Shooter Spotlight : Colt Faro

Where do you live? (what state or country)

  Oklahoma

When did you start shooting CAS and how did you or who got you into the sport?

  Started in 2004
Saw some shooters at a gun show in Houston and learned about the sport. That was back in 1997 or so.

Who was your mentor, either known to them or not?

Mentor none really. I was involved with a club called the Oakwood Outlaws early on and there were a few decent shooters there.  

How much do you practice, how many rounds a month do you send down range?

  We live close to the range here in OKC and we are able to go whenever we want really. This is a luxury we’ve had for the last two years. When I say we I mean me and Matt Black my son. We shoot quite a bit of modern stuff these days but we ramp up the Cowboy practice prior to big matches.

Have you won any state, regional, national or world championships?

  I’ve won several state, regional and World Champion titles over the years however my son Matt Black has 4 Overall World titles and 3 of them are consecutive. I’ve played a supporting roll in making that happen I guess.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

  2019 EOT World Championship.
Matt Black sprained his ankle really bad two weeks prior to the match. I had no idea if he’d be able to shoot but shoot he did and it was the most incredible match I’ve ever seen him shoot. That’s the most memorable however another standout was me and Matt Black coming 1st and 2nd Overall at Texas State some years back. There have been so many it’s hard to nail down just one. Yes I have several stories.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

  My favorite aspect of CAS is the friendships first and it’s tough to beat all the shooting you get to do not to mention travel.

Is there a story behind your alias, and what is that story?

  My alias. Hmmm yes there is a bit of a story although possibly a bit bland.
I came up with my alias because I didn’t want to portray a person from history or the movies. I wanted to make a name for myself so me being a collector of Colt firearms and I like the name. Faro came about because I had just learned to play the game and have always been a bit of a gambler at times. Colt Faro just had a nice ring to it and it suits me. It’s also easy to spell and only 8 letters. Lol

Do you have a travel/shooting buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what itis)

Of course as I’ve mentioned before Matt Black is my my son and he has always traveled with me. Of course we have friends that tag along as well at times but it’s usually just him and I tearing up the countryside building memories and living dreams that most folks would love to. To say I’m blessed is an understatement.

Where is your favorite place to shoot? (range or match past or present)

  My range the Oklahoma City Gun Club. It’s awesome and one of the best venues in the country.
We are home of Landrun the SW Regional and it’s the most fun for us these days.

What category do you shoot?

  You can’t beat EOT it’s the World Championship and there is only one. For us it’s a must shoot match.
A match we really enjoy is also Gunsmoke in Minnesota

Have you tried other categories? What categories have you shot and how did that go?

  I tried Classic Cowboy about 4 months after I first started. I figured out fast that I hate wearing all the crap those guys have to. Lol.

What is your posse job of choice?

  I’m not too good to do any job on the posse. I feel it’s my job to help the posse get through as smoothly as possible so whatever it takes to make that happen is good.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

  That’s really an unfair question and I believe it should be reworded a bit because there is a broad spectrum of stages and some with bonuses etc.  the fact of the matter is I think it’s an absolute amateur question to ask because it’s not the fastest stage that me or Matt Black are proud of therefore it’s not about time. It’s about what was fun? What was flawless or maybe it’s how much has improved from before etc.
There are way too many scenarios and round counts so that’s why the question isn’t fair and can give folks the wrong idea. Do you get what I’m saying?

What was the best advice you got from a fellow shooter, and who was it?

  You can’t beat me you must beat yourself. In other words shoot your own game don’t be out to get anyone.

What advice can you give to some of the shooters reading this?

  Never judge your fellow shooter from the opinion of another. Base it on personal experience.

What keeps you playing this game?

  The fun, the people and the shooting of course.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not on the range or shooting?

Make money and hang out with friends and family. I also love to build stuff.

Colt Faro Leather is the absolute best Cowboy Action leather available!