SEE SHOOTING SPORTS SECTION ABOUT THE SPORT
SAFETY
The most important factor in any sport is safety. Competition sometimes brings shortcuts and half way attempts at common sense. This is a no shortcut competition for several reasons. Cheap solutions usually result in cheap results.
First and most critical is the weaponry. These single actions guns are different in their action, trigger pulls, movement of the shooter and grips. Some will never be comfortable with a western style grip and thats when the Bisley grip came into being. More vertical in style, it has helped some. The sport is centered around the .45 colt and the more modern .357 magnum. Both are powerful rounds and engaging in Cowboy action Shooting can utilize the same firearm for handgun hunting IF YOU ARE COMPETENT which bring us to the subject of idiots. There is a tendency for some to show off which I witnessed at a range years ago. Fanning or using the hammer for fast shooting sent an errant round over the berm of a range south of here. It landed in an empty school bus used by migrant workers in the fields. Almost got the range closed down.
OLD GUNS, NEW RIGORS
But the most important change is when a rifle or shotgun over 100 years old is being modified to be used in action shooting with the rigors of competition. All of these firearms should be, make that absolutely checked out by a competent experienced gunsmith like Bob because the ammunition today is not what it was 100 years ago. I cannot emphasize this enough.
The 97 Winchester is a very popular model for this game. Think, some of these authentic and clone models have 90-100 parts and metals wear with age, parts break and someone who knows the 97 will will tell you that. A good gunsmith with experience in '97s is a requirement if you're going to use it extensively and extensively is what the Cowboy action shooting is about.
Be very careful with some Chinese imports. Brings new meaning to the phrase finding more than lead in your paint. They have many names and importers. Early Norinco's were bad, no parts basically a hammered gum. They were improved mightily after Coyote Cap made several trips to China to get the production down right.
There are places on the web that list these Chinese clones that are useless. Non repairable and weak assembly with weak parts. Cimarron's are Polytechs, TTN has other branded clones, EAA, and Bounty HUNTER, made by Baikal. Lots of choices, and rule one is let a competent gunsmith look at it.
The Doubles gun or side by side is another are where one has to be cautious as these have been made all over the world. Turkey, China, Russia, and the Balkans to name a few. These are more complex than they appear and most need a tune and fitting right out of the box if you intend to shoot SASS. Otherwise you will be standing on the line unable to continue wondering why the gun won’t open to eject.
THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST
It had a tough start. Bound by the Rollin White patent and not wanting to pay a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, Colt could not begin development of bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use until April 4, 1869. For the design, Colt turned to two of its best engineers: William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff Richards who had developed a number of revolvers and black powder conversions for the company. Their effort was designed for the United States government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and adopted as the standard military service revolver. Production began in 1873 with the Single Action Army model 1873, also referred to as the “New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol”.
NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MAY FIND
The very first production Single Action Army, serial number 1, thought lost for many years after its production, was found in a barn in Nashua, New Hampshire in the early 1900s. It was chambered in .45 Colt, a centerfire design containing charges of up to 40 grains of fine-grained black powder and a 255-grain blunt round nosed bullet. Relative to period cartridges and most later handgun rounds, it was quite powerful in its full loading.
The Colt Single Action Army revolver, along with the 1870 and 1875 Smith & Wesson Model 3 "Schofield" revolver, replaced the Colt 1860 Army Percussion revolver. The Colt quickly gained favor over the S&W and remained the primary US military sidearm until 1892 when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt caliber Colt Model 1892, a double-action revolver with swing-out cylinder. By the end of 1874, serial no. 16,000 was reached; 12,500 Colt Single Action Army revolvers chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge had entered service and the remaining revolvers were sold in the civilian market.
The Colt .45 is a famous piece of American history, known as "The Gun That Won the West".
STOIKER - BERETTA
Stoeger was bought out by Beretta but Beretta will not work on pre-deal Stoegers or any Stoeger that has been modified. Most Stoegers could use two crucial upgrades for the game recommended by the Coyote.
a. Flex hone the chambers to facilitate rounds falling out.
b. Polished the mating surfaces of the opening-closing/locking mechanism so it will pop open easily.
All of these types and styles reflect the diversity of this particular event, it's big and the winners are big in the eyes of those who participate. The firearms are a crucial part of the equation and even more demanding as the age and the condition enter into the mix.
RUGER VAQUERO
There is no question about the popularity of the Ruger Vaquero in Cowboy action Shooting, they have the look and the feel of the past with modern technology and we have upgraded almost all models to new levels for the truly competitive shooters.
DUAL RIG - HI-YO SILVER!
THE LONG GUNS
COACH SIDE BY SIDE
THE LEVER ACTION
THE WINCHESTER 97 CLASSIC