Cowboy Action Shooting: Getting Started
By Jim Taylor (J Bar T)
SASS #53379
I suppose almost all
shooters have heard of Cowboy Action Shooting by now. One
the fastest (if not the fastest) growing segments of the
Shooting Sports, Cowboy Action continues to attract new
shooters even though it has been around for a long time.
Inspired by the movie “The Wild Bunch” a group of
shooters in California began shooting “cowboy
style” on a regular basis in the 1970’s. The
idea continued to grow and spread and the result was the
formation of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), the
original and largest of the Cowboy Action organizations today
with over 50,000 members.
The firearms used are
limited to firearms or replicas thereof, of the kind produced
before 1899. Handguns are limited to single action
revolvers. Rifles can be either lever action or slide
action but both must have exposed hammers and must be in
“pistol” calibers. Shotguns can be either
double barrel (external hammers or “hammerless”) or
slide action (with a hammer) of the types made before 1899.
They cannot be larger than 10 ga. nor can they have
barrels shorter than 18”. Ammunition for the
handguns and rifles are limited to lead bullets at very
moderate velocities. Shotguns are limited to “low
brass” lead shot loads with #4 birdshot or smaller.
The various Cowboy
Action organizations may have slightly different rules in some
area, but those are the basics. There are Side Matches
for Buffalo Rifles or “Long Range” rifles as they
are called. There are also Side Matches involving
Pocket Pistols and Derringers. The combinations and how
they are used in a match are almost endless and always
entertaining. One thing about Cowboy Action that makes
it attractive to new shooters, it’s fun to watch!
