I have joined THR with a view to hopefully answering some of the questions posed in this thread .... although I will hopefully be a continuing contributor here.
I am a long-time member of the Grand Army of the Frontier, which essentially started out as an internet discussion group for like-minded cowboy action shooters who also were interested in military history and firearms of the Victorian era ..... such as shooters who enjoyed participating in CAS matches in a military persona ..... Since those are my primary interests, GAF was a natural for me!
GAF very soon progressed far enough to begin to hold its own shooting matches - called "Musters", with the first "Grand National Muster" having been held in 2004. Considering the distances I have had to travel from my home in southern Alberta (.... as far as Texas and no closer than central Nebraska ....) I might be considered a bit of a fanatic - I have attended every National Muster since the outset - except 2006 and 2012, when other commitments conflicted. I have just returned from the 2014 National Muster in Nebraska.
The first shoots held by GAF were little more than "cowboy action shoots with many of the participants in uniform" - the usual pistol caliber lever-action carbines were used, although from the outset military-style handguns were permitted, and even encouraged. (By the way, in keeping with the "military" theme, the rifle has always been the "primary" firearm, and only a single pistol is used - if at all - and no shotgun in most of the categories.
It didn't take long for the present-day "battle rifle" categories to develop and become the primary focus of GAF-style shooting. However, GAF retains a "Scout" category, in which shooters compete with their usual cowboy action rifle and handgun, and need not be in uniform.
In fact, it is not a
requirement that
anyone compete in uniform - however, use of military firearms and wearing of uniforms is encouraged by uniform awards and a "Brigade Champion" award which can be won only by a competitor in one of the two main military categories who competes in uniform, places in his class in the main match, places in a uniform category and places in the long range rifle competition within his class. In fact, it is entirely possible that if nobody meets all these criteria at a particular Muster, there will be no "Brigade Champion" award.
Although rather over-simplified (and subject to finalization in some revisions currently underway) current Grand Army of the Frontier shooting categories are as follows
- "Marksman" - Milspec Repeating rifle: original-caliber repeating "battle rifle" - e.g. a Krag, early Mauser bolt-action, Long Lee-Enfield, or the like - and a suitable handgun
- "Rifleman" - Milspec Single-shot rifle: original-caliber single-shot "battle rifle" - e.g. a Trapdoor Springfield, Snider-Enfield, Martini-Henry, or the like - and a suitable handgun.
(At a main Muster, the above two classes would usually be further broken down into "smokeless" and "black powder" sub-categories.)
- "Militia" - Lever action and/or civilian spec repeaters,
rifle calibers. Any GAF approved handgun
- "Scout" - Lever action, pistol calibers, single action revolver
- "Staff Officer" - Handgun only, Milspec or of documented Military use in the Victorian era
- "Infantryman" - Milspec rifle only
- "Buffalo Scout" - Victorian-era Single shot hunting rifles (no ejectors), single action revolver
- "Forager Scout" - Single shot (ejectors allowed) double barrel (No ejectors) or lever action shotgun, single action revolver
Probably sounds complicated, but the idea is to ensure that shooters are competing on a roughly equal level in each category, and in fact many Musters will have no competitors in some of these potential categories.
A few photos from GAF Musters to hopefully whet your interest a bit more -
This was at the first GAF National Muster in Kansas in 2004 .... I was mainly shooting a repro Model 1866 Winchester chambered in .45 Colt, but for this particular stage (based on the Defence of Rorke's Drift commemorated in the movie
'Zulu') the match director had specified that the lever action carbines everybody was using must be single-loaded through the top to simulate firing a Martini-Henry rifle. I had this full-bore .577/.450 Martini-Henry rifle along for the long-range side match, and he asked if I had enough rounds to shoot this particular stage with it. I did .... and, as they say, "the rest is history" - it was such a hoot, and was enjoyed so much by everyone there (the entire shooting line shut down to watch) that the seeds of the "battle rifle format" for GAF were planted then and there ....
2010, Texas. Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, 1885. .577 Snider-Enfield Short Rifle
2011. Kansas. Regiment of Canadian Artillery, circa 1885. .577/.450 Martini-Henry rifle.
2013, Kansas. Canadian Infantry in South Africa, 1899-1900. .303 Magazine Lee-Enfield ("Long Lee-Enfield")
Grand Army of the Frontier Staff, 2009 (Fort Hartsuff, Nebraska) As stated, there is no
requirement to wear uniforms, but GAF certainly presents lots of opportunity to do so. This was taken at the time of the Saturday night banquet that year.
