Cowboy or Western Action Shooting got its start in the mid-1980’s and very quickly became the fastest-growing shooting sport in the United States. The original governing body was the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS); a spin-off organization was the National Congress of Old West Shootists (NCOWS). What both of these outfits have in common is the shooting competition. Both use primarily steel targets, which are shot at during match stages. These stages are timed events and shooting begins when the timer, being held by the Range Officer buzzes. Each stage has its own procedure that must be followed; failure to follow that procedure results in a time penalty. Missing targets also results in a time penalty, and certain safety violations can result in a stage or match disqualification. Safety is the watchword of both SASS and NCOWS. BTW, all this shooting is done with Old West style firearms; originals or reproductions. We’re mainly talking about revolvers, lever-action rifles, and shotguns. There are rules governing the guns that can be used depending on the organization. Ammunition for handguns and rifles is mostly low-powered lead bullet cartridges; while shotgun shells are typically low-brass target loads with No. 7-1/2 or No. 8 lead shot. Oh, here’s the best part – during these matches you are dressed in Old West attire; the costuming is also governed by SASS or NCOWS rules.
things when you join.
So, you think you want to get into this fun and family-based competition? Well, here’s the first thing I would suggest; go to their websites. For SASS, it’s www.sassnet.com. Inside you will find matches and clubs near you, plus if you look under The Shooting, click on Handbooks & Rules, and this will bring you to the SASS Shooters Handbook. This has everything you always wanted to know. For NCOWS go to www.ncows.com. Select Posses and it will show you a map with the locations of the 11 Posses in 10 states in the U.S. If you look under Resources, then go to Popular Downloads, you’ll see the NCOWS Tally Book. That’s where you’ll find all the rules and regs. Once you’ve found a SASS or NCOWS club in your area, grab some ear and eye protection, then go out an observe a match. Both organizations welcome folks to come out and see what it’s all about. You can also get pointers from experienced competitors on what you need to do to get started in CAS (cowboy action shooting), a term I’ll use for simplicity.
There are a couple of items that might influence your decision about which organization you want to become a part of. I started with SASS in 1992 and after a move in 1996, I found I was near an NCOWS club; so, I belong to both. SASS has a lot of different shooting categories depending upon the guns and costuming you choose, and even your age or sex. You can be as authentic as you want to be or you can dress like a B-Western cowboy, such as Gene or Roy, a bar room floozy – there are many possibilities as long as it’s Old West based. You even choose an alias. No real Old West personages like Wyatt Earp for example, but something original that no other member is already using. Mine is LaVista Bill and my persona is based on an 1890’s Mounted U.S. Customs Inspector on the Southwest Border. NCOWS has far less competitor categories and is more concerned with authenticity and being “Period Correct.” This applies to both costuming and guns; their website will help you with this. Interestingly, the guns, as long as they were made between 1865-1899 (or replicas thereof), are all legal. So, in NCOWS I can shoot a Colt Model 1892 double action revolver in .38 Long Colt. SASS has an off-shoot called Wild Bunch and, in this category, you can shoot Model 1911 pistols and Winchester Model 1897 or Model 12 pump shotguns. Both organizations allow cap & ball revolvers using black powder.
Of course, the biggest concern when getting into CAS is the expense. When I went to my first SASS match, I had a Ruger Vaquero sixgun in .45 Colt, a Rossi Model 1892 lever-gun in .45 Colt, and a 20 ga. double-barrel shotgun. One of the other competitors in my posse lent me a .45 six-shooter as you need to have two for main match stages. My costume was black jeans, a white cowboyish shirt, a tan canvass vest, black Wellington boots that I wore with the Border Patrol, a cheap felt cowboy hat, and a Triple K cartridge belt and holster rig. Most clubs aren’t going to expect a newbie to be letter perfect. My NCOWS club gives rookies a year to assemble their period correct costume. Packing around 4 guns, plus ammunition isn’t easy, so most CAS competitors use what is called a “gun cart.” My first one was a homemade contraption made using a two-wheeled hand truck, a plastic milk crate, and some scrap wood.
Now about those guns. Unless you are well-heeled, you are probably not going to start out buying top of the line. Most of your big producers/importers of Old West-style firearms have some cheaper, entry-level products. An example would be the Pistolero from Cimarron Firearms. This is a no-frills Colt Single Action Army replica available in .357 Magnum or .45 Colt and has an MSRP of $611.25. For a basic beginner rifle, you might check out the Rossi R92. One with a 20” barrel and 10-shot capacity in .45 Colt or .357 Magnum has an MSRP of $833.99. Of course you can also go the used gun route. You can realize some substantial savings, but as they say, let the buyer beware. Also, before you buy a gun, check the SASS or NCOWS regs to be sure it is “legal.” Note, most stages with rifles require 10 rounds, so don’t buy a lever-action that only holds 8 cartridges.
Second only to guns in expense is ammunition. Let’s say you are going to use .45 Colt sixguns and lever-guns. I checked the Cheaper than Dirt website and found some .45 Colt “Cowboy Ammunition” for $214.89; that’s for 250 cartridges, which translates to 86¢ every time you pull the trigger. A typical match will require around 120 rounds. That’s not too bad, but save those brass cartridge cases because you will shortly have 250 cases you can reload. Most CAS competitors use handloaded ammunition. Getting set up to handload is initially expensive, but once you get the basic components, it gets cheaper and cheaper. Sticking with .45 Colt – from Lee Precision you can get a turret press kit that includes almost everything you need; including a reloading manual (important) for $266.89. Then add a set of their .45 Colt carbide dies for $49.00. Now, let’s go to Midway USA and for $97.99 you can get 500 lead .45 Colt bullets, a pound of Alliant Unique smokeless gun powder will set you back $68.99, and a 1000 pack of their cheapest large pistol primers is $52.99. This will definitely be cheaper than 86¢ a shot, and keep in mind, a pound of powder goes a long way. For shotgun shells; go to a big box retail store. They run about $10-15 for a box of 25, low-brass, #7-1/2. You’ll use about a box a match.
Last, but not least is leather gear and clothing. At ground level, a single loop Hunter holster will run you about $86.55 and one of their 2.5” width cartridge belts another $110.81. It depends on whether you shoot SASS, NCOWS or even both whether you will need a shotshell belt or slide. I did some web surfing and found a couple of outfits called the Historic Emporium and Wild West Mercantile. You can put together a basic outfit with some judicious internet shopping, and get trousers, a shirt, vest, cowboy hat, boots, and a neckerchief for around $320.00, sans shipping, etc. You can also haunt flea markets, and at some cowboy shoots there’s a table or two of used items for sale. A couple of no-noes are straw cowboy hats with big feathers like you can buy at the truck stop or boots with all kinds of fancy stitching. You might get by with the boots if you are doing SASS B-Western Cowboy.
By now your head is probably spinning. Yes, cowboy action shooting is an expensive proposition, but then again so is golf. If you are economically challenged, then the more judicious shopping you do, the better deals you might find. Just remember those SASS and NCOWS resources that I’ve given you, and look to see if something is “legal” before you plunk down your hard-earned bucks. Being out on the range with a bunch of like-minded folks is worlds of fun. After my first match I was hooked. A lot of it is mindset too. If you want to be a real competitor and shave every second off your time for a higher score, you can do that. Some of these cowfolks are super-fast and have spent big bucks to have customized action jobs done on their firearms. Or you can do like I do and compete with myself and just try to shoot a clean stage without any misses or procedural violations. Cowboy or Western Action Shooting is what you make it. Good luck partner!
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