ZVP,
In my experience, sharing is what separates the Cowboy Action Shooting sports from the other shooting disciplines. I shot IPSC with USPSA for years, Silhouette, IDPA , High Power Competition and dabbled in Sporting Clays. It wasn’t until I started shooting CAS matches I saw sharing on the scale I see today.
At the three clubs I shoot with I can guarantee that if you show up and ask how you could shoot with us they would tell you ”fill out a release form, pay the match fee, and then ask, do you need guns and equipment?” There would be multiple members that would have guns, ammo and gear they would either share or lend to the newcomer. At least two of the clubs have extra gun carts that have been donated for this purpose and they have ear and eye protection.
We post a time when new shooters have to check in which gives us time to send them off with the club safety officer to be checked out. We also do that with any visiting shooters that we don’t know, they just have to show proficiency and answer a few questions. The new shooters get a chance to shoot each of their weapons and practice careful drawing and reholstering. They are showed loading and unloading briefed on the rules and then paired with a “mentor” shooter if they are not the guest of someone. The mentor will stay with them at the loading table, behind them at the shooting area and with them once again at the unloading table. The mentor can’t shoot directly before or after them, so they can concentrate on coaching and observing. This also makes it possible for the mentor to share guns with this shooter and gives them time to go through the stage themselves without being rushed. Ideally the mentor will also serve as a “miss” counter and brass picker and teach the new shooter what to look for and do in those portions of posse participation.
I always carry a spare set of revolvers that are my wet weather guns. I normally shoot a pair of 1860 cap guns and I have pair of 1860 Richards Type 2s in .44 spl as my “rain guns.” I also carry a spare rifle and shotgun. If my daughters are with me they have USFA .38s, Marlin carbines in .38 and Stoeger 12 ga doubles cut down to their size with Sorbothane recoil pads. My girls will share their guns with women and younger shooters and have even been pretty good coaches to the new shooters.
At one club the president puts out a monthly notice asking if there will be any 13 years old or younger shooters at the match and if they need a “buckaroo” outfit he has with .22 revolvers, a .22 Lever gun and a cut down .410 shotgun.
I always carry this long 2 ½ wide belt with so many belt holes in it you can fit from about 32” to 40” waists. I have extra left and right Slim Jim Holsters and a shotgun slide that fits on a belt for shells. I carry spare .38 spl, .45 Colt, 20 ga and 12 ga smokeless loads for newcomers and often “loan” it to shooters who simply left ammo at home on the bench or are having reliability problems. The repayment is they have to carry a spare box of ammo for other shooter and “pass on the help.” If they insist they can “repay “ me with either primers, bullets or a box of Win AA Xtra-Lite 12 ga shells, that goes back in the box. I even have a spare can of 3Fg powder, Ø.454 balls, Ø.380 balls and #10 and #11 caps. This is our spares box, I have all of this in one of the Rubbermaid shooting boxes we take.
I don’t often practice on public ranges , but if I did I would do the same thing with people interested and invite them to one of the monthly shoots.
This is how you grow clubs and develop a reputation as a friendly and open bunch.
~Mako
right after they pull the trigger, then do this 