There's no doubt Cowboy Action Shooting is gaining popularity. ContraCostaTimes.com recently profiled Gilbert Guerra, champion of the recent cowboy fast draw world championship. Guerra and wife Jennifer make firearms a family activity – "Safety first," he said. "Fun comes second, and competition third."

Cowboy fast draw world championship

… At the competition in Nevada earlier this month, it took three days of elimination contests before Gilbert Guerra earned top billing. Guerra has made his comeback with aplomb. In addition to winning the title, Guerra was featured in the television show "Impossible Shots," which was aired on the Outdoor Channel.

Then there's YouTube, where viewers can watch Guerra, labeled "fastest gun in the west," shoot five targets under one second.

The Guerras hope their return to the sport will encourage others, including families, to pick up the sport. Children as young as 10 compete in shooting contests and Jennifer Guerra believes that when you teach weapons safety early, it's a safe sport.

"They learn at a very early age about gun safety," Jennifer Guerra said. "As scary as some may think … kids shooting guns … it's quite the contrary."

Gilbert Guerra Jr. said there's a motto that all competitors go by. "Safety first," he said. "Fun comes second, and competition third."

Read the entire article here.

NRAblog readers might remember reading our exclusive interview of Judge Roy Bean, the founder of Cowboy Action Shooting. We also featured live coverage of End Of Trail, in which Kayne Robinson and Andrea Cerwinske competed. Stay tuned for more on this growing sport!

Australian David McCarthy became the first international competitor to win the title at this year’s Cowboy Action Championship in Raton, New Mexico. McCarthy is pictured above with Australian teammates Mick Hutton and Robert Tobler.

McCarthy received his first rifle, a Daisy BB lever action, when he was just two years old. He became a member of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia by age eleven and competed in his first Lever Action National Championships in 1994. Just 13 years old, he won all five junior events.

Over the next 15 years, McCarthy shot in many competitions, including the Muzzleloading National Championships, Lever Action National Championships, Field Rifle & 3-Positional Championships, and the U.S. National Matches at Camp Perry. Winning many medals and setting national records along the way, McCarthy has also won the Lever Action Nationals numerous times, and became the first person to win back-to-back championships.

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The staff of the NRA National Firearms Museum will be at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia, on July 24, 25, and 26, 2009. Stop by their table--it's usually in the corner near the cafe--to see the following Smith & Wesson revolvers:

• Theodore Roosevelt's engraved .38 New Model No. 3
• Annie Oakley’s engraved No.1 .22
  
• Dirty Harry’s famed .44 Magnum Model 29
  
• and more!

We thank Doug Wicklund for the following overview:

What do Dirty Harry, President Theodore Roosevelt, Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Herb Parsons, and Steve McQueen all have in common? Each of these famous people owned Smith & Wesson revolvers and their intriguing guns will be part of a special National Firearms Museum temporary exhibition, “Six Special Smith & Wessons” at the next National Capitol EXPO Center gunshow on July 24, 25, and 26, 2009.

If you’ve ever asked yourself if you feel lucky, just seeing Dirty Harry’s famed .44 Magnum Model 29 in person will answer that question. This is the actual revolver used by Clint Eastwood onscreen in his Dirty Harry and Magnum Force films. More

NRA's Silhouette Coordinator Jonathan Leighton experienced a small miracle Wednesday. Currently in rural Raton, New Mexico, with the Cowboy Rifle Competition, Leighton experienced a rare level of reception on his cell phone.

NRAblog is flattered he chose to call us. "I think this would make a great story," he began. "We just finished shooting the first of three matches that comprise the Cowboy Lever Action Competition, and an Australian competitor won."

That competitor, David McCarthy, is the first international competitor to win a title in Cowboy Rifle. More

NRAblog just received some exciting news: the seventh season of COWBOYS begins tonight on the Outdoor Channel. The entire season focuses on Cowboy Action Shooting.

Our Museum staff, Director Jim Supica and Senior Curator Phil Schreier, will appear throughout the season to talk about some of the Museum's most prized exhibits: guns of the Old West.

Tune into the Outdoor Channel on Wednesday Nights at 4:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. for the show. Look here for a sneak peek up upcoming shows.

Little Sacagewea first reported earlier today from End of Trail.

Above, she is joined by NRA Executive Director of General Operations Kayne Robinson. Below, SASS President Boyd Davis--also known as General U.S. Grant--spoke Wednesday evening. "I say End of Trail is like a family reunion," he said. "But at this reunion, you like everyone."

Continue below the fold for a complete slideshow of activities.  

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Our very own Cowboy Action Shooter, NRA Deputy Executive Director Andrea Cerwinske, shot this video just moments ago at Founders Ranch in New Mexico as part of the Single Action Shooting Society's annual End of Trail competition.

Click the image above. You'll be directed to the Picasa album, where the video begins automatically.

“Little Sacagewea,” also known as NRA Deputy Executive Director Andrea Cerwinske, took a break from the action in New Mexico to check in with NRAblog. She and NRA Executive Director of General Operations Kayne Robinson are at End of Trail, the oldest and largest Cowboy Action Shooting competition in the world.

Both Cerwinske and Robinson are life members of the Single Action Shooting Society, or SASS, the event’s sponsoring organization.

More than 1,000 competitors are expected to attend the four-day event, held at Founders Ranch in New Mexico. Each is authentically dressed as a character of his or her choosing. In addition to the United States, participants have been coming in from New Zealand, France, Italy, and Australia. “It's incredible to see the widespread interest in Cowboy Action Shooting,” Cerwinske (pictured above) told NRAblog.

Cowboy Action Shooting is a western U.S. tradition committed to preserving the history of the Old West. In addition to the competitive firearms component, End of Trail serves as a celebration of the Old West “cowboy” lifestyle and offers activities and entertianment for shooters and non-shooters alike.

Check back soon for more photos and information from “Little Sacagewea.”

"Gil T. Azell” had some words to say about a recent Dusty Bunch Old Western Shooters banquet, held in Maricopa, AZ. The Dusty Bunch is an NRA-affiliated shooting club based in Arizona. The following article appeared in the March 2009 edition of the Cowboy Chronicle and is reprinted with permission.

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