HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cowboy action shooting (CAS, also known as western action shooting, single action shooting, Cowboy 3 Gun, Western 3-gun) is a competitive
shooting sport Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
that originated in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
in the early 1980s, at the Coto de Caza Shooting Range in Orange County, California. Cowboy action shooting is now practiced in many places with several sanctioning organizations including the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), Western Action Shootists Association (WASA), and National Congress of Old West Shooters (NCOWS), Single Action Shooting Australia (SASA), Western 3-Gun as well as others in the U.S. and other countries. CAS is a type of multigun match utilizing a combination of handgun(s), rifle(s), and/or shotgun(s) in a variety of " Old West-themed" courses of fire for time and accuracy. Participants must dress in appropriate theme or era "costume" as well as use gear and accessories as mandated by the respective sanctioning group rules.


Firearms

CAS requires competitors to use
firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s typical of the mid-to-late 19th century:
single-action A trigger is a mechanism that actuates the function of a ranged weapon such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow, or speargun. The word may also be used to describe a switch that initiates the operation of other non-shooting devices such as a tra ...
revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
s, lever-action
rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s chambered in pistol
caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore matc ...
s, and side-by-side
double-barreled shotgun A double-barreled shotgun is a break-action shotgun with two parallel barrels, allowing two single shots to be fired in quick succession or simultaneously. Construction Modern double-barreled shotguns, often known as ''doubles'', are almost u ...
s (also referred to as Coach Guns – with or without external hammers, although automatic ejectors are not allowed), or
pump-action Pump action or slide action is a repeating firearm action that is operated manually by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to co ...
shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
s with external hammers (similar to the
Winchester 1897 The Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, or Trench Gun, is a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchest ...
). Winchester 1887 lever-action shotguns and Colt Lightning slide-action rifles are also allowed in competition. Both original and reproduction guns are equally acceptable. All CAS handguns must be "single-action", meaning that the hammer must be manually cocked before each shot can be fired. Competition in a CAS match generally requires four guns: two revolvers, a shotgun, and a rifle chambered in a centerfire revolver caliber of a type in use prior to 1899. Some CAS matches also offer side events for single-shot "buffalo rifles", derringers, speed shotgun, and other specialty shooting. Replica firearms are available from companies such as Ruger, Colt, Uberti, Pedersoli, Stoeger, Chiappa, Pietta, Armi San Marco and
U.S. Fire Arms Mfg. Co. United States Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company, Inc. (U.S. Fire Arms Mfg. Co., USFA) was a privately held firearms-manufacturing firm based in Hartford, Connecticut. This company is not to be confused with and has no affiliation with the U.S. Arms ...


Wild Bunch matches

One variant of CAS currently sanctioned by SASS is The Wild Bunch Action Shooting, inspired by the 1969 Western film. According to SASS, this form uses "firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West just after the turn of the 20th century". The revolvers used in normal SASS events are replaced with 1911 pistols; lever-action rifles remain in use, while only 1897-style pump-action shotguns are allowed. As in traditional CAS, originals and replicas are acceptable. In SASS Wild Bunch matches, pistols must be chambered for
.45 ACP The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) or .45 Auto (11.43×23mm) is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it ...
, rifles must be chambered for pistol cartridges of .40 caliber or greater, and shotguns must be 12 gauge. All ammunition for pistols or rifles must also meet a minimum power factor of 150, calculated by multiplying the bullet weight in grains and the muzzle velocity in feet per second and then dividing the result by 1000. Additionally, maximum muzzle velocities are limited to 1000 ft/s for pistol ammunition and 1400 ft/s for rifle ammunition.


Costume

Competitors are required to wear an Old West or Victorian era style outfit and apparel. One exception to this is that safety glasses and hearing protection must be worn when shooting. Depending on the standards of the sanctioning organization, clothing may be historically accurate for the late 19th century or may just be suggestive of the Old West. Some groups allow for costume similar to that worn by characters in a western
B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feat ...
, such as
Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...
or a television series like ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...
''. In SASS-sponsored Wild Bunch shooting, the required dress is military clothing of the early 20th century, Western clothing typical of that time (such as that worn in the film ''The Wild Bunch'') or Mexican period dress.


Alias

Participants must select an
alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the J ...
out of the Old West or have an "old west flair". Aliases are registered with the sanctioning body so they are unique to the participant. Many find it necessary to be creative in selecting an alias (such as the banker who shoots under the alias "The Loan Arranger") as virtually all historical names such as
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which la ...
and
Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the " Wild Bunch" in the Old West. Parker engaged in crimin ...
have long since been claimed. Registered names cannot sound the same as another registered name.


Competition

Competition involves a number of separate shooting scenarios known as "stages". Stages are always different, each typically requiring ten revolver rounds (shooters generally carry two single-action revolvers), nine or ten rifle rounds, and two to eight shotgun rounds. Targets typically are steel plates that ring when hit. Sometimes reactive targets such as steel knockdown plates or clay birds are used. Misses add five seconds to the competitor's time; safety violations and other procedural violations add 10 seconds. Competition is close and contested with the national and world championships attracting over 700 competitors.


Scoring

Shooters compete one at a time against the clock. Most matches are scored simply by "total time" minus bonuses and plus penalties. Other matches are scored by Rank Points. Shooters are timed using electronic timers which record the duration for each stage to one hundredth of a second. The timer starts when the Range Officer pushes the button which beeps to signal that the shooter may proceed. The timer has a built-in microphone and records the time when each loud noise (shot) happens. When there is no more noise, the timer continues to display the final time which is the raw score. Each shooter's "raw" time for the stage is increased by five seconds for each missed target and ten seconds for any procedural penalty incurred. The fastest adjusted time wins. Targets shot out of proper order incur a procedural penalty, though only one procedural penalty can be assessed per shooter per stage. In "Rank Point Scoring" the top shooter of a match is determined by adding up each shooter's ranking for each stage, with the lowest score winning. For example, if a shooter places first in every stage in a 10-stage match, the shooter's score would be 10 (a 1 for each stage) and would be the lowest score possible. There is some controversy as to whether "Rank Points" or "Total Time" is a better system. SASS in 2017 moved to Total Time scoring and discarded the Rank Point Scoring system.


Events

Every stage at a match is intended to be different. Sometimes only two types of guns are used or perhaps even only one. Occasionally a shooter is required to reload a firearm while being timed. When he comes to the line, the shooter will place his guns as required by the stage description. When the competitor steps to the start position, the Range Officer conducting the stage will ask if the shooter understands the course of fire and clarify any questions the shooter may have. The Range Officer will ask if the shooter is ready, will tell the shooter to "Stand By", and will start the timer within 2 to 5 seconds. When started, the timer gives an audible electronic tone and the shooter will begin the stage. An example of a stage might have the shooter draw his first revolver and engage five steel targets then holster his first revolver and move to his left to where his rifle is staged. He will retrieve his rifle and engage the rifle targets, which are set farther away than the pistol targets. These might be nine separate targets, or perhaps three targets which the shooter will "sweep" three times. He then lays his rifle back down on the hay bale with action open and chamber empty and runs to the right where his shotgun is staged. Since shotguns are always staged open and empty, the shooter will retrieve his gun and load it with a maximum of two rounds (regardless of the type of shotgun) and engage two knock-down targets, reload and engage two more knock-down targets (which must fall to score). The shooter will then lay his open and empty shotgun back on the hay bale and draw his second revolver. This time the shooter engages three revolver targets in what is known as a "Nevada Sweep" (left, center, right, center, left) for a total of five rounds. After the competitor is finished shooting, the Range Officer will tell him to take his long guns and go to the unloading table where another shooter will supervise the unloading and verify that the guns are unloaded. The shooter's time is then recorded and any misses or penalties added. Targets are scored by three observers who count misses.


Major matches

End of Trail – World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting at Ben Avery Shooting Range, Phoenix, Arizona United States of America (March) Land Run – United States National Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting at the Oklahoma City Gun Club, Arcadia, Oklahoma, United States of America (October) Regionals – Western, Four Corners, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast State Championships – Each State holds their own State Championship. Australia National Championship, Australia and New Zealand have their own state championships as well. European National Championship – Days of Truth (DOT) usually held in August. Many countries have their own National Championship including but not limited to: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, The Nederlands, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Serbia. Other major matches of note: Badlands Bar3 – Comin' Back At Cha https://www.sassnet.com/AnnualMatches.php


Safety

Foremost, safety glasses (shooting glasses) must be worn at all times. In a typical stage the shooter, who is next in line to compete, will load his guns at a loading table under the supervision of a designated loading official. Western-style "six-shooters" are always loaded with only five rounds with the empty chamber under the hammer. The shooter's rifle will also be loaded with the requisite number of rounds with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Shotguns are always left unloaded, then loaded "on the clock". At a typical Cowboy Action range, ALL guns are kept unloaded except when the shooter prepares at the loading table, shoots the stage, then proceeds to the unloading table to unload the revolvers and prove that all guns are empty. Whether guns are loaded or empty, CAS emphasizes safety. Even with the theme of the Wild West's cowboy attire, all shooters must wear safety glasses while on the firing line in addition to other important safety rules and more than some other shooting sports have. Many of these safety requirements are due to the nature of reproduction single action revolvers with fixed cylinders, and repeating rifles with non-removable tubular magazines. The Range Officer is responsible for safely conducting the shooter through the stage. The Range Officer's attention is not on the targets but rather on the shooter and his firearms. One important duty of the Range Officer is to immediately stop the shooter if the shooter's gun or ammunition is defective in any potentially unsafe way.


Themes

In addition to requiring shooters to wear Old West attire, the western theme of the matches is enhanced by having suitable targets and props for the stages. For example, a stage may be set in a bank and the shooter will be required to shoot through a barred "teller" window, then perhaps retrieve a "sack of gold" from a safe and carry it in one hand while shooting with his other hand. Another stage may have a shooter rescuing a baby (doll) and having to carry the "child" through the entire stage while engaging the targets. Other props may include buckboards, chuck wagons, stagecoaches, and "horses" as well as jail cells, oak barrels, hitching posts, swinging saloon doors, etc.


Prizes

No money or merchandise prizes are offered in CAS, but often there are drawings and prizes, ensuring a more family-oriented sport.


World records

Shotgun: - Lever Shotgun – 4 shots – First Place – 3.13 – Smokestack, Second Place – 3.29 – Badlands Bud, Third Place – Duece Steves 3.50 - Hammered Shotgun - - Open Shotgun - - 1897 Shotgun - Rifle: - Rifle – 10 shots – First Place – 1.57 – Tie – (Deuce Stevens, Smokestack), 3rd Place – 1.63 – Hell Hound Pistol: – Pistol Traditional – First place – Deuce Stevens 2.38, Second Place Smokestack 2.88, Spencer Hogland 3.11 - Gunfighter Pistol – First Place – Widow Maker 1.81, Second Place 1.95, Third Place - Dollar Bill 2.05 – Duelist Pistol, First Place – 2.65 Smokestack, Second Place – 2.83 – Straight Arrow Hombre, Third Place – Badlands Bud 4.20


Categories

All of the below categories may also be shot as lady categories; there is no men's category (all are considered open), and ladies may shoot in open categories. There are many other categories, especially at the local level, but the below are representative of the main types of categories one finds at cowboy action shooting events. * Buckaroo/Buckarette: 13 and under * Junior Boy/Junior Girl: 16 and under *
Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...
/ Cowgirl – Shooters of all ages * Wrangler/Lady Wrangler: Age 36 and up * Forty-Niner/Lady Forty-Niner: Age 49 and up * Senior/Lady Senior: Age 60 and up * Silver Senior/Lady Silver Senior: Age 65 and up * Elder Statesman/Grand Dame: Age 70 and up * Cattle Baron/Cattle Baroness: Age 75 and up * El Patron/La Patrona: Age 80 and up * El Rey/La Reina: Age 85 and up * B-Western – Shooters wear clothing inspired by the B-Western films of the 1930s and 1940s, starring
Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...
, William "
Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...
" Boyd, and others. "
Buscadero ''Buscadero'' is a monthly music magazine published in Italy by Edizioni l'ultimo Buscadero Srl. It features classic rock and was founded in 1980 by Aldo Pedron, Paolo Carù and others after they split from the editorial staff of the magazine ''Il ...
" type gunbelt/holster rigs are required, and the shooter must wear spurs. * Classic Cowboy/Classic Cowgirl – Shooters have specific clothing requirements and shoot Duelist or Double Duelist style using .40 caliber or larger, rimmed cartridges; shotguns must be external hammer double barrel, single shot, or lever actions * Frontier Cartridge – Shooters use
black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...
rather than
smokeless powder Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared t ...
in all their guns * Frontiersman – Shooters use
cap and ball The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise ...
revolvers, shot duelist style, and side-by-side double-barrel or lever-action shotguns * Wild Bunch – based on popular Western film "
The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw ga ...
"; shooters use Colt 1911 pistol instead of revolvers, use lever-action rifles, and use Winchester Model 1897 shotgun instead of double-barreled shotgun. Categories based on how the shooter fires their guns * Duelist – Shooter uses only one hand to fire revolvers * Gunfighter – Shooter uses two revolvers at once when the stage allows, otherwise shoots right-side revolver with right hand only and left-side revolver with left hand only In addition to percussion (cap and ball) weapons, many firearms are center-fire
.32 caliber .32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of . .32 in caliber variations include: * .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), a pistol cartridge * .32-40 Ballard, an American rifle cartridge * .32 H&R Magnum, a rimmed ...
or larger with revolvers and rifles chambered in
.38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...
and
.45 Colt The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1 ...
being very popular. Ammunition is generally loaded at medium to full power levels, although many junior shooters or women prefer to shoot lighter calibers (such as .32 and .38). A noted trend among some shooters is to use light loads to reduce recoil and improve their times. This tends to run contrary to the "Spirit of the Game".


Cowboy mounted shooting

An offshoot of cowboy action shooting is cowboy mounted shooting, also sometimes called western mounted shooting, or simply mounted shooting. Events require that the contestant ride a
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
through a course of fire while carrying the same guns used in cowboy action shooting. The rider shoots up to ten balloon targets. Events use blank ammunition certified to break a target balloon within twenty feet instead of live rounds.


See also

*
List of shooting sports organizations This is a list of national and international shooting sports organizations who promote sport shooting to civilian sport shooters, hunters, police, military and/or military reservists. International governing bodies * Amateur Trapshooting Ass ...
*
Bridgeport rig The Bridgeport rig is a quick draw or fast draw handgun holster that was developed in 1882. Today, the device enjoys cult status among cowboy action shooters and other antique gun enthusiasts. History The Bridgeport rig was patented in 1882 by L ...
*
Shooting ranges in the United States There are shooting ranges in the United States open to the public, both indoor and outdoor. Either privately owned firearms or those rented from the shooting range may be used, depending on the range rules set by the owner. Some ranges rent thei ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


CowboyActionShooting.com
Organizations
SASS Single Action Shooting Society

CAS City

Cowboy Mounted Shooting

Mounted Shooters of America
*Western 3-Gun *Cowboy Fast Draw Association *World Fast Draw Association International groups
CAS Europe
*
BDS-Westernschiessen
a division of the Bund Deutscher Sportschützen in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
Cowboy culture Reenactment of the late modern period Muzzleloading North American martial arts Shooting sports Shooting sports events