Single Action Shooting Society: Fun For All, All For Fun

by
posted on May 30, 2014
flaminghandgun.gif

I wasn’t much in the mood to mow, rake, move bricks or do anything in the yard one weekend this month. A friend suggested I watch and take pictures of a local Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) match, and I thought twice before I climbed into the truck at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. I wasn’t working on a story, and I’ve covered many competitions.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s always an honor when good shooters share their secrets and provide tips-and in 20 years in this industry, I can count on one hand the few times someone wasn’t friendly and talkative. The shooting sports attract a different, and I think better, breed of human.

But, SASS adds another-more casual-layer to the experience I’d totally forgotten. There were 30 shooters or so and talking with them was like a family reunion. Sure, there were range superstars who were frighteningly fast with lever actions and working their revolver’s hammer, but there were grandparents having a good time, husbands and wives who made it obvious how much they look forward to the monthly outing together and new shooters eagerly digesting the friendly tips. One of the competitors was still recovering from surgery. Everyone was excited to see another new face.

Whether fast, slow, novice, or expert, it seemed the same-they were just having fun. Times and scores were kept, but I never saw anyone checking what position they were in. Some were shooting blackpowder, so periodically a cloud of smoke added to the atmosphere, and the firearms were anything but expensive raceguns. Costumes aren’t required, but most looked like they just wandered out of Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and into the OK Corral, even though we were hundreds of miles away in Wagram, N.C.

If you want to break up the weekend routine this summer, visit the SASS website and find a club near you! The folks you meet won’t care if you don’t stay for the entire day (they didn’t in my case), but you’ll get to see some serious trigger work on guns that aren’t space-age raceguns that’ll break the bank. It goes without saying that you should bring your own hearing and eye protection, although I guarantee someone will offer you a set.

 

Latest

heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees
heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.