CAS Cowboy action Shooting

[NCFJ]

Anyone here into CAS? Heather and I are both shooters and do a good bit of target shooting here on the farm. We are both getting a little bored just shooting targets.

Be both like single action pistols and are thinking that getting into CAS would be enjoyable. Shooting pistols, rifle and shotgun at one place has got to be fun. Heather is also interested in mounted shooting..

 

[Mtbcoach]

I've only done it with borrowed gear, our gun club hosts matches every month.

It is fun, you'll need to get into reloading or ammo costs get expensive. The scenarios are fun, most I've met are really fun to hang out with. For me, having all the necessary fire arms is what turned me away. For the IPSC/USPSA matches, I can shoot one gun, for the CAS, you'll need at least 3, if not 4 (two side-arms, shotgun and rifle) as well as the "fancy" clothes.

The only other "turn-off" was that they downloaded the rounds so severely (there is no minimum power factor or ft/sec as in IPSC/USPSA), as long as the round pings the steel, its a hit. Some guys/gals were shooting raounds that were barely BB gun speed.

It is really fun though, can't go wrong with hanging out with a bunch of other gun nuts and shooting 100-150 rounds for fun...

 

[NCFJ]

Thanks Jerry. I kinda figured reloading would be in my future so no problem with that. Having two period pistols, a Henry rifle and a coach gun certainly will not bum me out. To quote Heather "can you think of a better way to justify buying some more cool guns?"

We are planning on attending the next shoot in Greenville that fits our schedule and see how things run. She is already talking about which horse she wants to use to do the mounted shooting.

I have been wanting a Remington 1860 Army for a while, good reason to get one, replica of course, can't see spending the kind of money an original would cost and I would never want to shoot the thing anyway.

 

[erymer]

To quote Heather "can you think of a better way to justify buying some more cool guns?"

Wow buddy....you've got you a winner right there. lol.

Sounds like an awesome sport to get into.

 

[NCFJ]

Heather likes guns and shooting as much as I do, and she is beyond competative. She shot trap with me as well.

I think that it is also a sport that you can continue long into your "senior" years as well without the worry of harsh physical impact.

 

[Mtbcoach]

Then, you guys are good to go. I'd be sure to bring folding chairs, lunch, eye/ear protection, depending on how many stages they have set up, it could be 3-5 hr for a match.

Check out this season show of American Guns where they build a period correct rifle for the SA Speed champion, I was amazed at the speed and expertise of the shooter, particularly considering their age. The rifle is friggen amazing also.

RE - reloading, too much to write, give me a buzz. But, like all other tools as we've discussed before, get more than you think you'll need. And, don't buy anything but Dillon. I'm using a 650 and it works great. When I was shooting 3 matches a month (~125-150 rounds each), I'd practice at least once a week (200-300 rnds), as you can see, it adds up. Even one match a month, both of you shooting and Heather doing the mounted, you are probably ~400 rounds of various calibers.

I got my 9 mm rounds @ 5 cents each, 40 cal @ 7 cents each, compared to off the shelf prices of $$$$. And, the ability to customize them, (I believe they shoot walnut shells in the mounted events) makes justification even easier.

Very cool though, truth be told, I'd often considered it but don't have one firearm that qualifies and have $0 budget for 4 of these period correct pieces, a massive gap in my vault, congrats...

 

[NCFJ]

I hear you on reloading Jerry. My nightstand weapon is a Glock 21 (.45 Cal) and my carry weapon is a Bersa .380 Both of those are $35.00 plus per 100. It is real easy to burn through 100 shells just keeping up with regular practice. Heather is now looking at a Ruger SP101 as her carry weapon, its a 357 and can shoot .38 for practice. Also not what I would call cheap ammo. We shoot the Heratige .22 single action most for fun.

The up side about the CAS is that you can match your pistol and rifle caliber to reduce the amount of different ammo you need to deal with. At this point we will share the first set (2 pistols, rifle and a shotgun) and then decide what we want to do for the second set from there. Probably get a second set of pistols first and then another rifle and shotgun.

I have always liked coach guns so that is the direction we'll go with the shotgun. I have three shotguns now but two are trap guns and one is a Rem 870 express home defense style. They do not qualify. The rifle has to be one of pistol caliber, good excuse to buy a Henry Golden Boy in .45 cal.

Jerry, I will get in touch with you about the reloading. It is something I have looked at in the past when trap shooting but never got into it.