How did you start????

[Cash Creek]

I went to the gun club to do a little plinking with a friend and they where having a Cowboy shoot,   so I walk down to the Cowboy Town and I watched a few minutes and they where having toooooo much fun   so the next day I join the gun club, and started to get all my Cowboy gear together..and that how I got in to it..

[Books OToole]

I started out Mountain Manning right out of college.  From there I progressed to museum quality living history programs about the Santa Fe Trial, War of 1812 at Fort Osage and Mexican American war out of Forts Leavenwoth, Washita and Scott.  When I got too old to be a soldier, I started looking at WAS.  When Marlan Ingram proposed the "Originals" concept, I made the jump to NCOWS.

Books

[Will Ketchum]

About 1993 I read an article in "Guns & Ammo"  about a SASS shoot and all the silly things they had to do.  I was shooting IPSC at the time and it was getting to be too serious and too much of an eqiupment race and no longer was fun.  SASS has moved the same way in the past few years so although I am a Life Member I seldom attend their matches.  I have found NCOWS be more about having fun and history.  I feel much more laid back at one of our matches.


Will Ketchum

[joec]

I started years ago early 20's at the Miami Youth Fair. I was wondering around and saw a small group there called the Gator Gun Fighters. Now they where strictly quick draw. Now their show was to let you buy 3 tries for a dollar to beat them. They gave you a double action gun in hand. The rule was to beat them by shooting before they could draw, cock and fire. After about $5 I figured I had to learn how to do this. I spent about a year with them learning and got respectable but nothing like some of them.

Now skip a head 40 years and no interest in quick draw but have always had a love for the old single action revolvers so I bought one to go with my 1911's, and 9mm semi auto pistols. I then got to looking and saw the term cowboy action which started me researching. Long story short, I now am a recent member of NCOWS but yet to attend a posse meeting but will as soon as I can. I have purchased 2 complete outfits as well as a second pistol and rifle but had a NCOWS legal SxS shot gun. As for guns in general I have a history with them since I was 8 years old.

[Capt. Montgomery Little]

Started out as a rifle builder and Buckskinner in early 80's while Pastoring in Iowa. Got out of that for a few years until I was offered the business now known as Gripmaker. After going to a few CAS shoots, it was just natural to "get 'er going" so I did. Being a Civil War historian has sure helped in the clothing area. Some of you would be truly flabbergasted at what items of/for clothing and accoutrments were available for use even before the Yankees invaded the South. Yep, Ya sure would.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There was an article on NCOWS in a Dixie Gunworks BP Annual back many years ago.  It intrigued me so I signed up.  In those days Will Ghormley wrote articles on making leather gear, and I was hooked.  I'm still an "Alone Ranger", but I try to spread the word about historical authenticity even when I am shooting SASS rules.

[Tjackstephens]

My cousin was shooting cowboy action and told my Uncle and his son along with myself that we should come out and try it. In June of 1994 my Uncle and I tried it out.  A few years back I told Rowdy we should look into NCOWS it sounded more like what we liked. As they say, the rest is history. Tj

[US Scout]

Like some others, I got interested in the Mountain Men and the fur trade, did some rendezvous, then moved back east where I got into the colonial era and longhunters (and I still have, love, and shoot flintlocks).  Expanded to CW, RevWar and F&I War reenacting and living history.  Kids came along and I found myself busy with their soccer, cheerleading, horseriding, band, and other pursuits so that I didn't have a free full weekend for many years.  Heard about CAS and since it was "only" one day a month I figured I could do that.  I was telling some folks at the Convention that I've got so many outfits for various eras that there are time when I'm not sure who I really am anymore - not that I care all that much as I'm having way too much fun.

[Will Ketchum]

Like some others, I got interested in the Mountain Men and the fur trade, did some rendezvous, then moved back east where I got into the colonial era and longhunters (and I still have, love, and shoot flintlocks).  Expanded to CW, RevWar and F&I War reenacting and living history.  Kids came along and I found myself busy with their soccer, cheerleading, horseriding, band, and other pursuits so that I didn't have a free full weekend for many years.  Heard about CAS and since it was "only" one day a month I figured I could do that.  I was telling some folks at the Convention that I've got so many outfits for various eras that there are time when I'm not sure who I really am anymore - not that I care all that much as I'm having way too much fun.

Bill, you might not know who you are but many of us do, and that's a fine outstanding Gentleman, that I for one, am proud to call my friend.     Thanks to the Old Cas-l list.  We corresponded for years before we ever met


I guess I forgot to mention that I was doing the fur trade thing about the same time I was shooting IPSC.  It was kind of a strange combination

Will Ketchum

[Montana Slim]

Back in 1996, I believe....My wife saw an announcement in the local newspaper about a demonstration of cowboy shooting at our local gun club, which I was a member of. They ran a single stage & had guns to loan. I just planned to watch, but tried it & "the rest is history" as they say. First time I ever shot a cartridge revolver or lever rifle....I even told them that....was the truth, too...but I hadn't mentioned I'd been shooting C&B since I was in Jr. High.

I may have shot clean that day, too....BTW, my wife videoed it & most of our matches the first couple years.

Slim

[Pancho Peacemaker]

I happen to like and collect guns with cylinders, levers, & slides.  I also happen to read alot about 19th Century history of my home state.  My guns are not so cool with my range friends and all their AR-glockamathingies.  So there I am at the range 'bout 5 years ago shooting .45 holes in paper targets with my SAA and my favorite felt hat.  Fella walks by and says to me:  you must be in that cowboy shooting stuff.  Me says:  "what cowboy shooting stuff?"  So I dig on the internets and find a cowboy place called the "Texas Ten Horns" that happens to be about 50 miles from my home.

I show up and find out:  I get to shoot my wheel and lever gun collection at steel targets while wearing a sombrero, spurs, and a bunch of knives.  It just so happens that they guys around me are doing similar and they think my sombrero, spurs, and a bunch of knives are cool too.  While shooting, you get to trade jokes and debate important details about things like the type of grips on the gun Pat Garrett used to gun down Boney.  Spent a whole day at the place . . . and it was August and about 102 degrees outside.  Drove home smiling and dehydrated with a mild heat stroke.

Got home and finally had a real solid excuse to give the wife for the next gun I HAD to buy . . . and the next one . . . and the next one.  Wife:  "Where you goin' hon?"  Pancho:  "Down to 3-B Shooting Supply to pick up that new rifle."  Wife:  "Didn't you just get one recently?"  Oh ya, but I need this other one for shooting the long distance targets.  Wife:  "Oh, ok, as long as it's something you need for that competition and it's not just going to sit in the safe."  

My only regret:  I'm one of those folks that tends to over-extend my self.  I've got a whole lot of irons in the fire between work, my family, church, and some civic committees I sit on.  I often only have one weekend a month that I can enjoy the sport.  I really look forward to retirement.


Pancho

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I had to chuckle at Poncho's comment about retirement ...from 56 to 60, when I should have been (statisically speaking)my maximum income, I found myself working a bunch of scutt jobs just to keep things together. At 60 I quickly found myself divorced, dehired and massively depressed (Gee how did that happen?)...

About the time I realized that she wasn't coming back, I was also watching my AIG 401K dwindle towards nothingness. Icame to the epiphany that I could empty my 401K,  and buy the guns ... and If I needed to sell them, they could not sell for less that my account would have dwindled to ....

SOO ... I bought the guns, leather and clothes that I needed, joined the OSLHP (Old Sacramento Living History Program ... oslhp.net) and docent/reenact with them (the pic in my profile is me in my Californio duds). I also joined SASS, and found myself dressing for 1849 and 1880 ... blackpowder '51 for OSLHP and Schofields or the 1880s and SASS.

And if there is any AIG people in here, I apologize ... kinda

Now if I could just find a woman who shot, cycled, and played around in leather and woodwork ...

[Johnny McCrae]

My son and I used to do some small game hunting in the early seventies. Prior to that, my only experience with firearms was with an M-1 during boot camp in 1959. In the fall of 2005 I went to a range to watch my son sight in his deer rifle and got interested in shooting again. I've always been interested in the Old West so the following month I bought a Pietta 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver (pix attached). The local range wouldn't let me shoot black powder indoors so I bought a Heritage .22 Single Action Revolver. Wanted more oomph so I bought a Cimarron USV .45 Colt Revolver. While browsing on the Internet I discovered CAS City and Cowboy Action shooting. I started shooting SASS and NCOWS matches in 2007. I'm looking forward to shooting my fourth NCOWS National's in Evansville this coming June. The NCOWS National's are always the high point of my shooting season. This year I hope to be ready to camp in the Primitive area.

As a result of discovering this fine Sport/Hobby I now have a modest collection of  Western style Firearms, learned how to reload and how to make my own leather gear. Most importantly, I've become friends with a lot of fine people who have helped me throughout the years. I wish I would have discovered this many years ago but better late than never.

I might add that I'd sure like to find a group of interested Pard's who would like to form an NCOWS Posse in southeastern Wisconsin.

[Tascosa Joe]

I busted a cap on my Grandfathers 38 WCF SA, with my dad holding it I pulled the trigger, when I was 3 (1949).  I have had a love of the SA Colt ever since.  Fast Fwd to 1973 moved to Colorado.  I had been reading about muzzleloaders and buckskinning, My wife and I started buckskinning, with a Teepee and lots of other stuff.  I did several living history events at Bent Old Fort after it was restored in 1976 for the Centennial.  In 1988, we moved back to Texas, my sons and I did a couple of Mountain Man events in Texas and SW Arkansas, but work was starting to get in the way of fun.  In 1991, a cousin who was also a buckskinning partner, said, Hey there is this new deal with Cowboy guns, lets go see what it is about.  By this time I had 2 Colt SA's.  We started shooting with the Lone Star Shooting Club in 1991.  In 1994, at LSSC's Roundup, they stuffed the packet with a copy of the Shootist.  I said this looks like something I would like and joined NCOWS. 

[Tascosa Joe]

TJ: Is Rowdy your cousin?
T-Joe

[River City John]

I have always been a history buff, especially military history and specifically the ACW. Never owned guns while the kids were growing up, and by the time my situation was right to get into reenacting, I felt I was too , uhm, plump and elderly to be a good recruit.
Then in 1999 I heard about SASS and joined and began putting together clothes and equipment in the hopes of doing some shooting.
Trouble was, the nearest SASS club was over a hundred miles away. I never did shoot a SASS match.
Then later that year I was at the local gun range and was talking to someone who pointed out a flyer for an NCOWS club that was located much closer. I called and spoke to Norm Rollins and was invited up to their next match and see what the Nebr. Terr. Rngrs., and NCOWS, was all about. I was made to feel very welcome and given a guided tour of their stages and tutored on NTR guidelines and safety rules, and about the parent organization, and was hooked.

As the early years went by I became more taken with the events that combined period camping and socializing with the shooting, because it gave me an outlet to gather or manufacture authentic equipment beyond the clothing and guns. It also gave me the opportunity to meet new friends in other posses who shared the same love of total immersion in the era. Eventually it was suggested to me that I should seek office as a Senator, so I have enjoyed helping to guide the organization through some turbulent and changing times these last six years.
Like many who first enter the sport, the clothing and guns I first put together have been sold or traded off as I developed a better feel for the time period that appealed to me the most and was trying to recreate.
One big turning point was when the Working Cowboy class was created. Got rid of my shotgun and my gun cart, yet had just as much fun.
Looking forward to moving into the future with NCOWS for as long as I feel healthy enough to be safe and keep it enjoyable, and can afford it.

RCJ

[Tjackstephens]

TJ, After I reread my post I sure can see how you could have thought that. No Rowdy is no relation, just one of the first cowboys I met when I started. The cousin that got me started no longer shoots cowboy, nor my Uncle or other cousin. But we did for a long time. When we would show up, they would say, " there's those Earps." Tj

[pony express]

Well....I got started shooting about 10 years agowith a nearby SASS club, because I couldn't find anyone to shoot my milsurp rifles with. Saw a flier, called the number,went to check it out. Already had some suitable pistols and a double barrel Stevens 311, bought a Rossi '92 .357 and a $10 farm store straw hat and I was in business. Haven't shot with NCOWS (yet) but probably will this summer, as the Double M Cowboys has started up not too far away. I've found an outlet for some of my "milsurp-itis" shooting a Krag or Trapdoor Springfield with GAF, too.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

While I don't remember exactly HOW I heard of CAS, I remember WHEN, approximately.  In 1994 (or maybe 5) I saw an advert for the (then) "new" Ruger Vaquero.  It had been out for a while but I had never seen one, and being a fan of Ruger, Old West movies, (primarily - thanks to Dad, Clayton Moore, Duncan Renaldo and John Wayne) and also a fan of Colt SAA revolvers, I decided to get one.  It took a couple years to actually hold & shoot one (a stranger on the range I frequented brought his to shoot), so I bought one in 44 Mag.  Around the same time, I met a SASS competitor known as "Indy Kid" and he & his wife told me about SASS and Cowboy shooting in general.  I joined SASS, then quickly became a Life member, got all my clothes and SASS-approved guns BEFORE ever going to my first match.  (NOT the best way to do things but it worked that time for me.)  At that time, we (family) were still computer-free, so all of my "research" was either word-of-mouth or by printed page.  I bought another 44 M Vaquero, a Win. 94 Trapper (in 44 M) and a Stoeger 12 ga. Coachgun and went to my first match.  I was hooked!  (I'd already SHOT all my weapons, but not in a match.)  While @ that match or the next, I found an acquaintance from Jr.High-'thru-College, "Dutch" (Greg Limbach) who had been into rendezvous-ing and I was given an inside look beyond what I already knew.  Soon after, I went to one of the big "Indy 1500" gunshows and met an interesting character dressed to the "nines" Victorian era style who made some leather goods and we talked about a cool set of spur straps ... and other Western-related things.  His name is Dave Scott.  Later, at another SASS match, Dutch introduced me to a friend known as "G.W.Schofield" (Steve Coop) and also to another fellow, "Irish Dave" (a.k.a. Dave Scott) ... who I remembered from the gunshow.  They told me about another organization that was more into the history aspect than the B-Western stuff called NCOWS and invited me to a match.  I went, the whole bunch made me feel like family, they helped me with tips on dress and weapons and proceeded to "hook" me deeper than before!  Later, I had an opportunity to shoot a Henry repro in 45 Colt, and I changed over from Ruger western-styled fun guns to more authentic guns in an old west caliber (tho' not authentic in my rifles, but we can't have EVERYTHING on my budget) and I've been having tons-o'-fun since then!!  

[Major 2]

A mighty long time ago.... I guess

Though there were some foray's in to Reenacting as early as 1963-4 when I was 14.
I suppose I did not get into what became serious Living History till 1976.
Mounted Cavalry was my passion (still is, though I've retired from active campaigning). Got the opportunity to use my passion in my work with a number of Film credits.
I think it was about 1989-90 while working of "Glory" I happened to stop in Griffin Ga. for Fuel & a bite>
I ran into some fellows & a woman (short story was they were attending Doc Holliday Days the SASS Regional Shoot)
taking note I looked up SASS , was mighty interested and joined SASS later in 1990.
Here was hobby where I could shoot my 1860's Armys & my Henry   ....
Course, Reenacting was my first priority and I only dabbled at SASS live shoots, what shoots I attended were local,
weekends and far between.
SASS changed over the years .... more about the speed and trick of the month.... I lost interest when I saw Tenny- Lama boots
being used. among other anachronisms
I did not attend a shoot for several years ....

I joined NCOWS about 4 years ago and have been seeking to put a Possi together of historical minded pards since.