My Cowboy Action Shooting Adventures
History has always fascinated me and especially American history from our first settlers through 1900. My family history includes some of Americas earliest settlers going back to 1653 in Virginia and many prominent people in our early history. NCOWS focuses on the period of the old west from 1860-1899. That period includes my 6th cousin Judge William Alexander Carter who was largely responsible for the creation of the Wyoming Territory and was the first cattle rancher in the territory. I based my cowboy persona somewhat on Judge Carter but mixed in a little riverboat gambler.
I started off with a used Ruger Vaquero .45 caliber single action revolver purchased at a gun show for $450. I also bought 200 rounds of reloaded .45 ammunition with new brass at the gun show for about $60 per 100 rounds. Since they have new brass, they can be reloaded several more times. The gun show also provided smokeless powder and primers for reloading my .45 ammo.
My good friend and excellent leather worker Cliff Fendley made my holster and gun belt (see www.fendleyknives.com ) .
I bought most of my period clothes at Tanto Rim in Seymour , Indiana and a few accessories from Ebay. I have a set of working clothes that include brown canvas pants and a blue bibb shirt. I also have a set of dress clothes with a white shirt, a vest, black pinstriped trousers, suspenders and a puff tie. I already had a couple of suitable hats. I have some pointy toed cowboy boots but I am keeping an eye out for a more period correct pair of mule eared boots. I bought a pair of spurs from Ebay and I am making leather straps for them. I have about $200 invested in new period clothes.
I bought a second pistol, a new replica of a Remington 1858 New Army .44 cap & ball black powder revolver, from Cabellas online for $200 but I also had to buy a powder flask and balls.
I picked up some 777 black powder substitute and percussion caps from a local Bass Pro Shop to save the haz-mat fees for shipping them.
I picked up reloading equipment and supplies at a local gun show and online for around $150 for everything except a brass tumbler.
I joined NCOWS
and our local NCOWS posse,
The Johnson County Rangers. I went to my
first shooting match and found a good deal on a used Rossi Puma replica of a
Winchester Model 92 lever action .45 rifle for $500.
I am making a pair of period saddle bags and a leather "possibles bag" to carry my ammo and other gear to the shoots.
I already had shooting glasses and hearing protection but they are inexpensive and readily available.
Up to this point, I probably have a little under $2000 invested in everything. Considering I bought a lot of it new, that's not too bad. As I stated earlier, a lot of the expense comes up front. After your initial expenses, the only ongoing expenses will be for ammunition and club dues ($35 per year for NCOWS) and shooting fees (usually about $10 per shoot but that often includes lunch).
My next purchase will most likely be a double barrel coach 12 gauge shotgun that I will probably buy new and expect to pay a little under $400 for a new Stoeger replica unless I find a good deal on something I like better.
With the addition of the shotgun I will be ready to shoot just about any NCOWS event in any class except those that require a derringer or pocket gun. I can shoot my preferred class, "Working Cowboy", with either of my pistols and my rifle but I just wanted to try shooting a black powder cap & ball pistol and I have always admired the coach shotguns.
Regarding expenses, one consideration is that the guns used in CAS hold their value very well or appreciate providing they are kept in good condition. If I decide to get out of it later, I should be able to recoup a lot of my investment. I may end up buying more guns as an investment as I learn more about them. Original antique Colts, Winchesters, Remingtons, Henrys, Sharps, Spencers and Smith & Wessons bring big prices and continue to go up. Even good replicas tend to hold their value well or go up.
My first CAS shoot was every bit as much fun as I had hoped it would be. I was made to feel right at home among the 27 other shooters at the match. I learned a lot from new friends who were extremely willing to share what they have learned. We shot five stages (rounds). Each stage required 10 rifle shots and 5 pistol shots. Targets had to shot in a particular order in each stage. I was shooting each stage in around 45-50 seconds, or averaging around 3 seconds per shot including time to switch from rifle to pistol. Out of 12 shooting the Working Cowboy class, I finished solidly in the middle of the pack in 6th place but the truth is that nobody much cares about the scores, we just enjoy the shooting.
I feel there is a lot of room for improvement and I think I will improve now that I have the first-time jitters behind me and I know what to expect. I need to learn to be a little more patient. It's hard not to rush when you are one the clock but every miss is a 10 second penalty under NCOWS scoring. Taking another second to aim is better than losing 10 seconds for a miss. I was surprised at some of the misses but learned that nicking a target can count as a miss. It has to be a solid hit.
I am very much looking forward to doing a lot more CAS and especially the NCOWS Nationals next month in Evansville, Indiana.
The NCOWS Eastern Regional will be hosted by my home posse, The Johnson County Rangers, at Hooten Old Town in McKee, KY September 16-17, 2011 and I am heartbroken that I will not be able to attend but it happens to fall on the same weekend as my biggest knife show, The Knifemakers Guild Show. As a knifemaker and voting member of the Knifemakers Guild, I just can't miss the Guild Show.
The 2012 NCOWS National Convention will be in Shepherdsville, KY next March only a few miles from my home so that is exciting for me.
I keep adding to my outfit. I bought some very nice imitation ivory grips for my Ruger off of Ebay.
I made some leather wrist cuffs and bought a nice period pocket watch again from Ebay.
Update: June 2011
Well I went to the 2011 NCOWS Nationals at the Westside Sportsmans Club in Evansville, Indiana. I had a GREAT time. The facility was terrific with 10 old west shooting stages. It was incredibly hot on Friday but the staff was great about keeping us supplied with ice water and there were places to rest in the shade to cool off. I enjoyed visiting with those who camped in the period campground and meeting a lot of new friends. We had 60-70 shooters and a lot of fun, friendly competition. The weekend ended with a delicious banquet prepared by our host facility and awards and door prizes.
The Nationals was great fun and I am already anxious to do it again next year. I didn't shoot as well as I had hoped but had a lot of fun anyway. Of the 28 shooters in my class, Working Cowboy, I finished in 20th place, mostly due to my missing 14 of the 145 targets over two days of main match shooting. Each miss earns you a 10 second penalty on your time so you quickly learn that taking another second or two to aim and be accurate is better than taking a 10 second penalty for a miss. That sounds easy enough in theory but when you are on the line and know that clock is ticking it's hard not to get in a hurry and rush your shots.
As I said earlier, most people in NCOWS don't take the competition too seriously and many don't care about their scores at all. We are mostly just having fun shooting. I am not worried about winning but I do like to try to improve my own scores and know that I am improving as a shooter. I sail through the rifle targets but I need to work on my pistol accuracy.
You can see pictures and videos of the Nationals on the Johnson County Rangers website at www.jcrangers.com
I am now thoroughly hooked on CAS. I made another trip to Tanto Rim to get some period boots, a frock coat and a new hat. I recently went to a local gun show and couldn't pass up a good deal on a Uberti Model 66 Yellow Boy .45. This is a modern replica of the 1866 Winchester.
So now I have two period lever action rifles in .45 caliber, my 66 Yellow Boy and my Rossi/Stoeger 1892 Winchester replica. It is too early to decide which I like the best. Both are dead-on accurate and great fun to shoot.
Now I am looking for a modern replica of the Colt 1878 double barrel coach shotgun like the stagecoach guards carried. Cimarron makes a a good replica with the authentic "rabbit ear" exposed hammers.
