It’s supposed to be cold and windy Saturday, so we’re canceling February’s 3rd Saturday match.
The weather forecasters–who as we all know are always correct–are saying 60° for next Wednesday, so we’re hoping our 4th Wednesday practice match will still happen.
Keep an eye out for email and Facebook updates. If you’re not already signed up for our email announcement list, head over to the Gate Code and Match Announcements Email List to register.
Being that it’s currently 12° outside, I’ve spent a good portion of my day watching NCAA basketball. Doing so brought to mind this week’s Rule of the Week as it’s basketball’s traveling rule which defines shooting on the move in SASS.
As we all know, shooting on the move is forbidden in SASS and should it occur, is punished by a Stage Disqualification penalty. Beyond actual shooting, movement while a live round is under the hammer of any firearm is also forbidden, carrying the same penalty. But what exactly denotes movement you ask? Basketball’s traveling rule (with a caveat).
Page 11 of the Shooter’s Handbook states
Movement is defined by the basketball “traveling” rule. Whenever a shooter has a loaded round under the hammer of a firearm in hand, at least one foot must remain in place on the ground.
Shooter’s Handbook v25.1, page 11
Simple enough. Now I’ll be the nitpicker here and point out this is only a portion of the basketball traveling rule, applying only to a player whose position is already set on the court. But I digress.
The real caveat to how basketball’s traveling rule is applied is contained in that same section of the handbook:
Note: Shuffling the feet to maintain balance or adjust the shooting stance is allowed as long as the shooter does not actually change location.
Shooter’s Handbook v25.1, page 11
So if you’ve come to a stop in order to shoot, but perhaps your feet have landed on an uneven portion of the terrain, or slipped on loose gravel and became too far apart to be a comfortable shooting stance, you’re allowed to “shuffle” both feet into a safe and comfortable position while firing, provided you don’t fundamentally change the location from which you’re shooting.
Indian Territory SASS is happy to announce that our annual cowboy match Pursuit into the Osage Nation at the beautiful Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve is officially scheduled for October 7-10th, 2021!
We are still in the early stages of planning and here’s where you come in: we are in need of a handful of dedicated volunteers to help run Pursuit into the Osage Nation. Our own Ninety Caliber Al has taken over as Match Director this year–many thanks to Burly Bill and Catoosa Red for their years of outstanding effort–and he’d love to hear from anyone interested in being a part of this unique match. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ninety Caliber Al by email (amadera@sbcglobal.net) or phone (918-855-7667) to get yourself on the list.
As we move into spring we’ll share further information including sign up forms. For now, please make sure to hold the dates on your calendar to attend Pursuit into the Osage Nation 2021!
Continuing on last week’s clothing theme, today I’m going to discuss holsters in the hopes of helping new shooters avoid confusion with this all-important part of SASS equipment.
Revolver holsters seem a simple idea–their primary purpose being to safely carry a revolver throughout a normal range of motion–but there are a few things to watch out for when selecting your holsters:
As with all firearms, the 170° rule applies to revolvers. However, there is a specific exception for revolvers during the holstering/unholstering process. I will quote directly from the Shooter’s Handbook v25.1, page 3:
When drawing a revolver, the muzzle may be oriented into the straight down (180°) as it clears leather; but must then go immediately into the downrange 170° (and vice versa on the return). These restrictions against breaking the downrange 180° angle apply to all holsters and methods of draw/re-holster. This allowance applies to all types/styles of holsters, from canted double strong side to cross draw, to shoulder/Huckleberry rigs.
Shooter’s Handbook, version 25.1
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to sign up for our match announcement list if you haven’t already, and take a look at the rest of our Bulletin Board for all our other posts.
Even though we had a cold wind today it was better by the 3rd stage. We had 9 shooters. E.K. Hale from Kansas, always good to see him and Pony Soldier and Speed Wagon from Tulsey came to shoot. Pony Soldier and E.K. Hale were our clean shooters and picked up a coin! Top spot went to Angus Red with Pony and Speed Wagon bringing up 2nd and 3rd. It was a good match and fun. Little Fat Buddy shot today, first time since his eye surgery and saw his way to #7. We look forward to our next match on Feb.14th ( Valentine’s Day ), Angus will be writing stages and we’ll se ya there!!!
It seems there’s some confusion and concern from new shooters about what’s required as far as costuming in SASS. I know this was something that I wasn’t clear on coming in, even after reading through the Shooter’s Handbook. The Shooter’s Handbook uses some version of the word “costume” so many times in its first few pages that it’s easy for newcomers to think that every single participant must wear chaps, a ten-gallon hat, and spurs in order to compete. But unless you’re planning to shoot in one of the aptly named Costume Categories, things are actually far simpler than they may seem. This week’s post is primarily addressed towards would-be shooters trying to figure out how to get into the game.
While costuming certainly plays a significant role in the Costume Categories, the majority of categories in SASS have fairly loose clothing requirements. While the Shooter’s Handbook states “all clothing must be typical of the late 19th century, a B-Western movie, or Western television series“, in practice at SASS matches, this leaves a good amount of room for interpretation.
In Open, Age Based, and Shooting Style categories, an outfit as simple as a long-sleeve button-up or Henley shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots will suffice. Not even a hat is required. (Note: combat boots and ball caps are expressly outlawed. See the bottom of this post for a list of outlawed clothing directly from page four of the Shooter’s Handbook).
When you step into the Costume Categories…well, there’s costuming involved. Both B-Western and Classic Cowboy categories have their own requirements and prohibitions on clothing, and I’ll leave the full definitions to the Shooter’s Handbook beginning on page seven.
Please note, gun leather and shotgun belts are governed under their own set of rules according to category, and are outside the scope of this post.
So there it is. It still takes a bit of clarification if you’re on the outside looking in, but it’s actually not as difficult to wade through as one might think. Of course, if you have any questions–regarding clothing or any other SASS subject–feel free to e-mail or call one of our officers or give us a shout on Facebook on the Indian Territory SASS page.
I have noticed while shooting stages such as the Mine at the Oklahoma Territorial Marshals, the Fort at Indian Territory SASS, and the Ghetto Mine at Lincoln County Cowboys, that it is quite common for shooters to return back uprange once having finished the stage in such a way as to no longer have the barrels of their long gun(s) pointed in alignment with the 170° rule.
This confused me. As written in the Shooter’s Handbook the 170° rule is always to be observed at any particular time while on the range. But again, I’ve observed seasoned cowboys and cowgirls with years of Range Officer experience under their belts return uprange on one of these stages with their barrels pointed in a safe direction, but not within the 170°. So I did what I thought would be the most sensible thing in this situation: I called Roy’s Creek Dan.
Among other skills and accomplishments, Roy’s Creek Dan is an excellent cowboy gunsmith, a SASS End of Trail World Champion, and a Range Officer Instructor. From years of SASS experience and communication with the Range Officer Committee, Roy’s Creek Dan is virtually a walking SASS Shooter’s Handbook encyclopedia.
As soon as I brought this up with Roy’s Creek Dan, and before I could even finish describing my question, he knew where I was going. And his answer certainly did simplify things. According to Roy’s Creek Dan, the 170° rule only applies from the time the buzzer goes off until the last shot of the stage is fired. At all other times, the applicable rule would be Unsafe Firearm Handling.
Unsafe Firearm Handling is a bit of a catch-all, and is not exactly defined in the Shooter’s Handbook, other than as a reason for a Stage Disqualification Penalty. The spirit of the rule is contained within the Safety & Handling Conventions — All Firearms (page 15 of version 25.1 of the Shooter’s Handbook). With regards to the handling of your firearms other than during the shooting of the stage, this largely means pointing the barrels in a safe direction at all times while carrying them. From the Shooter’s Handbook:
The muzzles of all long guns must be maintained in a safe direction at all time (generally “up” and slightly downrange)
Rather than the 170° rule, it is Unsafe Firearm Handling which covers the shooter returning uprange, and this explains why I’ve never seen anyone penalized for breaking the 170° while doing so. This seems like common sense, but I’m glad to have this clarified for myself and I hope you find value in it as well.
As defined in the Shooter’s Handbook, a malfunction is the “failure of a gun or ammunition to function as designed or fire satisfactorily.”
It’s important to point out that in regards to the rules, a firearm is considered as malfunctioning only if the shooter audibly declares it so. That is, if the shooter’s firearm malfunctions, they cannot simply lay the gun down and proceed with the stage. The shooter must declare the firearm as malfunctioning before engaging in the next string of fire. If the shooter fails to declare the firearm as malfunctioning, but grounds the firearm nonetheless, the shooter will then be subject to any penalties resulting from this action such as those for live rounds left in the chamber, magazine, or carrier.
The applicable rule from page 27 of version 25.1 of the Shooter’s Handbook:
Malfunctioning firearms still containing rounds will not warrant penalties so long as the malfunction is declared and the firearm is made safe.
Once the firearm has been declared as malfunctioning and made safe–laid on a horizontal surface, pointing in a safe direction–the shooter may continue the stage. At the conclusion of the final string of fire, the shooter should return to the malfunctioning firearm and make an effort to clear the malfunction while still on the stage before heading to the unloading table. Clearing the malfunction while still on the stage minimizes safety risks and should the firearm discharge while being cleared, will not result in a Match Disqualification as long as it is pointed in a safe direction.
If the firearm cannot be expediently cleared while still on the stage, it can then be taken to the unloading table to be cleared. A shooter may only leave the firing line with an un-cleared, malfunctioning firearm if doing so under the direct supervision of a Match Official. Failure to follow this protocol will result in a Match Disqualification.
I updated our 2021: A new year for Indian Territory SASS blog post with this information, but I’m sure it’s easily overlooked.
As of this year, Indian Territory SASS will no longer maintain a membership separate from Tulsa Red Castle Gun Club. If you have registered for membership in 2021, your payment will either be refunded (if it’s already been deposited), or torn up (if it hasn’t been deposited). As mentioned previously, if you’re a cowboy shooter who regularly shoots at Buzzard Gulch and aren’t already a member of Tulsa Red Castle Gun Club, but would like to become one, contact our Mayor, Bad Crooked Aimes.
Additionally, we previously communicated that match fees for non-Tulsa Red Castle Gun Club members had gone up. I’m happy to announce that is no longer the case, and match fees for all shooters remains at $8.
Courtesy of Josey Kidd
As previously announced, with the shortage of reloading components currently available for purchase, Indian Territory SASS will be allowing adult competitors to participate in our matches using 22LR chambered firearms. While 22LR itself is also in short supply on store shelves, the intent here is that anyone who may have stockpiled it can now use their 22LR firearms to compete and perhaps save the centerfire ammunition for larger annual matches and championships.
Josey Kidd wrote up a set of rules for Tulsey Town Cattlemen’s Association to guide their use of 22LR. With the idea that it would be beneficial for both clubs to operate from the same set of rules, Josey was kind enough to allow Indian Territory SASS to use his guidelines as well. Below are the standards to which Indian Territory SASS will adhere for as long as we have this category. All portions, including allowing this category, are subject to change at any point, although such changes would be communicated.
22LR Guidelines: Indian Territory SASS
This club only category is being developed to help ease the burden of the primer and ammo shortage currently being experienced. The club has the right to abandon this category at any time if shortages recover, or if logistical reasons develop.
Please feel free to contact one of the Indian Territory SASS officers with questions about firearms not listed or in question.
Safety Topics
When signing up for the match, if shooting .22LR’s, you will be in one of two categories: .22LR Men’s, or .22LR Women’s. All shooting styles and costumes are accepted in these categories, with respect that your clothing should meet at least the bare minimum SASS requirements.
To keep it fair across the board, if you decide to shoot .22LR category, both pistols and rifle must be of .22LR caliber. Shotgun will be anything SASS legal for adults.
