COWBOY SASS - Single Action Shooting Society - Petticoats & Pistols

Cowboy SASS isn't a firearms retailer, gunsmith, or shooting range. It's a blog run by the Petticoats & Pistols author collective—a group of Western romance writers who research and document Old West history, period firearms, and the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) sport.

The site exists to help writers and Old West enthusiasts understand historical weapons, shooting sports, and the culture around cowboy action shooting.

Through research and firsthand observations, the blog documents SASS—a competitive shooting sport that recreates Old West shooting matches. Here's what makes it different:

SASS competitors shoot three types of period-appropriate firearms in a single event:

• •Revolvers: Single-action revolvers (Colt Peacemakers, Model 3 "Russians")
• •Rifles: Lever-action rifles (Winchester 1873, Winchester 1866 "Yellow Boys")
• •Shotguns: Pump-action (1897 models) and lever-action shotguns (1887 models), or double-barreled Coach guns

Events feature multiple shooting stations with varying targets and distances:

• •Steel gunslinger-shaped targets
• •Dinner-plate sized steel targets (10-25 yards)
• •Bonus points for shattering clay targets knocked into the air
• •Long-range rifle competitions
• •Both accuracy and speed matter

Every SASS participant adopts a shooting alias tied to a late 19th-century profession, Hollywood Western star, or fictional character. Their costume matches their alias. Many competitors say the costuming aspect rivals the shooting competition itself for enjoyment.

"There are clubs in all fifty states, and Canada, New Zealand, Europe, Australia and South Africa, too."

The blog recommends checking www.sassnet.com to find local SASS clubs. You don't need to shoot—spectating is encouraged and the community is welcoming to newcomers.

The Petticoats & Pistols blog covers:

• •Old West firearms history and identification
• •Period-correct weapons research for historical fiction
• •SASS sport documentation and club events
• •19th-century history, costuming, and frontier life
• •Western history research resources

The authors write historical romance and use SASS participation to research authentic details for their novels.

Through the blog's research and event coverage:

• •Colt 1873 Single Action Army ("The Gun That Won the West")
• •Winchester 1873 Repeating Rifle
• •Winchester 1866 "Yellow Boy" Repeating Rifle
• •1897 Pump-Action Shotguns
• •1887 Lever-Action Shotguns (recognizable to "Terminator" fans)
• •Colt Model 3 "Russians"
• •Double-barreled Coach guns
• •Cap & ball revolvers
• •Derringers
• •Pepperboxes
• •LeMat revolvers (pistol + shotgun combination)

Western fiction writers, Old West history enthusiasts, SASS competitors, and anyone interested in 19th-century firearms and frontier culture.