Cowboy Action Shooting provides a wonderful example of a great family activity, living American history, and a great deal of fun.
As a child of television in the ‘50s, I can honestly admit there are a lot of us around with a little bit of cowboy in them. Plenty of women play the game too. I remember the Lone Ranger, Wyatt Earp, Roy Rogers, the Cisco Kid, Lash Larue, the Rifleman, Paladin, and Gunsmoke’s Matt Dillon.
Organized by the Single Action Shooting Society, CAS uses original or reproduction revolvers, lever-action rifles, and shotguns from roughly the mid to late nineteenth century as the basis of the activity. While shooting is the core activity of CAS, history is a major part of the game.
CAS is possibly the safest of a long list of statistically proven safe shooting activities. There is no quick-draw element involved – ever. All firearms are unloaded except at the actual shooting line. Pistols remain unloaded in holsters until loaded at the proper place under proper supervision. There are supervised loading and unloading tables at each shooting station. Any unsafe activity with a firearm is cause for being removed from the event.
Participants are separated into groups and assigned to shooting stations, which are semi-realistic scenarios one could encounter in the old West, or at least in an old western. One scenario I witnessed used a long-stringed wet mop to represent a saloon gal who was being bothered by a bad guy; she had to be saved by the good guy. A bad-guy silhouette and a few targets behind a small fake bar made it work. A barrel steadily mounted in a wooden frame became a horse for shooters firing at bad guys fleeing town after a bank robbery. Imagination and finances are your only limit when designing and building shooting scenarios. Six to eight scenarios will greet shooters at many shoots, and more for large events.
Necessary firearms for CAS events include: two revolvers, one lever-action rifle, and either a side-by side shotgun or a nineteenth-century slide-action (pump) shotgun. I believe a Winchester 97 or its replicas are the only qualifiers for the pump shotgun. There are restrictions of caliber and bullet velocity, so check those carefully before purchasing firearms specifically for CAS.
I have attended CAS events at several sportsmen’s clubs, and while each club featured competitive shooting scenarios, the amount of effort shooters put into the competitive component varied. It appears that competition is not too important for many CAS participants or to some clubs offering shoots. Some clubs start out with most shooters going easy on the competitive component, and then later become more competitive as skill levels of their members and those attending their shoots increases. Shooters can easily find clubs featuring suitable competition and have fun at shoots at whatever level of competition they select.
You need not be an expert marksman to succeed at CAS. Shooters capable of average but consistent shooting can succeed since the targets are of adequate size and only need be hit; they do not require all bullets to hit inside a very small circle. The clang of a lead bullet hitting a steel target becomes very satisfying, while becoming quite doable.
Pistol, rifle, and shotgun events begin the same way. Shooters walk with guns empty to the loading table where a range master supervises the proper loading procedure. With loaded guns, he walks to the nearby starting point for a particular shooting scenario. The range master quickly explains the scenario’s expectations and ensures that the shooter is safely in the correct position to start shooting.
The shooter fires only on command and is timed by the scorer. The scorer records the time taken to complete shooting and records the number of hits on the targets. The scorer ensures the shooter’s gun is empty. The shooter walks directly to the unloading table where he removes all empty cases or loaded cartridges from his firearm. All firearm chambers, cylinders, and magazines must be empty. A range officer supervises to ensure all guns are empty prior to the shooter moving away from the unloading table.
Most, but not all, handgun cartridges are traditional cowboy loads available from retailers. Additionally, many shooters handload their own cowboy loads, with cases, powder, bullets, and primers widely available. While some shooters use black powder, most opt for smokeless powder.
It is common to shoot reduced-power loads in CAS, which reduces recoil and muzzle rise, or flip. Reduced recoil and muzzle flip allows one to get back on target more quickly than regular loads. Shooters doing that must be careful not to cause a dangerous shooting situation by reducing their powder load too much. Check reloading books carefully when reloading and follow the instructions faithfully.
While the traditional firearms and shooting procedures are integral to CAS, the period clothes that many shooters wear are also a large part of the event. While a pair of jeans and western shirt will get you into CAS, period western wear increases the enjoyment for most shooters. Many shooters tend to enjoy the historical aspect of CAS as much as the shooting itself.
Check your local gun retailers or sportsmen’s club, or visit the Single Action Shooting Society’s Web site at: www.sassnet.com to find cowboy action shoots near you. You have likely never had so much fun with American history, or guns.
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