in many of our fifty states and Canada. The Sin City Mounted Shooters (SCMS) is our local Las Vegas/Henderson mounted shooting club in Nevada, hosting monthly world point qualifying matches, practices, and new shooter orientations throughout the year. SCMS is an affiliate of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, or CMSA, based in Roswell, New Mexico, boasting over 15,000 members, worldwide. Mounted Shooters of America (MSA) is another successful and nationally recognized mounted shooting organization, based in Cave Creek, Arizona. Each has websites with a wealth of information about the sport. (www.cmsaevents.com or www.newmsa.com )
Although, each national organization has their own unique set of rules, the common thread involves running any one of a hundred different 10-30 second patterns, while engaging two sets of five balloon targets with two single action 45 LC revolvers. Ammunition consists of certified 45LC black powder blank cartridges (no projectiles), that will typically break a 6-9-inch balloon target from 2 to 15 feet (20 to 25 feet on that magical day) with the burning embers from the exploding powder. Of course, you’re riding past your 10 randomly positioned targets at the speed of light, on a four legged, one horsepower engine, making it quite a bit harder than it looks! Many mounted shooting matches even include lever-action rifle and shotgun classes, for those who aren’t afraid to drop their reigns during the course of fire for that added bit of excitement!
You don’t have to be a pro to get started. In all mounted shooting events, the rider competes against other riders in his or her own class, based on age and ability. Being a family-oriented sport, children under 12 are also able to compete and run patterns without firing a shot. They typically use unloaded 45s or SAA replicas, and point at the targets while navigating the courses, followed by a series of adult-supervised ground shooting. Rest assured, safety is paramount, and I know of no club that compromises the safety and security of competitors or spectators.
Lastly, if you happen to find yourself in the Las Vegas area on business or pleasure, or better yet, you reside in Las Vegas, please shoot me an email, text, or give me a call. I can hook you up with our club or just get you the information you need to begin the
last great adventure you’ll ever want to try!
SCMS Executive Board Trudy Lawrence, Joel Ostrovsky and Katherine Ramsey
42 / Sport and Trail Magazine