Cowboy Style Fast Draw Match This Sunday

Along with all my other projects currently underway, one of my favorites is coming to the top of the pile this Sunday at the Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club here on the South end of Whidbey Island. The match starts at 9am., but getting there a little early for signup is a good idea. Everything is provided for your use, including guns, and ammo. We do suggest that you bring your own eye protection. It's not required, but definitely recommended.


The entry fee is only $5.00, and you will definitely get a number of chances to see how you match up against other shooters in the head to head competition.

Don't worry if you have never tried Cowboy Fast Draw before, as just about everyone there will be also new at it. There will be instruction before the match, and a chance to practice a bit too. To quote the Cowboy Fast Draw Association's slogan, it's "Safety first, fun second, and competition third." This match is not a CFDA sanctioned match, but we will be basically following the CFDA rules and using CFDA approved targets and timer.

So how does the match work? It's what's called a Three X Elimination, which means you will shoot against another shooter, side by side, in a best of five shots format. If you win, you move to the next round. If you lose, you get one "X" on your score card. If you get three X's, you are through for the day, and you become a spectator, so to speak! It will finally boil down to two shooters, man-on-man, for the final match of the day to decide the match winner. If we have at least three ladies, we they will also get to have their own "Ladies Only" match to decide who's the fastest lady. Of course, the ladies will get to shoot the main match too, so when it gets down to the Ladies Only match, the ladies are going to be dialed in, so it should be really close competition.

How about the equipment? The guns are Colt single action replicas, normally called the Colt Peacemaker, also called the 1873 Single Action Army. They are in 45 Colt caliber, and we use a special wax bullet, propelled by a shotgun primer, in specially modified 45 Colt brass. The guns are basically stock, although you are allowed to smooth up the action a bit. Although it's a wax bullet and a very light load, at close range it will go through 1/4" plywood, so all gun handling and safety rules will be followed. The holsters are all leather, and very similar to what a cowboy in the old West might have used. The only difference is that there is a small steel deflector at the bottom of the holster to deflect a bullet, should a round be fired while the gun is still in the holster.

How should I dress? As "Cowboy" and "Cowgirl" as possible, of course! Hats, boots, Western shirts, whatever you've got along those lines! Cowboy dress is not required, but it kinda adds to the fun!

After the match you can join us in the Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun club's restaurant and bar for a little nourishment, refreshment, and re-hashing all the "Woulda-Shoulda-Coulda's" from the match.

Just like in Cowboy Action Shooting, shooters will not be using their own names. Instead,  at signup you will choose your "alias" for the day. Me? "Mr. Completely", of course! You can pick whatever alias you like, maybe something from a favorite Western movie or TV show, then maybe change it a little to make it your own. KeeWee becomes "KeeWee Belle". Watch the video and you'll get a pretty good idea about aliases.

At the match on Sunday we  will be using targets and a timer that times the shots to the 1/1000 of a second, just like in the video above.


For more information about Cowboy Fast Draw, check out the Cowboy Fast Draw Association's website.

Come on out and give Cowboy Fast Draw a try. It's a whole lot of fun!!

An Eventful Weekend

It's been a really busy weekend, and lots of the busyness revolved around guns and shooting! Last week Damiphino and I set up and ran a demonstration of the Cowboy Fast Draw targets and timer for the folks at Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun club to find out if there was sufficient interest in pursuing it as a HHRGC shooting sport. The results were almost overwhelming with lots of members enjoying trying it out and expressing interest in seeing future Cowboy Fast Draw activities. After some negotiations (possibly including whining, sniveling, groveling, and possible threats to let some of Damiphino's skeletons out of his closet), a deal was struck, where I bought his targets, impact sensors, start light modules, timer, cables, and all the other bits and pieces to run a Cowboy Fast Draw match. At the HHRGC demonstration one of the shooters suggested that the Cowboy Fast Draw setup would make a great side event fund raiser at the upcoming Friends of the NRA dinner coming up in two days. At that time I hadn't bought the target setup. After buying the equipment I wondered if I could pull it all together in 48 hours and make a few bucks for the NRA. Of course, since the NRA banquet is one of the biggest club gatherings of the year, it would also be a great time to showcase the new shooting sport. I made a couple of phone calls and I got the green light to run it at the dinner. I called Wayne F. and he said he could give me a hand. Rick C. also offered to help. Sailor Curt, Captain of a Crew of One gun blogger from the other side of the continent was going to be not too far away on a short work related trip, and we had planned to get together on Saturday, so a "Grand Plan" began to formulate itself. I got everything all put together, posters printed, score sheet printed, tickets printed, reworked the bolt on my ASM New Dakota revolver to resolve a lockup/timing problem, charged up a sealed led/acid battery to run the timer, and loaded everything up in my van, all set to go for Saturday morning. I also had to drill out the flash holes in 100 rounds of 45 Colt brass, install primers, and push in the wax bullets. It seemed like there were a million little details to take care of, and from previous experiences I knew for sure that "Mr. Murphy" and his law were bound to show up at the most inconvenient time!

Saturday morning Curt showed up, and KeeWee, Curt, and I headed to a local restaurant for breakfast. KeeWee had to work all day, so after breakfast she headed off to work. Curt and I headed back to Castle Completely for a full day of shooting. We Headed out to the barn for some rimfire fun, and Curt shot a couple of the e-Postal match targets. (Don't forget to get your targets shot and sent in by Monday night at midnight!)

Around Noon we loaded up most of my centerfire handguns and ammo into the van along with all the Fast Draw stuff, and headed over to HHRGC for a few hours of shooting. When we got there the pistol range was completely deserted, so we had lots of space to spread everything out. We shot one thing after another, everything from rimfire up through the .480 Ruger, and lots of stuff in between. I think Curt was going easy on me, though, as his very first shot with my .480 RugerSRH was absolutely in the center, and that was at 50'. I guess he decided not to hurt my feelings, though ,and went back to shooting more normal, but still excellent, groups!

"Sailor curt" and the Ruger .480 Super Red Hawk

The morning went by quickly, and soon it was nearing 4pm., time to set up the Fast Draw equipment. It must have taken 10 minutes to pick up all the brass, though! We packed our stuff back into the van and headed over to the shotgun range to set up. The shotgun range is right in front of the restaurant's picture windows on a nice grassy lawn area, so everyone attending the NRA dinner could watch, even if they didn't participate.

It didn't take too long to get everything ready to go, thanks to Wayne, Rick, and Curt. It wasn't long before the first shooters showed up to give it a try. The fund raiser was five dollars for five fast draw shots at the target, against another shooter. The holsters were leather, and similar to what would have been used in the old West. The pistols we used were 1873 Single action Army replicas in 45 Colt. We used wax bullets from Bandit and push was supplied by Winchester Large Pistol primers.

It kept at least three of us busy almost continually, strapping on the holsters, explaining the safety rules, and the ins and outs of how to draw and shoot. We also had to run a bore brush through the barrels after every few shooters. It didn't take long and we were running the shoot-offs one after another.

Taking a sure shot.

The NRA Rep. gave it a try early, and had so much fun at it he came back out later to try it again! I forgot to write down his name, but I remember "Pepper", so I at least get partial credit! I suspect he's going to be gearing up and shooting some Cowboy Fast Draw in his home state of Montana!

Several of the shooters made the same comments after giving it a try. First, it's harder than it looks, and second, it's LOTS of fun! You wouldn't think a two foot diameter target would be hard to hit, but believe me, it sure is!

It seemed to go by quickly, and it was time to pack everything up. We turned in $115 dollars to the Friends of the NRA. Not a big deal, but a good start. I'll bet we double it next year.

Once loaded, KeeWee, Curt, and I all converged at a local restaurant for a big dinner. Dinner was great, but Curt had a bit of a drive to get back, so we parted, ending a day of great fun that ended far too quickly.

Holmes Harbor Cowboy Fast Draw 06/19/2008

Last Thursday afternoon over at the Holmes Harbor Rod and Gun club Damiphino and I (well, mostly Damiphino) set up a set of Cowboy Fast Draw targets, stands, and timer rig. He was visiting from Billings and brought along all the target stuff along with several single action 45 Colt replica revolvers so we could give Cowboy Fast Draw a try. Cowboy fast Draw is a rapidly growing shooting sport, but so far hasn't reached Washington state. In fact, this is probably one of the first times it's even been seen in Washington.

Cowboy Fast Draw has a lot of appeal, which probably explains its rapid growth. The guns are inexpensive, the ammunition is inexpensive, and you can shoot in your own back yard or basement for practice, since the bullets are wax and are propelled by a shotgun primer. Although the bullets won't travel much over a couple of hundred feet, at fifteen or twenty feet they still have enough energy to punch a hole in 1/4" plywood, so all gun safety and gun handling rules still apply.

Damiphino explains "Load one, skip one, load four" and shows how to be sure you don't try to shoot on an empty cylinder.

Since the Thursday afternoon shotgun shoot was just winding down for the day, there were lots of folks interested in the new (old?) sport and were willing to give it a try. At first there was a little hesitation, but once everyone saw how much fun we were having everyone wanted to give it a try. The Cowboy Fast Draw Association rules stress safety first, fun second, and competition third, and everyone found it to be great fun, even if misses were commonplace. The two foot diameter target looks so big you think you couldn't possibly miss, but that's sure not the case!

Sure, I'll give it a try!

Cowboy Fast Draw is extremely popular with the ladies, and Cowboy Fast Draw events have probably the highest percentage of women shooters of any of the shooting sports. The lack of recoil and loud noise is part of the appeal.

The start position is with your hand on the gun with your trigger finger out of the trigger guard. Starting with your hand off of the gun is a Hollywood invention.


Hands on the guns in "Lawman Ready", Mr. C. and Mike M. wait for the yellow target light to come on.

The start commands are "Shooters (or Cowboys) to the line". The shooters get into position and ready to draw. The second command is "Shooters SET". Once this command is given the shooters must remain motionless until the yellow target lights come on, which is randomly somewhere between two and five seconds after the "Shooters SET" command.

The light has come on, so draw and shoot as fast as you can!

The targets have an impact sensor on them so the electronic timer can determine which wax bullet hit first. The winner gets a blinking yellow light. If you miss, your light stays off. That happens a lot, even with the best shooters.............

Suddenly two shots rang out........

Can't tell for sure, but either the light is blinking and the camera caught it when it was off, or I just flat out missed the target! I don't think Mike M. missed all day! I missed lots!! We were having enough fun, though, that it didn't really matter.

The feedback from those giving it a try was encouraging, and the next step is to get our own set of targets and a timer. Then we can try some fun matches and see how it goes. One this is for sure, Holmes Harbor has a fantastic facility for this type of a shoot as you can set it up on the shotgun range in front of the restaurant picture windows so spectators can enjoy the fun while eating. Great fish & chips, by the way!

Stay tuned and watch for further announcements. As Sherlock would say "The game is afoot!"

Thanks to Wayne for taking the pictures!

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BTW: Even though I am working towards getting Cowboy Fast Draw started at the Holmes Harbor Club, I'm still going to keep shooting steel, and whatever else fun comes along the way!

Cowboy Fast Draw - Watch Out Here I Come!

Back to the basics

When KeeWee and I were down in Valencia, California last Summer for the Steel Challenge World Championships, one of the side events was a Cowboy Fast Draw setup. It was run by world cowboy fast draw multiple time world champion Quick Cal Eilrich. The layout was simple. For a few bucks they set you up with a holster a revolver, and fiver rounds of .45 Colt ammo with wax bullets and powered by shotgun primers. The revolver was a virtually stock 1873 SAA Colt replica. The holster was all leather, and looked a lot like the cowboys of yesteryear might have worn. No tricked out race guns, and no radically cut down steel lined holsters permitted at all. The target was two feet in diameter, and fifteen feet away. In the center of the target was a plexiglas window with a yellow light behind it. When the light comes on, you draw and fire at the target. A microphone on the back of the target records your time. That is, if you DID hit the target. Missing it, at that close range, is REALLY easy, since you shoot from the hip!

After trying it a few times Quick Cal could see that another one had been hooked, and he began giving me a few tips to improve my times and accuracy. After several visits to the Cowboy Fast Draw booth, I was starting to get some improvement, finally getting my time down to a .501 second from light on to the wax bullet hitting the target. That's not particularly fast, as in competition the fast guys shoot times from the upper .3's to the mid .4's. In cowboy fast draw one or two tenths of a second is a lot! It was, though ,enough to get me hooked on the sport.

Cowboy Fast Draw has a lot of things in it's favor, and although still small, is growing rapidly. Ammunition is inexpensive, and you can reload your own with your fingers, no reloading equipment needed at all. The pistols are inexpensive, at least as pistols go. In a world where a top end .38 Super race gun can set you back over $4,000 it's refreshing to be able to be competitive for under $400, and with several choices, to boot! You don't need a shooting range to practice, either. A few layers of carpet hanging from the ceiling in your garage or basement will stop the wax bullets just fine.

In a match, there are two targets side by side and you are competing directly with another shooter. The light comes on for both of you at the same time and whoever hits his target first wins the round.

DAMIPHINO probably getting his butt kicked!
(I'll be next time he won't let Mr. Completely caption the pictures, ya think?)

In CFDA, the Cowboy Fast Draw Association, you have the option of registering a handle, or nickname, and going by that name in the matches like the cowboy action shooting events. Most competitors seem to use their handles. "Mr. Completely" is now a registered handle in CFDA, so if you are at a match and you hear over the PA that a shooter "Mr. Completely" , it just might be me! Come on over and introduce yourself, as I will be selling giving out autographed pictures. Actually, you will be most welcome to have your picture taken with KeeWee and I, although I'd recommend having your picture taken with Quick Cal as he looks a lot more "Cowboy" than I do.......

If you want to know more about Cowboy Fast draw, check out the CFDA Website.

CWSA Falling Plates and Some Cowboy Fast Draw

Just wrapped up a pretty good weekend, although KeeWee being in New Zealand is kind of a drag. I talked to her on the phone last night and it sounds like she's having a grand time of it. She's been taking lots of pictures and will have a bunch of posts up when she gets back next week.

Friday afternoon Damiphino, my college buddy from Billings came over to Whidbey for the weekend. We got in a little .22 shooting out in the barn, had a good dinner at the local restaurant, played some guitar, and had a good evening exchanging stories and BS. Saturday we went to Coupeville for the last CWSA rimfire falling plate match of the year. Pistol matches at CWSA are over for the year, and won't start back up until late February. Bummer!

The falling plate match was fast and furious, and Evil Al was pretty much unbeatable. I think he only lost two runs all day, I got him once, and Tony got him for one, I think. Other than that, a perfect score! We had something happen that has never happened all year. With just about all the shooting finished, we had a two way tie for second place, and I was three back of the second place tie, but I still had three runs to go so if I got all three of my last runs, it would be a three way tie for second. That's exactly what happened. I got the final three runs, and we had a three way tie. Usually we only shoot one on one in the match, but we have four plate racks, so we decided to shoot all three of us at the same time, two out of three, to settle second place. Tony on lane two, Rainy on lane three, and yours truly on lane four. The horn blew, and Tony shot a near perfect run, I was right behind him, and Rainy right on my tail. All very close. A win for Tony on round two would give him second place.

The start horn blew again, and I shot another run like my first one, but Tony and Rainy had a little trouble, and I took that round. Now a win for either Tony or me would settle it. On the third run everyone got a little bit "over-adrenalined" and everyone missed one or more plates, but I picked up the missed plate slightly ahead of Tony and Rainy to secure second place. What a wild and woolly way to end the season. Too bad it wasn't a three way tie for first place, but Al was having none of that!

We packed away the plate racks and gear and swept the area to clean up all of the .22 brass. Then we set up the cowboy fast draw targets that Damiphino had brought all the way from Billings for us to try. In addition to the targets and timer and related equipment, he also brought along four 1873 replica single action revolvers in .45 Long Colt and a bunch of holsters for cowboy fast draw.


Quick Cal showing how it's done.
This was taken several months ago in Piru, California.

Cowboy fast draw is quite a bit different from world fast draw, in that the pistols are required to be stock in appearance and nothing much beyond just smoothing then up inside is permitted. The holsters are also very close to old time cowboy holsters, with the only main difference being the deflector shield at the bottom in case you fire off a round with the gun still holstered. The deflector will cause the wax bullet to break up into a bunch of little tiny pieces.

There are two targets, 24" in diameter, and 15 feet away. In the center each target is a small clear plastic window with a yellow light behind it. The rules are simple. Start position "Lawman Ready", your hand on the grip of the gun with your trigger finger outside of the trigger guard and alongside of the holster. When the light comes on you draw, cock, and fire at the target. The light will blink on and off for the winning shooter. It's amazing how easy it is to miss the target completely when drawing quickly and shooting from the hip! We all caught on to the basics fairly quickly, and just about everyone got some times in the half second range. There were also a lot of misses! We shot head to head for the rest of the afternoon, having a great deal of fun, and laughing our heads off at times as to just how wild we were at times. There's a lot to be said for wax bullets!

Who knows, if I can figure out a way to put together a set of cowboy fast draw targets and a timer, we might just give this a try after the first of the year and the weather starts warming up.

After we had shot up just about all of Damiphino's ammo, we loaded the cowboy fast draw stuff back up in the truck and headed off for something to eat. We stopped at the Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club's restaurant for some fish and chips and more tall tales, then back home to get Damiphino packed up for his trip home.

It had been a fun weekend.

For more information on Cowboy Fast Draw check out Cowboy Fast Draw Association's website.