Melee On The Bay

The Shadow Riders and the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) are proud to welcome you to the

1st Annual Long Island Cowboy Action Shooting Championship
"Melee on the Bay"

on October 22, 23 & 24, 2010 at the Pine Barrens Range in Westhampton, NY. Entry will be first come, first served with a limit of 200 shooters. Registration Form.

There will be Side Matches on Friday, followed by six stages on Saturday and four stages on Sunday. A Banquet and Entertainment is planned for Saturday night, a Top Gun Shoot-off and Awards Ceremony on Sunday and a Sutler's Row all weekend. There will also be a "Jimmy Spurs Top Gun Shooting School" available for those wanting to improve their CAS shooting, transitions and all-around game on Thursday.

We are pleased to welcome as our Match Sponsor:

We are a Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) club on eastern Long Island, NY that runs Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) competitions at the Pine Barrens Range in Westhampton, NY. We are affiliated with the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). We travel to shoots around New England and the Northeast.

Our club began as a vision with a small group of friends in 1997. We banded together as SASS members to travel to regional Cowboy shoots as a team. As with the founders of SASS, "The Wild Bunch", we decided to form a club of our own and register with SASS. Unlike the other two clubs here on Long Island (East End Regulators & The Hole In The Wall Gang, NY) that both have large memberships, we decided to keep our membership limited to just a SMALL bunch of friendly travelin' folks. As a result we only stage 3 to 4 shoots a year at the Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, NY leaving us free to travel to other events here in the Northeast and beyond. Sign in starts at 8:30 AM, Side match closes at 9:30 AM and shooting starts at 10:00 AM for those monthly shoots. Spectators are free, but eye protection is mandatory.

The sport is an attempt to re-live the time of the "Old West", whether real or fantasy. The shooting competition utilizes reactive steel targets and live ammunition. Shooters negotiate scenarios based on real or imagined incidents from the history of the 19th century West or the silver screen of the Saturday matinee.

Props, aliases, and period clothing are all utilized to help establish the feel of the American West of over 100 years ago.You'll often see such props as a saloon, fences, wagons or jail cell used in a scenario. Each shooter is expected to adopt a particular "alias", such as Dusty Levi's, Angry John, El Muerto Negro, Fannie Quirt or Snake River Clay. They then dress in clothing appropriate for the persona they have chosen -- whether it be a cowboy, schoolmarm, blacksmith, gambler, saloon girl, banker, Indian, or lawman. You won't find baseball caps, sneakers or T-shirts at a CAS event! Minimum dress requirements are a cowboy hat and boots, a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

Unlike many modern "high tech" shooting matches, CAS takes pride in the use of weapons available between the Civil War and 1899. The technology of this sport is limited to what can be found in original or reproduction firearms of the period. Equipment needed includes single action revolver(s), a lever action rifle in pistol caliber, and a side-by-side, pre-1899 pump or lever action shotgun. Ammo must be lead bullets only (pistol under 1000 fps, rifle under 1400 fps); shotgun ammo must be lead shot, #4 or smaller. Shooters are grouped in classes based on the type of pistol they shoot (fixed vs. adjustable sights), the way the pistol is held when shooting (one or two-handed), the ammo used (smokeless vs. black powder), their age, and/or their costuming.

The emphasis is on FUN rather than all out "win at any cost" competition. This is an opportunity to make friends and to share an appreciation for the lore and legend of the most well known and unique period in American history, its equipment, dress and lifestyle.

CAS is an activity for the entire family. It is much more than just another shooting event. The social aspects of the sport are as important as the shooting aspects for many people. There are a number of women and juniors involved in the sport. And friends and family members who do not shoot frequently attend the events, oftentimes dressed in period attire just like their shooting counterparts.

For further information on the club and its activities, please contact 'Snake River Clay' (SASS Territorial Governor) at (631) 477-1090 or 'Dusty Levis' (Town Marshall/Range Safety Officer).

Please take your time and enjoy the website.

Welcome ...