“I’ll handle this. He’s gone cowboy, again.”

This dialogue comes from the 1975 film “The Wind and the Lion,” when Secretary of State John Hay, played by John Huston, finds President Teddy Roosevelt (Brian Keith) relaxing at the rifle range during an international crisis.

He might have been speaking of cowboy-action shooting (CAS), the enormously successful niche market that’s grown to impressive proportions.

While there are a number of CAS groups, the original and granddaddy organization is the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). The CAS movement actually began as a club event in Southern California during the 1970s. Within a few years, it had become a national and then international organization. It may or may not remain “the fastest-growing shooting sport” anymore — depending on the “expert” you talk to — but interest continues, with SASS’ membership numbers accelerating past 70,000.

From a marketing viewpoint, CAS probably offers more variety than any other ballistic endeavor. In fact, those who cater to cowboy shooters provide not only guns, but also ammunition, leather, targets and an astonishing variety of clothes and other things cowboys can’t live without.

Each competitor needs two single-action revolvers, a pistol-caliber lever-action rifle and period shotgun. Therefore, just getting through the saloon door requires every cowboy or cowgirl to purchase four firearms — more if they’re going to shoot side matches — which translates into additional sales of firearms from derringers to buffalo guns.

Chaparral Arms 1866

Stoeger Coach Gun 12 Gauge

There is no lack of cowboy firearms on the market, with numerous domestic and international companies offering a wide variety of revolvers, rifles and shotguns.

Ruger’s Ken Jorgensen advises retailers to educate themselves about the subsets of Western guns, as there are differences among conventional SASS competitors, mounted shooters and fast-draw artists.

“Retailers should understand what kind of cowboy shooting there is in their area and focus on specialty markets, as well as the more common types of shooting,” Jorgensen said.
He recommends a proactive approach, with periodic range visits to get acquainted with local club members, rather than waiting for the customer to mosey into your shop.

Jorgensen notes that building a rapport with area shooters helps retailers anticipate what to stock. He cites the enormously popular Ruger Vaquero line of revolvers, which many shops failed to appreciate early on, leading to a backlog of orders. As the old British Army manual said, “Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted.”

Though most 21st-Century shootists probably roll their own ammunition, ready-made CAS ammo is widely available, produced to SASS standards. Lead bullets loaded to specified velocities for pistol and rifle are mandatory, owing to the steel targets used.

Available brands include Black Hills, Goex, Ten-X and Winchester, which produce smokeless and/or black-powder loads, in addition to cap and ball.

Gun dealers who consider stocking CAS ammo generally are safe in ordering the usual historic calibers such as .44-40 and .45 Colt, but the most serious competitors go for small-diameter, low-recoil cartridges such as .38, or occasionally .357 for rifles. The variety is exceptional, as Black Hills alone offers 13 calibers from .32 H&R to .45-70.

It can be profitable to spend some time meeting shooters in your immediate area and asking about the most prevalent calibers, rather than risk overstocking other slow- or non-selling calibers.

Heavily committed to the cowboy-ammunition market is MidwayUSA. “The key to marketing to the cowboy-action shooter is having a broad selection of products to cover every possible need,” said Matt Fleming, V.P. of sales. “One other thing that helps us is that our employees are also shooters and customers, so we are always using our products and on the lookout for the latest and greatest new products to offer.”

That approach will greatly aid storefront dealers, also.

Packing Iron

Cowboy gun leather is produced on a custom and commercial scale. The quality of commercial belts and holsters ranges from poor to good, and retailers should be aware of the differences. “Entry-level” leather usually is functional, but may not last more than a few seasons. It helps to tap into the trade network and learn which suppliers are most reliable before ordering in quantity.

Among the finest producers of authentic cowboy gun leather is Rick Bachman of Old West Reproductions (OWR) in Montana.

“Many dealers, no matter who or where, want a 75-percent profit. No custom shop can match dealer discounts, but OWR can help some guys out if they’re repeat customers. Sometimes I can go as much as a 35-percent discount for multiple orders, but the large majority of my sales are off the Web site or my catalog,” Bachman said.

Bachman does a steady business at gun shows, which give him access to a lot of CAS customers.

“The buying public is more knowledgeable than ever before and those who know what they’re looking for tend to be willing to spend more,” Bachman said.

Cowboy Targets

Cowboy-action targets come in two varieties: steel and balloons, which are used in mounted shooting.

Gun shops catering to the CAS crowd will most often sell steel targets to serious competitors who practice between matches. Some clubs will buy commercially cut steel, but most seem to prefer making their own, for reasons of variety or economy.

For many years, the top national matches featured targets in Western shapes such as Stetsons, boots, coyotes or armadillos, but more recently the trend is toward geometric patterns: circles and squares. Stationary impact targets are used for rifle and pistol, and knockdown Pepper Poppers for shotgun.

Action Target features AR500 armor with smooth, angled target faces to reduce spatter. Action Target models are endorsed by perennial CAS champion Gene Pearcey (better known as “Evil Roy”). This year, Action Target’s Evil Roy Portable Steel Practice Target was a final nominee for the Specialty Product of the Year from the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. The Evil Roy target, with a variety of shapes, was used for the rifle stage of this year’s Shooting Industry Masters.

Speaking of Evil Roy, his granddaughter shoots under the alias “Holy Terror,” and represents a growing number of junior shooters. Retailers who are serious about the CAS market should recognize this aspect of the sport and give consideration to suitable guns, ammo, leather and accessories.

www.sassnet.com

If clothes make the man, they also make the cowboy — and cowgirl. A big reason so many women participate in CAS is the attraction of period costumes. The variety of feminine apparel at a typical SASS match is eye-catching.

Most gun stores do not stock Western apparel because of the display space required, but those shops in cowboy areas might consider a corner devoted to hats, vests and other duds. Perhaps the busiest retail outlet for CAS apparel is Wild West Mercantile in Mesa, Ariz. Owned by Tom and Claudia Ingoglia (aka C.S. Fly and Claudia Feather), the shop reflects the way cowboy shooting grew from a hobby into a part-time business and expanded into a major enterprise.

If there’s a shortcut to getting a lasso around the cowboy-shooting crowd, it’s “know your market.” The information afforded by national suppliers and advertisers is useful to your CAS business, but shooting — like politics — is local. By taking a little time to examine your area, you can optimize your sales potential. Establishing contact with local shooters and organizations is an excellent way of not only getting a foot up in the CAS stirrup, but also maintaining a place in the market for years to come.

Visit the Web site of SASS, www.sassnet.com. On the home page, click on “Shooting Events” and “Affiliated Clubs” for a saddlebag full of information on what’s happening in CAS in your area.

If your nearby range hosts a CAS event, consider signing on as a sponsor and even putting up a table or tent. The often-freewheeling atmosphere of a cowboy-action match tends to make shooters and even visitors free with their cash, and the contacts established at such venues can provide long-term benefits.

There’s still plenty of money to be made in cowboy action. Whatcha waitin’ fer?