Good Morning Filly Aficionados!
I’m working on a super-secret historical novella right now and the main part of the story revolves around a shooting contest.
Well, I needed to find out what, exactly, that would’ve looked like. Interestingly enough, there are groups today that do live reenactments and some even allow people to enter and compete! How fun is that? What’s even more fun is that they expect those who enter to not only shoot the proper guns, but look the part!
When we think of a gunfight, people often think of two men, like in the picture on the left, but that isn’t exactly what I had in mind for my book. The last man standing doesn’t really make for a good romance.
And I’m all about the romantic western.
In my story, the shooting contest is not only distance but precision.
Requirements for that type of contest would’ve been four firearms: 2 single action revolvers which could be either lever action or pump action but must be in pistol calibers.
Also required were 2 shotguns. These could be double barreled or slide action. The only caveat is that they could only have one live round loaded at a time.
While most people probably think this would be just one or two shots and the contest would be over, that’s not actually the case. At least in the recreations, it takes over 120 rounds (on average) for the pistol portion of the event, and another few dozen light shot shells. That’s a lot of shooting!
They carry so much that it often required a cart to carry it all (which I never expected, this is why we research!)
There are multiple stages to the event. In the first, shooters are divided into “posses” of three or so shooters, depending on the number of people competing. Contestants are not allowed to load their own firearms. They must aim at a target about 10-15 yards away. 5 shots from each pistol and 8 shells. They will be judged on not only accuracy, but speed. Winners from that round proceed to the next.
Further stages involve hitting targets in a certain order, accurately, and quickly. These stages get progressively harder as the contest continues. The fastest, most accurate shooter would take the prize. Can you imagine the noise and confusion of multiple contestants going through multiple stages at once?
I’ve never competed in anything like this before, though I might like to someday. Have you ever done any sort of competition with multiple stages and competitors?
Our first gold medal of the 2016 games was awarded to a young, 19-year-old shooter by the name of Virginia Thrasher. Watching this cool-as-a-cucumber athlete, reminded me of Annie Oakley and all the talented shooters who came from an era when guns were necessary to keep food on the table and danger from the door.
