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Volume 35, July/Aug 2005 Issue
When considering the Western-action
shooting sports and how we as individuals will participate in them,
there are a number of areas that each of us think about and
emphasize to one degree or another.
Two of them, fun and cost, are very inter-related.
The third, authenticity, is one that not only more and more
people consider important, but is also directly related to fun and
cost.
Having fun with these sports is probably the most
important aspect; we wouldn't participate in them if they
weren't fun. I have
had many people say they always have fun whenever they are out
shooting. The
friendships built at events in addition to dressing up in Old West
clothing and playing cowboy, add to the ambiance, character, and
feeling that the Old West is still alive.
Each of us receives a different amount of pleasure from the
various Western-action shooting sports.
Where cowboy action shooting may be the cat's meow to one
person, another may enjoy it but really have fun when partaking in
cowboy fast draw, black powder cartridge silhouette, cowboy
lever-action silhouette, or cowboy mounted shooting.
Many of us starting out, or even after years of
shooting in a variety of these sports, are still cost constrained.
Purchasing two single-action sixguns, a double gun rig, a
lever-action rifle, and a period correct shotgun, makes cowboy
action shooting pretty expensive.
Not to mention having action jobs performed on all of the
firearms. Acquiring a
single-action in .45 Colt with a belt and single holster for fast
draw may be much more palatable to the pocket book, while deciding
to go into black powder cartridge silhouette is every bit as
expensive as cowboy action shooting, and then some.
Now, let's consider the matter of authenticity.
Though I feel that authenticity is important, there
are some times when I feel it is overly emphasized.
Yes, I do agree that baseball caps and tennis shoes should
not be worn by shooters at big annual events, nor during regular
monthly matches if it can be helped.
However, I do believe that anyone showing up at a monthly
match (for his or her first few times) should be allowed to shoot
regardless of the clothes they are wearing.
We are out there to have fun and encourage others to come out
and enjoy our sport as well. When
possible, we should all try to make our attire correspond to the
period of time of the sport we are participating in and that of the
character we may be portraying.
The cost for a person just starting out can be significant,
so being able to wear jeans, a straw cowboy hat, and a run down pair
of modern cowboy boots can make a big difference.
What about caliber?
In cowboy fast draw it is real clear, a stock single-action
in .45 Colt is required. Cowboy
action shooting has a far more diversified range, anywhere from .32
to .45 caliber. The .45
Colt may be the more glamorous of calibers, but the .32-20 was the
third most popular Colt single-action cartridge sold during the late
1800s. The .32 caliber
cartridge of various dimensions was probably the most popular
cartridge there was due to numerous pocket revolvers and belly guns,
especially Smith & Wesson's.
It is a hoot to feel the kick of a big .45 Colt loaded fully
with black powder cartridges, but it is also nice and light on the
wallet if one decides to shoot a .38 Special which is not an
authentic cartridge, but is certainly more powerful than the .32
S&W or .32-20. This
is especially true if a person is practicing regularly each week,
for .38 Specials are the most plentiful and the cheapest centerfire
pistol cartridge as well as being one of the easiest to reload.
Original antique firearms are hard to come by, plus
they can be very expensive. Using
a first generation Colt sixgun for cowboy action shooting can be
cost prohibitive and you certainly risk the possibility of damaging
the gun. Don't even
consider it for cowboy fast draw!
Second and third generation Colts are certainly much more
viable but are much more expensive than the vast majority of the
replica sixguns. Thus
replica Colts and Rugers are certainly the sixguns of choice with an
occasional S&W replica or second generation Colt thrown in now
and again. You can even
get a brand new Replica Arms sixgun for $299.00 (available through
Navy Arms.) There are
many people who use original rifles for black powder cartridge
silhouette; this is primarily due to the fact that a decent replica
costs almost as much as an original.
The vast number of lever-action rifles used are replicas as
they are much cheaper especially if you go with the standard model
1892. However, I have
found that you can still get original Marlin 1889s and shooter
quality 1873s for not much more than you would pay for a brand new
replica. Shotguns are
another matter, double barrels are easy to come by and there are
still plenty of Winchester
1897s around, although they have certainly gone up in price over the
last few years.
So, folks, let's be as authentic as we can as
individuals but not at the expense of enjoying our shooting fun or
discouraging others to join us.
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