First Match of the Year is in the Books

Match InfoJuly 18, 2015 BigTex

We would like to thank the brave cowboys and cowgirls that braved the heat and humidity to shoot with us this morning. We weren’t a big posse, but everyone worked together well and we had a blast. We would like to give a special thank you to JD Nevada and Charming, who came all the way up from Las Vegas to join us. It was a pleasure hosting you, and we look forward to your next trip north.

The day started with a couple of stages featuring our newly rebuilt and painted wagon with a lot of movement across the bay. Next we moved on to a couple of stages featuring the repainted jail with some movement but not as much as the first two stages. Knowing the heat was going to be up there, we finished the day with a couple of stand and deliver stages using the freshly painted grocery store. Overall, a nice variety of movement and sweeps. A few of the sweeps were new to the shooters in this region.

Below you can see a few pictures from today, as well as the scores and a link to the stage designs.

Stages from Today

Match Final Scores

Score Details

Almost Time to Saddle Up

Match InfoJuly 12, 2015 BigTex

Saturday, July 18 is our first cowboy match of the year at Heartland Public Shooting Park. We have six stages planned on three bays with a variety of movement and stand and deliver stages. We are also going to be using the rebuilt wagon, as well as the grocery store and jail that received a fresh coat of paint and some TLC over the winter.

We certainly hope you will join us for a day of playing cowboy. Match fees are only $15, and there will not be a lunch provided. Once we get our numbers up, it will be easier to get a lunch provider out.

Below you can see some pictures of the stages we have set up for the match before we painted the targets.

Almost Time for the First Cowboy Shoot of the Year

Match InfoJune 30, 2015June 30, 2015 BigTex

Saddle up pardners! It had been a long winter and a long wait, but the irst cowboy match of the year at Heartland Public Shooting Park i Grand Island, Nebraska is coming up on July 18th. We will be shooting six main match stages on three baysAlso as a art of this shoot, you will get a chance to see and use the completely rebuilt wagon and some of the props we painted over the winter. More work remains to be done, but we got a good start.

Check in for the match starts at 8:00am

Safety Meeting at 8:30am

Shooting starts at 9:00am

Cost for the match is $15, and lunch in not included. We look forward to shooting with you.

If you want to get a peek at the stages we will be shooting, they are as follows:

Iron Duke Ammo Counts

Match InfoJune 1, 2015 BigTex

We have heard from some shooters that were wondering what the ammunition counts for the Iron Duke match will be. Just so you know, the minimum round counts are as follows:

140 rifle/pistol
42+ shotgun

You are going to get a full day of fun challenging shooting for a low price and not a lot of ammo. Slots are starting to fill in, so even though the match isn’t until October, I encourage you to get your entries in as soon as possible so we can hold your spot. Once we hit 75 shooters, entries will be capped.

There are also a few fun things included to make things different, including an all shotgun stage and a stage where you get to shoot “paint cans” off a fence.

So before you miss this match, ask yourself:

Are you ready for the final showdown in Angel and the Badman?
Ready for the final confrontation with Murphy on Chisum?
Ready to test your shotgun skills with the Swede’s work in El Dorado on an all shotgun stage?
Ready to face off with Santa Ana from the fort in The Alamo?
Ready to knock paint cans off the fence posts like the Duke in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance?
Ready to face off against the Comanches in The Searchers?
Ready for the final saloon scene in The Shootist?
Ready to face off against bandits who are after your women and horses in The Undefeated?

If so, help pass the word….This is gonna be fun

New Rulebooks Released

RulesMay 13, 2015May 13, 2015 BigTex

As with any sport, there coms a need to make updates and changes to the rule books. This is both to cover new situations and technologies that have come up, as well as to clarify existing riles so they are easier to understand and to eliminate gray area. We have uploaded the latest edition of the rule books that were just released.

They can be found here:

2015 Rulebooks

Some of the clarifications include the following:

When shooting in a combined category, such as Senior Gunfighter, the rules affecting the dress, shooting style, etc of the costume or style category will apply first, and then the age category. This will ensure that they meet the requirements of the core category before clamining the age category.
Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter has been added as a category, which is a gunfighter style o shooting using black powder.
In Classic Cowboy/Cowgirl, the side by side must have manual external hammers, faux hammers are not allowed.
Ladies may wear dresses in B-Western category.
When finishing with a long gun, the shooter must clear the long gun. If the lever closes or the shotgun closes after being cleared, the shooter does not have to open it. However, at the end of the shooting string, the shooter will need to open it for the TO and if any rounds or cases are in the chambers, the appropriate penalties will apply. Only the shooter may open and show the long gun to the TO if it closes.
As stated in previous editions, shooting on the move is not allowed and will result in a SDQ.
The TO cannot override the spotters on misses, but he may question the location of hits.
Reminder that it is bad course design to end with the rifle.
Two SDQs will result in a match DQ. Due to questions, this has been clarified, and this includes two distinct actions on the same stage. For example, dropping an unloaded firearm on a stage is a SDQ. If they sweep someone on the way to the unloading table, that is a second distinct action on the ame stage that would earn a SDQ, and the net result would be a MDQ.
Just as a clarification: A gunfighter may utilize any shooting sequence that is available for any other category, as long as they do it one handed. They do not have to alternate pistols. This is often the fastest way, but they may shoot one pistol, and then the other.

Schedule Update-June Match

Match InfoFebruary 24, 2015 BigTex

For those that are planning their 2015 shooting schedule, we had a scheduling conflict at the park, and our event was inadvertently double-booked with another major event. As a result, we need to cancel the June match at Heartland Public Shooting Park. Not to worry. We are still shooting all other scheduled matches, including the Iron Duke annual in October. We look forward to shooting with you during the upcoming season.

Do You Have Your Iron Duke Entry In Yet?

Match InfoFebruary 12, 2015 BigTex

Well, Pilgrims, I sure hope you are making plans on shooting with us at the Iron Duke match in October. I know this is a ways away, but as you are making your shooting plans for 2015, don’t leave this match off of your list.

We have a limit of 75 shooters for this match, and so far we have received entries from three states. Don’t get left out of this chance to burn a lot of powder while taking part in stages designed on John Wayne movies. Because we are running the entire match in a single day, we had to cut off the entries at 75. We will be accepting a limited number of provisional entries once it sells out, but don’t miss your chance. The park will be providing a tasty lunch, and medals will be awarded to the top three in each category. All SASS categories will be honored, even if you are the only one shooting in your category.

The movies we will base the stages on are the following:

Angel and the Badman
Chisum
El Dorado
The Alamo
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Searchers
The Shootist
The Undefeated

There will also be a couple of twists to make the match interesting and different, included an “all shotgun” stages and one stage with some knockdown rifle targets.

Get your entries in before it is too late

Iron Duke Entry

Don’t miss out, Pilgrim!

Saloon Progress

Range InfoJanuary 18, 2015 BigTex

Well, the wind and a few sprinkled didn’t help out yesterday, but we did make some progress on the saloon. Got a fresh coat of brown stain on a lot of the outside walls, and some of the inside ones. The wind wasn’t helpful for ladder work, so I still have the upper part to go. We were also able to get all the loose boards tightened back up, so it is pretty solid again. Now it just needs the stain finished, lettering put up, and finish the dressing up.

Jacob and Toby, the honorary cowboys at Heartland Public Shooting Park, are going to break out the dremel to make new letters for the saloon and the bank.

Today I was able to get out into my shop to make some new signs to put up on the outside of the saloon. As you can see, they are a little rough, but that was by design. After all, we ain’t no fancy place like Kansas City. Things get a little rough in our town with all the gunplay. Hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to shooting with you soon.

Update On Iron Duke Match Categories

Match InfoJanuary 13, 2015 BigTex

In talking to one of the local cowboys today, it came to my attention that there may have been some categories left off of the entry form for the Iron Duke match. Rest assured, if any SASS official category was left off, it was merely an oversight on our part. One example that was brought up was Senior Duelist. In this example, on the entry form, simply circle “senior” and “duelist” on the entry form. If there are any other categories that I missed, such as the new Frontier Cartridge Gunfighter, simply hand write the category on the entry form when you send it in.

This match is all abut fun for all the shooters, and if there is a SASS category that you shoot, we will honor it. We plan to honor all categories with awards for the top three, so even if you are the only one in your category, you will receive an award. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to honor any of the “rogue” categories. Sorry about any confusion on the forms.

Next Cowboy Project

Range InfoJanuary 10, 2015 BigTex

Well, after looking over the many tasks ahead of us in refurbishing our props, we have been looking for buildings we can work on that are small enough to move into the shop. That way, once Spring arrives, our work won’t be quite as daunting. It looks like our next project will be the saloon.

The saloon has been a good prop over the years, but it needs some help. Mother Nature has not been kind to her. The weather has aged it, and a couple of years ago a windstorm took it down. The cowboys were able to repair it to be functional again, but it is time to perform a face lift before the coming season. Bill Starkey and the folks at Heartland Public Shooting Park were kind enough to offer to move it into the shop for me and to pick up the repair supplies that are needed in order to bring it back to its original glory.

Here is a quick look at the saloon as it sits today, and hopefully soon you won’t be able to recognize it.