Cowboy Action

Mattaponi Sundowners: Sunday Results

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Howdy,

Today was ‘improv’ day at the range.  First, the tents went up on Bay 2 because it started raining early.  A total of 10 people showed up for various reasons, but only 5+1 were still there when the buzzer went off.  When it did, the 1st shooter only got 3 rounds out of his 1st gun, and he had to ‘improv’ on stage 2 with a different rifle.
 
The 5 shooters loaded together and shot on the ‘whoever is ready’ rule, using a similar rule to select spotters (whoever is watching).  The “+1” ran the clock and kept score while the others shot, spotted, reset knockdowns,or picked up brass.  Halfway through the match, it was ‘improv’ time again.  Rather than move tents to Bay 3, ‘we’ moved the plate rack and a few Bay 3 targets to Bay 2 and made it usable with the already-written stage descriptions.
 
You know it was an unusual day when you notice the 100 point spread between 1st place and 2nd place in the scores.  Congratulations to Major B.S. Walker for the win and to the entire posse for finishing in the top 5.  There were no clean shooters; B.S. wins the ‘dagnabbit’ award with a single miss.  Everyone else had either a SDQ or at least 1 P, but that had nothing to do with the weather.
 
However all of that may sound, everyone seemed to have a good time.  It wasn’t windy, the temp was tolerable, and the firing line and everything else had a tent over it.  Yes, it rained, but not enough to keep the Mattaponi Sundowners from having their scheduled match.
 
Scores attached.
 
-Swifty McDraw
 

Mattaponi Sundowners: Sunday Match & Beyond

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Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls,

 
The Mattaponi Sundowners will be hosting a Cowboy Action match this coming Sunday April 21st at the West Point Gun Club.
 
Gates will open at 10:00, the safety meeting will be at 12:15, and we start shooting at 12:30
 
Stages by Major B.S. Walker attached.
 
Beyond Sunday:
 
1) KC’s Corral is having their annual Thunder in the Brush match on May 18-19.
 
2) Our annual Black Powder match Smoke on the Mattaponi will be held on Saturday June 22nd.  We can’t call it a championship; it’s called the SASS Virginia State Blackpowder Shootout.  Match Information with Registration and Sponsorship details are posted HERE.
 
Sponsorships are available at Levels 1-5 for $25+, $50+, $100+, $200+, and $400+ in any combination of cash, merchandise, or gift certificates.  Cash is used to help defer expenses and keep the registration fee as low as possible.  Merchandise and Gift Certificates are used for Door Prizes and/or Raffles.
 
Hope to see you Sunday, again next Saturday, at KC’s in May, and at “The Smoke Match” in June.
 
-Swifty McDraw

 

Smoke on the Mattaponi XVII (June 22, 2024)

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SASS Presents
Smoke on the Mattaponi XVII
The Virginia State Blackpowder Shootout
 
The Mattaponi Sundowners and West Point Gun Club are proud to announce that registration is now open for our annual Black Powder match to be held on June 22nd.
 
There are three attachments that hopefully will tell you all you need to know about the match, the registration process, and the schedule.
 
The other two attachments provide Sponsorship Information and a form for Sponsors.  One reason for this early announcement is to give potential sponsors plenty of time to make their plans.  Literally anyone can be a Sponsor and we welcome all Sponsorships, whether you plan to attend the match or not.
 
These files are not yet posted on our website www.westpointgunclub.com but they will be soon.  There will be a Shooter’s List posted on the web as registrations start arriving.
 
‘Nuff Said
-Swifty McDraw

Mattaponi Sundowners: Saturday Match

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Howdy, it’s me again,

 
The Mattaponi Sundowners will be hosting a Cowboy Action match this coming Saturday March 23 at the West Point Gun Club.
 
Gates will open at 8:00, the safety meeting will be at 9:45, and we start shooting at 10:00
 
Stages by yours truly are attached.
 
The forecast is 70% for wet weather.  Sometimes, we load and shoot under tents and sometimes we have to cancel.  We’ll keep an eye on the forecast.
 
-Swifty McDraw

Mattaponi Sundowners: Weekend Results

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Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls,

Thanks to all for making Gathering on the Mattaponi XVII a success.  Each and every shooter helped us meet our objectives for all of our matches: “Have a safe shoot and have fun“.
 
In addition to those mentioned yesterday, we thank the setup crew of members (plus a couple of campers) for setting up 3 bays full of props and steel on Friday.  We also thank everyone who helped tear it down today and store it away.
 
We had 18 clean shooters on day 1, but only 5 were left when the dust settled.  Congrats to Doc Pill Filler, Lefty Spurmaker, Ledford LeRoy, Wildcat Will, and Major Gunz for shooting clean.  Wildcat Will was a little smoky (not ‘clean‘), but a nice breeze took care of that.
 
There are 5 attachments: 1) clean shooters; 2) results by category; 3) overall “winners list”; 4) overall “winners details”; and 5) Wild Bunch scores.
 
Congratulations to Cody Maverick for the Wild Bunch side match win and to all of our main match Category winners.
 
Drum roll please … the Top Overall Cowgirl was J.C. Phoenix and the Top Overall Cowboy and main match winner was Gun-em-Down, who squeaked past Dakota Rambler by 1.52 seconds!  Congratulations! 
 
Thanks for coming, whether for one day or two.  Hope to see you all at Gathering on the Mattaponi XVIII.
 
-Swifty McDraw

Mattaponi Sundowners: Saturday Results

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Howdy Folks,

The first day of Gathering on the Mattaponi is behind us.  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.  If you did, be sure to thank Prairie City Slim for writing good stages and Potter County Kid for worrying about (and taking care of) every little thing.  For the Wild Bunch folks, be sure to thank Cody Maverick for organizing the match and writing the stages.
 
For tomorrow, one or two shooters will be on a different posse to help balance things out.  If you’re one of them, I’ll let you know in the morning.  Otherwise, plan on starting on the same posse and in the same bay that you did today.  Be there in time for the first shot going downrange at 12:30.
 
Back by popular demand, I have attached the scores for the first 6 stages.  For a bit of trivia or curiosity, I also attached an interesting report available in the scoring system that gives the time durations for each posse and for each stage.  It’s the type of thing that Stage Writers and Match Directors might be interested in.
 
-Swifty McDraw

West Point Gun Club range closure notification

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Hi All,

Very sorry for such a late notification.

West Point Gun Club is hosting the Mattaponi Sundowners annual 2-Day Cowboy Action Match called The Gathering on the Mattaponi. The range will be closed to general use this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the event.

If you would like to come and see what Cowboy Action Shooting is all about, this would be a good time to stop by and check it out.

Sorry for the lateness of this notification and for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thank you,

Regards,

Clark Faulconer

Vice President and Membership director

West Point Gun Club

Mattaponi Sundowners: Wild Bunch

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Howdy,

 
The Gathering on the Mattaponi schedule for Saturday includes a Wild Bunch side match after lunch.  Modern and Traditional categories will be available.  Awards will be presented on Sunday after the main match.
 
If you plan to participate, please review the rules before the match.  The recently-revised 2024 Wild Bunch Shooter’s Handbook is posted here:
 
Note that, in the Modern or Traditional category, you “May use any SASS legal main match shotgun and any legal main match rifle.”  The Shooter’s Handbook will answer any questions you may have regarding the 1911 model and configuration for each category.
 
Wild Bunch stages by Cody Maverick are attached.
 
-Swifty McDraw

Mattaponi Sundowners: Gathering Update

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Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls,

 
Gathering on the Mattaponi is coming up in 11 days.  Here’s who’s coming:
 
image.png
By my count, that’s 53 who registered before the deadline.  Flatboat Bob and Missouri Marshal won’t be shooting Saturday, giving us 51.  We expect to have 48 shooters on Sunday.  We’ll have 3 posses.
 
Name tags and awards have been ordered, posse assignments are nearing completion, and stage books have been printed.  It’s not too late to sign up, but contact Gary (Potter County Kid) as soon as possible to let him know your plans.
 
The weekend schedule is attached.  Please check in with me or Gary as soon as you arrive.
 
See you on March 16th and 17th.
-Swifty McDraw

Mattaponi Sundowners: Gathering Update

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As promised, here’s an updated shooter’s list for the Gathering.  We had a flurry of activity yesterday, by e-mail and snail mail, putting us at 41 shooters plus 3 who might come for one day only.

 
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It’s not too late to sign up, but if you think the mail won’t get here in time, let me or Gary know you’re coming and your category.
 
-Swifty McDraw