El Tejon said:
I used to ref CAS matches for a bondsman buddy of mine.
I have seen this almost occur before I put a quick stop to it. There are two variations that I saw:
1. The top wrist flick: the cowboy flicks the gun over his shoulder in cocking it like he is casting a fly rod. First time I saw it I dropped my clipboard (and then had small stroke) and stopped everyone right there and gave them a basic weapons handling lecture.
2. The two gun sideways push: the cowboy has guns blazing, one after other, and one pistol (usually weaker hand) pushes to side and muzzle goes sideways as he draws the weapon back. We put a stop to the Duelist stuff after I pointed this out.
CAS is a lot of fun (I mean playing dress up, what's more fun that that, it's like a carbine class and the guys who dress up as "operators"). I just wish the organization would stress proper weapons handling. Too many treated it as a "game." Maybe this will spur change.
You're kidding, right? You obviously haven't been a CAS match that follows SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) rules. First of all, you don't "ref" a SASS match. Each posse has SASS-certified Range Officers, and EVERY member of the posse is a safety officer.
More importantly, SASS is the most safety-conscious shooting organization I have ever seen, by a long shot. SASS rules are so incredibly restrictive that some of us think they go overboard and remove too much of the "fun" from the sport.
For example, under SASS rules you cannot move with a cocked gun. That means no shooting "on the move", as is common in IPSC, IDPA and every other action shooting sport. In a SASS match, you can only move with the hammer down on an empty chamber. A violation of this rule results in an immediate stage disqualification. I've seen plenty of competitors DQ'ed for simply shuffling their feet a little.
Second, SASS has a rule to enforce muzzle discipline that is known as "the 170." Basically, it means that if you muzzle ever strays too far from downrange, you are disqualified. Point it straight up in the air results in an immediate disqualification. It is not uncommon to see beginners get their muzzles a little high when trying to cock a revolver one-handed. The Timer Operator will usually caution them to watch their muzzle. If they keep doing it, they'll get DQ'ed.
In fact, the 170 rule about muzzle direction is so strict that you can't reholster a crossdraw while standing square to the line without getting a DQ. That results in competitors using crossdraw rigs having to turn their bodies sideways to the line before reholstering -- a move that is so common in CAS it has become known as "the crossdraw shuffle" or just "the dance." At pre-match safety meetings, you almost always hear the Safety Officer say, "competitors with crossdraws, remember to 'do the dance.'"
Third, sweeping anyone with a muzzle, even yourself and even when the firearm is open and unloaded behind the line, is an automatic DQ. After clearing your guns at the unloading table under the eye of the unloading officer, you walk them back to your cart with muzzles up and actions open. If you accidentally sweep a fellow competitor on the way, you're done for the day -- that's a match DQ. Of course, I go to the club to shoot a round of trap or skeet, and I get swept by 10 muzzles before I have my car unloaded. Go figure.
After shooting CAS for a few years, I find it difficult to attend any other type of organized shooting competition, because no other group is anywhere near as anal about safety as SASS is.
Finally, let me note that it sounds like this guy was practicing shooting "Gunfighter" style, which means handling one revolver in each hand simultaneously. "Duelist" requires shooting one-handed, i.e., cocking and firing the revolver with a single hand (the way it was done in the old west, and the style the guns were designed for). "Gunfighter" is Duelist with two guns at once -- one in each hand.
Gunfighter can indeed be dangerous. It's hard enough to manipulate a single action revolver one-handed. Once you master that, you should practice with the weak hand until you are just as good weak-handed as strong-handed. Only then should you attempt Gunfighter.
At my club, you have to be a member and compete as a Duelist for at least a year before they'll even let you attempt to qualify to compete as a Gunfighter. The qualification involves a test on a closed range before several experienced Gunfighters.
SASS couldn't be any more safe than it is. That's why this accident occurred when and where it did. He was on his own "practicing" things that he would never be permitted to do at a match.
