Cowboy action shooting -- also known as Western action shooting, single-action shooting, cowboy 3-gun, and Western 3-gun -- is a competitive shooting sport that originated in 1981.

At its core, the sport is a timed shooting competition where participants use firearms from the late 19th century or replicas. Shooters navigate multiple stages, each designed as a unique scenario inspired by the Wild West. 

Competitors must complete each stage by engaging steel targets with pistols, rifles and shotguns, all while following strict safety guidelines. Participants dress in appropriate themes or era costumes, and use gear and accessories as mandated by the respective sanctioning group rules. 

A couple members of the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association said it can become as addicting as steelhead fishing.  

The Lozeau Lobos is a sub-club of the Single Action Shooting Society which is under the umbrella of the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association. Tracy Phillips is a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer and owner of White Mountain Guns in Superior. He is also a county association's director and is one of those competitors who tried it out a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. 

“It is so cool. Quite a bit of modification needs to be done to the lever action rifles for [cowboy action shooting] if a shooter wants to get it so it will short stroke, if the shooter elects to go that direction to save micro-seconds on the course. But you don’t have to do anything to them,” Phillips explained. “The only requirement for [the society] is that it was in use in the 1890s and early 1900s,” meaning an original or a replica. 

Phillips has a side-by-side 12-gauge Stoeger Coach Gun that he’s still monkeying around with for speed and comfort. Four shots with the shotgun, 10 with the rifle and five in each pistol as competitors will use two. Shooters need to pay attention because the range master gives personalized instructions to each competitor on how the shooting proceeds.

“You can only use lead with reduced charges because shooters are at close range using steel targets that are angled down as you don’t want any ricochets. I’m going to use a .45 Colt (pistol) with 4 grains of powder and a 200-grain bullet. It’s enough to get it out there and hit the target and it doesn’t bang you hard.”  

Darryl Woods is somewhat new to the area and cowboy action shooting. 

“I was looking for a shooting sport to become a part of and ran across cowboy action shooting and looked up the clubs they had in Montana. Checked them out and fell in love with the fun and the people. They say, ‘You come for the fun and come back for the people,’ and this is my second year, so I am still novice,” he said with a grin. 

Woods is the chief organizer of events for the Lozeau Lobos. 

“We have monthly shoots from January through November,” he said. “The shoots are a fun and a challenging way to hone your shooting skills with single action revolvers, lever action rifles and shotguns from the 1800s cowboy era. We have usually six stages of five targets or less that we shoot at in different sequences.” 

Woods added, “The dress and attire of the same time are encouraged but are not mandatory at our matches.” 

The organization's full 2025 schedule is on the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association website:   www.mineralshootingsports.com/event-list. Both Phillips and Wood said they are happy to get anyone started in the competition.

There is a $15 shoot fee for shooters with a discount of $5 for members of the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association.