Anyone who ever dreamed of being a cowboy or cowgirl will recognize why this sport is growing so fast. Participants get to dress up as cowpokes and shoot their 6-shooters, lever action rifles, and shotguns at metal targets in a scene from the old west. You may have to shoot from an outhouse, through the bars of a jail window, from a blackjack table, or even dressed in a bonnet and apron. Fun and safety are the two main ingredients of a Cowboy Action Shooting match.

Events are timed--the faster you shoot, the better you score. However, each target missed will add 5 seconds to your score so the trick is to not go so fast that you begin missing targets. Your fellow Posse members will be happy to give shooting tips as well as congratulations or good-natured ribbing, depending on how you do.

There are several different classes of shooters, as designated by SASS. There are classes for ladies, black powder shooters, and duelist (shooting one-handed), traditionalist (two-handed), and modern (adjustable sights) shooters. All cowpokes carry revolvers in their holsters and shoot lever action rifles (in pistol calibers) and shotguns. All weapons must be copies of guns made before 1898. ( Most of our shooters acquired their gear and guns a little at a time as they've gone along--after all, it's the Cowboy Way to share and we're always happy to share with new cowboys and cowgirls!)

For more information on this fun and growing shooting sport, contact Red River Mike, Territorial Governor of the Old Hickory Regulators at mserraino@charter.net (did I mention that we shoot under our official SASS alias?). C'mon out and join Father Time, Wendover Kid, Mustang Don, Carolina Lead Foot, Red River Mike and the rest of the Regulators for a fun-filled Saturday