Governing Body
Tier 2
Edgewood, NM
Headquarters
$50/year
Annual Dues
1
Discipline
01 // ABOUT
#01
History & Founding
SASS — overview
Early Development
Cowboy Action Shooting as an organized competitive discipline took shape in Southern California in the early 1980s. A group of shooters calling themselves The Wild Bunch began staging informal matches at the Coto de Caza range around 1981–1982, blending timed pistol stages with period costume and Old West theatrics.
| Timeline | Event |
|---|---|
| 1981-1982 | The Wild Bunch begins staging informal matches at Coto de Caza range |
| Mid-1980s | Participants recognize need for formal organization |
| 1986 or 1987 | SASS formally organized (conflicting sources) |
| Late 1980s | Organization becomes fully operational |
The format caught on fast enough that by the mid-1980s, the participants recognized they needed a formal structure to handle membership, rules, and growth.
Formal Organization
SASS was formally organized in 1986 or 1987 -- SASS's own publications use both years in different documents, which creates a minor historical ambiguity the organization has never fully resolved publicly. The Facebook post marking the organization's 40th anniversary points to 1986 as the founding year, while the 2026 CAS Shooter's Handbook uses 1987.
To Preserve and Promote the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting.
Either way, the organization was operational before the decade was out, with a mission statement that has remained word-for-word consistent. From those Southern California roots, SASS grew into a genuinely international organization with affiliated clubs across North America, Europe, Australia, and beyond. The Akron, Indiana headquarters handles day-to-day operations with a full-time staff and publishes all official materials in-house.