Category: Safety Education

The .22 Fun Match is a great event for shooters who want to have an enjoyable time sharpening their competitive skills. It is also the perfect training ground for anyone interested in getting into Cowboy Action Shooting. The Canyon Oaks Sportsman’s Club .22 Fun Match is held the second Saturday of each month. This event is restricted to .22 caliber firearms and is open to ages 12 years and up.

Just as in Cowboy Action events, .22 Fun Match shooters utilize multiple firearms. Each shooter uses two .22 caliber revolvers or one semi-automatic pistol, and one .22 caliber rifle (lever action, pump, or semi-auto). Only .22 caliber lead bullets are used in this match. All other forms of .22 caliber bullets are prohibited.

Similar to Cowboy Action events, .22 Fun Match competitors shoot a number of separate shooting scenarios known as "stages." Stages are always different, each typically requiring ten revolver or semi-automatic pistol rounds, and ten rifle rounds. Shooters compete one at a time against the clock. Most matches are scored simply by "total time." Misses, safety, and procedural violations add seconds to the competitor's time. The shooter with the lowest cumulative time is the first-place winner. Approximately 120 rounds are shot across six stages.

Canyon Oaks Shootists carry on the tradition of the Old West with Cowboy Action shooting matches held the second Sunday morning of each month. We welcome shooters interested in learning the sport as well as seasoned shooters. Cowboy Action Shooting is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California in 1981. It quickly became the fastest growing outdoor shooting sport in the United States and is now practiced worldwide. Attracting competitors from around the world, Cowboy Action shooting tests shooter accuracy while creating a spirit and atmosphere that brings back the days of the Old West in a celebration of the cowboy lifestyle. Canyon Oaks Shootists are affiliated with the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and follow their rules and protocols.

The Single Action Shooting Society is the governing organization of Cowboy Action Shooting, worldwide. Today, with over 97,000 members, SASS is represented in all fifty states and 18 foreign countries. The organization endorses regional matches conducted by its more than 700 SASS affiliated clubs and promulgates rules and procedures to ensure safety and consistency in Cowboy Action Shooting matches.

Each competitor uses the following firearms typically found in the mid-to-late 19th century:

Participants dress in appropriate Old West or Victorian era attire as well as use gear and accessories as mandated by SASS rules. Safety glasses and hearing protection must be worn when shooting.

Clothing may be historically accurate for the late 19th century or fashioned from Hollywood screen western concepts. For instance, costuming can be based on characters in television series such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, or Lonesome Dove. It can also be based on characters appearing in motion pictures like Tombstone or Unforgiven. B-Western costuming is also an option with outfits reminiscent of Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, or the Cisco Kid.

Competition involves a number of separate shooting scenarios known as "stages." Stages are always different, each typically requiring ten revolver rounds, nine or ten rifle rounds, and two to eight shotgun rounds. Shooters compete one at a time against the clock. Most matches are scored simply by "total time." Misses, safety, and procedural violations add seconds to the competitor's time. The shooter with the lowest cumulative time is the first-place winner. Targets consist of steel plates that ring when hit. Reactive targets such as steel knockdown plates and clay bird throwers are also used.

The Defenders Match is an action packed pistol competition designed to develop and perfect self-defense shooting skills. The competition varies in course and procedure from month to month, but each match will focus on at least one of the following:

Since the Defenders Match competition varies in procedure and course from month to month, match scoring procedures also vary to align with the nature of each competition.

The Defenders Match is a pistol only competition. Shooters are required to provide their own guns and gear.

A special challenge coin is given to the 1st place winners every month.