Cowboy Fast Draw at Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun

If you want to try something new, fun, different, and involving guns, then you should try to be at Holmes Harbor Rod and Gun club this Thursday, June 19th. at 1 pm. Cowboy Fast Draw is a rapidly growing shooting sport, and it's just a matter of time before there will be matches all over the country. "Damiphino" (lots of Cowboy Fast Draw shooters use an alias) from Billings, Montana, will be setting up a set of cowboy fast draw targets and a timer for a few hours on Thursday to demonstrate the sport and to give everyone a chance to try it out.

Cowboy Fast Draw is not to be confused with World Fast Draw. Cowboy Fast Draw competitions stick to basically stock 1873 Colt Peacemaker revolver replicas in .45 Colt Caliber. Wax bullets are used, and either a very small amount of black powder or a shotgun primer provide the propulsion for the bullet. Even with the light load the wax bullet will punch through 1/4" plywood at 15 feet, so these are still real guns and are treated just as any other firearm. The holsters are all leather and are very close to what would have been seen in the old West.

The targets are two feet in diameter and are either 15, 18, or 21 feet from the shooters, depending on the level of competition. The matches are head to head against another shooter. When the light comes on, both shooters draw and fire. The one hitting their target first wins the round.

One of the nicest things about Cowboy Fast Draw is that you don't need a gun range to shoot. A couple of layers of carpet are sufficient as a backstop and you can practice in your garage, basement, or back yard. You also don't need a reloading press to load your own ammunition or a $4,000 dollar race gun to be competitive. I picked up a Uberti Millenium .45 at Sportsman's Warehouse on sale for under $300.

Come on out to Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club this Thursday and give it a try.

There's even a small restaurant on site so you can have lunch or dinner while you're there.

Here's the directions on how to get there.