Maine Marshals
Sanford/Springvale Fish and Game Club
Berwick, ME

Shoots

We invite you to join us for our monthly shoots and also for the 2024 SASS Maine State Cowboy Action Shooting Championships "The Great Maine Gun Fight" (10 stages) on September 6-8, 2024.

We shoot six (6) main match stages on the monthly shoots.

SASS rules apply. You DO NOT have to be a SASS member to shoot the monthly shoots, but you must be a current SASS member to shoot the SASS Maine State Championships in September.

Contacts:
Tyler Lyle also known as "Tyler Tornado"
Phone: 207-272-7119 (Call or text and leave name and/or alias if I don't answer.)
Email

Range Location:
Sanford/Springvale Fish and Game Club
10 Meter Lane
Berwick, ME

Registration:
Shooter Registration from 08:00 - 08:45, Mandatory Safety Meeting at 09:00, Match starts after the Meeting.
Monthly Entry Form , SASS Maine State Championship Registration Form and Release.

Schedule:

April 27, 2024 (Saturday) - Cowboy Action Shoot, 6-stages
April 28, 2024 (Sunday) - Wild Bunch Action Shoot, 6-stages (You can shoot CAS this day if you desire.)

September 6, 7 & 8, 2024 (Friday-Sunday) - SASS Maine State Cowboy Action Shooting Championships 'The Great Maine Gun Fight' 10-stages with side events on Friday.

October 26, 2024 (Saturday) - Cowboy Action Shoot, 6-stages
October 27, 2024 (Sunday) - Wild Bunch Action Shoot, 6-stages (You can shoot CAS this day if you desire.)

Free Lunch: Yes, you read it correctly. Once we finish the six stages of a monthly match we will have pizza!

Clean Shoot Awards:   Shooters that complete the day with no misses, no procedurals and no other penalties will receive a 'Clean Shoot' designation.  One clean shooter from each shoot will be given a clean shoot token that they can use for a future shoot.  If more than one shooter at a shoot has a clean shoot, then a game of chance between those clean shooters will decide the winner.

Round Count:
Main match - 60 rifle, 60 pistol and about 25 shotgun. Safety: Eye and Ear Protection is required for all participants and spectators! Regular glasses or sunglasses will do. All SASS Safety Rules apply. For more info, check out the SASS Shooter's Handbook. Any rifle or pistol round fired over the berm will result in an immediate Match Disqualification. Time to unload your guns - your shooting day is done!

Who's Welcome: Anyone and everyone who's interested, regardless of experience, to shoot or just to watch. We actively recruit new shooters, but... a Cowboy Action Shooting Match is NOT the place to learn to shoot a gun as we are shooting real firearms. We insist that you have SOME shooting experience... just not necessarily CAS experience. Shooters under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Ammo Requirements: Typically, you'll need about 60 rounds each of pistol and rifle ammo and a box of shotgun ammo per monthly match. Both rifles and pistols must be chambered for pistol caliber ammo with lead bullets only - No jacketed, plated. copper-washed, or gas-checked bullets allowed. Shotgun shells must have #7 1/2 or smaller lead shot, target or light field loads.

Cowboy Clothing: SASS Rules on acceptable clothin' and guns are interpreted kinda loosely, but we do insist on:
No baseball-style caps.
No modern runnin' shoes, tennis shoes, or sneakers unless you have a medical reason to wear 'em.
No short-sleeve shirts (roll 'em up if you're too hot)
No nylon. plastic, or Velcro gear (except for eye & ear protectors) (They just didn't have any of that stuff back in the 1800's)

COST: $20 per shooter.  The entry fee includes a free pizza lunch after we finish the six stages.

Here are some basics to Cowboy Action Shooting: Cowboy Action Shooting is a timed shooting competition using 4 guns. Each time you shoot you will need 2 single action revolvers with 5 rounds in each revolver (like .45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40, .44 Magnum or .44 Special, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .32 H & R Magnum) , 1 lever action rifle in a pistol caliber (like .45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40, .44 Magnum or Special, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .32 H & R Magnum) with 10 rounds in the gun and a shotgun being either a break action side by side, a lever action 1887 or a pump action 1897. The firearms need to be time period correct firearms. Meaning the design of the gun has to be before 1900. Most shooters use replica guns. New guns made after the design of old guns. You can buy a brand new 1873 Uberti rifle that looks just like the original gun made in 1873, but using modern steel, etc.

On top of the gun requirements this sport has a dress code as well. We try to look like real cowboys as much as possible. The dress code has been relaxed over the years, but basically most matches will require you to wear boots, pants, a long sleeve button up shirt and a cowboy hat. My first match I went to I wore work boots with laces, blue jeans, a button up shirt and I borrowed a cowboy hat. Don't buy a lot of clothing until you come to a shoot and see what people are wearing. Some go all out on their clothes, some not so much.

So we shoot old school cowboy style guns and dress up looking like cowboys or any type of person from the 1800's. There are all kinds of characters you could choose to be it’s up to you.

Now to the shooting. When you go to a monthly shoot we typically shoot 6 stages. Stages are the shooting sequences. Meaning you get 6 different times to get up and shoot. A stage typically will have you shoot 10 pistol rounds, 10 rifle rounds and usually 4 shotgun rounds (Sometimes 2, sometimes 6). To do this you would need all 4 guns. The stage is like setting the story line. The old cowboys would write a story for each stage so it might be you're breaking in the bank and all of a sudden the marshal shows up. Then the stage would give you instructions on how to start, what to say, what gun to use on which target and where to shoot each gun from. For example: start standing at left window with rifle in hand. When ready say “Oh no, it’s the marshal”! With the rifle engage the 5 rifle targets in a double tap sweep (meaning shoot each target twice moving across the five targets from the left to right or maybe right to left). Move to the doorway and with the pistols engage the 5 pistols targets in a double tap sweep. Move to the right window and with the shotgun engage the 4 shotgun targets in any order until down. That would be one stage. Then you would do that 5 more times on different bays and different targets with different instructions. Then your time is added up and the winner is determined by being the fastest. But there are a few catches. First if you miss a target, that’s a 5 second penalty added to your total. You can’t just be fast, you have to be accurate too. Second, you have to follow all the stage instructions. If you do not follow the instructions meaning you shoot the wrong target out of order or shoot the wrong gun from the wrong position then that is a procedural and that results in a ten second penalty added to your time. Then there are safety rules. There are quite a few. Those are best learned at the range.

OK, now we have a way of getting you ready to shoot. First you take your guns and ammo to the loading table. Then you load your rifle and pistols. Always leaving the cylinder under the hammer of the pistols empty and always leaving the barrel of the rifle empty and hammers down.  When it’s your turn, you take your guns and stage them (meaning place then in position on the stage). Then you go to your starting position and when you're ready, you say the line. The range officer or RO will say, "stand by". Then within the next couple seconds the timer will give you a beep and you can start shooting. Once you fire the last shot the timer stops recording and then you will safely get your guns and go to the unloading table. There you will unload your guns and show the unloading table officer that your guns are empty, clear and safe. Then you are done.

When you're not shooting there is plenty to be done. We shoot in posses. A posse is a group of shooters (usually between 13-20 shooters) depending on the size of the shoot and how many people come. When you're not shooting you should try to help. Because when you were shooting there were people helping you. They help you buy spotting. Spotting is watching the shooter and targets and counting misses or procedural mistakes. There are always 3 spotters for every shooter. There is a range officer (RO) or timer operator (TO) who is timing you. There is a brass picker. This is a person picking up your brass cases for you after you shoot. There are target setters or people who go and reset knock-down targets. There’s a score keeper who is a person who records the scores of each shooter. And then if we have enough people we like to have a loading table officer and an unloading table officer to keep people safe. So there is always something to be done. And when it’s someone’s turn to shoot anyone can sub them out and take over their job. You will find some people like to do certain jobs and they usually do the same job every time they go to a match.

Okay, so we walked through a match for the most part. It’s something you really got to see in person. It goes very smoothly for the most part. It’s something you will get the hang of you just got to come and try it. So here are some pieces of advice. Don’t overthink it. Just come see it try it get sone tips, then think about it. If you already got some guns that will work, that’s cool. Bring what you have we will show you what to do. DO NOT BUY ANY MORE GUNS AMMO OR LEATHER UNTIL YOU COME AND TRY IT. The biggest mistake shooters make (including myself) is they go and buy guns and ammo and leather and then find out that it isn’t right or not really what they wanted. Just come with what you got if you had nothing that’s fine as we will give you guns and ammo and leather to try. Then think about what you liked and didn’t like then plan then buy. Lastly, remember our two biggest goals is safety and having fun. We want you to be safe and have fun doing it. My saying is "you will come for the shooting and stay for the people". Meaning you come to shoot the sport but after you make sone friends you will stick around the sport because the people who do this sport are so nice, welcoming and willing to help. They are all true cowboys.