Cowboy Range
Updated with Board Approval: xx/xx/xxxx
Piqua Fish and Game Members Only
These Ranges are on ​Private Property
Violators Will Be Prosecuted
Our Cowboy Range, Hard Times is home to The Miami Valley Cowboys and was established in March of 2001 as part of The Piqua Fish & Game Protective Association. Hard Times, is located at the shooting ranges of Piqua Fish & Game. Our site consists of 12 stages and a 135 yard long-rifle range. Hard Times was built under the guidance of the NRA and stresses safety by design. We have themed stages and platforms of all types to enjoy.
The Miami Valley Cowboys organization is affiliated with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and The Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). SASS is an international organization created to preserve and promote the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting™. SASS endorses regional matches conducted by affiliated clubs, and stages END of TRAIL—The World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting. Their governing body also develops rules and procedures to ensure safety and consistency in Cowboy Action Shooting matches, and seeks to protect its members' 2nd Amendment rights. SASS members share a common interest in preserving the history of the Old West and competitive shooting.
Cowboy Action Shooting is a multi-faceted shooting sport in which contestants compete with firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West: single action revolvers, pistol caliber lever action rifles, and old-time shotguns. The shooting competition is staged in a unique, characterized, "Old West" style. It is a timed sport in which shooters compete for prestige on a course of different shooting stages. Each scenario, as they are called, features an array of situations, many based on famous incidents or movies scenes, in which the shooters must test their mettle against steel targets.
One of the unique aspects of SASS approved Cowboy Action Shooting™ is the emphasis placed on costuming. Each participant adopts a shooting alias appropriate to a character or profession of the late 19th century, a Hollywood western star, or an appropriate character from fiction. Their costume is then developed accordingly. Many event participants gain more enjoyment from the costuming aspect of our sport than from the shooting competition, itself. Regardless of a SASS member's individual area of interest, SASS events provide regular opportunities for fellowship and fun with like-minded folks and families.
Hard Times and the Miami Valley Cowboys have been hosting to the State SASS Championship for the past 22 years. This is 3-day, event held over the Memorial Day weekend, attracting 125 to 150 shooters from Ohio and as far away as New York and Arizona.
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