This article is for folks just getting into Cowboy Action Shooting. The sport is colorful and quite enjoyable, offering good social activity, and if approached correctly, can be semi affordable. There are even matches for the women. There is something for everyone! The trick is to not get carried away buying all kinds of antique firearms before you know what's up. The key word in Cowboy Action Shooting, of course, is shooting. In this sport you shoot up lots of ammo, so you want lots of cheap, readily available ammo that produces low muzzle jump, low noise and darn little recoil. All of the above are your enemies, so make sure that you do everything you can to hold these annoyances to a minimum or you will be a consistent loser, no matter how good a shooter you are.
Ask yourself this question: "Am I human?" If you answer yes, then you probably have a nervous system, and that nervous system will suffer plenty from all the going's on, especially with everyone watching you shoot under the clock. You need every advantage you can get, and the winners all use the lightest bullets, minimal powder charges and most workable guns. Forget macho! .44 and .45 caliber guns will slow you down and hold you back, so pass on them it you want to win. All right, here is the straight skinny and the equipment you'll need to win yourself some CBA shooting matches.
* Everybody is allowed an opinion, and these are mine. The fact that lots of other folks in the know have the same opinions might count for something too. There will, of course, be those who disagree, but then, they can pay for their fantasy if they want to. I already took my losses.
The right thing to do is to get pistols and rifles that shoot the same ammo like .38, .44/40, .44 mag. or .45 Colt Long. They call these rifles"Pistol Calliber Rifles." The winners use pistols and rifles that are chambered for .38 Specials, loaded down to pop gun power. Of course, you can load up your .44 mag or .45 Colt Long cartridges until the report breaks windows in the chuck house, but you'll only do it once, walking away, hang dog and feeling foolish. Relax, that is nothing compaired to how foolish you'll feel when you take the loss for trading in your barn busters for more useful shooters that will give you a chance of winning. How do I know, well...
You need two .357 mag single action revolvers, western style, like the Colt, Uberti, American Arms or Ruger single-sixes. Modern class uses iron sights while the standard is the old fashioned, blade and groove type that these guns originally came with. Be sure and read the rules first.
Ammo: For CBA shooting, you will use .38 special cartridges with 133gr. or lighter flat-nosed wad cutter or round nose flat-point lead bullets, loaded with just enough powder to push them down range, about 2.5 to 3 grains of Bulls-eye will do. You will shoot these in both the pistols and the lever action rifle. The milder you can load the ammo the better, as any recoil will slow you down and cost you points. Use as close to minimum published loads as you can get away with.
One Rossie .357 mag lever action rifle with iron sights. This one is the pick of the litter, it's cheap and works good. Winchesters have problems, and Marlin's micro-grove rifling isn't the best thing for the lead bullets that you'll have to shoot. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with mine. Remember, always use flat-nosed bullets in lever action rifles, as pointed bullets can set off the primer of the bullet ahead in the tubular magazine. Bad news, sport, bad news.
One double barrelled or pump action shotgun. The pump has to have an exposed hammer. The double can have enclosed hammers, but no ejectors as such things did not exist back in 1896. In either one, you can only load two rounds. So it's a toss. I use a little 12 ga. Rossie coach gun ( short barrells) with polished chambers, so I can just dump the spent shells out on the ground. The best load I've found is a Win AA hull with 3/4 ounce of #9 shot over 16 grains of Red Dot powder. This will knock over anything on the course, doesn't kick much and gives a larger pattern than the bigger sized shot. The idea is to win. By-the-way, I hunt birds with this load. So did Peter Capstick.
For a long range rifle, you can get whatever you like, but some are a pain in the butt and expensive too. Go for a .45/70. At least you got cheap ammo, and if you buy a strong rifle, you can hunt with it. We can load a .45/70 damn near up to .458 Win mag specs. There are a lot of .45/70 rifles available these days, both old and new. No, they don't use .30/30s with copper jacket bullets. Lead only! Get what you like, but get ready to pay for the ammo...
Oh yes, before you buy any used equipment from any CBA shooter, have the iron checked by a competent gunsmith. These guns get shot a lot and many are worn out from constant use. Don't get bit by smilin' John. CBA isn't cheap. By the time you buy your guns, ammo, clothes, and support gizmos, you got a couple grand or more tied up. However, it is fun and offers good self satisfaction when you start getting good. I guess that it's worth it, so have fun! I do!
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