COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING™ SHOOTER’S HANDBOOK Version 24.2 July 1, 2020 COPYRIGHT 1987 – 2020 SINGLE ACTION SHOOTING SOCIETY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Table of Contents . SECTION 1 – SASS & COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING™ ................................................................... 1 JOINING SASS ................................................................................................................................................... 1 SASS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS ................................................................................................................ 1 SELECTING A SASS ALIAS .......................................................................................................................... 1 COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING™ ............................................................................................................... 2 CLOTHING & ACCOUTREMENTS ............................................................................................................ 2 EYE & EAR PROTECTION ............................................................................................................................ 2 HOLSTERS, CARTRIDGE BELTS, & BANDOLEERS ......................................................................... 3 Holsters ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Cartridge Belts, Bandoleers, and Pouches ......................................................................................... 3 Ammunition Belts and Loops ................................................................................................................... 3 OUTLAWED ITEMS ......................................................................................................................................... 4 SASS AFFILIATED CLUBS ........................................................................................................................... 4 SECTION 2 – SHOOTING CATEGORIES ............................................................................................... 5 OPEN AGE CATEGORIES ............................................................................................................................. 5 AGE BASED CATEGORIES .......................................................................................................................... 5 SHOOTING STYLE CATEGORIES ............................................................................................................. 6 Duelist Style .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Gunfighter Style ............................................................................................................................................ 6 COSTUME CATEGORIES .............................................................................................................................. 7 Classic Cowboy/Classic Cowgirl Category .......................................................................................... 7 B-Western/Lady B-Western Category ..................................................................................................... 8 BLACKPOWDER SHOOTING CATEGORIES ........................................................................................ 9 Frontier Cartridge Category/Categories ............................................................................................. 9 Frontiersman Category ............................................................................................................................ 10 CATEGORY MATRIX ..................................................................................................................................... 10 MINIMUM ENTRANT CATEGORY MANDATES ................................................................................ 10 SECTION 3 – PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES ....................................................................................... 12 SPIRIT OF THE GAME ................................................................................................................................. 12 PARTICIPANT CONDUCT .......................................................................................................................... 12 Safety ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 Personal ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Failure to Engage ....................................................................................................................................... 13 SECTION 4 – RANGE OPERATIONS & SAFETY RULES ................................................................ 14 STAGE CONVENTIONS ............................................................................................................................... 14 FIREARM CONVENTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 14 Safety & Handling Conventions – Revolvers ................................................................................... 14 Safe Conditions During a Course of Fire – Revolvers .................................................................. 15 Safety & Handling Conventions – Rifles ........................................................................................... 15 i Copyright© Single Action Shooting Society, Inc. 2020 Version 24.1 Safe Conditions During a Course of Fire – Rifles .......................................................................... 16 Safety & Handling Conventions – Shotguns .................................................................................... 16 Safe Conditions During a Course of Fire – Shotguns .................................................................. 16 Safety & Handling Conventions – All Firearms ............................................................................. 17 SAFETY ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 The Magnificent Seven ............................................................................................................................. 18 The 170° Rule ................................................................................................................................................ 18 Safety Officers/Chief Range Officers – CRO (Timer Operator – TO) ...................................... 19 Range Commands ....................................................................................................................................... 19 SASS Range Safety Courses – RO-I & RO-II ..................................................................................... 20 MATCH PROCEDURES & STANDARDS ............................................................................................... 20 Range Operations ....................................................................................................................................... 20 No Alibi/Reshoots/Restarts ...................................................................................................................... 21 Match Roles & Match Terms .................................................................................................................. 21 Penalties Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Scoring ............................................................................................................................................................ 25 AMMUNITION COVENANTS ..................................................................................................................... 26 Power Factors .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Power Factor / Blackpowder Smoke – Testing ................................................................................ 26 Ammunition Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 27 Ammunition Conventions ........................................................................................................................ 28 Uncontrolled Discharge ........................................................................................................................... 28 Loading and Unloading Area Conventions ..................................................................................... 29 Lead Precautions ........................................................................................................................................ 30 SECTION 5 – SIDE MATCHES ................................................................................................................ 31 THE PLAINSMAN ........................................................................................................................................... 31 POCKET PISTOLS AND DERRINGERS ...............................................................................................