Club hopes to introduce more residents to old-time shooting

A group of old-time shooting enthusiasts are hoping to give the region a little bit of SASS, starting on Saturday.

The Angels and Outlaws Club, part of the national Single Action Shooting Society, hopes to introduce the larger Clovis population to what is at first glance a shooting competition with the weapons of the Old West; upon further examination, it’s an afternoon of safe, family-friendly camaraderie.

“I’ve shot competition in military, it’s all timed and very stringent,” said Tim Talley, who’s lived just outside of Clovis for 30 years and has shot SASS for eight years. “This is more of a friendly thing. There are those people in the organization that want to be in the top of their class and their category, and some people want to come out and shoot the guns and have fellowship with other people.”

Setup will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Patriot Outdoor Games north of Clovis, with a safety meeting set for 9:30 a.m. and demonstration shoot following. The cost is $10 per person for the meeting/shoot, with no charge for children 13 and younger.

Information on the club is available at angelsandoutlaws.net.

The SASS is one of many national organizations for Cowboy Action Shooting. The activity is grounded in being a shooting club, but deviates in its weaponry and overall appearance. The first part of the requirement is to shoot the firearms of the Old West — single-action revolvers, lever action rifles chambered in pistol calibers, and side-by-side double-barrel shotguns. The other is to dress the part, whether it be cowboy, cowgirl, Native American, Calvary soldier or even a favorite character from a Western movie.

“It’s a little harder than you’d think,” finding the proper attire, said David Brown of Clovis. “Some people go online. In this town, a lot of people wear that anyway — jeans, belts with loops, starched shirts.”

Shooters also don monikers for when they compete. Brown, when he shoots, does so under the alias of Gridlock McLeod with a tech-free wardrobe that deviates from his day job as an information technology director. Talley shoots under the name Kantankerous Tank.

“We don’t know who everybody is on the first day,” Brown said. “We have dentists, doctors, lawyers. When we’re together, it’s just like the Wild West. Everybody’s equal.”

Beginning members usually get more lenient treatment on their costumes, and are welcome to borrow another person’s weapons until they purchase their own.

“The first few months somebody joins, you don’t expect them to have the proper costuming,” Talley said. “You do expect them to have the safety equipment.”

All shooters are required to use eye and ear protection during their round, and weapons are empty until the shooter approaches the loading table for his or her round. Brown, who is legally deaf, can’t hear the timing buzzer that starts his round, so another member taps him on the shoulder as a cue.

“We accommodate and we assist any way we can,” Brown said. “There’s a guy who shoots from a scooter; it’s kind of different to see it.”

The members say there is a learning curve due to wearing clothes you’re not used to and shooting weapons unlike a Glock or an AR-15. Brown said the first time he shot black powder, he was told to note the locations of his targets beforehand because he wouldn’t be able to see them after the first shot. But overall, they say the sport is fun for men, women and children alike.

“We’ve been trying for a while to get people’s interest,” Talley said. “Everything’s within a two-hour radius of here. We’re trying to do one locally instead of traveling two hours.”

About 15 to 20 people are already part of the Angels and Outlaws, and the hope is more will join based on interest from the year-end shoot. Starting in January, the intention is to have a shoot on the second Saturday of every month.

“Of course, we expect to have some bumps and some glitches,” Talley said. “We can refine the glitches we’ll have. Overall, I think it’s going to be fun if the weather cooperates; it shouldn’t be too cold or too windy.”