Single Action Shooting

What is Single Action Shooting?

You step up to the bar doors, heart pounding, a chill running through your body, your nerves are n the left eye. You wipe the sweat from your brow your hand is clinched hard to your rifle, your  pistols holstered at the ready, you look across at your shotgun knowing you will need it soon this is it, this si your time you yell with gusto “ One twitch and you’re in HELL” with all your speed you fire 10 shots with your rifle in the correct order, you dart to the right placing your rifle on the Bar you grab your left side pistol firing 5 shots with lighting speed and reholstering with your left hand as you pull the other pistol with your right hand, you glance at your front sight your targets a bluer, you blaze away with another hardly countable 5 shots, now get to the shotgun & lets finish this grabbing 2 shot  shells you pick up your shotgun like it’s a part of you and without hitting the side of the chambers you slide the 2 shells in 2 shots ring out almost simultaneously as quick as you can chuck the shells you have 2 more in, you make sure of your aim the last 2 shots sound out, as the smoke clears its “OVER” all in less than 30 seconds.

Wow it sounds like a scene out a western movie, one we all probably played as kids wouldn’t you love to do it again! Well hundreds of us do every weekend throughout Australia it’s called Single Action Shooting and this was only 1 of up to 12 scenario’s you might shoot over 2 or 3 days. Single Action has been in Australia since the 1990’s and is our fastest growing outdoor sport.

You start by strapping on 2 colt clone single action pistols, yep that’s right the one were you have to pull back the hammer before you can fire and the old iron sights. Now you’re starting to look the part, the combination of holsters are mainly double strong like the ones you would see in a good old John Wayne movie or 1 strong & 1 cross draw holster which is drawn across the body it is really personal preference with both having advantages.

Right now get yourself a rifle, the most common being a lever action, Winchester 73’s & 94s which are really hard to come by so we mainly use Marlin 1894 & Uberti 1873 with a few pump actions in use. The most common calibre used in Australia is .38 Special or .357 mag in both pistol & rifle although you will see everything from the real cowboy calibre 44-40 to 45 longcolt & many others.

Your nearly there you will need one more firearm the trusty shotgun which in Australia is either a side by side with none of those fancy ejectors or a lever action 1887, all mainly in 12 gauge. Our American cousins have the advantage of using the 1897 pump action with prohibited here. You will be loading 2 at a time only & the shells will be chucked from the side by side or levered with the 87.

Now you wouldn’t be a cowboy without some real cowboy attire, Boots, Hats & cowboy cloths yes that’s right we do really step back in time but don’t be fooled this is a highly skilful sport with speed and accuracy also a degree of wit needed to manoeuvre you through the sometimes-tricky scenarios.

What’s missing? Every Cowboy has to have a cool name like the “Duke” or “Calamity Jane.” I’m sure when you were a kid you didn’t use real names!! Here is your chance you get to pick & register an alias; a little bit hard to get use to at first but after a while you will love it!

Look out your ready to become a member of the family of single action shooters who will greet you and welcome you into our sport a sport which is shot from the young age of 12 years old through to their grandparents, but be prepared to be thrown into a whole world of FUN!