Why aren't you a cowboy action shooter?

[Deanimator]

It's not my thing, I don't shoot SASS, but I'm not going to criticize the sport for requiring you to dress appropriately.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that any of the period bolt action offshoots of the Garand matches require you to wear a pickelhaube, a Stetson (doughboy OR New Zealand), or scarlet trousers. They still seem to be pretty well attended.

 

[kayak-man]

Forgive me making a blanket statement, but theres a lot of you, its 3pm where I am, and I still haven't eaten yet, so...

...To all the folks over on the wire who registered over here to post on this thread, Welcome to The High Road!

If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go grab some food.

Thanks,
Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

Also, sorry if my earlier post was a bit on the abrassive side

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that any of the period bolt action offshoots of the Garand matches require you to wear a pickelhaube, a Stetson (doughboy OR New Zealand), or scarlet trousers. They still seem to be pretty well attended.

So, are you saying the SASS shooters are wrong for requiring period clothing, or the bolt action people are wrong for not requiring it? Or are you saying that all shooting sports should be required to be in lock-step with each other?

Apples and oranges, anyone?

 

[SuperNaut]

It would be wise for the visiting SASS shooters to view this thread as an opportunity and not as an attack.

 

[mgmorden]

So, are you saying the SASS shooters are wrong for requiring period clothing, or the bolt action people are wrong for not requiring it? Or are you saying that all shooting sports should be required to be in lock-step with each other?

Apples and oranges, anyone?

It's not that they have to be all the same. The simple fact though was that the question was posed "Why aren't you a cowboy action shooter?" It looks like the dress requirements are a major part of the answer for a lot of people. Hard to get too mad at people for simply answering the question honestly.

As I said, I wouldn't personally mind competing - I've already got 1 appropriate SA revolver (have another but it's a .22), the shotgun, and a lever rifle, but I have never in my life put on a cowboy hat, shirt, or boots, and I have no intentions of ever doing so. If that means I can't shoot CASS, meh, so be it. I'm not going to petition them to change that but if they ask me why I'm not participating I'll give my answer.

 

[gizmodog]

why aren't I a CAS shooter........welll.........

i wanted to join a local CAS club but really didn't want to buy another rifle or shotgun. i suggested why not allow those members who just wanted dress out and shoot their B.P. revolvers during club shoots be allowed to do so.

the officers said no; so i joined the skunk skinners muzzleloader club at the same range. shoot without having to spent a fortune on more guns and get to dress out too, plus the match fees are only $4.00. win/win for me.
P.S.my persona was a confederate soldier gone west. having done authentic campaigning i had REAL historical clothing which didn't seem to be accepted by the general lot of saturday afternoon hoolyweird cow pokes that i was rubbing shoulders with.............
gizmodog

 

[familyman555]

I have been interested in it. A range about 45 minutes away lists CAS as one of the things that happen there. However, whenever I visit I have never seen a schedule of planned events. I have never seen anyone wearing a cowboy outfit. It could be that club has died out or they just do stuff at different times. I think that I would check it out if there was an opportunity available.

 

[Jim Watson]

It's OK, folks.
You don't have to shoot CAS if you don't like the clothes, or the rules, or the loads, or the old fashioned otherwise worthless guns, or the expense, or anything else about it. No excuses required. Heck, I don't shoot it any more because of the drift in standards from when I started.
You can shoot IPSC, or IDPA, or NRA, or NSSA, or ATA, or ISU or PPC or IHMSA, or probably in some other alphabet soup sanctioning organization. That is unless your real problem is somebody keeping score. I see a lot of people whose objections to organized shooting boils down to the fact that their skills will be measured and publicized to all.

 

[MBaneACP]

This sounds silly, but all sports are what they are...you want to play at the highest level of the sport, it's going to cost you. Go price a nice Perazzi for sporting clays. And every sport has their "gamers" -- for every IDPA shooter who shoots his or her carry gun, there's one building a $3000 9mm 1911 ESP blaster. But that doesn't have anything to do with us regular shooters.

I just got home from Winter Range, the cowboy nationals, and I was lucky to shoot on a squad (called a "posse" of course) with three class champions...what I saw was a breath-taking exhibition of shooting talent. Forget the cowboy hats...when you see shooters able to hit 10 rifle, 10 pistol and 6 knock-down shotgun targets, transitioning between 4 guns and 3 shooting positions, in 19 seconds, your jaw will drop.

There was an issue with ultralight loads a few years back, but SASS responded with knockdown plates -- Winter Range had 2 banks of plates for pistol and 2 for rifle. believe me, there is nothing more depressing than blazing through a plate rack (as I did last year at the Wild Bunch World Championships) Turn around and see 4 plates standing, with neat little perfectly centered hits...a 6 o'clock!

I could tell you some interesting stories about how cowboy shotgun techniques have had a profound effect on self-defense shotgun techniques, but in truth I have never had as much fun in a shooting sport as my Sweetie and I have had shooting cowboy these last couple of years.

Dr. Rob, join Dave and I in Colorado and I'll bring the trick guns...

Michael "Wolf Bane" Bane
Outdoor Channel

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

I live in colorado and would love to see your club shoots. thanks jon

 

[InkEd]

The answer is clear. Lose the costume requirement. Move the targets back a little and drop a couple more grains of powder in the casing. Get more shooters involved.

Several CAS have responded that they REALLY like the costumes. Okay. Great. Wear
it. Don't require it.

The lighter loads aren't THAT big deal to most people. However, logic would follow that since the lighter loads are used..... then why not ALSO allow .22lr to be used too?

 

[Old krow]

Why aren't you a cowboy action shooter?

Most of it has to do with Kayak-man's post. I don't own many "plinkers" or range queens. I am also pretty reluctant to go out and purchase 4 guns for a competition that I really don't know if I would like all that much. It looks like a lot of fun, but that's all from the outside looking in. Yes, you can spend a lot of money on 3-gun, or whatever competition you chose, but, it doesn't mean that you have to. If I want to shoot IDPA I use my CCW so if I decide that I don't want to, I'm not out of anything because I haven't bought a gun for it.

The short version: I've never really been introduced to it. I don't know anyone that does it and I had never really looked that deep into it until this thread and the subsequent link back to the SASS thread. I believe that the closest club to me is 3 hours away so I've never ventured out looking for a match.

I know people made comparisons to "race ready" 1911s and the relatively low cost to play, but, 4 guns @ $2k (I rounded up Leadfoot's number) is a pretty sizable chunk of change, especially since 2 of the guns really wouldn't have a practical value for me. I could probably justify an 1894 and a SxS. IMHO, it would be far more approachable if you could compete with one gun.

Otherwise, It looks pretty neat and I thought it was pretty cool to get input from the SASS guys on their hobby.

 

[kayak-man]

I do have one question: What do you guys all do for hearing protection? Are the earmuff style headsets discouraged, or is that ok?

 

[tazbigdog]

I am going to join SASS to shoot cowboy action shooting. Just need a name...

 

[gga357]

I did for several years, along with 3 gun. Now I have 2 kids, third on the way. My time is limited. We make EOT, to watch, each year now that it's in NM. To address the gamesmanship. I also am disappointed that it has gone this way. I still load 250gr at 900 fps. I do miss competing.

 

[Frank Ettin]

This sounds silly, but all sports are what they are...you want to play at the highest level of the sport, it's going to cost you. Go price a nice Perazzi for sporting clays. And every sport has their "gamers" -- for every IDPA shooter who shoots his or her carry gun, there's one building a $3000 9mm 1911 ESP blaster. But that doesn't have anything to do with us regular shooters....

Michael, a great and important insight. Competition is what each of us wants to make of it.

I've shot ATA trap at the Grand American (and at our own state championship). I've shot SASS and USPSA. I guarantee I'm not a contender. Rob Leatham has lost no sleep over me, and while Dan Bonillas and I get along well, he's not worried about me breaking any of his trapshooting records.

So I don't worry about the gamers. They're playing their game. I'm playing mine. As a short, fat, old, slow guy, I just want to have fun (and improve). And I have had fun and improved. So as long as I don't shoot myself or anyone else, and I'm not dead last, I'm happy.

 

[mcdonl]

Michael, welcome to THR.... I enjoy your work.

 

[J-Bar]

InkEd,

.22s are difficult to score because many times the heavy plates dont move and they are too far out to hear the little "tink". Little kids are allowed to use them because we want to encourage them to shoot. When they get to be teenagers, they shoot centerfires with us big kids.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

The answer is clear. Lose the costume requirement. Move the targets back a little and drop a couple more grains of powder in the casing. Get more shooters involved.

IOW, your game is almost perfect, but if you would change it to fit MY requirements, it would be better.

 

[Iggy]

I never met a more unfriendly group in my life.

 

[co_dave]

Kayak man, while I have seen ear muff type hearing protection, most use the stuff in the ear type.

Jon Coppenbarger - within a max 2 hour drive of Denver there is a match pretty much going on every weekend of the month. Earlier in this thread I posted a link to some videos of this months match at Pawnee Station in Wellington, CO. Their website gives times and directions. One note on that range, please follow the speed limit signs in the yard on the way to the range, our landlord appreciates that.

When I started CAS, I was looking for a shooting sport, with my kids finally in college I had more time to myself, but didn't have much money. My brother in law told me about IPSC, IDPA, Cowboy Action and others. I decided that IDPA sounded like the best fit, as I had the guns, but I did want to check out the cowboy shooting, even though on some levels it seemed kinda silly with the costumes and such. One Saturday I had planned to go to an IDPA match, go thru the orientation and shoot. As luck would have it, I overslept. There was a cowboy match at a much closer range, so I went out just to check it out. As I said before, I was welcomed, and even before the match started offered guns and ammo to shoot the match, I declined, but did shoot a couple of stages. My wife knew she was in trouble when I came home with a grin a mile wide and wouldn't shut up about it for hours. I sold off some other toys, collectibles, and anything that wasn't nailed down (and a few things that were) and bought cowboy guns, leather, and started reloading. Three years and thousands of rounds later I'm still having a ball. I did finally make one IDPA style match, it was ok, just not quite my cup of tea. I enjoy being able to shoot 4 guns each stage and transition from one to the next.

Cowboy Action Shooting and SASS are alive and well and growing. Last year SASS passed the 90,000 level in membership numbers.

Dave

If it sounds like fun, go check it out, if not, that's fine too.

 

[kayak-man]

Micheal, Welcome to THR.

I think Larry Ashcraft got it right, we can't really expect a sport to change to suit the new shooters.

If I were going to get into some combination of playing dress-up and shooting, I guess I'd have to form my own shooting sport...like Indiana Jones and Rick O'Connell (from The Mummy) ...So, I guess what we're looking at here is a shooting game that has the flavor of those movies and the serials that were their ancestors. Can't come up with a catchy name right off the top of my head, though. I think this might actually be fun. Anybody else? PM me with ideas or we can start a new thread rather than highjack this one.

If anyone is interested in Joes idea, theres a thread open in the Competition section.

 

[mcdonl]

I never met a more unfriendly group in my life, and I kinda even got the required duds

I never would have believed you because my experience with CAS/SASS has been what I have seen on TV, and a good friend of mine who does mounted shooting competitions.... until I was attacked in a private message and told that all people from New England are snobs because I simply pointed out that not everyone wears Cowboy boots and Cowboy hats... just like not everyone wears bean boots and mad bombers....

 

[Jbar4Ranch]

Wow, I'm astounded how many replies there are that claim we are "clique-ish" and "unfriendly". I don't think I've ever seen that, and certainly never experienced it.

Dr. Rob,
What you need is pretty easy to aquire, besides, it's fun to shoot dressed like this:

Or this:

 

[FROGO207]

I have attended a couple events at the local range. Yeah it is fun and all but I have so many irons in the fire presently that the time is not there. I could get a new lever rifle or use the 45-90 in the family presently. The rest of the stuff I have now, and the outfit is no problem. I may soon compete but will have to drop some other activity to do so. That is the rub for me.