Cowboy action shooting

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Cowboy Action Shooting, also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport which originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s. Cowboy Action Shooting is now practiced world wide with several sanctioning organizations including the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), Western Action Shootists Association (WASA), National Congress of Old West Shooters (NCOWS) in the USA as well as others in the USA and in other countries. Cowboy action shooting is the fastest growing shooting sport in the world and due in large to the friendly culture and old west costumes, there are more women in this shooting sport than any other. Many new participants are getting involved with Cowboy action shooting are people that never expected to be involved in a shooting sport, until they saw how much fun people are having doing it.

The sport requires shooters to compete using firearms typical of the mid to late 19th century including single action revolvers, lever action rifles (chambered in pistol calibers) and side by side double barrel shotguns (with or without external hammers) or 1897 style pump action shotguns with external hammers. 1887 style lever action shotguns are also legal. Both original and reproduction guns are equally acceptable. All CAS guns must be "single action" meaning that the hammer must be manually cocked before each shot can be fired.

Competitors are required to wear an Old West costume of some sort during events. Depending on the standards of the sanctioning organization, costumes may be historically accurate for the late 1800s or may just be suggestive of the Old West. Some might even look like something out of an old western B-movie featuring Hopalong Cassidy or a television series like Gunsmoke. Participants must also select an alias out of the Old West or having an Old West flair. Many shooters get creative in selecting an alias (such as the banker who shoots under the alias "The Lone Arranger") which is registered with the sanctioning body who will prohibit any other shooter from using that same alias at a sanctioned event.

The competition involves shooting a number of separate shooting scenarios known as stages. Stages are always different and each stage will typically require ten pistol rounds (shooters generally carry two single action revolvers), nine or ten rifle rounds, and two to eight shotgun rounds. Targets are typically steel plates that ring/clang/ding when hit. Sometimes reactive targets such as steel knockdown targets or clay birds are used.

Shooters compete one at a time, against the clock. Some matches are scored simply by "total time" plus penalties & bonuses. Other matches are scored by Rank Points.

Each shooter's 'raw' time for the stage is increased by 5 seconds for each missed target and 10 seconds for any procedural penalty incurred. After these adjustments are made; the fastest time wins. Missed targets usually cost the shooter 5 seconds, and targets shot out of order incur a procedural penalty. Only one procedural penalty can be assessed per shooter per stage. As in golf, low scores are better.

In "Rank Point Scoring" the winner of a match is determined by adding up each shooters ranking for each stage with the lowest score winning. For example, if a shooter places first in every stage in a 10 stage match the shooters score would be 10 (a 1 for each stage) and would be the lowest score possible. More likely the shooter would not place first in every stage and might have scores such as a 1st place, a 3rd, a 6th, a 2nd, a 1st, a 1st a 2nd, a 3rd, a 1st and a 4th which totals up to 24 stage rank points for the match. If this shooter is in first place all other shooters will have a higher score. There is some controversy as to which is a better scoring system "Rank Points" or "Total Time".

Shooters are timed using electronic timers which record the time for each string of shots to one hundredth of a second. The timer starts when the Range Officer pushes the button and it beeps. The timer has a built in microphone and records the time that each loud noise (shot) happens. When there is no more noise, the timer continues to display the final time which is the raw score.

In a typical stage the shooter who is next in line to compete will load his guns at a loading table under the watchful supervision of another shooter. Although popularly known as "six shooters," for safety reasons western style six guns are always loaded with only five rounds with the empty chamber under the hammer. The shooters rifle will be loaded with the requisite number of rounds with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Shotguns are always left unloaded, then loaded "on the clock". At a typical Cowboy action range ALL guns are not loaded except when the shooter loads them at the loading table, shoots the stage, then proceeds to the unloading table to unload the revolvers and prove that all guns are empty. Even with empty guns, CAS is very big on safety, and there are a lot of important safety rules, more than some other shooting sports have.

When he comes to the line he will stage his long guns as required by the stage description (for instance he may stage his rifle on a hay bale to the left of where he starts and his shotgun on a hay bale to the right of where he starts the stage). When he steps to the starting position, the Range Officer who is conducting the shooter through the stage will ask if the shooter understands the course of fire and clarify any questions the shooter may have. The Range Officer will ask if the shooter is ready then will tell the shooter to "Stand By" and will start the timer within 2 to 5 seconds. When started the timer gives an audible electronic tone and the shooter will begin the stage.

An example of a stage might have the shooter draw his first pistol and engage five steel targets, then holster his first pistol and move to his left to where his rifle is staged. He will retrieve his rifle and engage the rifle targets set further away than the pistol targets. These might be nine separate targets or perhaps three targets which the shooter will sweep three times. He then lays his rifle back down on the hay bale open and empty and runs to the right where his shotgun is staged. Since shotguns are always staged open and empty, the shooter will retrieve his shotgun and load it with a maximum of two rounds (regardless of type of shotgun) and engage two knock down targets, reload and engage two more knock down targets which must fall to score. The shooter will then lay his shotgun back down on the hay bale open and empty and draw his second pistol, this time engaging three pistol targets in what is known as a "Nevada Sweep" (left, center, right, center, left for a total of five rounds).

After the shooter is finished shooting the Range Officer will tell the shooter to take his long guns and go the unloading table where another shooter will supervise the unloading and verify that his guns are unloaded. The shooter's time is then recorded and any misses or penalties recorded. Targets are scored by three observers who count misses. The Range Officer is responsible for safely conducting the shooter through the stage and so his attention is not on the targets but rather on the shooter and the shooter's firearm. One important duty of the RO is to immediately stop the shooter if the shooter's firearm or ammunition is defective in any potentially unsafe way.

The example of a stage above is representative but every stage at every match is different. Sometimes only two types of gun are used or perhaps even only one. Occasionally a shooter is required to reload a firearm on the clock.

In addition to requiring shooters to wear Old West attire, the Old West flavor of the matches is enhanced by having suitable targets and props for the stages. For example, a stage may be set in a bank and the shooter will be required to shoot through a barred bank window, then perhaps retrieve a sack of gold from a safe and carry it in one hand while shooting with his other hand. Another stage may have a shooter rescuing a baby (doll) and having to carry the baby through the entire stage while engaging the targets. Other props may include buck boards, chuck wagons, stage coaches and horses as well as jail cells, oak barrels, hitching posts, swinging saloon doors etc.

There are no money prizes offered in CAS, however, there are drawings and prizes for people that do not win, ensuring a less tense and more family oriented sport.

Socializing is a big aspect of the game and major matches often have dinner dances, costume judging and other social events. The sport is family oriented with wives and children taking part in the shooting competition and other events. Men and women may compete together or women may opt to enter in women only categories. As with all the shooting sports, men have no inherent advantage over the women and many women are top competitors.