Yup, that’s m’ name, ‘less I owe ya money.

That’s not actually me, that’s fellow shooter Shawn Harris, AKA Dirk Highlander AKA ‘The Corncob’. Photo by Linda Wolf

That’s right, I have started shooting Cowboy Action! I’ve actually been shooting Cowboy for a few months now, but have not blogged about it.

It is not very similar to USPSA, contrary to popular belief. Yes, it is a speed-driven sport, however the courses are entirely different.

Because you only have 20 rounds in your guns (5 in each sixgun, 10 in the rifle) and a variable amount of shotgun shells (usually only 4), the stage designers throw in complex “sweeps” that must be applied to each target array with both rifle and pistol. So a “double-tap sweep” is two on each target, a “Nevada sweep” is one on each target, run through three times, etc. Stage designers will design there own sweeps as well, which can be super-complicated or really simple. It stresses the mental game more so than shooting skills, which is different and sort of fun.

Another thing I’ve noticed shooting Cowboy: It’s a far more social sport. Because there is little to no reset required, you’re not as busy as you would be at at USPSA match.

In fact, it’s almost more like a hobby than a sport, at least at the club-level matches I’ve shot. For example, some of the shotgun targets will trigger a flying clay. If the clay comes out broken, it’s a freebie. In MultiGun, that would not fly (pun intended) and you would be forced to reshoot so that the stage is the same for everybody. That’s no big deal, but in my opinion, if the organization wants to grow as a sport, that kind of thing should change.