A CAS shooter engages a target with his lever-action rifle. To the left, the range officer with a timer that measures the shooter's stage time. Every stage at a match is intended to be different. Sometimes only two types of guns are used or perhaps even only one. Occasionally a shooter is required to reload a firearm while being timed. [1]

One variant of CAS, currently sanctioned by SASS, is wild bunch action shooting; inspired by the 1969 western film The Wild Bunch. Cowboy action shooting is a type of multigun match using a combination of handguns, rifles, and shotguns in a variety of " Old West-themed" courses of fire for time and accuracy. Participants must dress in appropriate theme or era costumes, as well as use gear and accessories as mandated by the respective sanctioning group rules. After the war, Erskine S. Allin proposed to convert these old muzzle-loaders to breach-loaded weapons that could fire .58 caliber bullets. After testing, this was reduced to .50 caliber and it ultimately became the most ubiquitous army rifle in the post-Civil War era. Many countries have their own respective national championship including: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, The Nederlands, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Serbia. That distinction fell to manufacturers such as Colt, Smith & Wesson, Remington, and Winchester. However, Sharps’ company (he had died two years before) designed a rifle in 1874 that became an emblem of the Old West.B-Western – Shooters wear clothing inspired by the B-Western films of the 1930s and 1940s, starring Roy Rogers, William " Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd, and others. " Buscadero" type gunbelt/holster rigs are required, and the shooter must wear spurs. According to the National Park Service, because of the way the rifle was loaded, soldiers would find that bullets would jam halfway up the barrel, often resulting in blow-ups of the weapon.

In SASS-sanctioned wild bunch shooting events, the typical attire worn by participants is that of early-20th century military, late-19th to early-20th century western (such as that worn in the film The Wild Bunch), Roosevelt's "Rough Riders", or Mexican period. Springfield rifles were the most common weapon for both the North and South during the Civil War. These weapons were muzzle-loaded, which limited its efficiency and firing rate.Participants must select an alias out of the Old West or have an "old west flair". Aliases are registered with the sanctioning body so they are unique to the participant. Many find it necessary to be creative in selecting an alias as virtually all historical names such as Wyatt Earp and Butch Cassidy have long since been claimed. Registered names cannot sound the same as another registered name. [2] Competition [ edit ] Props surrounding a CAS stage Steel targets down range at the stage. The shooter engages the targets with different weapons, using a rifle for the distant red targets, and revolvers for the closer blue targets. Shooters are timed using electronic timers which record the duration for each stage to one one-hundredth of a second. The timer starts when the range officer pushes the button which beeps to signal that the shooter may proceed. The timer has a built-in microphone and records the time when each shot happens. When there is no more noise, the timer continues to display the final time which is the raw score. [1] When coming to the line, the shooter places their guns as required by the stage description. When the competitor steps to the start position, the range officer conducting the stage asks if the shooter understands the course of fire and clarifies any questions the shooter may have. The range officer asks if the shooter is ready, tells the shooter to "stand by", and starts the timer within two to five seconds. When started, the timer gives an audible electronic tone and the shooter begins the stage. [1] Anybody familiar with 1950s Westerns would be familiar with the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, A.K.A. the Peacemaker.