Annapolis Valley

SHOOTING SPORTS CLUB

Cowboy Action

The Annapolis Valley Shooting Sports Club has been the home of The South Mountain Regulators since 2010. Our shooters hold monthly matches on the 1st Sunday of each month as well as the Annual Invitational Match in June and the Great Pumpkin Massacre in October. In addition to the matches held here at Cooper’s Ridge many of our members attend shoots across the Maritimes. You can always spot a Regulator by his or her red bandana.

Cowboy

Cowboy Action Shooting™ first began as an organized shooting discipline in the 1970s. Since then it has become one of the fastest growing shooting sports internationally. Although there are several western style shooting organizations matches at AVSSC are run in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Single Action Shooting Society. SASS puts particular emphasis on shooters having the “Spirit of the Game,” which means shooters must participate in what the competition requires and not seek to gain an advantage by skirting the rules. Most people would call this good sportsmanship and it is a fundamental requirement for all shooters.

Cowboy 1  Cowboy 2

Matches are shot using two single-action revolvers, a lever action or pump action rifle in a pistol caliber (sorry, no .30-30 or .38-55), and a side-by-side shotgun (with or without external hammers) or model 97-style pump shotgun. Shooters must, unlike most other shooting disciplines, be in costumes in order to compete. While some shooters choose to go all out with their fancy duds those new to the sport can get by with a button down shirt, jeans and leather boots. A shooter will also need gun leather capable of securely carrying both revolvers and a belt for shotgun ammunition.

Programs

If all the guns, gear, and clothes required to shoot cowboy action seems daunting remember, you don’t need everything to start shooting. However, must have:

  • Shown proficiency in the safe use and care of firearms related to CAS by way of previous attendance at sponsored match, OR 
  • Attended a New Shooters Clinic sponsored by the CAS section and the active section chairperson or his/her designate
The new shooters clinic is usually held in the spring before the CAS season really kicks off. The clinic is composed of a theory section which outlines the history of cowboy action shooting, guns, gear, costuming, shooting categories, and “The Spirit of the Game.” This is followed by a practical portion on the range where shooters get a chance to familiarize themselves with the firearms used in CAS. The clinic is topped off with a Texas 3-gun match where greenhorns get to try their hand at using a rifle, revolver, and shotgun in actual stages on the clock

Interested members can also stop by our monthly matches where any of our shooters will be happy to help get you started. Feel free to bring what you have whether it be a cowboy hat, one revolver, an old double or just a willingness to try CAS!


Facilities

Main Matches/Side Matches are held on the 50m Primitive Range (No. 7)

SASS Wild Bunch™ Action Shooting Matches are held on the 25m Outdoor Range (No. 3)

Long Range Rifle Competitions are held on the 100m Range (No. 2)

Upcoming Events

Rifle Night
12 Dec 2024
04:00PM - 10:00PM
Handgun Section Night
13 Dec 2024
04:00PM - 10:00PM
PPC Practice
13 Dec 2024
07:00PM - 08:30PM
Shotgun Section
15 Dec 2024
10:00AM - 04:00PM
Archery Section
15 Dec 2024
04:00PM - 10:00PM
Rifle Night
16 Dec 2024
04:00PM - 10:00PM
Handgun Section Night
17 Dec 2024
04:00PM - 10:00PM