Cowboy vs. scoped silhouette participation

[Jeaux]

There is only one smallbore cowboy match currently being shot at any of the venues that I currently attend on a monthly basis. I have not participated as of yet in that match, but it does look like fun and I am interested in getting set up to shoot this match. I along with Jerry Tureau currently run the smallbore matches in Gonzales, LA and have been noticing a decline in participation over the last few years. There used to be a fairly large Cowboy Action Shooting group that used the same range on a different weekend and I don't know how they have been fairing attendance wise over the same time period either, but there are obviously a bunch of guys with lever action guns that may like something else to do with them in the area.

I am thinking about getting a smallbore Cowboy match going at our range in Gonzales as I think that most of the folks that shoot the other cowboy match nearby would be interested and might attend our match if we were to offer this as well. We don't currently have a set of 1/2 scale targets, but we could probably make arrangements with the local pistol silhouette guys to rent or borrow theirs for the matches. Has branching out into the cowboy silhouette matches helped boost interest and attendance in other areas of the country? It looks like the cowboy game is a sport that is much less costly to get into. From what I can tell you can build a highly competitive smallbore cowboy rig for less than $600 and probably even compete with a used gun for as little as $250 if you shop around frugally.

Please chime in with your experiences. My thoughts are that at least some shooters that come for the cowboy matches will give the scoped version a try. This can only help get the numbers of participants back up overall.

Jeaux

[GTKF]

Seems to me whenever something is new/novel it draws a crowd. we had a lot of enthusiasm when we started SB Silo, but it has dropped a bit. Most shooters seem to want instant gratification, and don't realize how hard SB is.

We started SB and PC Lever Action matches a few years ago and do get better atttendance. It's easier and people feel more competitive. And as was said it is cheaper to participate. I'd suggest going for it

[cslcAl]

To quote "Field of Dreams" "If you build it they will come". Our club has a nice crowd of consistant regulars that shoot the cowboy matches. A lot of them have crossed over to SB and also HP. You may have some inital investment to start up, but it will pay for itself in a short time. Cowboy silhouette is the easiest discipline to introduce new shooters that I have seen in my time in the sport. Al

[lone ringer]

Jeaux, as soon as the Cowboy Rifle Silhouette matches were sanctioned by the NRA I hooked up with a few members of the Los Angeles Silhouette Club which is mainly an IHMSA or handgun silhouette organization and started hosting all three cowboy matches plus two smallbore for scoped rifles. They allowed us the use of the range and their targets so all we had to do is show up set up and take down at the end of the match. They have always been very generous and supportive of our cowboy matches even though participation as of late has not been very large. Since the distances, targets and time allowed for all three cowboy rifle events is the same as for some of the handgun silhouette events that fact has lend itself for the inclusion of cowboy rifle shooters during their regular handgun matches and believe it or not a lot of handgun silhouette shooters enjoy shooting rifles as well. I also heard from friends that participate in Cowboy rifle silhouette shooters in Tucson and Phoenix AZ. that tell me they shoot along side of handgun silhouette shooters at IHMSA monthly events. My suggestion to you is see if you can interest the pistol shooters group in letting you guys participate in their events and eventually let you have your own cowboy matches. I have seen .22 1/2 size targets for sale in Ebay and other places, a little pricey compared to 1/5 size targets but readily available if you are willing to buy your own. Wish you the best of luck.

[silhouette13]

all the clubs in NH run a bank or two of PC and SB 1/2 size targets we run the two classes along with anyone who wishes to shoot hunters pistol and sb hunters pistol, all timimg is the same so it give people a chance to use their whole safe so to speak. we also have a bank or 2 of sb rifle targets and just let them take the xtra half minute. there are a crap load of cb shooters most of which used to be sb shooters. it is fun and i believe less taxing to shoot open sights at bigger targets.

go for it

dave

[AMB]

Basically everything the other guys said. A lot of folks will crossover, you'll pick up a few who used to shoot either pistol or rifle and may not currently, invigorate a few who may have slowed down their shooting, and the payoff of picking up some new first time silhouette shooters. If you already have Pistol it should be a win/win and easy to get going. Good luck. Al Bean

[Jeaux]

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like my thinking was on the right track. We have a match this Saturday and I will float the idea among the guys that make it. One of them is the guy that runs the other nearby match that also has smallbore cowboy after the regular smallbore matches. We may be able to work something out with the 1/2 scale targets for a little while to see how it goes before we invest in a set of our own.

[jnyork]

Our club in Yuma shoots silhouette in a club match every Friday morning, we have about 40 members of which 25-30 can be depended upon to show up. We shoot Pistol Caliber Lever Action, .22 Lever Action , hunter pistol and .22 rifle silhouette side by side. We have thrown out most of the NRA rules due to being to restrictive, we dont have time limits and we let the guys shoot what they bring, as long as it is a pistol caliber or .22 rimfire. With one exception, all our members are over 65 and some are over 80!! We have several who are serious levergun shooters, other bring scoped rifles, we dont care, everyone has a good time. We dont announce anyone's score, there are no first place winners and no prizes except for a door prize drawing. We also have regulare NRA santioned shoots once a month, but having 10 shooters come out for those is considered a successful shoot.

[silhouette13]

ah ,25-30 show up for a fun shoot once a week......10 show up when it is less so once a month. telling figures. i am 95% smallboore/hunter rifle 5% sb hunters pistol.

i shoot Juds 39a once or twice a year, it is fun. it should be keep fun. the majority of our CB shooters used to be sb rifle shooters now they are mostly CB and ocassionally shoot the 1/5th targets. i at one time asked why so many and the overwhelming response was it was more fun. not that 1/5th is not, just bigger targets and open sights brings us back to a simpler time, i shot a stevens 30 for a while at club matches cause i felt like a teddy roosevelt rough rider. my friend there is no better reson to shoot anything than that.



dave

[K Danz]

I've tried to generate some interest at my club for CLR from the Cowboy Action group to no avail. When I mention it to them, I get this stupid look and statements like....... "100 meters????? oh my gosh!!! I'd have to adjust my sights!!!" They probably don't have enough adjustment on their sights because their rounds are moving slow enough you can watch them go down range.

[GTKF]

When we started SB and PC lever action matches four years ago I also thought we'd get participation from the clubs Cowboy Action shooters and found, like K Danz, 100 yds was too far for sights and loads. a few tried but shot very fast with marginal success and didn't come back. Luckily, almost all our SB and HP shooters tried it, as well as several new shooters. Most find it less streessfull than scoped shooting. We typically get about 20 shooters at a club match.

[boats]

Our club runs 3 monthly Silhouette matches.

High power, Smallbore (I am the SB match director) and Pistol. After the regulation matches we run fun matches on the same range. High power it's the CLA 200 meter ram hung from chains 40 shots offhand scored by spotters allow single shots or lever guns plain base lead bullets. Smallbore same after the regulation match we hang a CLA smallbore ram and shoot 40 shots offhand scored the same way single shots or lever actions.

Our Regulation Hunters pistol MD opened up for both Smallbore and Pistol Caliber CLA, Shot regulation right out of the rule book same range same targets as the pistols which makes it easy to hold a match.

Regulation Cowboy is growing as are the non regulation matches with Lever action rifles. Smallbore Highpower rifle or NRA Hunters pistol same guys shoot that have always shot with numbers dwindling. High power not unusual for 6 or 7 guys shoot then when the range is switched over to the lever and single shots 30 show up for the match. Lots of cowboy action guns on the line and if they work on there offhand skills and longer range loads some have been very sucessfull.

All three scope games are difficult and the casual shooter beginning gets frustrated seems to me. Number of the former scope sighted shooters say they like the simpler equipment rules in CLA. I know my NRA Smallbore scope sighted Hunter class rifle set up in the mid 1990's is at a disadvantage with the new rules that allow heavier match barrels. Mine is factory stock and won't shoot with the same precision as a worked over custom barrel hunter class gun. Equipment race that it lost. Good lesson for CLA don't let rebarrels special sights and alterations change the game.

Boats

[krgriggs]

Our club ( Tappan Hill Gun Club) only shot BPCR silhouette, and the #'s were decreasing badly due to alot of older shooters quiting and the expense and time the sport takes. I started cowboy lever this year and have about 20 shooters a month. We shoot big bore, pistol and smallbore. We shoot nra approved matches and this year we plan on having a regional Oct 1st & 2nd of 2011. It has really saved our club as far as getting enough money to support the clubs expenses, without it I don't know what we would have done.

[Jeaux]

There is a pistol silhouette group that shoots at our range at a different time. Thanks Lone Ringer for the tip. I will contact the MD for that match and see if he would be open to working out something with us. We could either shoot alongside them at their matches, or maybe get access to their targets for our matches. I would be game for either. Like you say, they would have the targets for both smallbore and pistol cartridge already.

I really think that at a minimum, we would get some crossover shooters from regular smallbore silhouette that would shoot both events, but I also think that the cowboy rifle silhouette matches would be more appealing to a wider group of people that are not already into competitive shooting or who are looking for something different to try. The ready availability of inexpensive rifles as compared to Anschutz 1712s and custom jobs that many people already have would be a plus too.

The last I heard was that the pistol matches were not very well attended anymore and something like this might just be what it takes to breathe some new life into both our groups. All posts and advice is much appreciated.

[boats]

NRA Hunters pistol and CLA same range same time works very well at our club. Only thing our MD does is make sure the Pistol Caliber Lever actions don't damage the targets. He does the same thing for CF hunters pistol.

Different target & Pig & Turkey rail is the reason I don't run regulation CLA same time as SB Silhouette. However we do hang the CLA target swingers and let guys shoot and score themselves same time as the smallbore scope match.

Boats