Dealers reap the profits as shooters relive the Old West

Shooting Industry, July, 1996 by Lisa Parsons

Great emphasis is placed on authenticity at CAS matches, with participants shooting, dressing and acting the part of Old West citizens. Rifles, shotguns and single-action sixguns, in all their traditional forms, abound at CAS matches and this can mean a whole new market for your gun shop.

The obvious items to stock for CAS shooters are Old West-type firearms, but which ones will your customers want? CAS competitors are divided into three categories: Traditional, Frontier and Modern. Traditional-class handguns and calibers must be from the same era and have fixed sights. Rifles or carbines must be .25 caliber or larger, and shotguns can be double-barrel, pump or lever-actions from the appropriate era.

The Frontier Blackpowder class uses all the same guns as Traditional, with the exception of the shotgun which must be a side-by-side double barrel. Pyrodex and blackpowder are the only acceptable loads.

Beginning shooters will probably be most comfortable in the Modern class. This category allows the use of modern single actions with adjustable sights, and lever-action rifles and carbines chambered in modern cartridges such as the .357 and .44 Magnums.

Most events have stages that require a combination of handguns and long guns, and some stages require the use of two handguns. As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities for dealers to assist their customers in finding the right gun for their CAS endeavors. Be sure to stock plenty of Ruger Blackhawks, Bisleys and Vaqueros as well as Colt Peacemakers and replica guns from Navy Arms, Cimarron Arms, EMF and Colt.

One shooter at the End of Trail, held in Norco, Calif., who goes by the alias "Little Sister," was not a gun enthusiast prior to becoming a cowboy action shooter.

"My husband and I got into cowboy shooting because it was something we could do together. Put me in a costume, make it fun and I like to shoot," she said. "I started out with cheap guns that broke all the time on the range. Now I have my Colts - used. It really doesn't have to be expensive."

Offering a wide selection of used guns to CAS participants is also a good idea. Used guns allow your customers to ease into the sport without a huge financial investment and in the process your sales will soar.

Ammunition is another aspect of Cowboy Action Shooting that is specialized. The Single Action Shooting Society, the sanctioning body for cowboy action matches, has a role that handgun ammunition must be loaded to less than 1,000 fps and rifle ammunition must be loaded at less than 1,400 fps. Customers who don't handload will want to buy cowboy action loads from manufacturers such as Black Hills, 3-D and Winchester.

Authentic Western leather is another market dealers may want to explore to better serve CAS shooters. There is a thriving cowboy leather industry with big name makers such as Galco, Bianchi, Bull-X and Cimarron Arms offering a wide array of top quality leather. Of course, you'll want to have holsters on both ends of the price scale so you don't frighten off novice shooters. A very popular rig for women who carry two handguns is a cartridge belt sporting two holsters - one gun carried strong side with the butt of the gun to the rear with the other gun carried cross-draw style on the weak side.

One of the things that makes Cowboy Action Shooting such a popular shooting sport is that it is a family event. Terry Smith, alias "Two Bits," another End Of Trail participant, became an active cowboy shooter after her husband attended a CAS match with a friend. "By the end of the weekend he had bought all the equipment and here we are." she said. "I really enjoy it because it's a family event. My son is here shooting, too."

The End Of Trail is one of the largest CAS events in America and sports an old time country fair atmosphere. The elaborate shooting sets, live music, western entertainment and tent city offering food and western paraphernalia provide plenty of activities for non-shooters as well. Local matches across the country usually have the same flavor on a smaller scale. The festival atmosphere makes CASa great way to introduce new shooters to the fun of firearms.

And the people really get into the spirit of the Old West. "Everyone is so nice here," said Little Sister. "They're friendly and polite and go out of their way to help you. It really is like the Old West."

Although authenticity is a goal, it's a good idea to advise your customers not to sacrifice enjoyment for the sake of authenticity. They don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on an elaborate costume and an original Peacemaker when a pair of jeans and a good replica will get them started. Also, some of the modern calibers such as the .38 Special may be more comfortable to shoot recoil-wise than an "authentic" .45 Colt.

If there isn't an active CAS group in your city, take an informal poll to see if your customers or local gun club would be interested in organizing a CAS match. The Single Action Shooting Society offers a packet for $60 which includes a "How To" manual, video, handbook and alias list, to help gun clubs organize a CAS match.