A New Shooters Orientation
to Cowboy Action Shooting
Written by GCK
last update
April 08 2010 10:48:03
Please send in the New Shooters Form
New Shooters Orientation (Winter Schedule Only: October to June)
Session Cost $5 per person (Proceeds go to Rio Salado Sportsmans Club)
Anyone, man, woman or junior that is interested in Cowboy Action Shooting should join us on Friday nights before our main monthy match (first Sat of month) for an orientation session. We will use one of the pistol bays at the Rio Salado range. This will be a shooting session, with some minor orientation training before we start and will be very informal and tailored to the skills of those attending.
Bring what you have, even if you don't have all the leather or all the guns. If you are just interested, come on out and shoot anyway, guns and ammo will be provided. We will walk everyone through an example match stage a time or two so everyone can learn how it is done and what the sport is all about. Warning, be prepared to have fun!
These sessions will start about 3 PM and go for a couple of hours or so til everyone is tired. The first hour will be instruction and we will be discussing shooting stages safely, gun selection, leather selection, ammo and whatever else they need to discuss. The next hour plus will be devoted to shooting a stage(s). I would be happy to meet with anyone at other times to go over shooting rules or to answer any other questions they might have on guns, ammo, leather, clothes, boots or whatever.
This is a good alternative to try various guns before you buy the wrong one. If you have already attended one of these sessions and just want to come out to practice on steel, come on out. If you need to test guns or whatever come on out. Any experienced shooters are welcome to come out and help with the new shooter sessions.
Be Sure to Download these:
Be sure to check the RO's Corner on the SASS website.
BASIC EQUIPMENT NEEDS
You will need at least one lever action rifle in a pistol caliber, an 1897 Winchester pump shotgun or clone, or an 1887 Winchester lever action shotgun or clone, or a side-by-side double barrel shotgun , two single action revolvers, two holsters for your revolvers and a shotgun belt or a slide for your shotshells and a guncart or other means to carry your guns and ammo. The amount of ammo needed for the match is an approximation. We normally shoot 10 rifle rounds, 10 pistol rounds and 2-6 shotshells per stage. So for an average of six stages we would have a round count of at least 60 rifle rounds, 60 pistol rounds and 24 shotshells. You always want to make sure you have extra rounds of each caliber you shoot and that goes for the shotshells, too as sometimes reshoots will be granted and sometimes more than 6 stages are shot!
CLOTHING and ACCOUTERMENTS
Cowboy Action Shooting is a combination of historical re-enactment and Saturday morning at the matinee. Participants may choose the style of costume they wish to wear, but all clothing must be ty pical of the late 19th century, a B-western movie, or Western television series. There is emphasis on costuming because it adds to the uniqueness of our game and helps create a festive, informal atmosphere that supports the friendly, fraternal feeling we encourage in our competitors. All shooters must be in costume, and we encourage invited guests and family also to be costumed. Denims of the Wrangler, Levi, and Lee variety are acceptable. Designer jeans (the ones with the colored piping and name embroidered on the pocket) are not allowed. Contemporary cowboy shirts with snap fronts are okay, but not even very B-western. Inexpensive cotton work shirts with button fronts are available at Sears, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and J.C. Penney stores. These are much more representative of the type of shirt worn in the late 1800's. Tennis shoes/sneakers are not allowed. If you can't afford or wear cowboy boots than a pair of leather work boots will do fine. Visit with the other shooters at your local club. They have great ideas about how to assemble a Cowboy Action wardrobe.
You just need to visit a few matches to get an idea of how you want to dress. But the minimum would be to at least wear a cowboy hat, jeans a cowboy shirt and boots . Leave the Baseball cap and sneakers at home... Most cowboys eventually come up with excellent period attire and you will see such wear at our shoots. New shooters are given flexibility in their costumes until they have shot a couple of months. Don’t wait til you get your cowboy costume to come on out and shoot.
We are fortunate that the founders of our Rio club own a really great cowboy clothing store:
www.wwmerc.com This web site has excellent examples of period correct clothing. Their store is located in Mesa, Az.
Certain items of clothing are prohibited and new shooters should read the SASS Shooters Handbook for these type items (i.e. short sleeve shirts for men).
SASS RULES
Remember to check the latest rules and read the SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) Shooters Handbook and Range Operations Basic Safety Course Handbooks on www.SASSnet.com or from this link on the Rio web site: sass_rules What is summarized here is an over view and all SASS rules control our sport.
MATCH DESCRIPTION
A match consists of several so called stages each having an array of usually steel targets for revolver, rifle and shotgun set at different distances. The number of stages to be shot each day varies from 4 to 8. Each stage will normally require each revolver to be loaded with 5 rounds, the rifle loaded with 8-10 rounds and the shotgun to be started on a prop or in his hands empty. During the shooting, the shooter will have to load his shotgun with 2-6 rounds typically loading no more than two at a time. There will be specific targets assigned for each gun in a set of stage descriptions. The targets are to be shot in a specific sequence for that stage for each gun. Sometimes the shooter has to maneuver through a set of props from gun to gun and sometimes is shooting though doorways or windows. An electronic timer is used to time the shooter. The timer has a microphone that picks up every shot the shooter takes. When the shooter is ready the t imer beeps and the shooting starts. The timer records the exact time of each shot from the beep and when the shooter has completed one stage the timer readout will tell how many seconds the shooter required to complete the course of fire. Shooters can sometimes be given penalties in seconds for various issues. A missed target for example is a 5 second penalty. A target shot out of sequence is a 10 second penalty. When all penalties are added up the shooters total score of time to shoot plus penalties is recorded by the scorekeeper. Normally the shooter with the lowest total time is the winner. This is a competition, so shooters are always striving for faster times. New shooters will concentrate on hitting targets and speed will come later. At the end of the day, all the stages for each shooter are added up and the lowest score is ranked first and the highest score in seconds is ranked last. Shooters are then grouped according to the category they are shooting in that day (more on categories later) and scores are ranked for these categories. This then represents the scores for the days shooting. Sometimes matches carry over for up to 3 or 4 days of shooting and the total is not known until the last day of shooting. Specific areas are designated for loading and unloading and loaded guns are only allowed when the shooter is ready to shoot the stage. Check out some of the great video links on the web site to see various stages being shot and more on loading and unloading.
SHOOTER ALIAS
Shooters must pick an alias for their name to use to register for the shoots. A shooters alias can be a famous person from the period (as long as someone else has not picked it), a family name from that time period, some other historical or hysterical name (i.e. Nine Toe Joe or Gil-T-Azell), a name representative of your person or where you live (i.e. Gold Canyon Kid) or any other name the shooter chooses to use (remembering that this is a family sport). The shooter’s Alias is unique to the shooter and registered by SASS for all time.
EQUIPMENT and SHOOTER CATEGORIES
Originals and reproductions of firearms manufactured during the early to late 1800's including Colts, Winchesters, Remingtons, Smith & Wesson, Marlins, Sharps, and Henrys are allowed in SASS competitions, so long as they are in safe shooting condition. In addition, many newer guns have been approved for cowboy shooting such as Ruger single action revolvers, and many others. See the SASS Shooters Handbook for more details.
RIFLES
Any lever or slide action, tubular fed, exposed hammer rifle or carbine manufactured before 1899, or any reproduction thereof in centerfire, .25 caliber or larger.
Rifle must be in a "pistol" caliber (e.g., not .30-30, 30.06, or .45-70). Pistol caliber examples 32 H&R mag, 32 S&W L, 32-20, 357 Mag, 38 spl, 45 LC, 38-40, .44 spl,=0 A44-40, 45 Schofield, etc.
Only open iron sights or original style tang mounted peep sights are allowed.
Barrel must be BATF legal, over 16" in length. Rifles with box magazines may not be used. Rifles need to be loaded with up to 10 rounds of pistol caliber ammo. Popular rifles include the 1894 Marlin, Winchester 66 and 73 as well as other Winchester rifles and clones. The Marlin 1894 makes an excellent entry level rifle which can be used for many years. Many fine Winchester 1866 and 1873 clones are made by Uberti and sold/imported by a variety of companies in the US. Rifles are started loaded with usually 8 to 10 rounds in the magazine with the chamber empty and the lever closed. Some categories allow only certain rifles to be used so read the SASS Shooters Handbook for details.
SHOTGUNS
Any external hammer single shot, side by side double barrel shotgun typical of the era without automatic ejectors, with or without external hammers, with single or double triggers; or an 1887 Winchester lever action/clone or Winchester 1897 pump shotgun/clone with an exposed hammer are legal. Military configurations are not allowed. No larger bore than 10 gauge and no smaller than 20 gauge, except that juniors can use 410 gauge shotguns in either double barrel or single barrel. All shotguns must have a BATF legal barrel, over 18" in length.
Number 6 lead birdshot or smaller must be used in all events (no steel or plated shot).Magnum and high-velocity loads are not allowed. Pump and lever action shotgun shooters are allowed to load no more than two rounds at a time in the main match stages unless specified in the stage description. Single loading the pump/lever shotguns is always acceptable. All shotguns are started unloaded with the actions open. Shotguns can only be loaded on the clock with no more than two shells at a time. Many modern internal hammered double barrel shotguns are legal or can be made legal very easily. At the more expensive end, many shooters have recently moved to Ithaca SKB and Browning doubles made up until the 1980s. The most popular shotguns are the Stoeger double barrel and a clone of the Winchester 1897 pump made in China.
REVOLVERS
Cowboy Action Shooters are divided into categories based on a number of factors including how they hold their revolvers (one handed, two handed, or two revolvers with one in each hand), whether they shoot black powder or smokeless, their age and whether man, woman or junior, the type of rear sights on their revolvers, a couple of unique dress categories, and other factors. Some of the categories are based on the revolver they use and how it is held while shooting. The type o f revolver often determines which category the shooter will compete in so categories and types of revolvers will be discussed together. The most popular revolvers are the Ruger family of single action revolvers.
SUMMARY GUNS
By now new shooters must be very confused about what guns to buy. This is a very complex issue and a lot of brand loyalty will impact this choice. When asked for my recommendation, I do not believe a new shooter can go wrong with two Ruger revolvers, a Stoeger double barrel shotgun and a Marlin 1894 rifle but you will see lots of choices and different recommendations. This is an entry level set of guns and many of the fastest shooters in the US and World use this specific set of guns. You can spend 2 or 3 times the amount these guns cost and won’t shoot must faster unless you have many tens of thousands of rounds of practice. What caliber you pick will also be very important. See later discussion on ammunition.
New shooters with new out of the box guns will sometimes find them very stiff to operate and since our sport is a timed event, the shooters may want to smooth up their actions themselves or avail themselves of one of our sport’s excellent gunsmiths. For those wanting to do the initial work themselves, there are some excellent instructions available on the web. One example is: http://marauder.homestead.com/cowboy.html
Look under the old irons page on this web site for lots of instructions on your guns, how to disassemble them, get them back together, smooth up their actions, fix problems, etc.
MODERN GUNS AND CATEGORY
Any .32 caliber to .45 historic pistol caliber single action revolver with adjustable rear sights. Examples: Colt New Frontier, Ruger Blackhawk and Ruber Single Six (older models), and Ruger New Model Bisley. Modern sighted revolvers can be used in the Modern category for all ages, and all age based categories as you will see later. Modern sighted guns are normally shot with a two hand grip to shoot the revolvers.
TRADITIONAL GUNS AND CATEGORY
Single action cartridge, percussion, or black powder cartridge conversion revolver manufactured prior to 1896, or reproduction thereof..32 caliber to .45 historic pistol caliber. Must have non-adjustable, traditional, notch-style rear sights. Traditional sighted guns are shot normally with a two handed grip in the Traditional category but can be held one handed for a few other categories. Traditional sighted revolvers can be shot in almost every SASS category except Modern category. Examples: Colt SAA; Ruger Vaquero; Smith & Wesson American, Russian, or Schofield; Remington Models '75 or '90; B isleys; and their reproductions. The Ruger Old Army percussion revolver with traditional, non-adjustable sights is a "Traditional style" pistol. The same gun in the model having adjustable rear sights must compete in the Modern category.
FRONTIER CARTRIDGE (Black Powder)
Traditional style percussion or cartridge single action revolvers of original manufacture prior to 1896 or reproductions thereof, .32 caliber or larger. Must use black powder in all loads (rifle, six-gun, and shotgun).Must use a side by side or lever action shotgun in the main match stages if the shooter chooses the Frontier Cartridge category. Any SASS legal pistol caliber rifle is acceptable. At some matches a Frontier Cartridge Duelist category is used.
Frontiersman (Black Powder)
This category is similar to Frontier Cartridge except the revolvers used are cap and ball no t brass cartridges. The category is limited to .36 caliber and above revolvers. The revolvers must be shot one handed or Duelist style.
DUELIST
Requires a Traditional style single action revolver cocked and fired one-handed, unsupported. The revolver, hand, or shooting arm may not be touched by the off-hand. Any SASS legal shotgun, rifle, or propellant (black powder or smokeless) may be used.
GUNFIGHTER
The Gunfighter category category is the only category that allows a shooter to have two loaded revolvers out of his holsters at a time. This category is NOT recommended for new shooters to start and at Rio we will not let new shooters use this category until they have shot for a period to show proficiency in shooting . This category is sometimes called "double duelist" and requires two Traditional style single actions, both shot Duelist style, one right handed and the other left handed. Any shotgun, rifle, or propellant may be used. Gunfighers engage the targets in exactly the same manner as all other shooters. When the pistol shooting string only calls for one revolver to be shot with a break in between, it requires the Gunfigher to either only use one gun and shoot duelist style or to place his partially shot two revolvers on a prop in between pistol sequences-if such a prop is available.
Two standard holsters are required, one on each side. No cross-draw configurations are allowed. Both pistols may be cocked at the same time, but must be shot one at a time to facilitate scoring. At no time is it acceptable for either pistol to be held in an unsafe position (e.g., one pistol behind the other). And gunfighters must cock their revolvers without aiming their guns over the rear berms.
CLOTHING DEFINED CATEGORIES
There are two clothing defined categories. These are Classic Cowboy and B Western. The B Western category requires a unique costume showing a lot of flash of the 40s and 50s movie stars and TV shows plus the same for the leather. There are unique gun and leather restrictions for the category. The B Western category shooter may shoot his guns in a 2 handed grip, duelist or gunfighter style and may vary from stage to stage. See the SASS Handbook for details. The Classic Cowboy category also requires a unique costume of the old working cowboy and most wear chaps and spurs. There are unique gun restrictions for the Classic Cowboy category. The Classic Cowboy revolvers must be shot duelist style. See the SASS Handbook for details.
WOMEN and JUNIOR CATEGORIES
Most shoots offer Junior categories and woman categories. The junior categories are sub divided into age groups and cowgirls and cowboys. The women categories are sub divided by age and in addition there are other women non age based categories at many matches, including Modern, Traditional, duelist, gunfighter, classic cowgirl, etc. See the SASS Shooters Handbook for samples. Junior shooters can shoot 22 caliber revolvers and rifles and can also shoot 410 gauge shotguns. Juniors are shooters under 16 and are subdivided into Young Guns 14-16, and Buckaroos, 13 and under.
AGE BASED CATEGORIES
Some of the most popular categories are the age based categories. Shooters may chose an age based category such as 49er (older than 49), Senior (older than 59), Silver Senior (older than 65), Elder Statesman and Grand Dame (older than 70), etc. Any SASS legal firearms (including Modern adjustable sighted revolvers), ammo and shooting style (except Gunfighter) may be used in the=2 0age based categories including the Junior categories. At most matches the age based categories have men and women competing separately.
FIREARMS MODIFICATION RESTRICTIONS
The firearms we use are meant to represent firearms of the old west. Some modifications to make the guns function in a competitive environment and be reliable are necessary. The guns we shoot get shot more times in a week than many old times guns got shot in a year or more in their day. For this reason we have adopted a complex set of firearms modification restrictions that attempt to hold the guns to their original functionality while allowing many internal and some external non functioning mods. See the SASS Shooters Handbook for specific mods allowed. Mods not specifically mentioned are NOT allowed. From a few feet away all our guns still look original. New shooters will find that brand new out of the box guns are very difficult to shoot and may require at least some smoothing of the internal parts. There are links on this web site for instructions a shooter can follow to do some things to make their guns much easier to use and more reliable. marauder.homestead
SHOOTERS LEATHER
All handguns must be carried in a safe holster capable of retaining the firearm throughout a normal range of motion. Holsters must be located one on each side of the belly button and separated by at least the width of two fists. Cross-draw holsters may not depart from the vertical by more than 30 degrees.
Ammunition required for reloads during the course of any stage must be carried on the shooter's person in a bandoleer, belt, pouch, or pocket. Rifle and pistol ammunition may not be carried in a shotgun loop, the mouth, ears, nose, cleavage, or any other bodily orifice.
Bandoleers, cartridge belts, and pouches must be of traditional design. That is, moder n drop pouches, combat-style shotgun loops, wrist or forearm bandoleers, and such are not allowed. Pouches shall have a flap and must carry their contents loose, with no special provisions to organize the contents for rapid retrieval. Leather belt slide ammo loops are acceptable.
Cartridge loops must not have a metal or plastic liner.
Ammo belts must be worn around the waist (at or below the belly button).
Shotgun ammo loops must conform to the shooters contour (i.e., not tilt out from the belt).
Cartridge loops mounted on a firearm's stock or forearm are not allowed.
The following information is provided on cowboy leather to further assist the new shooter:
One of the most important decisions new shooters have to make is the selection of their leather and where they will purchase it. Many new shooters have made poor choices in these areas and it has caused them considerable grief. It will be difficult for the new shooter to pick the kind of leather he wants to use on a lon g term basis before he has shot many matches. For that reason, many new shooters start out with used leather or cheaper leather to start until they decide what they really want longer term. Custom leather can cost from $300 to $1000. Cheaper leather or used leather can be had from $100 to $200. What is important is that the shooter have a means to holster two revolvers and safely and efficiently draw their guns and return them to the holsters. The shooter will also need a means to carry his shotgun ammo and quickly access it to load into his shotgun. The shooter will also need a means to carry spare rifle and pistol ammo on his person for reloads or to be used in the event he accidently ejects a live round onto the ground while he is shooting his rifle. Lastly many new shooters have ordered new custom leather from big name leather makers and have waited several years or many months to get their new leather. Shooters need to know it is possible to order new custom leather from some of the best leather makers in the business and have their leather in well less than a month.
Shotgun shells are normally needed on each stage. Stages can need from 2 to 20 rounds, but a quantity of from 8 to 10 would cover about 99% of the stages you will shoot. Shotgun shells are normally held in loops on a separate belt from the holster belt. It is perfectly OK to carry shotgun rounds in loops on a leather slide that goes over the holster belt or a separate belt. Be careful however as a slide can not hold the shells away from the body. Most shooters use either a canvas looped belt or a leather belt with loops that hold the shells. If you will be shooting a double shotgun or an 1887 Win or clone, having loops on the belt that hold two shells together in a single loop(versus individual loops) usually works out best. If you will be loading a 97 shotgun it might be better for the belt to hold the shells individually in single round loops. Many shooters use a portion of their shotgun belt in the middle front or on the side above one of their revolvers for easy access for rifle or pistol reloads. Many times these smaller loops are on a slide that can be moved to the best location as needed for the stage being shot. Usually the shooter has about 10 loops for rifle and 10 loops for pistols to cover reloads. Some lady shooters are now using holster belts with 8-10 shotgun round loops on the front of the holster belt with a couple of rifle/pistol reloads on the side just in front of the holsters and a buckle in the rear.
Revolvers or pistols, as we sometime call them in cowboy shooting need holsters. Key decisions to be made for holsters fall in the following areas: are the holsters to be straight drop or is the off hand holster a cross draw holster; can the holsters safely carry the guns as the shooter moves at the firing line without having the guns fall out with moderate activity while still allowing the guns to be easily drawn from the holster and returned to the holster; do the holsters attach to the shooters belt by looping over the belt or attach using a slot through the belt and hang much lower-some categories require one or the other; does the shooter want the holster belt to hold added extra pistol rounds; are the holsters lined or unlined; are the holsters made for the shooters specific guns or generic single action guns; are the holsters stiff enough to remain rigid over time and not get flexible and floppy after a short period; is the top of the holster made to access the pistols in the manner the shooter will be using (most shooters using two straight drop holsters pull their off hand gun with their thumb on the rear sight and index finger on the front of the trigger=2 0guard and many holster designs do not allow this by covering the trigger guard); is the top of the holster flared to allow the gun to easily find the entrance to the holster; and lastly is the finish of the leather such that it will not rub off on the shooters clothes.
If the shooter chooses a cross draw holster for his off hand gun, the shooter needs to understand how it must be worn and used to never break our 170 degree rule, which means the barrel must always point down range as it comes out of the holster and back into the holster. This normally requires that the shooter do a twist (or in some cases move his feet) every time he draws his guns and reholsters to keep the barrel always pointed down range. This can be a problem, requires extra time with severe penalties if the shooter violates this rule. If the cross draw is worn at the shooters side the shooter will see that this is a very difficult task so many cross draw holsters are worn closer to the shooters front than the side. There are rules on how close the cross draw can be worn to the shooters center.
Construction of the top of the holster is very important to allow=2 0the gun to go in easily and allow the gun to be drawn and reholstered easily. The fit of the holster must allow the gun to stay in the leather when the shooter moves, while at the same time the holster must allow the shooter to draw his gun with a single hand without the holster grabbing the gun or moving. A good rule of thumb is that the holster holds the gun while upside down while still allowing the gun to be easily drawn with two fingers while the holster does not move. Both lined and unlined holsters will work just fine and it becomes a personal choice. Unlined holsters are a bit more durable but unlined holsters must be smooth to allow easy drawing. Holster tie downs are legal but few use them as shooters have leather designed to not move without the tie downs.
Make sure when you measure your holster belt size it is measured where the holster will be worn, normally below the waist by an inch to several inches. The measurement for the shotgun belt must be made to allow it to be worn just above the holster belt. The belts should have shorter and longer holes to allow flexibility. Some shooters put reload loops on the rear of the holster belt, but having them there makes them very difficult=2 0to access for reloads and carrying many loops full of ammo that is difficult to use adds to the weight to an already heavy holster belt and guns. Some shooters use light weight dummy rounds in these loops for style only.
Holsters must be attached to the holster belt in such a manner that the holster does not move, especially up and down when the gun is drawn or reholstered. The holsters usually need to be easily moved to allow the shooter to sit down more comfortably when not shooting. The shooter will want some kind of thong or loop on his holsters to keep the guns secured at times the shooter is not shooting. Shooters do not usually use these after their guns are loaded.
When the shooter has been at the game for a while many make a fashion statement with their holsters having lots of fancy decorations, but plain leather still works just fine.
Lastly certain shooting categories require specific kinds of holsters and holster/gun locations. Please see the SASS shooters Handbook and the RO I Handbook for more details on the shooters leather.
AMMUNITION
Revolver ammunition must have a muzzle velocity less than 1,000 fps. Rifle ammunition must have a muzzle velocity less than 1,400 fps. All SASS rifle and revolver ammo must have a minimum velocity of 400 fps. All pistol ammo must meet a power factor of 60. Power factor is defined as velocity in fps times weight of the bullet in grains divided by 1000. Example: 158 g bullet at 700 fps would have a power factor of: 158 X 700 divided by 1000 equals a power factor or 110.6. Ammunition suspected of not meeting these restrictions may be examined and or tested by the range master. Shooters may be held responsible for damage caused to a target or injury to personnel due to "bounce-back" because of illegal ammunition. This major safety violation is grounds for "instant disqualification" and ejection from the match.
Revolver and (main match) rifle ammunition may not be jacketed, semi-jacketed, plated, gas checked, or copper washed. It must be 100% lead. "Moly" coated bullets or equivalent are acceptable.
Revolver and rifle ammunition must be of "single projectile" design. "Multiple projectile" bullets are illegal.
Ammunition with bullets recessed below the case mouth is disallowed.
Throughout this manual, blackpowder means blackpowder, Pyrodex, Black Mag, or comparable propellants. Any combination of smokeless and blackpowders (so called duplex loads) is specifically prohibited.
A lot of shooters want some guidance on caliber. The cheapest caliber to shoot is the 38 spl in .357 mag caliber revolvers and rifles. It is possible to download 38 spls to manage recoil and meet all SASS ammo requirements and still be shooting a safe load. The 32 caliber generally has the lightest recoil and is great for men with small hands, juniors and ladies or anyone else with wrist or arm problems. The 44 and 45 caliber alternatives are probably a little more historically correct, but do recoil more and cost lots more to shoot. Many shooters shoot 44 and 45 caliber because they want to be a little more historic correct. A lot of shooters that start with bigger calibers, soon change to smaller calibers for many reasons. Best advice is to go to20a shoot and cowboys will let you try different guns and calibers to see what gun you are comfortable shooting. Caliber is a purely personal choice. One category (eg Classic Cowboy) requires a minimum caliber-.40. All other categories can be shot with any caliber.
To reduce shotgun recoil many shooters are using so called Winchester Featherlights. These are Winchester Low Noise Low Recoil as advertised by the yellow balloons on the black boxes. Wal-Mart is now carrying these shells. Almost any shotgun round will take down our shotgun knockdown reactive targets when properly hit. Many shooters are using barrels that have been cut off without adding choke tubes so they are cylinder chokes and this will take care of 99.99% of our shotgun targets. Occasionally you find a knockdown target that releases a flying target, i.e. clay, pop can, or charcoal. These can be real fun for some shooters and those not familiar with flying targets not so much fun.
RELOADING
Many shooters soon realize that they will be going through a lot of ammo and start reloading. Reloading is not that difficult. Start by buying some reloading books/manuals. Some of the best are by Speer and Lyman. Also, many of the powder manufacturers provide manuals for their products for free and on the web. There are many good reloading machines from different manufacturers. By far the vast majority of cowboy shooters use Dillon reloading equipment (the so called Blue gear because of it’s color). Those shooters in the Phoenix area have the advantage that they can go directly to the Dillon factory in Scottsdale to check out the Dillon gear www.dillonprecision.com A shooter can be set up to reload his first ammo using a progressive press such as a Dillon Square Deal B press, digital scale, caliper, primer flip tray, brass, bullets, primers, power and everything else to reload for about $ 500. A shooter can also use a single stage press and get set up for about half that amount but it wi ll turn out ammo at a very much slower rate. The Dillon SDB press will make completed bullets at the rate of about 200 rounds per hour (considering all the associated reloading tasks to be done). Be careful looking at cheaper reloading equipment, as reloading is not where you want to use cheap gear that will fail with improperly loaded rounds. Improper reloads can blow up your guns and create shooter and bystander injuries. With reloading, the shooter can see a pay back in just his first year of shooting depending on how often he shoots. For those shooters not wanting to reload there are ways to buy your ammo so it is a lot cheaper than new rounds. Companies such as Ten X and Ammo Direct to name a couple will reload the shooters own brass and sell the reloads at about half the cost of new ammo. Both companies have broad selection of cowboy ammo in almost all calibers for our old guns. There are several other companies that sell new ammo in our cowboy calibers and type of bullets. If you do decide to reload there are lots of cowboys that are willing to help get you started including coming to your home and helping you set up your new machine and making your first ammo. I had never reloaded before and went to Dillon in Scottsdale to get everything I needed and was safely loading my own ammo within three hours after I got home, with no helper. Today I am reloading 10,000 to 12,000 rounds per year (I do it in a 2 month window) in two calibers and still use the same SDB I originally purchased plus a Dillon 650. If a shooter only shoots monthly matches at one club he can easily go through 2000 rounds or rifle/pistol ammo per year with no practice shooting.
GUN CARTS
Shooters will need some way to cart all their gear around while they move from stage to stage. Many shooters have built some fabulous gun carts that are real works of art. Some new shooters carry their guns in soft sided cases and carry their ammo in a bag from stage to stage, but this gets old in a hurry and will tire out the shooter fast. The shooter has the added problem on how to remove his long guns from cases without sweeping anyone with his gun muzzles. There are many plans to build wooden gun carts and many shooters have gotten very creative. It is possible to build your first gun cart very cheaply. Many new shooters h ave gone to the local Good Will or equivalent and purchased a walking golf cart and a large golf bag. By removing the golf club dividers, the shooters can put their long guns in the golf bag and their ammo and other gear in the golf bag compartments. Other shooters have purchased complete utility carts from places like Harbor Freight and added compartments/boxes for ammo and gear and a means to hold their long guns. There are also now 3 wheeled commercial carts for the shooting sports that can be used for cowboy guns. After a while most shooters come up with a wooden cart of some kind for their gear. Here are some thoughts on a gun cart, having owned about 6 of them to date. Keep the cart light. Keep the cart light. Keep the cart light. Pushing a heavy cart around is almost worse than carrying the gear with no cart. Bigger wheels are a lot better for rough terrain. The cart must easily fit into your auto or truck and allow it to be lifted easily. You will need a large storage compartment for ammo, spare parts, tools, and many things you never thought you might need. You may want an ammo box built up high to cut down the bending if you are older. Many shooters want some way to sit down on their cart or to have the cart hold a small folding chair-those Wal-Mart taller black bar stools are perfect ($10). A low seat built into the gun cart is not easy to use with your holsters especially if you are older. Many shooters want to carry an umbrella for shade or for rain. Remember the cart must be water proofed and dust proofed in some manner (even a plastic bag over the top works) for your ammo and long guns. Many shooters want to carry a small ice chest for a soft drink, a sandwich or other (no alcohol allowed). Many shooters use a canvas or waterproof sleeve to cover their guns in their carts especially in our desert and blowing sands and dirt environment. Long gun actions must be open while the long guns are in your gun cart at the match.
TARGETS
Cowboy Action Shooting TM is not intended to be a precision shooting competition. Small targets and long distances take the "action" out of the game and make it more discouraging for newer shooters. Both experienced and inexperienced shooters want hits on their targets. Some folk s just hit (or miss) a little faster than others. Too many misses, or the perception the targets are too difficult to hit, discourage folks from continuing to play, especially the less proficient shooters.
Ask any experienced Cowboy Action Shooter, and she or he will tell you there is no such thing as a target too big or too close to miss! Metal and paper targets of generous size are used. Reactive targets such as pepper poppers and falling plates are used when practical to enhance shooter feedback and spectator appeal.
Targets are set at close to medium range. There are no absolute rules, but the following distances are normally used, by firearm, if using a target approximately 16" X 16":
Revolver - 7 to 10 yards
Shotgun - 8 to 16 yards
Rifle - 13 to 50 yards (with 13-20 typical)
SCORING and TIMING
Rio Salado Cowboy Action Shooting Society matches are scored based upon elapsed shooting time and penalty points for missed targets and/or course violations. Each stage is scored individually and combined scores will be used to determine the competitor's place of finish in the match.Each missed target results in a 5 second penalty. Unintentional course violations ("Procedurals") result in a 10 secon d penalty. No more than one procedural penalty will be given out per stage.Minor safety infractions occurring during a course of fire that do not directly endanger persons will result in a ten-second penalty. "Minor" safety infractions are occurrences such as failure to open a long gun's action at the conclusion of a shooting string or failure to return a handgun to a holster at the conclusion of a shooting string..
SIDE MATCHES AND LONG RANGE MATCHES
At some monthly matches and yearly matches you will find side matches. These are spelled out in the SASS Shooters Handbook. These include long range matches using revolver, your main match rifle, a lever action rifle in rifle caliber (i.e. 30-30, 38-55, 45-70, etc.), a single shot period rifle, and others. These long range matches have distances that vary from club to club so go to a shoot and see what the shooters are using. Side matches also include other competitions including those with the derringer, small double action pocket pistols, 22=2 0rifle, 22 pistol, etc. Another popular side match is the Wild Bunch match which is really a mini match. This allows shooters to substitute a 1911 semi auto pistol and clips for the revolvers, an 1897 pump shotgun, a main match lever action rifle, and army like dress of the period. Another side match is really another mini match using cap and ball revolvers shot duelist style, a single shot rifle in rifle caliber, a side by side shotgun or a lever action 1887 shotgun. Black powder is to be used in all Plainsman guns. The target distances used for these matches is usually further than SASS main match distances.
SASS MEMBERSHIP
SASS membership is not required to shoot at many matches. SASS membership is required to shoot at some larger matches and is definitely required for State Championships, Regional Championships, Winter Range (our national US championship held in Phoenix each year) and in our world championship End of Trail held in Albuquerque each year. We certainly encour age shooters to join SASS because it is our national organization that oversees our rules, publishes our monthly magazine, maintains close ties with our vendors and gun manufacturers and a host of other reasons for joining. Many new shooters join SASS just to ensure their alias is locked up before another shooter grabs it.
SASS CLUBS
SASS clubs are the heart and sole of our shooting organization. The clubs hold all SASS matches except End of Trail. The clubs make arrangements to use our shooting ranges, set up and tear down the steel, keep track of scoring, many hold yearly matches as well as monthly matches as weather permits. Many clubs have their own memberships and shooters are encouraged to join their SASS club. Many shooters are members of many clubs. Fees for club membership are usually nominal. It is not necessary to be a member of most clubs to shoot at the matches, but sometimes non members are charged more for shooting. Pl ease help the club with it’s matches when you shoot there whether you are a member or not. All labor is volunteer and clubs are not in the profit making business. There are lots of jobs at a shoot including the aforementioned steel set up and tear down, there is scorekeeping, overseeing the loading table, overseeing the unloading table, picking up brass on the ground after each shooter is completed, spotting (determining hits and misses), etc. Please do your part even at your first match. We certainly encourage you to join the Rio Salado Cowboys club. Your yearly fees pay for targets, props, costs like copies and paper, etc. as well as to help pay for our range maintenance.
SHOOTING EXPERTISE
Cowboy action shooting is popular because a lot of first time shooters find it easy to move into the sport and enjoy the fun from day one. New shooters will find themselves immediately we lcomed and helped by more experienced shooters. We do feel that new shooters need to understand how to safely load and unload their guns and understand safe gun handling. We do have a new shooter orientation session for new shooters at Rio-see the Rio web site. It is highly recommended that all shooters shoot their guns at a public range or other before coming to a match. Shooting your guns on paper with the ammo you will be using gives confidence you can hit our steel targets and provides experience loading and unloading. Sometimes new guns right out of the box do not function properly and shooting them at a range or other first gives confidence they function properly and at least the rifle can be adjusted to hit point of aim .
TRAINING AND PRACTICE
There are several avenues open for training for cowboy shooting. First at Rio we have a new shooter orientation session on Friday nights before our monthly matches. See the Rio web site. If other areas of practice are not open to shooters, you can come out Friday night after steel set up and practice. As soon as possible all shooters are encouraged to enroll and take what we call a Range Officers or RO I class. This class teaches shooters all the SASS rules. This class is nominally a half day class. Talk to the club Territorial Governor for the next scheduled class. After you have been cowboy shooting for at least six months you are encouraged to attend what we call an RO II class. This class is a little longer and covers how to perform all of the working tasks at our shoots including running the timer, spotting for hits and misses, setting up targets, etc.
The pistol bays at the Rio range are open to Rio Sportsman Club members to sign up and use for practice during the week when they are not scheduled for other users. See the Sportsman club for details. In order to use the bays by yourself, you need to be qualified and have the Rio Cowboy division punch your Rio Sportman Club membership card. This stamp will be given to those shooters with sufficient experience. See your Rio Cowboy officers. This will signify to the Rio range officers you are qualified to shoot on these unmonitored ranges.
Many shooters practice at home by dry firing their guns aiming at spots on the wall to improve their shooting. Make absolutely certain that the guns are not loaded and there is no ammo in the room. Some shooters use snap caps. Some shooters make dummy shotgun rounds to practice loading of a different color than the rounds they normally use. Remember the quickest way to improve your shooting is to work on transitions and rapid safe gun handling. Also remember that most matches are won with the shotgun and lost with the revolvers. This means that most newer shooters are slower with their shotguns and miss more with their revolvers than more experienced shooters. Work on these shooting areas first.
There are individual and group shooting classes that are held by some of our sports best shooters. These are not expensive classes and are many times held in conjunction with major matches. At Winter Range in Feb or March each year in Phoenix there will be a set of these classes. These are hands on shooting classes with the students firing hundreds of rounds with hands on instruction. In the interim, several excellent shooters in Az teach individuals for a small fee with one on one training. See the Rio officers for some recommendations on these individual lessons.
RAIN AND COLD SHOOTING
At some point you will have to shoot in the rain or cold. For that you will need a rain coat of some kind and a heavy coat for the cold plus gloves. Some shooters use those throw away chemical hand warmers. Being20warm and dry is more important than what you wear, but most shooters eventually find something that is period correct. Many shooters have found oil skin like slickers similar to those used in the old west for the rain. Shooters use a variety of coats and gloves when it is cold. Make sure you have some way to cover your guns in your cart when it rains. Many shooters have made covers for their carts to keep out dust and rain. Whatever you do, keep dry, warm and safe.
