet and some as far as 50 yards downrange. Your head swirls with thoughts of the course of fire. How many pistol shots at which target, when do I reach for the rifle, does the shotgun come before the lever gun? Somehow the front sight settles on the correct target, you pull that trigger, you feel that recoil and hear the roar of the shot. You have just stepped back 100 plus years in time. Your are firing in a Cowboy Action Shooting Match. You have become one of the members of a fast growing shooting game. As the announcer on the radio used to say, "Come with us now, and join those thrilling days of yester-year! 

What is it? 

To borrow a page from the Single Action Shooting Society, the organization that approves regional matches conducted by affiliated clubs throughout the world...

 Cowboy Action Shooting is a multi-faceted shooting sport in which contestants compete with firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West; single action revolvers, lever action rifles, and double barreled side by side, pre-1899 pump or lever action shotguns. The shooting competition is staged in a unique, characterized "old west" style. Contestants shoot in several one-,two- or three-gun stages (courses of fire) in which they fire on reactive steel and cardboard targets. Scoring is based on accuracy and speed. The truly unique aspect of cowboy shooting is the requirement placed on authentic period dress. Each participant is required to adopt a shooting alias appropriate to a character, or a Hollywood western star, and develop a costume accordingly....

 To reach them either call 714-998-1899, or follow this link to SASS. They do have a recording device. Give them a call, you may hear the voice of lovely Sara Sota, ask for information. She may be able to tell you of a local club in your area. If it is just you and a neighbor, and there is no club..think about starting one. SASS can provide all the information you will need to be able to create your local club. Right now there are close to 8000 names in the SASS membership list. That is quite a few folks interested in the same thing. When you join up, you will receive a copy of the SASS Shooters Handbook. Now this very important document, it explains the rules. Describes what is legal. It makes your life a lot more simple. You know that you don't want to show up at a match, wearing your finest western outfit and not have a legal gun in the trunk of your wagon. Save time, save grief, save embarrassment and the ridicule of your friends and neighbors. Get the rule book, and READ the rule book. Above all else, read, re-read and memorize the section on safety. 

We would like to think that the most important aspect of the shooting game is to have a great amount of fun. But it isn't so. The MOST important thing is your safety and the safety of every single creature around you.

 If you are lucky enough to have a club already in your area; ask for the name of the contact person. Give them a call, introduce yourself. Just say you are interested and you would like to see what they do, Where, when, etc. That person will invite you to the range. Look him up and introduce yourself again. That friendly person seemingly will be doing several things at once, will introduce you to some more strangers, they will all tell you, to get some needed equipment, start reloading and buy a hat! Most folks who take up this sport have been shooters in other aspects of shooting sports for several years. They have experience in handling different types of firearms. They are everyday folks, history buffs, western movie fans. Many retired folks. Many couples. Yes, even youngsters. Everyone one of them will tell you that it is probably the most fun shooting activity they ever experienced.

 On this page, perhaps we can be able to get some folks interested to come join in the fun. The more the merrier. Unlike some other forms of the shooting games, the participants actually are talking to each other, telling lies with great abandon about their skills. It seems that most folks seem to remember their misses more than their hits! Everyone is friendly. If you had a broken firing pin, I would bet that at least six folks would offer their gun for you to use for the next stage. Now that is friendly! 

We will attempt to review some products of interest. Perhaps provide some addresses of folks who provide the things you will be looking for. Maybe we can catch some rumors and try to put them to rest before they become fact. We are going to recommend the use of recognized reloading manuals in your hands right from the beginning. Much too easy to get a load wrong while sending across the wires. We can share some experiences. Perhaps get some local schedules posted.

 We can try to answer some questions via e-mail. There are many sources of information out there about appropriate dress. Visit your local library, put your tax dollars to work. Get a library card, check out some history books, the ones with the old photos and sketches. Study them. Get on down to your local book store and find a re-print of an old Sears,Roebuck or Montgomery Ward catalog from the last century. That is where you are headed! Before you start buying, trading and selling the firearms you think you will need; join up with SASS and get those rules. You may be trading away the very shotgun that you will need! 

SAFETY, First, Last and Always. 

Good Shooting,
Tioga #1552

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