Mounted Shooting: Horsemanship is King

Ammoland ^ | 10 February, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

While I was in Texas this past December, I attended a mounted shooting competition about 50 miles from Fort Worth.  The competition was organized by Texas Smoking Guns. I had not attended one before.  The event was held at Salt Creek Arena and Stables, on FM 51, just south of Boyd, Texas.

Several things are different about Mounted Shooting compared to more conventional shooting competitions.  The most obvious is that they do not use conventional ammunition.  They use blanks.  Special blanks, that are not provided by the shooters, but are issued to them by the organization holding the meet.

This makes a lot of sense, given the restrictions of the competition.  They use real guns. All that I saw were Ruger stainless single action revolvers.  The rules require single action guns, and Rugers have proven to be the most durable and reliable, according to contestants that I talked to.  Because the blanks are black powder, the guns selected are stainless steel, to make cleaning less of a chore.

The blanks are made for visual effects; they project burning sparks and voluminous white smoke 20 feet, in about a 20 degree cone. The shooting is point shooting, and does not involve precise aiming. It does a good job of simulating the requirements for armed mounted combat with repeating pistols. This was a form of combat common from 1850 through 1900. Winston Churchill used a broom handle Mauser during a cavalry charge in the River War in 1898.

If you want to see an example of this kind of combat on the screen, look to the final combat scene in The Outlaw Jose Wales.

[marktwain]

It is a lot of fun to watch. Bring hearing protection. Many competitors have earplugs for their horses.

[DoughtyOne]

[mylife]

Melissa Dragoo is amazing

[Mr Rogers]

A while back, I watched an 80 year old great-grandmother competing. No, she didn’t win...and no, she didn’t seem like someone it would be wise to mess with!

[mylife]

I cant ride a horse without it driving my boys into my chest let a lone ride full gallop and shoot!

[mylife]

I has some guns made in Boyd Tx

[Red in Blue PA]

Indeed she is.

[mylife]

http://wise-lite-arms.myshopify.com/

[mylife]

Yessir

[Tijeras_Slim]

Fun, but the expense and time are considerable. I’ve seen mounted shooting at Founder’s Ranch, the home of the SASS World Championship “End of Trail” frequently, as it is only 6 miles from my house.

Dandy view of the arena from Station 12 of the Sporting Clays course.

[NH Red]

Lots of fun, I did it for about four years until my horse died. My replacement mount would never take to shooting off her back and I got tired of being bucked off.

[mylife]

Hada gal like that.

[going hot]

That's why the McClellan saddle has the slot in the middle, lol

[mylife]

I think my horse riding days are done LOL

[jimtorr]

This was a form of combat common from 1850 through 1900

Actually, horsemen used pistols from a very early time, whether single persons or units.

The military caracole as it is usually understood today developed in the mid-16th century in an attempt to integrate gunpowder weapons into cavalry tactics. Equipped with one or more wheellock pistols or similar firearms, cavalrymen would advance on their target at less than a gallop in formation as deep as 12 ranks. As each rank came into range, the soldiers would turn their mount slightly to one side, discharge one pistol, then turn slightly to the other side to discharge another pistol at their target. The horsemen then retired to the back of the formation to reload, and then repeat the maneuver. (from Wikipedia)

[marktwain]

True, but the article specifically mentioned repeating pistols, that restricts the time frame significantly.

[Rio]

I was a Cowboy Mounted Shooter for several years. Actually it’s the source of my FR name. It was great fun. Then my horse died (RIP). I do miss it.

[Hot Tabasco]

At that site they also have an article on a dead cougar found in the U.P. by Iron Mountain. I twice tried to leave a comment correcting the article they posted but to no avail...I found that strange since they don’t require any sign up..............

[going hot]

I know zactly what you mean there.

[CrazyIvan]

I have wondered about that. Saw a picture once of a belt fed Browning mounted on an elephant with the muzzle almost centered over it’s head. It must have been hell on the poor beasts ears.