Cowboy Action Shooting

[angelariz]

Cowboy action has been about speed from the very beginning... otherwise why time events. ..., Lowered hammers on sixguns, while visible, were allowed under the "my wife & kids need this modification so they can shoot..." whining. And while I can see .32 Single Sixes for the kids and smaller spouses, but you, big fella, at 6'2" and 200 lbs cannot possibly be that recoil sensitive!
So I just laugh, shoot my slightly modified Navies and go about my business. And tease the heck outta those that choose to shoot their gay, suppository micro guns.
I will say this, there isn't a single modification, or even several modifications that will allow a person to win a match without them also putting forth the effort to practice, religiously. I spoke to the International Champion a few times back in the 90s and asked him how much practice he put in before his first Championship win. He told me... "50,000 rounds, in just practice, not including any regular matches." There are folks that the competition is everything to them... then there are those that love the costuming and history of it... I'd say the vast majority are somewhere in the middle of the extremes of either vision. One of the founders told me he envisioned a costume contest with a shooting match thrown in on the side. But, as with everything in life, a little compromise greases the wheels and keeps the thing alive. So, be advised, it is neither strictly a shooting match nor is it a historical re-enactment. Historical accuracy is tolerated, but a little western fantasy is also welcomed! Be safe, Have fun, be safe, have fun. In that order. BTW, the rules can be found at: SASS Shooter's Handbook, 2023.

The link didnt open but ill find it.

 

[Griff093]

The link didnt open but ill find it.

Fixed it. Takes you to the page containing all the rules.

 

[Coinneach]

I’m a life member of SASS but I quit a few years ago when all the targets were moved in close and it became a money and speed game instead of a marksmanship game.

Here in Australia I gave it up for the same reason, too many "pistoleers" doing the machine gun thing barely 8 metres from the targets, its transformed into charade IMO.

I dont bother attending anymore.

 

[Siringo]

Pricking the cap? I havent heard of that. Ill have to do some research

Nipple. Sorry

 

[angelariz]

Here in Australia I gave it up for the same reason, too many "pistoleers" doing the machine gun thing barely 8 metres from the targets, its transformed into charade IMO.

I dont bother attending anymore.

Initially, watching the videos, i thought the distance looked too close, but most shootings are close range so i may enjoy the trigger time and for a season or two, if not more.

 

[Brazos John]

Back in '96 when I started in SASS, pistol targets were about 4" dia at 20' or so. Rifle targets were larger and farther, and gave the same relative sight picture. You had to actually use the sights and aim!
Hardly ever shot a clean stage, but I didn't practice, except while on the clock. When I did shoot a clean stage, it was an accomplishment!

Now, with the targets up close, I've shot clean matches that, while I smiled, it didn't bring the same satisfaction as when the targets were small, and a clean stage meant something!

So, I was thrilled when I heard of the Sharpshooter category, a bunch of years ago. I believe it was started at the Texas Historical Shootist Society, and I've been shooting in the Sharpshooter category since before Covid (although not much lately).
Sharpshooter has the shooter shooting his pistols at the rifle targets, and his rifle at the long-range rifle targets (about 100 yds). Shotgun targets are the same.

I don't shoot fast enough to be competitive, and I sure don't like hitting the muzzle on the stand-and-deliver targets, so Sharpshooter is a great solution for me.

I hope to get back to shooting when the temp drops below 100!

 

[Shiloh]

How far were the targets before?

Every club set them up differently. Rifle targets were around 40 yards out. Pistol targets were maybe 20 yards out shotgun targets were maybe 10 yards. Again this is just a rough estimate as I don't think the distances were measured very close.

 

[Shiloh]

To be fair, most self defense is done up close and personal.

CAS is not supposed to be training for self defense.

 

[Shiloh]

Cowboy action has been about speed from the very beginning... otherwise why time events.

I beg to differ. Time was only one aspect of it. Marksmanship was more important. As they used to say back then "you can't miss fast enough to win."

 

[Griff093]

I beg to differ. Time was only one aspect of it. Marksmanship was more important. As they used to say back then "you can't miss fast enough to win."

You can differ all you want. If accuracy was any factor beyond simply hitting a target with a lead bullet, then we'd have used scored paper targets with scoring areas. Amongst the shooters who hit all the targets, who won? He who was fastest. And even back in the day, that same winner, sometimes missed a target or two... Just that others also missed some, slower! When I started in 1985, (at the first club in the US), pistol targets were usually 6-10" @ around 7 yards, rifle targets were between 8-12" @ between 15-35 yards, sometimes as far as 50, while shotgun targets were sometimes poppers & around 10 yards. And yes, it was about how fast you could go... If you didn't practice and just shot at a monthly match, you were simply an "also-ran".

Various clubs would emphasize different aspects, but speed was always an emphasis... Some have more movement than others... laterally and downrange where practical. I didn't mind that as a 35 year old when I started, but today... not so much... But, it's still challenging, maybe even more so... at nearly 73. Even today, you can't miss fast enough to win. When the fastest shooters are shooting clean stages in less than 15 seconds, it doesn't matter how accurate you are, if you're not in that sub 15 second group, you're an also ran. This is just as true as when we only used one sixgun and fast times were in the low to mid 20s... if you weren't also clean and in the low to mid 20s, you were also in the "loser' category. Relying your competition to have a trainwreck is not the sign of a winner... it's being lucky. The adage that there isn't any target big enough or close enough that it can't be missed is as true back in the 1980s when I first heard it, as it is today. To win, you have to shoot accurately... FAST. It doesn't matter to the fast shooters how small or far away you place the targets... they're still going to be in the winner's circle... the ones that are hurt most are the less skilled shooters, for they will miss more. You won't find many clubs anywhere in the US where they're still using those 4" - 8" targets at far distances... They simply withered away and died, as folks prefer to shoot bigger, closer targets, and clubs that cater to them are still around. I started a club here outside Dallas in 1991, and we have had to go thru this same change. Not everyone likes it, but, like any speed event, younger, faster, better skilled & trained folks come along and displace the old guard.

 

[Shiloh]

You can differ all you want. If accuracy was any factor beyond simply hitting a target with a lead bullet, then we'd have used scored paper targets with scoring areas. Amongst the shooters who hit all the targets, who won? He who was fastest. And even back in the day, that same winner, sometimes missed a target or two... Just that others also missed some, slower! When I started in 1985, (at the first club in the US), pistol targets were usually 6-10" @ around 7 yards, rifle targets were between 8-12" @ between 15-35 yards, sometimes as far as 50, while shotgun targets were sometimes poppers & around 10 yards. And yes, it was about how fast you could go... If you didn't practice and just shot at a monthly match, you were simply an "also-ran".

Various clubs would emphasize different aspects, but speed was always an emphasis... Some have more movement than others... laterally and downrange where practical. I didn't mind that as a 35 year old when I started, but today... not so much... But, it's still challenging, maybe even more so... at nearly 73. Even today, you can't miss fast enough to win. When the fastest shooters are shooting clean stages in less than 15 seconds, it doesn't matter how accurate you are, if you're not in that sub 15 second group, you're an also ran. This is just as true as when we only used one sixgun and fast times were in the low to mid 20s... if you weren't also clean and in the low to mid 20s, you were also in the "loser' category. Relying your competition to have a trainwreck is not the sign of a winner... it's being lucky. The adage that there isn't any target big enough or close enough that it can't be missed is as true back in the 1980s when I first heard it, as it is today. To win, you have to shoot accurately... FAST. It doesn't matter to the fast shooters how small or far away you place the targets... they're still going to be in the winner's circle... the ones that are hurt most are the less skilled shooters, for they will miss more. You won't find many clubs anywhere in the US where they're still using those 4" - 8" targets at far distances... They simply withered away and died, as folks prefer to shoot bigger, closer targets, and clubs that cater to them are still around. I started a club here outside Dallas in 1991, and we have had to go thru this same change. Not everyone likes it, but, like any speed event, younger, faster, better skilled & trained folks come along and displace the old guard.

Let me ask you this. What year did you start shooting CAS?

 

[Shiloh]

Never mind. I just read what year you started. Just after I did.

 

[Snydly]

Wife and I started shooting SASS in "96". Used to shoot in 5 different towns here in Wy. 2 in one weekend and on Sunday every weekend of each month. It was about having fun first... shooting accurate and fast was something we all tried to do. At the end of the day, only a few people even knew where they finished. All of us wanted to be first with the fastest time and the fewest misses. With 5 categories everyone had a chance to win. The stages were set up for the "instant gratification". aspect. Close enough and big enough that everyone hit the targets most of the time. The slower shooters hit the targets and heard them ring enough that they were happy and wanted to come back next month. The faster shooters were going for broke and ended up with a few misses.... but at the end of the day.... everyone had a great time. 99% of the guns were stock. Over the years as new shooters began to show up,,, the atmosphere slowly changed. They wanted bigger targets,,, and closer! Then the tricked out guns started to show up,,, short strokes, custom pistols and rifles,,, hundreds of dollars to have them "smoothed up" by some expert gunsmith. Then the mood started to change. For heavens sake do not talk to the gamers.... they were busy, with that win or die look in their eye and their attitude. Soon all the original shooters began to lose interest. Not because they could not win but because it wasn't fun any more. Such a shame.. wife and I loved it. She was a great shot, finished 1st one year at Hell on Wheels in her category. I do miss it but not the newer "gamers".

 

[Shiloh]

Wife and I started shooting SASS in "96". Used to shoot in 5 different towns here in Wy. 2 in one weekend and on Sunday every weekend of each month. It was about having fun first... shooting accurate and fast was something we all tried to do. At the end of the day, only a few people even knew where they finished. All of us wanted to be first with the fastest time and the fewest misses. With 5 categories everyone had a chance to win. The stages were set up for the "instant gratification". aspect. Close enough and big enough that everyone hit the targets most of the time. The slower shooters hit the targets and heard them ring enough that they were happy and wanted to come back next month. The faster shooters were going for broke and ended up with a few misses.... but at the end of the day.... everyone had a great time. 99% of the guns were stock. Over the years as new shooters began to show up,,, the atmosphere slowly changed. They wanted bigger targets,,, and closer! Then the tricked out guns started to show up,,, short strokes, custom pistols and rifles,,, hundreds of dollars to have them "smoothed up" by some expert gunsmith. Then the mood started to change. For heavens sake do not talk to the gamers.... they were busy, with that win or die look in their eye and their attitude. Soon all the original shooters began to lose interest. Not because they could not win but because it wasn't fun any more. Such a shame.. wife and I loved it. She was a great shot, finished 1st one year at Hell on Wheels in her category. I do miss it but not the newer "gamers".

I think that sums it up best. I never would have been able to shoot thousands of rounds for practice even with a Dillon reloader. I could out shoot half the people there even though I only shot at matches. I wasn't there to win. I was there to have fun. If speed is your thing then just show up with you ball cap, t-shirt and sneakers and blast away.

 

[Griff093]

Never mind. I just read what year you started. Just after I did.

Really, what year did you start? Where?

 

[Shiloh]

It was sometime in the mid 80’s. My first shoot was Land Run in Oklahoma.

 

[Texas Gil]

I realize CAS doesnt always fit in with the cap and ball genre of shootists games. However, any time i can get out of the present time we live in I will.
The point of this post is to ask if others have participated in CAS using Piettas and can they hold up to the 2 guns portion of Cowboy Action Shooting competitions?

Also, i would ask the low cost coach guns that will be able to function in the competitions as well.

I am new to all of this but once im in, i dive in the deep side.

shot SASS in Texas for 10 years. Mainly i shot the same Pietta 1860's the entire time. one of them dropped the lever catch at the front of the barrel twice in 10 years. simple solder job fixed that. Otherwise nothing else broke. Very reliable pistols. I have a lot of confidence in Pietta pistols.

 

[Griff093]

It was sometime in the mid 80’s. My first shoot was Land Run in Oklahoma.

The very first Land Run wasn't until the early 1990s, 1993/4 IIRC. The Territorial Marshalls (host club) were formed in 1993 at the Oklahoma City Gun Club.

 

[Shiloh]

The very first Land Run wasn't until the early 1990s, 1993/4 IIRC. The Territorial Marshalls (host club) were formed in 1993 at the Oklahoma City Gun Club.

Ok

 

[Loyalist Dave]

FOLKS,
Because CAS and SASS have matches where cap-n-ball revolvers are used, it does not then mean that discussion of repro cartridge guns and rifles made from post 1865 designs are allowed, nor are conversions of pre-1865 arms to use modern cartridges allowed. "Modern" meaning fully fixed ammo that uses a primer.