August is finally gone and we can look to the cooler days of fall, just around the corner. With fall comes all of those great local CAS shoots to attend. T-Town, The Kansas State Match, Boarder Wars, The Missouri State Match, all lie ahead of us before the snow starts to fly. It's been a great year for the Powder Creek Cowboys and all the success we have celebrated at our range. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET STARTED IN COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING?
By KC Colt
CAS (Cowboy Action Shooting) is the fastest growing shooting sport in the world. It is not just a shooting event but a colorful spectacle that brings you back to the days of the Old West. The posse at Powder Creek is made up of desperados such as the Pica Kid, Croaker, Lit Rhodes, Windy City Joe, and Ranger Westy. These colorful aliases foster an atmosphere of fun and good will during friendly competition carried out in a relaxed manner and with safety being the prime concern.
Anyone who enjoys watching western movies and has fond memories of such TV shows as Gunsmoke and Have Gun Will Travel will enjoy CAS. Companies such as Colt and Winchester have reintroduced the firearms that made them famous at the end of the 19th century. Many firms such as Ruger, Uberti Rossi, Pietta, and Beretta produce exact replicas of the old Colts and Winchesters that are more economically priced. This has made acquiring a CAS legal guns much easier for those who wish to get involved.
The main focus of CAS is to have fun. All shooters are welcome regardless of how good or bad a shot you are. Costuming is very important in CAS and many cowboy shooters spend a great deal of time and effort perfecting their Old West persona. This means no Tshirts, running shoes or baseball caps. Western style wear to include cowboy hat and boots are in order. Your persona can be based upon any historical or fictional character of the American Old West. This includes gunfightas Cowboy Action is not the place to learn basic firearm handling skills. So if you're new to handling firearms, you're still welcome to come out and watch us shoot. If you don't have your guns yet, you can ask opinions from the shooters to help you decide. We can also let a new shooter try out our firearms so they can get a better feel for the different options available.
On the subject of equipment, everyone has their idea of the ideal gun setup and the same can be said about leather. It is best to use the same caliber of ammunition for both rifle and revolvers. The 38sp ammo is the most popular and cost effective caliber. But the converse is 45Colt guns are more authentic. So it depends on how you want to play the game. Revolvers choices are the Ruger New Vaqueros, Uberti colt clones, Pietta colt clones, and a few others. The most popular barrel length is 5.5" and stainless steel or nickel plated guns are good if you want to shoot Black Powder due to the clean up factor. Rifles choices include the Marlin 94, Uberti 66 and 73 models and also the Rossi or Puma Model 92 clones. Make sure the rifle you pick out can hold 10 cartridges since most stages require 10 shots. Leather is another subject. I was told to buy the best leather I could afford due to the fact it will be made to fit me and work better. I took the advice and still use the same rig after 4 years and am still very happy with my holster rig. You will also need a shotgun belt or slide and it should hold 8 or more shells.
I guess the most important thing to do is to come to a shoot and ask for advice. We love to help the new guys. And I will say it again, we will let you borrow our guns and gear so you can get a feel for the game.
KC Colt, SASS 69404