Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy action shooting is a type of multigun match using a combination of handguns, rifles, and shotguns in a variety of "Old West-themed" courses of fire for time and accuracy.
Participants must dress in appropriate themes or era costumes, as well as use gear and accessories as mandated by the respective sanctioning group rules.
CAS requires competitors to use firearms typical of the mid-to-late 19th century: single-action revolvers, lever-action rifles chambered in pistol calibers, and side-by-side double-barreled shotguns (also referred to as coach guns) with or without external hammers, although automatic ejectors are not allowed and Winchester 1897 pump-action shotguns with external hammers are allowed.
Other Long guns, such as 1884 Colt Lightning slide-action rifles and Winchester 1887 lever-action shotguns are also allowed.
Replica firearms are available from companies such as Ruger, Colt, Uberti, Pedersoli, Stoeger, Chiappa, Pietta, Armi San Marco, and U.S. Fire Arms Mfg.
Depending on the standards of the sanctioning organization, clothing may be historically accurate for the late 19th century or may just be suggestive of the Old West.
Some groups allow for costume similar to that worn by characters in a Western B-movie, such as Hopalong Cassidy or a television series like Gunsmoke.
Many find it necessary to be creative in selecting an alias as virtually all historical names such as Wyatt Earp and Butch Cassidy have long since been claimed.
The timer starts when the range officer pushes the button, which beeps to signal that the shooter may proceed.
They then lay the rifle back down on the hay bale with action open and chamber empty and run to the right where their shotgun is staged.
The shooter then lays their open and empty shotgun back on the hay bale and draws their second revolver.
European National Championship – Days of Truth (DOT) Many countries have their own respective national championship including: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, The Nederlands, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Serbia.
[2] Many of these safety requirements are due to the nature of reproduction single action revolvers with fixed cylinders, and repeating rifles with non-removable tubular magazines.
In addition to requiring shooters to wear Old West attire, the Western theme of the matches is enhanced by having suitable targets and props for the stages.
Other props may include buckboards, chuck wagons, stagecoaches, and "horses" as well as jail cells, oak barrels, hitching posts, swinging saloon doors, etc.
Categories based on how the shooter fires their guns In addition to percussion (cap and ball) weapons, many firearms are center-fire .32 caliber or larger with revolvers and rifles chambered in .38 Special and .45 Colt being very popular.
Ammunition is generally loaded at medium to full power levels, although many junior shooters or women prefer to shoot lighter calibers (such as .32 and .38).
[8] All ammunition for pistols or rifles must also meet a minimum power factor of 150, calculated by multiplying the bullet weight in grains and the muzzle velocity in feet per second and then dividing the result by 1,000.
• Doughboy – Named after the famed infantryman of World War I, this category uses the bolt-action military rifles of the era.
Events require that the contestant ride a horse through a course of fire while carrying the same guns used in cowboy action shooting.
Events use blank ammunition certified to break a target balloon within twenty feet instead of live rounds.
