Dumb question of the week, what is Cowboy Silhouette?

[Canuck Bob]

This keeps popping up. I'm finally admitting to my ignorance, what is it? I'm guessing it is a silhouette competition for levers but what are the rules and guns and such, please?

[BrentD]

Well, it is a LOT of fun for starters.

You need 3 guns for everything though you can bet by with few.

Bullets must be tube magazine fed, and round or flat nosed.

Powder can be white or black.

Rifle cartridge CLA is Rams, Turkeys, Pigs, Chickens at 200, 150, 100, 50 m respectively. 5 shots 2.5 minutes (or is it 2?). Reset and 5 more. You get a spotter with binoculars (no spotting scope) to tell you where your bullets are missing. Iron sights (tang, receiver, or barrel sights, may have an optical glass in the rear sight). Front post or bead, no aperture, fiber sights allowed. Lever rifles rifles must be in "rifle caliber, although .44s and probably others still qualify as "rifle" cartridges but .30-30, .32 Spc, and .38-55s rule the roost with a few .45 and others thrown in. Barrels must be factory but can be relined or rebored - but no rebarreled guns (I don't understand this rule, it just is).

Pistol Cartridge CLA is the same but targets at 100, 75, 50 and 25 yds, scaled to match the distance. Cartridges like .25-20 , .32-30, 38-40, .357, .44-40 etc are allowed - cartridges that come in revolvers usually but also made for rifles. Same rifle restrictions apply.

and then there is Rimfire Lever gun. Same distances as the pistol cartridge, same size targets (but thinner to fall easier), in any rimfire cartridge (I think .17s are legal but could be mistaken). The rimfire match looks like an annual Marlin 39 convention where a few Winchesters and even the occasional pump gun (yes, pumps are allowed in lever gun matches) are allowed as mostly wall flowers.

It is lots of fun and you really should consider it. No costume is required or even expected (unlike CASS or NCOWS for instance). Just good shooting fun.

Brent

[FWiedner]

Huh... I woulda said it's one of those sheet metal cut-outs that you prop up under your mailbox.

[Canuck Bob]

Wow, now that sure sounds like fun!!!!

Glad to see receiver sights are allowed. I got the rifle side well covered. It might be a reason to jump through the Restricted PAL hoops and get a pistol again.

FW, those are true Cowboy Art in Alberta. It seems if an outfit still has a registered brand they got a few of those out at the road.

[BrentD]

The pistol part is only pistol cartridge - but shot in rifles. So, an 1894 Marlin .38-40 for example.

My three rifles are rebored .38-55 Marlin 1893 (was .32 Spc) mide 1920s vintage for the rifle cartridge portion.

A 38-40 Marlin 1894 bone stock original vintage 1910ish

And a .22 lr Marlin 39a from 1951.

[AJMD429]

If I weren't working 70 hour weeks, and they had those matches near by, I'd try to get to a few.

Hopefully over the next 24 months, I can drop down to 50 hours or so and resume a 'normal' life.

If my Ruger 96/22 wouldn't qualify for the 'Rimfire' part (since it is a 'modern' and rotary-mag levergun), I might have to break down and get me a Henry.

[Canuck Bob]

To be honest the Restricted PAL is a roaring pain. The pistol cartridge rifle works just fine.

My rifles would be 94 32 Special, 92 32-20, 9422 22LR. The 444 might be a bit much but it would knock things over!!!!

AJMD after 70 hours a week you should get yourself a Henry or two!!

[BrentD]

, I might have to break down and get me a Henry.

In the Classifieds or over on Marlin Collectors website there is a Marlin 39A with need of a new buttstock and an ejector (easy to find) that, perhaps, you could talk down a better price.

[BrentD]

One of the things that I notice at these matches is that there are some 3-generation families and lots of 2-generation families working up and down the firing lines. Pretty cool family-oriented game with many women and youngsters in the mix.

Highly recommended entertainment and good practice for deer, squirrel, pig, elk, rabbit, whatever season in the coming fall.

I had to be dragged, more or less kicking and screaming to my first match at Raton. But the next year I had my own big rifle and the next year my own pistol cartridge rifle and my old 39 squirrel rifle has been much more chipper of late getting the extra attention and better quality food (i.g., Eley ammo).

[Borregos]

Hey Bob, come and join us, I include lever action silhouette with my monthly IHMSA silhouette matches, great fun

[Borregos]

Hey Bob, come and join us, I include lever action silhouette with my monthly IHMSA silhouette matches, great fun I know Bob, it's a looong way but I once drove to Edmonton to shoot a silhouette match

[Catshooter]

Borregos,

Having a bit of computer trouble?

I shoot the Lever Action Silhouette. I didn't quite have to be dragged to my first match, but it was a close run thing.

After the first one though I was hooked complete. What a ball.

I use a 94 that a friend and I re-barreled to 38-55.


Cat

[gundownunder]

If you don't have a true rifle caliber you can use your pistol caliber for the rifle match.
I use a 357 and find a 175gr bullet launched at 1750fps will deck the 200yd ram with no issues provided I do my bit.
I don't think anyone's told you yet, you do all this shootin' standing on your own two feet, no post rests, etc, allowed.

[Canuck Bob]

If you don't have a true rifle caliber you can use your pistol caliber for the rifle match.
I use a 357 and find a 175gr bullet launched at 1750fps will deck the 200yd ram with no issues provided I do my bit.
I don't think anyone's told you yet, you do all this shootin' standing on your own two feet, no post rests, etc, allowed.

Now I'm hooked, shooting offhand with iron sights as it should be! Borr…. the drive to Liberal land is a bit to far. If I get there I will hook up and bring a rifle.

[Old Time Hunter]

Heck...I thought a cowboy silhouette was the outline of the shadow a wrangler sheds opposite the sun...no wonder they did not want me around anymore, kept shoot'n at the shadows and scaring the begabbers out of folks.

I'll have to go back and apologize for my ignorance!

[Shasta]

I shoot all three disciplines of Cowboy Lever Action Silhouette monthly year 'round at Hat Creek Rifle & Pistol Club near Burney, CA. It is a very challenging sport! Here is a link to the official NRA Rifle Silhouette rule book. Cowboy Lever Action Silhouette rules are on pages 11 and 12:

http://compete.nra.org/documents/pdf/co ... r-book.pdf

Shasta

[6pt-sika]

When I was doing it I shot ALOT of different rifles .

But I kinda got it down to a Marlin 336CB in 30-30 for the main event , a Marlin 1894CCL in 32-20 for the pistol cartridge event and a Marlin 1897CB in the smallbore event .

A good many of the fellows who shot when I was putting on matches shot a Marlin 1894 44 MAG in the main event and the pistol cartridge event . Even had one fellow that drove down from Fairfax that shot a Marlin 1894 in 357 MAG in both events and he did it rather well . Think he was shooting a 180 grainer in that rifle .

Think the most fun I had at a match I was shooting a circa 1897 Marlin 1895 in 38-56 in the main event , a circa 1906 Marlin 1894 in 32-20 in the pistol cartridge event and a hybrid Marlin 1897/39a in the smallbore event . My 22 was the action and stock from a circa 1910 Marlin 1897 and everything forward of the action was from a 39A from he 50's .

[Borregos]

Borregos,

Having a bit of computer trouble?



Cat

Finger trouble

[Griff]

...Barrels must be factory but can be relined or rebored - but no rebarreled guns (I don't understand this rule, it just is).
Brent

It's to keep it from being an equipment race, air-gauged heavy target barrels, etc. As long as it's a factory barrel you can replace a worn original. Mind you, this is for NRA sanctioned matches only, many clubs don't follow the letter of the NRA rules.

[BrentD]

...Barrels must be factory but can be relined or rebored - but no rebarreled guns (I don't understand this rule, it just is).
Brent

It's to keep it from being an equipment race, air-gauged heavy target barrels, etc. As long as it's a factory barrel you can replace a worn original. Mind you, this is for NRA sanctioned matches only, many clubs don't follow the letter of the NRA rules.

I don't think it is enforce at the nationals, but it doesn't make much sense to me either. I can turn down a Lilja barrel and use it as a liner and have the same thing. There are a lot of old beaters out there and a scarcity of quality new product so rehabilitating the old stuff with a new barrel seems reasonable to me. But that's just me. My 4 Marlins run the gamut of original barrels untouched to rebored and rebarreled. Obviously, the last is not eligible and that's just a shame. But so be it.

It is still an arms race out there of course. Esp. with respect to sights.

[hammerman]

The rifles I use mostly for the sport are a model 94 25-35, model 9422m 22 mag and model 9422 22lr. Sometimes I use my 94 30-30 and the rossi 92 45 colt.

Cowboy silhouette was the first shooting sport I tried and liked. From there it progressed to trap and skeet, and now uspsa and idpa pistol stuff. I still enjoy silhouette the most out of all the rifle sports. Give it a try and I'm sure you'l like it. You can get buy with only 2 guns if you want. Either a 22 for small bore and pistol cartridge, or a pistol cartridge caliber for all but small bore.

[Old Ironsights]

If I weren't working 70 hour weeks, and they had those matches near by, I'd try to get to a few.

Hopefully over the next 24 months, I can drop down to 50 hours or so and resume a 'normal' life.

If my Ruger 96/22 wouldn't qualify for the 'Rimfire' part (since it is a 'modern' and rotary-mag levergun), I might have to break down and get me a Henry.

It's not "close" but there is a club in Valpo that shoots at a range that I once hosted a Leverguns meetup at...

[Sixgun]

A short video of me in the pistol caliber event. I am using an original 1892 in 38-40 and blackpowder. In this video, I am shooting at the 50 meter pigs.

It's a bad disease with loads of fun. I do it every month at our club (March-sept) and also at the regionals and state champs in Pa.----6

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gs6LvI6yZU

[gamekeeper]

Heck...I thought a cowboy silhouette was the outline of the shadow a wrangler sheds opposite the sun...no wonder they did not want me around anymore, kept shoot'n at the shadows and scaring the begabbers out of folks.

I'll have to go back and apologize for my ignorance!

An honest mistake.........