I got to see and speak with almost everyone during the match. I didn’t enjoy having to DQ folks, but that was an unfortunate part of the job. But because of my extra duties, I believe my last stage (Stage 4) was the most hectic one I’ve ever shot!

As we get done shooting our second to last stage (Stage 3), a stage that I absolutely blistered, winning the stage. Dip, our Unloading Table Officer says “I found a part of someone’s shotgun sitting on the ULT”. I walk over and take it from him and instantly realize it is a 73 firing pin. I then announce to our posse for everyone to check their firing pins and make sure it isn’t theirs. To my horror, as I check mine, I realize my rifle doesn’t have a firing pin anymore. To compound the issue, I had just put my last firing pin in Chickie’s rifle a few weeks earlier, meaning I didn’t have a replacement.

Stage in which my firing pin broke: 

I considered shooting Chickie’s rifle, but she shoots a Cody-matic and I shoot a C&I 5th Gen. Not an easy transition, especially on the last stage of your State Championship. Arcadia Outlaw says that he has some extra firing pins in his car. I jump in the golf cart and ride over there to find the pins. After I procured a replacement pin, I went back over to our last stage and proceed in doing a mid match firing pin change out on the unloading table.

As I was about halfway through, my phone rings and I’m informed that I need to go make a call for a posse on the other side of the range. As I was just about done, Greta calls to tell me I had another call to make. I finish up the change out, do a quick function check of the rifle, and headed over to make the calls. As I was going over to the first posse that called, a third posse stopped me to make a call as well.

After finishing the three calls, I start heading back to my posse to finish the match. However, the Range ROs stop me and inform me that my cart has a flat tire. They instruct me to go to the golf building to fill it with air. I ask if it can wait and they both say no. I head to the golf building to get air in the tire. When we get there, the Range RO can’t find an air hose or an air chuck, so I walk over to my posse to check and see how many shooters were left. They were about halfway through our last stage. I go back over to the golf building and find the RO still searching for an air chuck. I start to help him look and eventually find one. As I start filling the tire, I notice he is still searching around for something. I ask him what and he tells me he needs a pressure gauge. I didn’t have time, so I just estimated it with my finger poking the other tire and the flat to make them close.

I then jump in the cart and head back to my posse. I start loading up my ammo block and put on my shotgun belt, filling it with shells. My phone rings again for another call. I head over to the posse and receive a text for another call needs to be made. I take care of the calls and as I am heading back to my posse, the Range Safety Officer stops and says we need to look at a stage (on the opposite side from my posse) because of some damage that occurred during the match. The fact that this posse was finished made me nervous that my posse was done as well. I asked if it could wait for about 15 minutes and he told me it could not. So we head over to look at the damage.

Once that was done, I race (only in my head so I didn’t get in trouble for speeding on the range ) back over to my posse. Upon arrival, I notice that only one shooter remains. As I get there, my phone rings again for another call. I tell the PM that I will be there in a few minutes, but decide to go ahead and finish my match first.

I went through my typical stage prep routine being sure to take my time and not rush. If you have never shot a stage while an entire posse (ours was 25 shooters) stands around waiting for you and congratulating each other for finishing the match, you have no idea what pressure is! As I am loading my rifle, I realize that I’m about to shoot a stage (for the second time in the match) after repairing it without test firing it at all. But, I tell myself “Full send baby. No guts, no glory!” During my last stage of day one, the extractor in my rifle was bent, and I had to change it out Friday night. But I was so busy I didn’t have time to test fire it before the first stage the next day.

Last Stage of Day 1 when my extractor broke:

I finish loading my guns and my stage prep and go up and shoot the stage. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t smooth. But I made it through without incurring any penalties and only a few minor hitches during the run.

Last Stage of Ides of March 2024:

This past weekend has given me a new appreciation for how much the match officials go through to host a good match for their guests. I wouldn’t change anything about this weekend. I proved a lot of things to myself in knowing that I’m able to handle all the stress of managing 225 shooters but still being able to settle down and shoot a decent stage. It adds a level of difficulty that could not be explained, only experienced.

The OTJ

These are all questions I get asked often from new and prospective shooters. Let me start by saying that categories are confusing. And there are a lot of them, like, A LOT! So many that it confuses even seasoned Match Directors when figuring out awards for their matches.

So, with this mind, I offer this advice to new shooters. Keep it simple when you first start. Basic gun safety, safely completing a CAS stage, basic SASS safety rules, the 170° rule, muzzle discipline, ammo, firearms, leather, and so on. These are all much more important things to learn and focus on when you first start out than what category you will be shooting. In most cases, you will not be winning any category when you first start. So why confuse an already confusing time with worrying about it. Shoot in an Open Category or your Age-Based Category when you first start and leave it at that.

With that being said, lets dive in to the categories.

Open Categories

The Open Categories are the most basic categories in our game. They have SASS minimum requirements for firearms and costuming, and have no age restrictions. They have some very basic guidlines and are the easiest to start with. These two categories are Cowboy, the Open Category, which means any competitor of any age or gender can compete in this category. The Ladies Open Category is Cowgirl, and any lady of any age can compete in this category.

The guidelines from the Shooters Handbook, Version 26.2, January 2022, Page 5 are as follows:

• May use any main match revolver.
• Revolvers may be shot in any SASS legal shooting style – EXCEPT Gunfighter.
• May use any SASS legal main match shotgun and any legal main match rifle.
• May use any SASS legal ammunition.

Age Based Categories

What are Age Based Categories? I am glad you asked. These are the base categories for SASS competitions. They allow for shooters to compete against others of the same age. The guidelines for these categories are the same as the open categories above.

There are many Age Based categories that attempt to keep the competition as fair as possible. You can always shoot down, meaning you can shoot categories that require a younger minimum age but can never shoot up in an older category. These Age Based Categories are as follows:

• Buckaroo/Buckarette: 13 and under.
• Junior Boy/Junior Girl: 16 and under.
• Wrangler/Lady Wrangler: Age 36 and up.
• Forty-Niner/Lady Forty-Niner: Age 49 and up.
• Senior/Lady Senior: Age 60 and up.
• Silver Senior/Lady Silver Senior: Age 65 and up.
• Elder Statesman/Grand Dame: Age 70 and up.
• Cattle Baron/Cattle Baroness: Age 75 and up.
• El Patron/La Patrona: Age 80 and up.
• El Rey/La Reina: Age 85 and up.

There are some special guidelines for the Buckaroo and Buckarette categories. Because these are younger shooters, we do not want to discourage them. The rules for this category are meant to help our younger shooters learn how to safely navigate a stage while still keeping it enjoyable.

These guidelines from the Shooters Handbook, Version 26.2, Page 5 are as follows:

• • Buckaroo/Buckarette competitors must use revolvers, rifles, and shotguns meeting the external standards but may be chambered in .22 LR for revolvers and rifles and .410 caliber, 28 ,or 32 gauge shotguns.
  • Standard velocity ammunition for these firearms must be used.
  • Knockdown targets are not required to fall for Buckaroo category shooters. A hit will be scored as long as the target is clearly hit.
  • An alternate target must be provided for all aerial shotgun targets for Buckaroo category competitors.
  • Buckaroo category competitors choosing to use center-fire ammunition in handguns and/or rifles must meet all center-fire power factor and velocity requirements.

A note about the Juniors category. This category is no longer called Young Guns. SASS has updated the category names to Junior Boy and Junior Girl. Also, this category does not have the same exclusions as the Buckaroo/ Buckarette categories do. The ammunition and targeting requirements are the same as for the other Age Based categories. It is not legal to shoot .22 or .410 and you must knock down reactive targets in order to be scored as hits.

Shooting Style Categories

Now that we have a basic understanding of the Open and Age Based Categories, let’s move on to something a little more confusing. The Shooting Style Categories.

These are based on how you choose to shoot your pistols. Two handed, one handed, or two at a time, one in each hand. These shooting styles are known as Traditional, Duelist, and Gunfighter, respectively.

Traditional

Shooting with two hands in contact with the gun is called Traditional. This is the shooting style the vast majority of shooters choose to compete in. They will typically shoot this in the Age Based or Open Categories but it is not limited to them. This is the most basic shooting style and the easiest to start with. I recommend that ALL new shooters start with this shooting style so they can learn the basics of Cowboy Action Shooting and its rules before moving on to a more complicated shooting style.

Duelist

Shooting with only one hand in contact with the gun is called Duelist. We can shoot Duelist in any category (there are a few exceptions for Gunfighter but it can be done) without shooting the Duelist ‘Category’ for the entire match. But you can also shoot the Duelist category and that requires you to shoot with one hand for the entire match. There are two variations of Duelist (not separate categories). Single Duelist, where the shooter shoots with one hand only but uses the same hand each time (i.e. always the left hand or always the right hand). And Double Duelist where the shooter shoots one pistol with each hand, but again, only one at a time.

Let’s look at the definitions of Duelist from the Shooters Handbook, Version 26.2 January 2022, Page 6.

Duelist style is defined as shooting a revolver cocked and fired one-handed and unsupported. The revolver, hand, or shooting arm may not be touched by the offhand except when resolving a malfunctioning revolver problem or when transferring the revolver from one hand to the other. Duelists may shoot one revolver right-handed and one revolver left-handed in what is commonly referred to as “Double Duelist”. Double Duelist is NOT a standalone shooting category.

1. Duelist Rules:
2. • Any main match, fixed sight model revolver may be used.
   • Any SASS legal main match shotgun and legal main match rifle may be used.
   • Any SASS legal ammunition may be used.
   • Only duelist style or double duelist style may be used.
   • The competitor shall not have two loaded revolvers in hand at once. (This may be corrected before cocking either one without penalty.)
   • Cross-draw holsters are allowed by any competitor shooting Duelist/Double Duelist style in any category.

As the die hard Duelists like to say, “Duelist is the coolest.” And that may be so, but not for new shooters. This category carries a lot of safety challenges that may not be the best for new shooters to start with. It is advisable to dry fire practice extensively and to get a mentor in this shooting style before attempting to shoot it live fire. The nuances in this style are many, and having a full understanding of them is critical for having success here. I am not trying to discourage anyone from shooting this category. This category is one that requires a little more practice than Traditional does, especially if you plan to shoot Double Duelist.

One more thing to consider here is that pistols that are comfortable to shoot Traditional, may not be so for Duelist. Due to the requirement to cock the pistols with the same hand you pull the trigger with, some hammer and pistol styles are not very easy to use. Most Duelists use pistols with lower hammers, half cocks, and wider hammer spurs. These modifications make it much easier to cock the pistols one handed. Not all Duelists have these modifications on their pistols but most have at least one or more to help facilitate this shooting style.

Gunfighter

And now we come to what is arguably the sexiest category in SASS, but also the one of the most complex; Gunfighter. Gunfighter is where a competitor shoots with two pistols (one in each hand) at the same time. They are required to shoot 5 shots with each hand. If a stage has split pistols, they can shoot Double Duelist but not Single Duelist. You can only shoot Gunfighter in a Gunfighter Category (i.e. Gunfighter, Senior Gunfighter, Lady Gunfighter, etc.) or in B-Western. If you do shoot this style in any other category, it is a Procedural for shooting out of category.

Gunfighter is a shooting style that adds a lot more challenge to our game. Shooting with one pistol in each hand at the same time is complicated and has many safety factors to consider. You must be able to safely handle and shoot a pistol in your weak hand. You must be able to safely draw and holster two pistols at the same time. You must be able to navigate a stage with two pistols in your hands. Because of these things and many others, it is recommended that you get a lot of dry fire practice and mentoring before attempting this category live fire.

Let us take a look at the special rules and guidelines from the Shooters Handbook, Version 26.2, January 2022, Pages 6&7:

Gunfighter style is defined as shooting with a revolver in each hand. Revolvers must be cocked and fired one handed, unsupported, one right-handed and the other left-handed. There is no set pattern as to how the revolvers are to be fired, but alternating revolvers is clearly the most efficient.

• Gunfighter Rules:
• Any main match fixed sight revolver may be used.
• Only Gunfighter style or Double Duelist style may be used.
• Any SASS legal main match shotgun and legal main match rifle may be used.
• Any SASS legal ammunition may be used.
• Two holsters are required, one on each side.
• Gunfighter style category competitors are allowed two loaded revolvers “in hand” at the same time.
• Gunfighter style competitors are prohibited from utilizing a simultaneous “double cross draw” method of drawing or holstering revolvers.
• Gunfighter style competitors must shoot FIVE rounds with each hand – regardless of how they are drawn from leather.
• The revolvers must never be held in an unsafe manner (e.g., one revolver behind the other)
• When a stage calls for 10 revolver rounds in a single sequence or the use of only one revolver for the stage, the Gunfighter may draw both revolvers and engage the targets. The Gunfighter shall shoot the targets in exactly the same sequence as prescribed in the stage scenario.
• A Gunfighter may utilize any sequence that is available for use by any other shooting category.
• Stage instructions that specify separate revolvers such as “first pistol/second pistol,” “left revolver/right revolver,” or “with each handgun” are interpreted as “1st five shots/2nd five shots” when shooting Gunfighter style.
• Both revolvers may be cocked at the same time but must be shot one at a time to facilitate scoring.
• A Gunfighter may not holster revolvers with the intent to engage another revolver sequence.
• Stage design may allow a competitor shooting Gunfighter style to stage or restage revolvers between target sequences. If the shooter’s hands are otherwise constrained (e.g., rolling the dice between revolver sequences), the revolvers must be drawn and shot one at a time (double duelist) unless they can be safely staged rather than holstered. In this case, both revolvers may be employed at the same time for the first five rounds, safely restaged, and then employed at the same time again for the second five rounds.

So as you can see, Gunfighter requires much more study of the rules. There are rules for this category that apply to no other and they can be very confusing. This shooting style is best left for more experienced shooters. One note I would like to make, if you choose to shoot this challenging category, do not complain about a stage design being more challenging ("not Gunfighter friendly") for this shooting style. That entire is the point of this shooting category.

Costume Categories

Now we come to the Costume Categories. There are only two official SASS Sanctioned Costume Categories, B-Western and Classic Cowboy. Each of these has their own firearms and costume requirements. They are far too extensive to cover in this blog. I will refer you to the Shooters Handbook pages 7-9 for all of them. I will cover the basics so that we can understand the differences between them.

Classic Cowboy

Classic Cowboy is the category most folks outside of CAS think of when they imagine how a Cowboy Action Shooter should be costumed. It requires five costume accouterments to be worn throughout the duration of the match, including awards ceremonies. These can include things such as chaps, spurs & rowels, vests, scarfs, among many others. This category paints the most romantic picture of what most think of old west cowboys.

There are also firearms requirements for this category. The pistols must be fixed sight and shot Duelist shooting style. Rifles must be of a model that was first manufactured in 1873 or earlier and both the pistols and rifle must be of a rimmed cartridge .40 caliber or larger. Some examples include, .38-40, .44 Special, .44 Russian, .44 Mag., .44-40, .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, or .36 caliber or larger cap and ball. Shotguns can only be any SASS legal external hammered double barrel, lever action, or single-shot shotgun. All pistol holsters must be worn so that the grips rest above the top of the gun belt. i.e. no buscadero rigs.

There are separate costuming rules for Classic Cowgirl. There are other costuming and firearms requirements to legally compete in this category. Please see the Shooters Handbook for reference.

B-Western

B-Western is the other SASS Sanctioned Costume Category. It is meant to illustrate the glory days of the B-Western serial TV shows and movies. Costumes and leather are to be flashy with lots of embroidery and embellishments. Also encouraged, emulating a specific character from your favorite B-Westerns. So if you are a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood fan, or really love the spaghetti westerns; stick to Classic Cowboy. But if you grew up watching Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, or Roy Rogers & Trigger, then this is the costume category for you.

B-Western is unique in a few ways. For one, any SASS legal shooting style can be used at any time during the match. So if you so choose, you can shoot one stage Traditional, another Duelist, and a third Gunfighter. This is the only SASS Sanctioned Category that allows this. This is also the only Category that requires a belt to be worn with your costume and disallows braces (suspenders). And this is also the only Category to require spurs with rowels to be worn.

The firearms requirements for this B-Western are unique as well. Any SASS Legal revolver can be used, including those with adjustable sights. Any SASS legal rifle first manufactured in 1880 or later may be used. So that means no Model 1873’s. Most shooters choose a Marlin Model 1894 for this category. And any SASS legal shotgun may be used.

Leather must be embellished with stitching, or conchos, and Buscadero rigs are required for this category. You must use holsters that situate the grips of the pistols below the top of the holster belt. This is definitely the “Fancy Pants” category within CAS.

Again, please refer to the Shooters Handbook for all the Costume Category requirements and guidelines. Each one has its own appeal and tends to get new shooters thinking about them nostalgically. This is normal, but starting with one of these categories makes for a much steeper learning curve. It also slows new shooters down from attending and shooting their first match because much more gear and specific firearms are required. Just a note, these are the only two SASS Sanctioned Categories that require a hat to worn.

I do not want to discourage those who want to shoot these costume categories. Let’s say there is a shooter who wants to shoot Classic Cowboy. A safe progression would be to come out to a match with the guns and gear you already have and shoot your Age Based Category to get started. Then start dry fire practice and eventually live fire practice in the Duelist shooting style. Once proficient in safe gun handling, shoot the Duelist Category while acquiring the necessary guns and costuming. Once all of these things are squared away, then switch over to Classic Cowboy. This course of action will set you up for success and prevent discouragement when first starting out.

Frontier Cartridge

Frontier Cartridge uses black powder loads to obscure the targets behind clouds of smoke. Why would anyone want to do this? To make our sport even more challenging and using the holy black or substitute certainly accomplishes this.

Let’s look at the Rules governing the Frontier Cartridge Category from the Shooters Handbook, Pages 9-10:

Frontier Cartridge Rules:

• Any main match fixed sight model revolver
• Revolvers may be shot two handed or one handed (Duelist style) in Frontier Cartridge category but only one handed in Frontier Cartridge Duelist category. (See Duelist style description for parameters.)
• If shooting Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter, only Gunfighter-style or Double Duelist style may be used. (See Gunfighter style description for parameters.)
• Must use blackpowder in all loads (rifle, revolver, and shotgun)
• Must use a side-by-side, single shot, or lever action shotgun in the main match stages.
• Any SASS legal pistol caliber rifle is acceptable.

At a Roughshod Raiders Monthly Match in the not too distant past we had our typical first stage conditions of 100% humidity, wispy patches of fog, no wind, and the sun rising from behind the berm. Santa Rosa Slinger steps up to shoot only his second match as a Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter with loads that included copious amounts of black powder substitute. After his  his rifle string, the entire bay was a whiteout. By the end of the stage, the entire posse was coughing, choking, and waving our hands in front of our faces, looking for some relief from the black powder smog that had engulfed us all. And I, being on deck, had to wait for a few minutes to start my stage so that I could see the targets.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lLLX5_fhQtE?feature=share 

This anecdote illustrates the fun some find with shooting this category. It makes the stages level of difficulty raise as high as the humidity. If you are into shooting loads that make your ears ring and nose itch, then this is the category for you.

There are many considerations to account for before embarking on this journey. One is that there are very few commercial manufactures of black powder rounds and if you are able to find them, the cost is very prohibitive. There are also very few manufacturers of black powder substitute and even fewer for real black powder. Another consideration is the requirement of more maintenance on the firearms before, during, and after the matches.

Black Powder is messy and requires a lot more cleaning. There are those die-hard dark-siders who will refute this claim until the smoke settles. But I can assure you, no matter what witches’ brew of cleaner and lube you choose, black powder requires more cleaning and maintenance to keep your guns operating safely.

It is advisable to start in an Age Based Category and figure out what caliber you would like to shoot before switching over to Frontier Cartridge. The calibers that have necked cases (i.e. .38-40, .44-40, .32-20, etc) work a little better at keeping the guns clean because they seal the chamber tighter than straight case calibers. This keeps fouling mostly to the breech face and bore. These calibers are more difficult to load and is just another reason to get more than a few matches under your belt before considering this category. But when you finally do, I hear that they have cookies.

Frontiersman Category

And last, but certainly not least, is the most complicated category in our game, Frontiersman. This is, in my opinion, the most unique category in Cowboy Action Shooting. It is also the most complex and requires an expert knowledge of black powder, cap and ball percussion pistols, and the duelist shooting style. If you like to load your pistols, for the entire match, then this is the category you are looking for.

Of course, I’m being facetious regarding that last remark. But I wasn’t when I said that this is the most complicated and involved category of them all. You are using pistols that are very difficult for most smiths to make run reliably, stuffing them with black powder that makes the targets hard to see and gunks the guns up, and shooting them the most challenging pistol style, duelist. Add to this, most use actual cap and ball pistols, as opposed to conversions, so loading them is a task in and of itself.

Flashback: EOT 2021 at Paradise Pass, IN. It is Warm Up Day 2, just after lunch and my practice posse is starting on Stage 1. I go up and shoot a very lack luster first stage of the afternoon, maybe too much BBQ for lunch. Then I grab the camcorder from Chickie to film the next few shooters. Cowboy Carty walks up and blazes through the stage in around 16 seconds leaving me highly impressed. Then Deuce Stevens comes up and literally double taps us into oblivian in 13 seconds. “WOW!” was the only thing I could think after watching this. And then, a short little dude with curly hair, a mustache, and a hat bigger than we was, carrying these funny-looking pistols; comes up to the firing line singing, “Here I come to save the DAYYYY!!!” Chili Pepper Pete then proceeds to shoot the stage in 21 seconds as a Frontiersman. This, to me, was the most impressive out of all the performances due to the high level of difficulty involved with shooting his category.

I unfourunately do not have the video from that stage. But here is Chili demonstrating how the Frontiersman Category is shot.

https://youtu.be/lrv9_KzB0IU

Here are the Rules for Frontiersmen from the Shooters Handbook, Page 10:

Frontiersman Rules:

• Any main match percussion revolver with fixed sights.
• Revolvers must be shot Duelist or Double Duelist style. See Duelist description for required shooting technique.
• Must use blackpowder in all loads (rifle, revolver, and shotgun).
• Must use a side-by-side, single shot, or lever action shotgun in the main match stages.
• Any SASS legal pistol caliber rifle is acceptable.

This is a category specifically for those with a lot of experience, patience, and wherewithal. The learning curve with this category is the steepest in our game. This is definitely not a beginners category. You will absolutely need a mentor to help you with this category because of the intricacy of the firearms, black powder, and shooting style. If someone where to start shooting CAS that had experience with these three aspects of shooting, then they may be able to jump right in. But those folks are most certainly the exception and not the rule.

Unofficial Categories

SASS does allow for local Match Directors to offer categories not specifically sanctioned by SASS rules. There are many variations of each and they tend to follow unofficial rules by region. I will cover a few of the more popular unofficial categories here. Keep in mind that not all matches at the State Level or higher will offer these categories.

Outlaw

Outlaw is the category that puts the TV show the Rifleman to shame. If you have ever seen Tennessee Tombstone or Bo Dacious shoot a stage in the teens as an Outlaw, I think you'd agree. This is certainly a category that requires the shooter to be one with the gun. The thing that comes to mind whenever I see someone shooting Outlaw is, “Sights are for sissies.”

The competitors shooting Outlaw shoot their shotgun and pistols from the hip, not using any sights. The most Outlaw-ish shoot their rifle from the hip as well.

I believe this category was started at Ponderosa Pines in Kentucky. Black Gold, hosted at the Ponderosa Pines by Copper Joe and company is the place to see all the Outlaws in action. Shooters who typically do not shoot this category shoot it during this match. I’ve been told is makes for some very comical stage runs.

Josey Wales

This is a category where I have seen some different variations. Down in Florida, they shoot this category using four pistols and a shotgun. They will replace the rifle string with another pistol string. This makes that string much more challenging because of the farther rifle targets being engaged with pistols. I have also seen this category shot with 5 pistols and if a stage requires more than 5 shotgun knockdowns, the shooters must do a pistol reload on the clock.

During Ambush at Cavern Cove, the 2022 Southeastern Regional hosted by the North Alabama Regulators, I had the pleasure of posseing with Kentucky Drifter who shot Josey Wales for the match. This was by far the coolest variation of the category I have ever seen. He shot each stage with five pistols. But he would shoot his pistol string Gunfighter, his rifle string Traditional, and his shotgun string Duelist. I throughly enjoyed watching him put his pistol shooting skills on display for the weekend.

Steampunk

This is a category I have little experience with. I could not find any guidelines about it in my research for this blog. So I am going to take an excerpt from an article by Leota Harriman in the Independent because she describes it much better than I can.

“This year, SASS has added a new category to its costume competition: Steampunk, a unique sub-genre of science fiction.

In announcing the new category, SASS Board member, Barb Ormand (Cat Ballou, SASS #55) explained, “For some time, many SASS costume aficionados have embraced the Steampunk genre by wearing Steampunk-inspired attire at matches across the country.”

“Steampunk will be a costume category only” with awards for Best Dressed Steampunk Men and Ladies, she explained. Additionally, Ormand clarified shooting match competitors who choose to compete in Steampunk attire will be considered to have met the costume requirement.

But exactly how does sci-fi meet the Old West? With a membership who already embraces fantasy by taking on an alias and dressing in Old West clothing to compete on the shooting range, it’s an easy leap to include Steampunk style. If you are unfamiliar with that style, think along the lines of the 1960s TV series, “Wild, Wild West,” or Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days.”

Steampunk has been described as retro-futurism. It’s a fantastical, alternate world where the retro style of Victorian- or Wild West-era clothing, culture, and architecture intersect with advanced technology dominated by steam-powered and mechanical gadgets because—in that perceived timeline—the invention of electricity and the internal combustion engine never happened.”

Original Article: https://edgewood.news/sass-end-of-trail-gets-steampunked/

There are many other unofficial categories, and they tend to be a locally or regionally based.  Some of these include King of Kaboom, Pale Rider Gunfighter, Sultan of Smoke, and many others.

Conclusion

As far as gender for categories, there are only two. Open Categories that allow both genders to participate. And Ladies Categories that only allow women to shoot in them. SASS does not offer man’s only categories.

And there is even more nuance involved in Categories. What if you want to shoot Gunfighter shooting style, prefer black powder, and are 66 years old? You could shoot the Frontier Cartridge Silver Senior Gunfighter category, if offered by the match.

SASS allows for Frontier Cartridge to be added to most categories, excluding the Costume Categories. They also allow Base Categories to be broken down into subcategories by age, gender, propellent type, etc. The possibilities are literally endless and will drive a Match Director crazy trying to get awards figured out for their matches.

So, now that everyone is more confused than they were when we started, stick to your Age Based Category when you first start out. It will make your learning curve much easier to deal with at first. You won’t need to worry about special rules or firearms requirements. There are no special accouterments or costuming requiring above the base. And it will allow you, as a new shooter, to get out to the range sooner and start shooting. Once you get more comfortable with our game, then you can start to explore the plethora of categories offered by SASS.

I hope this helps explain some of the categories. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.

What is your favorite category? What unofficial categories did I miss?  Let me know down in the comments.

The OTJ

If you would like more information about the SASS Officially Sanctioned Categories, please follow the link below to the Shooters Handbook.

https://www.sassnet.com/the-shooting/cowboy-action-shooting/handbooks-rules

***UDPATE*** Please see the Category Matrix attachment compiled by Dogmeat Dad for a visual representation of all the SASS Sanctioned Categories.

What a great time this was! I spent it with my second family, the Cracker Crew, and my third family the Carolina Gang! This weekend did not disappoint with lots of fast shooting, jokes, big belly laughs, good-natured banter, life lessons, and memories we will cherish forever. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my St Patty’s weekend.

I had so much fun running the shootoff and man vs man challenge. I hope to run it again next year. Thank you to all of the participants, but especially to all those who came to watch and help us pick brass and set steel. Thanks to you, we had a very smooth Sunday of some of the top shooters in the game matching up head to head. We hope you had fun. We have videos of all the action coming soon.

An extra special thank you goes to Rocky Creek Shooter for all of his help these past 3 weekends hauling knockdowns halfway around the peninsula and back. Without him, the shootoff would not have taken place. The biggest thanks go to Jane Deere for organizing the whole shootoff on Sunday. Thanks to her superb system we had 43 head-to-head matches up in just over 2 hours. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was well attended. What more could you ask for?

Congrats to Top Gun Shootoff winner, Fireball; the Ladies Top Gun Shootoff Winner, Side Saddle Sue; and the Juniors Shootoff Winner Terrible Tyler who came all the way from North Carolina.  Huge Congratulations to one of my mentors on his 10th Overall Florida State Championship, (the most ever in the state) Santa Fe River Stan.  It was educational watching him shoot this match, even if he did switch to the boring double.  Another good friend and Cracker Crew member Hawkeye Gin won her 5th Florida State Overall Top Lady this weekend as well as the Cowgirl State Championship.  The cracker Crew was well represented in the awards with Dominator taking the Cowboy State Championship, Dang It Dan winning the Senior, Toothpick the Gunfighter, and his son Stingray winning the Young Gun buckle.

I finished Ides this year 3 seconds faster than last which was good enough for third place in Wrangler behind two top-notch shooters and even better friends, JP Law, and Bucky Buckskin. What an excellent category we have down here in Florida and I thoroughly enjoy competing against these guys week in and out. I’m fortunate to have friends like these to shoot with and spend the off-range time with this weekend. Congrats to Bucky for his well-deserved Wrangler Florida State Championship. I placed 10th Overall for the second year in a row and made the Top Gun shootoff where I was knocked out in the second round and had a whole lot of fun!

I had a first-round matchup against a shooter who epitomizes the “Spirit of our Game” and a great friend, Realtree. He got the crowd hyped up in typical Tree fashion. And then in the second round, there was a showdown of outlaws when I drew someone we shoot with every weekend and who is constantly pushing me to get better, Arcadia Outlaw. He won this round with some lightening fast shooting but he knows there will be more to come. 🤠 I can’t wait!

Chickie was second in Lady Wrangler and big congrats to Tilly Two Spurs for her Lady Wrangler Florida State Championship in her very first state match and clean! Chickie made the Top Ladies Shootoff again and advanced to the semifinals.

The Lake County Pistoleros awarded me a spirit of the game trophy and a free match for my dedication to Cowboy Action Shooting! I was shocked and humbled by this honor.

SASS Florida sponsored Stage 10 and the Cracker Crew sponsored Stage 9, both next to the shootoff. It couldn’t have worked out any better!

All in all, this weekend lived up to all the anticipation. It was lots of work but after seeing everyone enjoying themselves all weekend, it was all worth it. The only regret I have is that I didn’t get to visit with everyone for longer.

Until I see you on the trail, take care my friends.

The OTJ

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Chapin South Carolina

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

I started CAS in New Jersey in 2001. I found this sport on the internet. I was looking for Old West clothing to be more period correct for a Halloween Party. I found the Gunfighter Zone and Cowboy Fast Draw there, But there was no place near me that had Fast Draw. In searching around i found Sass. That was it. I contacted Ben Colley of the Jackson Hole Gang in Jackson NJ and after bending his ear for a few hours i decided i would like to try this.

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

Ben Colley was the Territorial Governor of the JHG and he helped me get started. My mentors were the entire gang of CAS shooters. The help I received in the first few months was what has kept me in the game for all these years.

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

600-1000 rounds. It was more before the pandemic caused primer shortages. I hope to get back to doing more practice firing.

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

I have won 4 New Jersey Men's State Championships. I have won 1 top gun at the Delaware State Championship. I won my Category State Championship in South Carolina in 2021.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

My Most memorable match was when I won my first NJ Purgatory in the Pines State Championship. This is because i won this and my Wife Dancin Angel Won the NJ Ladies Championship. So winning a championship together is my best memory.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

Shooting guns!! Mostly the people and friends i have made all over this great country of ours and my good friend Mountain George from Germany. The people in this sport are the greatest.

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

When I joined SASS in 2000 there was no internet look ups you sent in 3 names to see which were available. My first attempt none were. So i liked the sound of Jesamy Kid. Jesamy Design LLC is the name of my company. Which came from my daughters names Jes and Amy.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

Dancin Angel, Pecos Pav, Big Whiskey, Jersey Sue, Peacemaker Reb, Kid Ray, Sue Render and the list goes on there are so many the we travel with now the list is long. But the one i have always traveled with is Dancin Angel

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

I have no favorites i love them all. But i was involved with Purgatory in the Pines the SASS NJ State Championship for 16 Years so that's kind of t top.

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

I shoot 2 handed mostly now in my age category. I shot gunfighter for 4 years and will still shoot that category on occasion. I like shooting All around Cowboy when it comes around.

What is you posse job of choice?

TO most of the time but i will do what ever is needed.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

For a 10-10-4 + with movement 15.36

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

So many people have helped me over the years and shooters still through out advice now.

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

Y'all will have the time of your life. Come out have fun and don't worry about speed or being clean just come out and shoot safe the rest will come in time.

What keeps you playing this game?

The Cowboys and Cowgirls. In Cowboy Action, Life Is Good!!!

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

Woodworking is my other hobby I love cabinet making and furniture making. Its not just a job its a passion.

Branchwater Jack

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Huntsville, AL

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

In 2006, I was laid off from my job. Pretty much immediately, I went back to school to get my Master's. In the mid 2000s, I was reading SHOOT! magazine and thoroughly became hooked on the idea of Cowboy Action Shooting. About halfway through my schooling, I decided that, after graduation, I would gift myself a set of pistols. I graduated in 2008, but it was 2010 when I finally got around to getting the pistols. It was also our 10th wedding anniversary in May of that year, so my wife bought me the rifle as a gift. I started shooting the next month filling out the rest of my needs with borrowed equipment and never looked back.

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

I showed up to Wartrace for my first time on a work day. I was paired up with a friendly, Yoda-like figure, Papa Dave, and we went about the process of building a couple of fences to cut down on splatter. I say he was like Yoda because he was so very wise, so smooth. He would always feed me little nuggets to help me get better. He was also very consistent. So much so that I had my 'Papa Dave Factor' to chart my progress as a shooter. I would take Dave's score, multiply it by the Papa Dave Factor. If my time was better than that, I was improving. Improve enough, you make the Papa Dave Factor smaller. Soon, a traveling group from Wartrace invited me to go to a different state match with them. Randy Saint Eagle and Buck Dodgers were also on that trip. I learned more from them in that one weekend...pretty much everything one could learn

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

With components the way they are now, not nearly enough. Before, We would shoot matches twice a month and have a live-fire practice afternoon about two or three times a year. Those practice afternoons would burn up a couple of ammo cans full of ammo. I was also dry-fire practicing at least twice a week. Was shooting about 10,000 rounds or so a year. With schedules now, I am lucky to get dry-fire in twice a month now. And with my schedule and components the way they are, I only shot about 3 or 4,000 rounds last year.

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

I was the Overall and match winner at the Alabama State Blackpowder Championship back in 2018. I have several category wins at the state and regional level.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

In 2016, a long-time cowboy, Bama Red, announced that he was going to shoot his last match before hanging up his guns. Cancer had started to take its toll on Red and doctors told him that he did not have much time left. Bound to a wheelchair, I was fortunate enough to TO red through most of that match. With his family there and all of us cheering him on, I struggled at times to keep his chair from rolling around under the force of recoil from his heavy black powder loads. We lost Red two weeks to the day after that match, but I would not trade any of it for the world.

Click here more videos including The Fireing Line Videos from Branchwater Jack.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

I like the chance to compete against myself. So much of this game is out of our control. Once you realize that your outcome in the match can be determined by three people who cannot see, nor hear anything...and they may not even be on your posse...your perspective changes. It did for me at least. I want to go out there and perform at the peak of my potential every time. I do that, I'm happy, no matter the outcomes.

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

Jack was my grandfather's name. It also happens to be one of the things that you could mix with branchwater, although you would probably order a bourbon and branchwater.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

I'll travel with anyone that will travel with me. Starting out, there were several folks From Wartrace that I would travel with. Then, as my wife and son started shooting, they were great travel partners, even if Belle some times hogged the bed! Lately, Barkeep Casey and I have traveled some together. Barkeep and I have also documented our travels together for a couple of videos on YouTube!

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

Wartrace has always been home for me. There is something about that place that, even though it has changed over the years, still makes folks want to keep coming back year after year.

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

When I started, I was shooting in the Classic Cowboy category. I was shooting black powder pistol and rifle but smokeless shotgun. Did that until I secured a shotgun press so I could load my own BP shotshells and switched to frontier cartridge duelist. This whole time, I was shooting in the duelist style with my strong hand. After about a year of that, I switched to shooting in the double duelist style. Once I got better with the off hand, I switched to shooting in the Gunfighter style. This was 2013 and Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter was not an official category, so I bounced around a bit usually shooting FCGF monthly and FCD at major matches if FCGF was not offered. By mid 2014, it was FCGF all the time. I will shoot smokeless, if I have to. But some times it is kind of hard to find the fun in that!

What is you posse job of choice?

A lot of major shoots I am volunteered to be a posse marshal. The way I run a posse, I float - constantly taking a job from someone and sending them to the loading table to shoot. It gives me a chance to interact with everyone and also to do a lot of jobs. It also keeps the posse moving. At monthly matches, I like to watch a lot. Some times from the unloading table, some times as a spotter. I'll also end up running the timer some, but I won't twist anyone's arm to do it.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

I have shot a couple of 10-10-4s in the teens, but I am average low 20's.

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

Papa Dave always said that 'shooth is fast.' He was right then, and it is still great advice now.

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

remember to have fun. I remember one time a feller gave a bunch of doctors some good advice: Pull down your pants and slide on the ice. It was great advice then and it still holds true now!

What keeps you playing this game?

I enjoy giving back to the game. For the past several years I have had the opportunity to be the stage writer for the North Alabama Regulators. It has given me the opportunity to write and set up 12 monthly and 2 annual matches each year. It is my hope that folks have enjoyed each and every one of those shoots.

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

I definitely do not need another hobby. I am still full-time employed, raising a teenager, and wishing I still had more time to watch him grow. This is our last year taking him to hockey rinks several times a week, but I wouldn't trade any of it. I make some noise on a six-string and dabble with a lot of different stuff. I used to make all our costuming and still sew up some things every now and then.

Polecat Joe, Chickie, and I started the planning for this match way back around the end of May ’21.  We had a down year in attendance in 2021 and we were determined to have a good showing this time around.   We had 32 more shooters register this year than last and beat our previous high by 14 shooters for a total of 85 registrants!  This may not sound like big numbers but for a one-day Annual with the specific logistical challenges we face with the OK Corral Gun Club, these are huge! 

The first thing Polecat Joe did was decide on a theme, Tombstone.  Which, for obvious reasons, we have done a time or two.  So, I wanted to write the starting lines and positions so we did not keep doing the same ole same ole.  He agreed and I began watching the movie with an eye for different starting lines than are typically used.  I steered away from all Wyatt and Doc starting lines because they have been used ad nauseum.   I focused on scenes that people would recognize once they heard the lines but not ones that would jump right out at you when thinking about the movie.  I also wanted the starting positions to correlate with the movie scenes from which the lines came. 

Once we agreed on the lines, I started to brainstorm what props we could use to enhance the lines and positions.  For me, the biggest difference (besides the number of stages shot) in monthlies and annuals is the use of props.  It is a lot of extra work to use props, so it is tough to use them for monthly matches.  I recruited help in attaining and crafting the props and can’t thank these folks enough for their contributions.

Realtree crafted a beautiful wooden knife from 100-year-old cypress as a prop and Moog added some Outlaws flare to it.  After I set the prop out for the Posse Marshal walk-through, I did not go back to check on it again. 

As I was walking around, I noticed the posse shooting that stage was using a piece of junk wood as the prop.  I inquired as to where the knife was, and they said it was never there.  I asked around the other posses and all said the same thing.  I walked the entire cowboy town at the range and looked for it but could not find it.  About 10 minutes later, Amaduelist walks up and hands me the knife.  When I asked him where he found it, he said on the registration table.  I was dumbfounded because I had looked everywhere over there and it wasn’t anywhere to be found.  Oh well, I thought, at least we had it to raffle off at the end of the match. 

The covered wagon was a prop I built for the Spaghetti Western match up at Fort White and we decided to use it again, although in a different way.  We shoot through the wagon with our rifles which added a little more dimension to the target array.  I like to think it added a nice touch to an already prop-rich stage.

We mounted a pool cue to the outside of the church and started gripping it with both hands.  It was set off to the right of a window that had to be pushed open before engaging the pistol targets.  Just something a little out of the ordinary for us and give the stage a little more interest.

We also used a pair of reins courtesy of Bucky Buckskin and Tilly Two Spurs.  The gun order was rifle not last with pistols and rifle shot from the left window and shotgun from the right window.  I placed them farther to the right of the stage to influence the shooters to run the shorter distance to their shotgun and start there.  But I think most of our posse still went to their pistols or rifle first so they could move to their shotgun from the strong side.  Again, just something else to think about before putting your stage plan together.

We made a sign that said, “No Guns In Town” and mounted it next to the pistol firing position window.  You had to start with one hand on the sign and the other pantomiming hammering up the sign saying, “That’s not so bad, is it?”  I gave the choice to start on either side of the window to give lefties and righties a fair shake.  Most of us choose to start on the right so we didn’t have to move as far to run to the next shooting position.

We also mounted two sets of free-standing saloon doors that we had to push open and run through to shoot pistols and then long guns.  Again, it added another dimension to think about in your stage plan.  It also made you think I little bit about the angle you took going to the firing positions.

The scoring was easy with the iPads and the use of the CAS Scoring App but there were several things we were dealing with during the match.  The batteries did not want to stay charged, even though I had them all hooked up to external batteries.  They all made it through the match, one just barely.  When we synced all the iPads, one of them would not sync the last 4 stages that were shot, so JP Law and I had to manually enter them.  It caused us to run a bit late getting started with the scores, but we got it figured out.

The weather was very chilly and humid.  It sprinkled on us early a couple of times but nothing major.  There was a good deal of wind, which I am sure the black powder shooters appreciated.  Overcast skies throughout made it a dreary day but everyone seemed to take it in stride.  I, for one, was glad the skies did not open up on us and just threatened to.

We went a little too long on total time on the range.  We moved the lunch from between the first four and last four stages to the end of the match hoping this would help, but it didn’t.  We are limited to having only 4 posses because of the stage layout.  We allowed 18 people per posse so we could have more shooters, but it seemed these were a little too large and drug the average stage times to around 35 minutes from the first shooters' score entered to the last.  Most posses were about the same in this regard.  We still have some figuring out to do with moving the match along.  I don’t want to limit the number of shooters to 64 (16 per posse) and would like to figure out a way to add more shooters. But this will take some thinking on our parts to come up with a viable solution.

The awards and raffle went smooth with only a few hiccups.  The way we have done the awards the past few years makes it difficult to organize everything so we can give them out in a timely manner.  This will also take some tweaking, but I think we are on the right track.

As far as my shooting, I can say this was the most difficult match I have shot to date regarding my mental focus.  I am used to shooting early and not having to worry about too much distraction pre-stage.  But with being the range master, scoring coordinator, prop master, and the many other hats I was wearing all day; it was very difficult to put all of that out of my mind and shoot my stages.  I excel at multitasking, but this was another level.  I learned a lot about the importance of being able to clear my mind and just shoot the stage in front of me.  I hope to be able to achieve a level of mental focus akin to Santa Fe River Stan who has run state level matches and still was able to win overall.  In my book, a true champion can win no matter what is going on in the peripheral.  I am a long way away from that, but this was my first go around and the lessons I learned will surely carry forward.

We did something I have wanted to do for some time now.  We sponsored a stage at this match.  It felt like SASS Florida had finally come full circle from the virtual world to the real world.  And I couldn’t help but look at the SASS Florida banner hanging there with a huge grin.  I may have pointed it out a few too many times, but hey, I  was excited for it to have finally happened. 

My only regret with the whole event was that I was so busy, I did not get to chat with far too many of the attendees.  This is my favorite part of any big match.  Getting to catch up with friends I don’t get to see often and meeting new folks.  The social aspect of our game is second to none, in my opinion, and I truly enjoy the times after the shooting more than the actual shooting.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to shoot my cowboy guns, but I enjoy shooting the cowboy breeze just a bit more.  To anyone I was unable to speak to at the Shootout, I hope to catch up with you very soon.  Please accept my sincere apology, it wasn’t intentional.  I want to personally thank everyone who attended and helped out in any way.  You are the reason we volunteer our time.  And seeing so many smiles and hearing all the laughter made the work worth the while.

Today, we start the prepping for A Dark Day on the Santa Fe coming up this weekend.  I can’t wait!  And now that we live just one mile from the Fort White Gun Club, it is going to be even more special.  Oh, how I love this game!!!

Until we meet again,

Happy Trails...

The OTJ

Roy Sackett

Where do you live? (what state or country)

I live in Maumelle, Arkansas just off I40 across the river from Little Rock.

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

My older brother had seen or read about cowboy action shooting and suggested I check it out. We located a club in Hot Springs about an hour away and drove there to watch a match. The people, of course, were very friendly. I was hooked after watching just a few minutes. One cowboy, Curly Hombre, spent time with us explaining how the match worked and answering whatever questions we had. He then volunteered to meet us at the range on a weekday and let me shoot his guns for a real taste. He later came to my house to help me when I started reloading. So I joined the Mountain Valley Vigilantes in the spring of 2016. Ladies in the club convinced Debbie, my wife, that this was "not a spectator sport" for spouses, and so she joined the fun and started shooting about a year and a half later.

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

Curly Hombre, of course, should be mentioned as he really encouraged and helped me at the very beginning. The mentor who is not aware is Long Hunter. I watched his videos over and over and over! However, soon after I started shooting, we found another club close by. That was Outlaw Camp in Heber Springs, AR. There I met Stumpman, a national champion gunfighter, the mentor/coach who really took me under his wing. Besides being a natural encourager, he provided the instruction and tips that took seconds off my times and made shooting more fun. Eventually, he persuaded me to try gunfighter with the teaser that I would never go back. I haven't. Not only did he help with my shooting, but he worked on my guns and helped Debbie find the most suitable guns when she started shooting. Debbie and I both benefited from the coaching sessions at his place. One of my favorite pictures is with Stumpman the year he won gunfighter and I won silver senior gunfighter at the Arkansas state match, Hell on the Border.

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

Most of our practice is dry-firing and that is usually in preparation for a big match. When things are more normal (healthy and with abundant primers), we shoot three weekends a month.

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

I have won six state championships in Arkansas, two silver senior, one Roy Rogers (soon after surgery), and three silver senior gunfighter. I finished third in silver senior gunfighter at the southwest regional. I finished second in the same category at the southeast regional.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

I had my first clean match at Smokin' Guns at Rabbit Ridge in Byhalia, MS. I also had my first match DQ there a couple years later. Those were obviously memorable. However, the match that stands out was at Gunfight in Dixie in Memphis. As a fairly new shooter and after two days, going into the last stage, I had a clean match. However, it was not to be. I had one pistol miss. Stumpman said he thought I would slow down to shoot clean. I didn't. With one miss, I had what the Mountain Valley Vigilantes call a Dagnabbit match.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

I really enjoy the shooting. I enjoy everything about the shooting, except maybe cleaning guns! And like everyone says, the people are the friendliest you would ever hope to meet. They have become the people we spend the most time with not only at the range but in touch through social media almost daily. But most of all, I just love being a cowboy! I grew up in the 50s and 60s when TV was all about westerns. I played cowboy then and to get to do that now is about as good as it gets!

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

My brother was 5 1/2 when I was born. Mom asked him what he wanted to name his little brother. He said, "Roy Rogers!" The best she would do was make my middle name Roy. Then, I am a huge Louis L'Amour fan. I have read and reread all his books, especially the Sackett series. Of course I had to use Roy and who would pass up a chance to be part of the Sackett family. Not me! Thus, Roy Sackett.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

How fortunate am I that Cherokee Gal, my wife Debbie, is my traveling and shooting partner. We have looked at each other and said, "Who would have thought that we would celebrate our 50-year anniversary by going to EOT?" We planned to do that last year, but will be going this year just one year later.

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

We enjoy shooting at our home clubs in Hot Springs and Heber Springs and also with Judge Parker's Marshals in Fort Smith, AR. All three of these Arkansas clubs have made significant changes and upgrades to their ranges in recent years and have made the shooting experiences exciting and fun. Of course, we love to travel to Land Run and are looking forward to shooting at Paradise Pass.

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

At 69, I got a late start so I shot Silver Senior for about three years. Then, I switched to Silver Senior Gunfighter. It has taken a while to get times back in line with my first category, but the fun as a gunfighter came immediately! JEDI GF #304

What is you posse job of choice?

Spotting, scoring or unloading table works best for me. My knees and back have never liked picking up brass.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

I think I had a 19+ second 2 shotgun stage once when shooting silver senior. I've had a 22+ second stage as a gunfighter.

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

My mentor, Stumpman, said, "You can do this. And remember, smooth is fast." He also said the half second you take to make sure you are on target saves 4 1/2 seconds if it would be a miss.

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

Have fun! And if you see me on the range some time and I look too serious, tell me to lighten up!

What keeps you playing this game?

It's the shooting. It's the people. But Hey! It's COWBOY action shooting! Enough said.

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

Reading Louis L'Amour westerns or watching old westerns on TV.

Hud

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Norco California

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

1997. Saw it in a few different gun magazines, and since I was opening a gun shop, I figured I should go see what it was all about

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

Smoke Parnell, the man the myth the legend. He was truly one of a kind. "Bounty Hunter" was a big help too. Lots more have helped along the way. So, many friends I've lost over the last 25 years....

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

I don't these days, other then monthly matches. With the gun shop, Gun auction, and Hit radio show (The Gunslinger Hour) on KABC 790 Saturday mornings at 8am, I just don't have time...

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

Yea, all of the above.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

Winter Range 2001. Shot it clean. In those days, that was REALLY something to do. I ended up 3rd overall. But, shooting clean is far more of an accomplishment to me

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

The friends I've made. The Leper posse was about 20-25 great guys and gals. I'm the only one who still shoots fairly regularly. JJ Johnson still comes out now and then.

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

Ha, ok when I started (16409) all the good names had been taken, and were STILL in use. I had a whole page of names, and all were taken. I had seen the movie Hud the night before, so I threw it out there and....the rest is infamy

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

My friend Coffee and his crew seem to be able to put up with me....but since he's moved, Johnny Ringo and Calamity Annie have to put up with me these days

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

End of Trail when it was in Norco. It was really a week long party, with some shooting on the side....

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

I started in "Traditional". Went to Duelest. Was the driving force behind Classic Cowboy getting started. Tried "B Western" once.

What is you posse job of choice?

I always ran the timer, but because of bad feet, all I can do these days is spot

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

Well, shooting Classic, I've had a few 15 and 16 second stages. I haven't shot 2 handed in ages

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

Maggie Grace at EOT in 2001, our whole posse was doing terrible, and she gave us a "pep talk" that I can't repeat in mixed company....

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

Enjoy yourself, because before you know it, today is gonna be "the good old days"

What keeps you playing this game?

Seeing old friends and hopefully meeting new ones

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

Hot rods...I have a few

Optional Add links to some of your favorite videos of yourself shooting.

I don't seem to shoot with folks that do video or pix. So, I'm rarely in any.

The Cumberland Kid

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Northwest Ohio

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

I started shooting in 2016 after watching my first match with my Dad.

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

There are so many people that have helped me in one way or another. I would have to say my most influential mentor is Gray Hare. He’s loaded ammo for me, let me borrow guns, given me a gun cart, let me stay at his house, and given me tips for shooting.

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

I don’t do any form of live fire practice on a regular basis. I mainly do dry fire practice (when I can find the time)

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

2021 Ohio State Men’s Overall Champion 2019 Northeast Regional Men’s Champion 2020 Northeast Regional Men’s Overall Champion 2021 End of Trail 4th Overall

Tell us about your most memorable match:

End of Trail 2021. The match was the largest I’ve attended and was well put together. This match allowed me to prove to myself my hard work had paid off.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

The shooting. There is nothing better then burning down a stage with cowboy guns.

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

My family’s farm is located along Route 40. In the 1800’s Route 40 was called “The Cumberland Trail”

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

Gray Hare

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

Miami Valley Cowboys Club- Home of the Ohio State Championship

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

Before shooting Gunfighter, I shot age based categories.

What is you posse job of choice?

Timer Operator. I enjoy being able to help other shooters get through a stage without penalties.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

Ohio State Championship Gamer Stage 10-10-2 8.95 Seconds

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

You can’t shoot fast enough to make up for a miss.

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

Set goals. When you beat those goals, set higher ones.

What keeps you playing this game?

The people. The people in this sport are unmatched.

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

I enjoy hunting, fishing, and playing video games.

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Sheridan, Indiana

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

I started in November of 2014. My husband Digger had been trying for years to get me to join him. I finally just made the decision to do it, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made!

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

There are so many cowboys and cowgirls that have been so important to during this journey, there are too many to mention. One who sticks out as having a direct impact on what I’m still doing is Missellaneous. I shot with her at the first black powder shoot I ever attended, she made such an impression that I haven’t shot smokeless since.

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

My practice typically consists of monthly matches. We are lucky. Where we live, we have a 2-2 1/2 hour drive to ranges that allow us to shoot every weekend if we are able.

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

I’ve won some state matches as well as regionals. I haven’t been to Nationals yet, but that may change with the new location and time of year in 2022...fingers crossed.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

I would have to say EOT 2017. It was our first time there. I was SO nervous! I had not been shooting well at all in the months and weeks leading up to it, but when I got there, something changed. I wasn’t breaking any speed records or anything, but I ended up 5th of 10 in my category, and shot clean! Also, the one thing that really affected me and my approach to this sport was being awarded Spirit of the Game. I don’t think there is any better award to be had.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

You’ve heard it a million times, without a doubt, the people! I always tell friends not in the sport, that our cowboy family is made up of some of the best, most interesting people around.

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

Well, I wanted something with “Mo” in it and all the obvious choices were taken. Digger and I were in Wyoming at a rodeo. There was a big sign that it was being put on by The MoBetta Rodeo company, and the rest is history...

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

Digger for sure. I’m so happy that as a couple, we enjoy this so much! We spend more time together, and enjoy each other’s company. Also Jesse Jane JJ and I went to the Ladies Shoot in Missouri a couple of years ago. Since then, we pick a new shoot to go to without our cowboys and have some cowgirl fun.

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

I really enjoy everywhere we shoot, because the people make the shooting fun.

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

I’ve shot Ladies Frontier Cartridge pretty much from the get-go. Going to possibly change it up a bit in the near future, we’ll see.

What is you posse job of choice?

I would say spotting. I’m very detailed oriented so I try my best to pay close attention when the shooters are on the line.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

17 and some change...only once!

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

Gosh, that’s a tough one. I’ve received so much great advice from so many shooters...I would say though, I was told to try not to take things so seriously and have fun. Sometimes that’s really hard to do, but I try.

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

I would say listen to all the advice you receive, and take what works for you moving forward. What works for some shooters, doesn’t work for all shooters. Find what makes you comfortable, and run with it.

What keeps you playing this game?

The fact that I’m having fun while doing it. I told Digger a long time ago, that when I’m not having fun anymore, I’m out.

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

Well, I love camping with friends and traveling. I also enjoy hopping on the mower with my headphones on and just relaxing.

Johny Blackhouse

Where do you live? (what state or country)

I live in Parrish, Florida

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

I started shooting in 2015. I lived in Ohio and was looking for a gun range closer to the farm, I found Piqua Fish & Game was only 10 minutes away. I drove over one day to check it out. As I walked down a path to the range, the clouds suddenly parted, rays of sunshine fell from the sky illuminating about a dozen old west facades! There was bank, train station, jailhouse and yes a saloon! The theme song from Stage Coach started playing in my head, I was hooked! At the far end of the range Mean Gun Mark and his wife Hunny Bunny were practicing. I had to find out about this Cowboy thing so I went down and talked with them. In cowboy fashion they were extremely eager to tell me about CAS, the guns, their club the Miami Valley Cowboys and invited me to come watch a Wild Bunch Match they were having next weekend. I went to the match and of course everyone was very welcoming and eager to talk about the sport, their guns and offer advice on getting started. Boaz, much like a good drug dealer, offered to let me shoot a stage using his guns and the rest is history.

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

I would say Mean Gun Mark, he took me under his wing and really helped me get started. Boaz, Lassitor, and Ole Short Tom were always giving me advice and pointers. I only shot about a year in Ohio and moved to Florida where life happened and I didn't shoot again until October 2019, I contacted Shelleen, dusted off my guns and went to shoot in Ruskin. I was back in the saddle! Shelleen has helped me a lot since I started shooting again. Moog, Bogus Jim, Cowboy John and many others have been very helpful as well. I value and appreciate all the help and advice I can get.

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

I dry fire practice about 20 minutes at least three times a week, Like most everyone else these days I save my primers for matches.

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

None yet, but I will!

Tell us about your most memorable match:

My most memorable match was the Guns of August in 2016. It was a Regional Championship and my first big match. I was just getting started and had bought a jogging stroller on Craigslist to make a gun cart, I wasn't quite finished with it but it was serviceable for the match. The range is located on a large hill with the stages going up the hill on both sides, at the bottom of the hill there is a town façade with storefronts that was used for registration and refreshments. I shot well the first day and was excited to get the last day started. The posse schedule for the day was posted on a hill located just above the town. I took my cart/stroller and went to the top of the hill to see what stage I would be starting on. As I mentioned earlier, my gun cart was serviceable but not finished, I had not yet got to installing brakes on it. As I was checking the posse schedule I heard a strange noise behind me, I turned around and watched in horror as my cart careened downhill, gaining speed, bouncing out of control directly towards town where many cowboys and cowgirls were gathered! Realizing there was no way for me to stop it the only thing that came to mind was to shout "STAMPEED!" I began the walk of shame, feeling all eyes on me as I followed my cart down the hill, cringing as it slammed in the hotel, narrowly missing a couple that was standing nearby. I was apologizing profusely as I retrieved my cart. It turns out the couple it almost took out was Deuce Stevens and his wife! Deuce just looked at me and said "well on the bright side you didn't loose your guns" and laughed! I ended up having dinner with him and his wife at the banquet that night talking about CAS, his guns, how he practiced, and the invention of brakes.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

By far the people

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

My alias Johny Blackhouse is a combination of my past hobbies/passions. I had a once in a lifetime mare named Rebel Ridge Ellie, we won three RMHA International Grand Championships together. Her sire was a horse named Johny's Pride. Prior to horses I explored caves for about 20 years. A group of us discovered, surveyed, and mapped a cave system in the Blackhouse Mountains near Pall Mall Tennessee where Sergeant Alvin Yorks homestead is located. We called ourselves the Blackhouse Mountain Gang.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

I haven't done a lot of traveling to matches but I would say Moog. I got a late call to attend EOT this year and Moog constantly reached out to make sure I wasn't asleep at the wheel many times covering the 2600 mile drive!

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

I would say Piqua Fish & Game in Ohio where I started, but I really enjoyed Paradise Pass and EOT this year, it was a great set up and ran really well.

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

I have only shot traditional which is still a work in progress!

What is you posse job of choice?

I really enjoy spotting a lot. I like to see how people chose to shoot the stages

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

19.97 is my fastest clean stage.

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

I think it would be "shoot your game" I discussed this with OTJ and it really made me start thinking about what my game really is. It has been very helpful for me. It is very similar to "ride your horse" when I was showing horses and it is the same with CAS, most mistakes are mental. Be positive and focus on what you can control, everything else will fall in line.

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

Have fun!

What keeps you playing this game?

The people for sure, and the competition.

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

Spending time with my family and taking the dogs out for a jaunt in the wetlands.

This blog was inspired by a question I received from Camo Cowboy on Action Shooting Network.  “Question for you? Is there info on the types of stages? I am wanting to practice and being new my only set back is learning the stages and how to shoot them. Working on transitions like you show and smoothness. Practicing in garage with fake stands and tables set up.”

https://actionshootingnetwork.com/TheOTJ/?comment-id=277

Where Do I Start?

How to Improve the Most When You First Start in CAS

My advice to new(er) shooters who would like to improve is there are two areas of focus where the improvements are the most dramatic. These are transitions and shotgun.

Think of it this way: "What is the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Our metaphorical elephant in this blog post is a consistently smooth stage run.  But that requires a lot of little steps to be executed properly for it to happen. We must first break down the stage into its components and learn how to execute those before putting the whole stage together for the desired pachyderm feast.

We want to see marked improvement when we first start, so our focus should be on areas that will facilitate this.  If there is not ample improvement early on, most will get frustrated and give up practicing.  And no one ever gets better by calling it quits. 

Transitions

If you watch any shooter, the most time spent on a stage is in transitions between guns and shooting positions.  This is because multiple transitions are being executed in a stage being that our sport is a 4-gun discipline.  Practicing this is the same as learning any other fine motor skill.  We must break every transition down into its components and practice each one slowly to get the proper technique committed to muscle memory.  Once each movement is perfected we can put together the smooth stages we all strive for.  Matt Black, Missouri Lefty, and Dead Eye Dillard did not become the fastest Cowboy shooters in the world by practicing entire stage runs over and over.  They did so by focusing on small areas that needed the most improvement.  Transitions.

I define a transition as any movement not included in operating the guns (i.e., cocking hammers, levering rifles, pulling triggers, etc.).  These include drawing & holstering pistols, engaging shotgun targets from multiple shooting positions, loading the shotgun, putting down & picking up guns, manipulating props, etc.  If we look at all these movements as transitions, we are more than likely going to give them their warranted attention and correctly execute them.

How do we practice this? 

The answer is dry fire practice.  Live fire has its merits.  But we would be better served and save hard-to-find components by dry firing and getting these movements more fluid and comfortable.  Then, we can use those primers more efficiently in live fire.

I use a few techniques, but they are all based on one-shot drills.  The reason being, the first shot of each string will most likely (barring any faux pas) take the most time to find our sights, break the shot, and hit the target.  For this reason, practicing this technique will net the most improvements in our stage times.  Also, take into consideration our available time.  Most of us do not have unlimited hours to commit to practice.  If we practice entire sweeps and stages, this takes much more time for each rep, and we get fewer reps of the first shot (the area where we can improve the most).  This slows down our measurable improvements during a match. 

What is a one-shot drill?

A one-shot drill is where we place a single shot on a target.  Reset.  Then repeat.  For instance, we have a post-it note hanging on our wall representing a target.  We put our pistol rig on and practice by drawing the pistol, finding our sight picture, and breaking the shot.  Do this 5 times for each pistol.  Then, do it again with the other pistol.  Once we feel comfortable, draw one pistol, find our sights, break the shot, holster; and repeat with the other pistol with no break between them.   Reset.  Repeat. Do this drill 5 times and then repeat starting with the opposite pistol.  Do we see a pattern emerging?

We want to be versatile.  We don’t want to ALWAYS put our rifle down with our weak hand, or ALWAYS draw our strong side pistol first.  When we see stages at a match, they may be better executed by putting down our rifle with the strong hand and drawing our weak side pistol first.  For this reason, we want to practice as many ways to transition as we can.  And if we’re uncomfortable transitioning one way over another, practice that more.

Once we feel comfortable in our first shot drills with each gun separately, put them all together.  Do one shot from each gun (except the shotgun).  Mix up the gun order and incorporate split pistols and shotgun.  Below is how it should look when doing this drill.  Read the explanation of the drill in the description. 

https://youtu.be/9Umv5P4OIOk

I am working on some dry fire technique videos which will cover a lot of these drills in detail.

Shotgun

The second area we see major room for improvement and time savings is in the manipulation of our shotgun.  How many great stage runs have we seen derailed by a shooter struggling with their blunderbuss?  Too many!

Why would a gun we only shoot 4 times per stage take longer than one we shoot ten times?  Or two that we shoot five times?  Because it is the only gun we start with unloaded and that is where the time comes in. 

I typically do not practice one shot only with my scattergun.  I almost always do a full four-shot string.  The more reps we can get with our shotgun the better.  The biggest thing that helped me achieve smoother strings when I started was something I call “Point Practice” and I do it with all my guns.  I start every single dry fire session with this type of practice.

Point Practice

Point Practice is how I define breaking each complex movement (i.e. loading a shell) down into single movements.  For example:  loading a ’97 with hands on hat and shotgun staged on a table involves four different movements.  And each movement has both of our hands doing different things. 

1. Right hand moves from hat and grabs shotgun, left hand moves from hat to grab shells.
2. Right hand picks up shotgun and meets left hand moving from shotgun belt to load the first shell into port.
3. Right hand moves shotgun to right shoulder, left hand grabs slide and closes action as shotgun is shouldered.
4. Right hand pulls trigger, left hand opens slide.

These four steps are the “Points” we need to practice for that smooth first shot.  Because shooting a ’97 string smooth is predicated on keeping a good rhythm, I do not stop at the first shot and continue for the entire string.

5. Right hand slightly rolls port up, left hand loads next shell into port.
6. Right hand rolls shotgun back to vertical, left hand grabs and close slide.
7. Right hand pulls trigger, left hand opens slide.
8. Repeat for remaining shotgun targets.

My first 10 reps of every single shotgun dry fire session are Point Practice.  These “Points” are performed painfully slow but with perfect technique.  I perform the movement and pause between Points to ensure I get my hands exactly where they should be.  What I’m doing is reinforcing the muscle memory so that even if I have some weird pain or am a little tired that day, my technique remains consistent when I get match speed & race speed later in the session.  This is the key to having a smooth shotgun string each stage.  Consistency only comes from practice.  To paraphrase Santa Fe River Stan “Perfect practice makes permanent.”

This is what it should look like once everything is all put together.

https://youtu.be/jg4cy7nhq4k

Conclusion

When we first start to shoot Cowboy Action, it may seem overwhelming trying to improve our stage times.  Nothing seems to flow and everything feels like a struggle.  But there are two areas where the extra practice will pay huge dividends.  These are transitions and shotgun.  If we focus on these areas the improvements will vastly outshine the investment of time.  And hopefully one day, we can all sit down at the table and finish off that elephant!

I see a lot of videos posted of shooters live fire practicing starting with their rifle shouldered and dumping ten on a single target.  This looks pretty cool and you can get some really fast times.  But how does this help you shoot smooth stages?  Manipulating your guns lightning-fast will turn some heads at the range.  But will it make your stage times faster consistently?  No.  You need to put the entire stage together from beginning to end and this is done with smooth transitions and shotgun.

The OTJ

Alias

Cowboy Carty

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Monmouth Illinois (Wyatt Earp’s birthplace)

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

I started shooting at Shady Creek Shootists in 2008. Home of the Saint Jude charity shoot. Dapper Dan got me interested the sport.

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

Dapper Dan first showed me the basics. “spur” and my dad went to high school together. I learned many things from shooting with Spur. When I became friends with Deuce Stevens that is when I really started to analyze the sport and became a better shooter. Without a doubt Deuce Stevens is my best friend and mentor who has had the most influence over my shooting game and outlook on the sport.

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

That has changed over the years. There was a time I would practice live fire no less than three times a week and dry fire every day. These days I don’t get a chance to live fire practice much and I don’t dry fire as much as I need to. I mostly live fire when I test guns that I work on for customers. I dry fired the most when I switched from running a 97 to a side-by-side.

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

Multiple Illinois state overall champion. In the past I have won overall @ Michigan state, Indiana State and Wisconsin State, multiple midwest regional overall champion, one national title in my category and in 2019 I won the overall top gun shoot off at End Of Trail at the time I did not know that would be the last shoot off at Founders Ranch so that is a special one.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

Without a doubt Indiana State 2020 Deuce Stevens and I tied for the overall championship. We had the exact same time at the end of the match. We both had good matches and we knew it would be close that is something I will never forget.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

The people.. We’ve all heard that saying “come for the shooting stay for the people”. And that is definitely me I got into the sport for the competition but I have stayed all these years because I have met my best friends in this sport.

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

When I started honestly I didn’t think I would be around very long. My background is rodeo I was a calf Roper for many years and traveled all over the country. So Cowboy Carty was simple and easy. I guess looking back I wouldn’t change it because there aren’t many Carty‘s around and it’s a unique name.Deuce Stevens.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

Deuce Stevens!

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

Paradise Pass Regulators in Etna Green Indiana Home of the 2021 40th Anniversary End Of Trail. I would have to say without a doubt Gunsmoke in Morristown Minnesota would be my favorite annual match to attend.

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

I have never tried any other category than traditional. I would have to say that I do enjoy watching frontiersman and Classic Cowboy.

What is you posse job of choice?

Posse Marshall

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

Not exactly sure I know I have shot a few 12 second stages. 10,10,4

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

One year at the Midwest regional “ Gunsmoke“ early in the match I earned myself a procedural and I thought it was over for me. Deuce Stevens met me at my gun cart and talked me off the ledge his words of advice were “ Don’t Stop Believing” The title of a famous Journey song. I was able to tighten up my game for the rest of the match and bring home the Midwest regional overall title that year.

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

As far as shooting. Don’t ever try to speed up during a run that usually doesn’t go well. If you ever hear that voice on your head while shooting a stage telling you “I need to go faster” find out a way to ignore it. Other advice I would give is to enjoy the people while you’re at the match. This is a big family from all over the world and when we leave the match we’re not guaranteed to see each other again.

What keeps you playing this game?

Friendship

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

Spend time with my wife and my girls.

Alias

C C Top

Where do you live? (what state or country)

Etna Green, Indiana

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

I started in 2001 when a shooter named Carver met me and invited me to a match. I went to the match and met Montana Longhair and the rest was history.

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

Montana Longhair and Doc Molar

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

I wish I had time for practice and since Paradise Pass is in my back yard ( no really it is my back yard, lol) you would think I can practice a lot, but with all that goes on here and in our Gun Shop I have zero time for practice. I decided in 2005 when we started Paradise Pass that I would rather be an exceptional range owner instead of a world class shooter. I knew I could do one really well or both half way and I never want to do things half way.

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

I have won a few state championships in Indiana starting in 2006 I think, but to be 100% honest I know I have won a few times but have no idea how many times. I have won Trail Head and Iowa state in category and placed well in many other shoots around the USA.

Tell us about your most memorable match:

Last week when End of Trail was here at Paradise Pass. I didn't shoot well, but that is totally unimportant. It looks like everyone enjoyed it and our range and that to me is what is important.

What is your favorite aspect of CAS?

Hands down the people !!!

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

I used to be CC Filson, in the beginning because I was a CC Filson clothing dealer and their cloths were from the 1800's. My real first two initials is C C . But the Filso company sold out and the quality went way down hill so I didn't want to be named after them anymore. A friend suggested CC Top since I like old rock and ZZ Top so it was an easy switch.

Do you have a travel/shootin buddy? (you know that friend that makes this game what it is)

Deuce Stevens He is also my business partner with We the People Munitions Co. and we are together 7 days a week. Also Montana Longhair who is one of my best and oldest friends. Plus the entire Paradise Pass Crew and another 100 + shooters that I truly love.

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

I absolutely love shooting anywhere but if I had to pick one, it would be the Iowa State shoot that JB Kid puts on. Amazing range, excellent stages and just a feeling of family when you roll in.

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

I started day one shooting duelist and did FC Duelist for a year or so but I love duelist and have had no desire to try anything else.

What is you posse job of choice?

T.O. I love helping shooters if they need it and frankly timing calms me down during the match.

What is the time of your fastest clean stage?

16 something

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

Enjoy it or don't do it. Montana Longhair

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

Shoot while you're here, but focus on the people, that's where the real memories are.

What keeps you playing this game?

The People, the friendships and the laughter is amazing. I stood off in the shadows many times during EOT here last week and just enjoyed watching everyone enjoying each other and spending time together.

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

Travelling with my dogs in the RV. Hunting, spending time with family and friends.

Anything else you would like to add:

Thanks for asking me to take part. Also thank you to all who attended End of Trail this year !!