Range war: At the Tin Star Ranch

American Handgunner, May, 2002 by John Taffin

Dodge City, November 8, 1881. The sun was just coming up over the rimrock as I stepped from my room at the Longhorn Palace Saloon and Hotel onto the upstairs balcony. Front Street was deserted this early and it looked quite peaceful as the first rays of the sun began to hit the buildings across the street. I could plainly see the Long Branch Saloon, which had been so exuberant last night but was now dead calm.

My eyes lazily wandered along the storefronts. The General Outfitters building. The G.M. Hoover Tobacco and Liquor store. The Dry Goods store front advertising "Clothing Firearms, and Ammunition." F.C. Zimmerman proudly heralding "Tinware, Hardware, and Lumber. And the Dodge House Hotel, which was just starting to come to life.

As I looked back up the street I could plainly see into Texas. There was The Hat Creek Cattle Company, Woodrow Call, Proprietor. I spied The Jersey Lilly, Judge Roy Bean, Law West of the Pecos; and off in the distance, The Alamo and Texas Jack's Stage Line.

Looking west, my eyes caught the Corral and the Chuckwagon.

I had not only stepped back in time, but also I was able to see great distances, from Kansas to Texas, in an instant.

Everything was peaceful this morning, but I had a hunch that all hell was about to break loose. Not so much hunch as fact. The streets had been clogged with travelers for several days now, many of whom were definitely hardcases and certainly up to no good. They had been coming from all directions, and all seemed to be heavily armed with a minimum of two sixguns, a levergun and a shotgun. Something was going to bust loose!

From south of the Border I saw several Mexican bandidos arriving. Drovers, fresh from the trail, rode into town to mix with the gamblers, who were looking for that easy dollar. A couple of ex-lawmen sauntered in, ready to rent out their guns to the highest bidder. Some crusty Civil War veterans from both sides frequented the drinking establishments. Saloon girls preened provocatively and elegant ladies strolled by in the height of fashion. Sutlers, setting up their tents in several rows to peddle their wares of firearms, leather goods, ammunition and clothing added a certain excitement to the air. In the middle of all this was a large chuck wagon already cooking up eggs, sausage, flapjacks and plenty of hot coffee. The stage was set. Something was a bout to happen.

That something was a range war! When I stepped off the plane in San Antonio, it was 2001, but as I drove north to Fredericksburg, the years went backwards and by the time I hit Ranch Road 965, and then the turn off at Lower Crabapple Road, the decades had melted away. As I turned onto Tin Star Road, it was now 1881, and I was at Tin Star Ranch where Cimarron Firearms, SASS (Single Action Shooting Society), and the Republic of Texas had teamed up to present a SASS regional shoot-out known as The Range War.

Tin Star Ranch is the realization of the dream of Mike Harvey, head honcho of Cimarron Firearms and Texas Jack's clothiers in Fredericksburg. With several investors and advisors, Harvey has begun the development of 370 acres of Texas Hill Country as a cowboy shooter's and Old West fancier's brand of Disneyland.

Ten full stages, with most having storefronts as mentioned above, have been built to host cowboy shooting matches such as this year's SASS Range War which drew 385 shooters of all ages, sizes, abilities and genders from all over the country.

The Longhorn Palace, now in its finishing touches stage, has 14 rooms above a large saloon and eating area and will be open year round. About a half dozen "old" stone cabins have been erected at the entrance to the property to serve as bed and breakfast establishments. Future plans, according to operations manager Dennis Kavanaugh, include trail rides, round-ups, entertainment, chuck wagon feeds, stage rides, anything that can be construed as western.

Before 9.11, more than 1,000 Europeans had been scheduled to arrive to sample the fun that is Tin Star Ranch. Once things settle down internationally, that will be back on.

For those who may not be acquainted with cowboy shooting, this is a shooting event unlike any other. The competition is shooting at steel targets against the clock with two sixguns, a levergun and a shotgun, all of which must be original to the time period before 1899, or reasonable replicas thereof.

There is also great fun, which is the main emphasis for about 95 percent of the shooters. Only a very small percentage fall in the have-to-win class. Camaraderie is far more important than winning to the vast majority of participants.

There is also a great appeal to the aspect of picking your own western persona, consisting of selecting an alias and acquiring the right costuming. Participants are required to dress authentically which can mean many things to many people. Minimum is a western or time-period hat, boots, jeans and shirt.

Many participants go hog wild in the costuming aspect, spending much time to research their character and equally as much money to purchase the desired clothing. Every major SSAS match is a great feast for the eyes with every kind of both authentic and movie style apparel represented.