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SASS Winter Range World Championship Preview, Gun Boogie & Cowboy Action Community
[01:27] Why Cowboy Action Shooting Has Held On for 29 Years
Jeff Taverner has been competing in Cowboy Action Shooting since 1997. That’s 29 years, and the entry point was about as unlikely as they come: his cousin, who doesn’t own a gun, went to Wyatt Earp Days in Tombstone, called Jeff, and wouldn’t shut up about this cowboy shooting thing. Jeff was already gearing up to open a store, took a look, and got hooked inside the first visit.
What kept him wasn’t the hardware. It was the crew he fell in with. Smoke Parnell, Wyo Kid, Coupe, JJ Johnson, Candy, Sheriff Horton – the kind of people you drive to matches with, eat every meal with, and build a whole stretch of years around. Winter Range back then was still called the national championship, and the whole outfit went together. Smoke Parnell was already a legend at the time, the kind of man that strangers called out to by name in every parking lot. Jeff and Smoke used to run a quiet side bet: bonus points if either of them actually knew who it was.
Most of those people are gone now. Sheriff Horton is still out there selling his shirts, JJ still surfaces occasionally, but the core of that original crew has passed on. Jeff doesn’t apologize for finding that hard. Twenty-nine years of shared miles earns that.
The other constant he points to is what draws new shooters in and keeps them: the repetition builds real skill. Safety, accuracy, speed – Cowboy Action Shooting drills all three through the single-action discipline in a way that transfers. You come for the shooting, the saying goes, but you stay for the people. He’s watched it hold true across nearly three decades.
[05:07] Mark from Phoenix: Winter Range World Championship on Deck
Mark called in from Phoenix, already on the ground at the Fire and Ice warm-up match. The weather report going into championship week is calling for 80 degrees across the board, which is a far cry from the foot of snow he had in the parking lot about a dozen years back. Winter Range has a reputation for throwing everything at you, and the 80-degree forecast is about as good as it gets.
The field is genuinely international this year. Mark was shooting alongside Czechs, Australians, and Germans at Fire and Ice. He was sitting with Helmet Hellhound and Black Chip Mary, who won her category at the warm-up match. The atmosphere was described as the UN – fitting for a match that draws competitors from that far afield.
Gun Boogie, widely regarded as the top cowboy action gunsmith working today, was completely buried in the loading trailer doing emergency repairs before the championship begins. Helmet Hellhound’s rifle went down. Mark’s rifle went down. Cowboy action guns – mostly lever actions, single-action revolvers, and period shotguns – were never engineered to be cycled as hard, as fast, or as often as serious competitors run them. Pre-match gunsmithing is just part of the program. Jeff has Benji coming to the house to tear his guns down and clean them before he heads out Wednesday morning.
Jeff pulls in Wednesday afternoon, Mark Thursday for a day-trip to catch the action and spend time with the crew. The power factor rules came up briefly: Helmet was DQed at Wild Bunch eight years ago for light ammunition, a sting that apparently landed hard enough that the match director remembered him on sight when he came back from Germany to try again. Wild Bunch power factor requirements are strict, and ammunition that seems adequate on paper doesn’t always chrono to spec under match conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SASS Winter Range World Championship and where is it held?
The SASS Winter Range World Championship is the premier annual Cowboy Action Shooting competition run by the Single Action Shooting Society. It is held in the Phoenix, Arizona area and draws competitors from across the United States and internationally, including teams from Europe and Australia. The match was previously known as the national championship before being elevated to world championship status.
Why do cowboy action shooting guns need so much gunsmithing and maintenance?
Cowboy action firearms – lever-action rifles, single-action revolvers, and period shotguns – were designed for the use patterns of the 19th century, not for the volume and speed demanded by modern competition. Serious competitors cycle these guns thousands of times a season under timed pressure, which accelerates wear on springs, timing components, and lockwork well beyond what the original designs anticipated. Pre-match gunsmithing and thorough cleaning before major events is standard practice at the championship level.
What is a power factor in Wild Bunch shooting, and what happens if you fail it?
Power factor is a minimum threshold calculated from bullet weight and velocity, used in Wild Bunch competition to ensure ammunition generates sufficient recoil impulse to operate the action reliably and meet the spirit of the division. Ammunition that chronographs below the required power factor results in a disqualification from the match, regardless of how the shooter performed on stages. This applies even to factory ammunition purchased specifically for the event, so competitors typically verify loads on a chronograph before arriving at a major match.
What makes Cowboy Action Shooting good training for general firearms skills?
Cowboy Action Shooting builds a tight loop of safety, accuracy, and speed through high-repetition competition with single-action firearms. Every stage requires the shooter to manage multiple gun transitions, follow a prescribed target sequence, and do it all within a safe handling framework enforced by range officers. The discipline of running single-action revolvers and lever guns quickly and cleanly develops trigger control and target acquisition skills that carry over to other shooting disciplines.
What is the Fire and Ice match in relation to the SASS World Championship?
Fire and Ice is a warm-up match held in the days leading up to the SASS Winter Range World Championship. It gives competitors a chance to run their guns under match conditions, check ammunition, and get dialed in before the main event begins. Championship-level competitors use it to work out any equipment issues and shake off travel before the stages that count.
Sources, Credibility, and Continuing the Conversation
The observations herein come straight from the range and the road: decades of competitive shooting, gunsmithing relationships, and the kind of institutional knowledge that only comes from showing up year after year. Practical advice leans best when tempered by cautious humility – verify ammunition power factors on your own chronograph, have your guns inspected by a qualified cowboy action gunsmith before major matches, and keep learning from the people who have been doing this longest.