A day of Cowboy Action Shooting

I got wind that the Alaska 49er’s Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) Club, a local arm of The Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), is hosting a public invitational Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Matanuska Valley Sportsman’s Shooting Range in Palmer. So, I figured I’d mosey on down to the range in advance of the event to see what CAS is all about. I volunteer as a range safety officer in my spare time, so I’m no stranger there.

Paul Brown, a.k.a. Scout Brown, a former history teacher and fellow range safety officer, was the first one there that morning, and he happily agreed to answer a few questions.

“Fire away,” he said.

Cowboy Action Shooting is a type of multi-gun competition where they use what he terms “John Wayne guns”: two single-action revolvers, a lever-action rifle, and a shotgun.

“They are all guns, replicas or originals, that were produced before 1900,” Brown said. “No semi-autos.”

(Well, except in Wild Bunch; that’s a whole ‘nother story.)

Cowboys and cowgirls dressed in period garb began filtering in, bringing with them a variety of single-action revolvers, lever-action rifles, and lever-action or double-barrel shotguns.

In addition to the western duds and shooting irons, each of them has an alias. As several of them informed me, “If you don’t have an alias, we will find one for you.” Among the colorful cast of characters were Marshall Stone, Red Tornado, Gunleather, Misfitt Angel, Taino, and Sgt. Sinew. The stories behind the aliases are as varied and interesting as the people.

Carmen Croas, a.k.a Pilar Caliente, started Cowboy Action Shooting when her husband, John Croas, a.k.a. Foul Mouth Frank Schutz, began taking her to the events. She officially joined SASS in 2005, and has been enjoying the history and gaining proficiency with firearms ever since.

“The first time after three or four years of shooting the monthly matches, I did shoot one match clean,” she said of her most memorable experience with the club. “No misses and no procedurals.”

Later, during the safety briefing, she was presented with a pin honoring her achievement.

After the safety briefing, the shooting began on a series of stages set in the indoor range. (Starting in mid-May and throughout the rest of the summer, shoots will be outside.) There was a rack for safely storing their long guns, a loading table where pistols could be kept between stages, three shooting benches in front of a series of steel targets, and an unloading table at the far end. To help set the tone, a large plywood cactus and boulder separated the shooting benches.

Each stage had a story behind it, some from historical events, others from western movies. The total time for all three stages was measured, and precious seconds were added to the total time for misses and procedural errors. There was a variety of skill levels, from intermediate to world champion.

It wasn’t difficult to peg the world champion as Marshal Stone, who consistently ran three stages in under 30 seconds with no misses. Who needs a semi-auto when you can run a lever-action like a machine gun?

Wanting to know the secret of his success, I asked him, what skills are required to excel at Cowboy Action Shooting?

“Practice, practice, practice,” he said

And how does he prepare himself for competitions?

“I just show up.”

Now that I had the guidance of a world champion, I thought I would try shooting a stage myself. Red Tornado graciously offered to let me use her equipment, as many of the folks do.

How did I do?

Well, let’s just say I won’t be giving Marshal Stone a run for his money anytime soon, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a blast!

If you are interested in learning more about Cowboy Action Shooting and meeting the colorful and friendly folk of the Alaska 49er’s Cowboy Action Shooting Club, stop by the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen’s Shooting Range on Saturday, May 4, for the Public Invitational. This is a free and family-friendly event. Young shooters are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian.

Ben Borg works in the Frontiersman’s marketing department. Contact the Frontiersman at news@frontiersman.com.