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I jumped into Cowboy Action Shooting with two Ruger Blackhawks chambered in 38 special, a Henry .22 caliber lever gun, and a $300 Baikal side by side shotgun I found at the local gun shop. I ordered two ambidextrous Hunter brand holsters from Midway USA along with a shot shell "slide." The leather tool belt with the basket weave pattern came from Sears. I got a nine dollar cowboy hat and a pair of Double H boots from the Army Navy store and I was ready to go.
My Blackhawks had one long barrel, one short barrel and I shot store-bought Blazers or bought 38's from a local re-loader guy. Make sure your store-bought ammo travels at 900 fps or less. Look for the velocity on the box or look up the velocity on the company’s website. You want slow travelin’ bullets! If you’re uncertain whether you should use a certain kind of ammunition, check with the “head Hondo” that runs the range.
SASS specifications call for a velocity of 1000 fps or less for handgun ammo. Be nice to yourself and be nice to your fellow shooters and use light loads. Flyin’ lead splatters when it hits a steel target so go easy on the propellant; we’re not trying to bring down a rhinoceros here!
I once saw a kid ruin a beautiful brass Uberti 1866 because he was shooting “full house” 45LC loads. What works in a strong Ruger will not work in a “toggle-link” Winchester clone. All we need is to hear the target go CLANG! We don’t have to break the target loose from its stand! Be considerate of your fellow pards and the range equipment. Thank you.
Many companies sell CAS ammunition so use that if it meets the range requirements. Bullets have to be lead, so read the shooter’s handbook to get the details. Ammunition that is too powerful will damage the steel targets. Damaged targets are unsafe for shooters and spectators.
My first rifle was a Henry .22 lever gun that I already owned, so I used that baby until I found a lever rifle in .357 caliber. Brookfield Conservation Club doesn’t turn many people away so if you want to shoot and only own 22s; that’s Ok. You can still shoot; you’re just put into the 22 class.
I bought all my shotgun shells at the local outdoor store for $4 a box and when they were on sale; you could get 1 box for $8 and the second box was free! What a deal! They were Federals in the retro looking box.
Buy your shotgun ammo on sale but be sure to get target loads for shooting clay birds. Look for the velocity on the box, somewhere around 1145 fps is considered low. The lower the velocity, the lighter the load. Look up the shotgun ammo details in the Shooter’s Handbook and make sure they “shuck” easily from your gun.
Now that I was outfitted, I shot at the Brookfield Conservation Club and got my feet wet. There is a lot to learn but one has to start somewhere and if you get lucky and find a good club that you can hang around, you’ll catch on.
Unless you have a lot of money, go slow and buy one thing at a time. You’ll need a gun cart, 2 reliable single action revolvers, a pistol caliber lever gun (rifle), a shotgun, a work shirt and blue jeans, and eventually reloading equipment and all the stuff that goes with that. Buy good stuff and don’t cut corners on the guns; that’s where most of the money will go and by all means, have a cowboy hat! There are cheap ones to be had at truck stops or tractor supply stores. It’s just not the same; shooting at outlaws and renegades in your ball cap!
If you have guns but don’t have adequate holsters, shoot anyway! Ask if you can “stage” your guns on the table and pick them up and shoot them as needed. There should be no objection but it depends on the club. When in doubt, always ask.
If you only have one revolver, shoot anyway! The score won’t count but you’ll be shooting, having fun, and getting involved. Help reset targets, pick up brass, or help put stuff away and you’ll be in like flint!
Think about it, where else could you go and dress up like a cowboy or western movie actor, talk like you were from Wyoming, even though you grew up in Akron, enjoy your favorite sport (shooting) and play the ham all at the same time without the slightest chance of being ridiculed? To quote author David Chicoine, “CAS is a wonderful sport and these activities promote honesty, moral correctness, a love of history and it’s a heck of a lot of fun!”
Go out there and try it, you’ll be glad you did!
Yours Truly,
Slow Mo Dern