By Scott Roblin

Shooters travel back in time at Medicine Hat Rifle Club

May 21, 2017 | 1:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Prospective cowboys and cowgirls got a chance to fire some guns and experience life in the late 19th century over the weekend.

The Medicine Hat Rifle & Revolver Club hosted a ‘cowboy action shooting’ demonstration on Saturday, with great shooting conditions throughout the afternoon at Cactus Flats.

Cowboy action shooting involves using firearms from the 1880’s, along with shooters dressing up in era-appropriate clothing, and shooting stationary steel targets.

Cowboy action tournament match director Victoria Krizsan said there’s a wide range of firearms used during these events.

“You have your two single-action revolvers, you have a lever-action carbine, and you have a shotgun,” said Krizsan. “Whether it’s a double-barrel or a Winchester [1897].”

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According to the club, they value safety above everything, and provided eye and ear protection for those shooting.

Krizsan said one of the highlights on Saturday was a 10-year-old girl accompanying her father, and getting to try the sport out.

“With help from the range safety officer and the time operator, the same fellow, he helped support her,” she said. “And, she just was already thinking about her cowboy alias when she left.”

All of the stages also involved specific scenarios taken from Canadian history, with stories from the ‘Old West’ in British Columbia being used for shooters on Saturday.

Krizsan added that although they have a ways to go, cowboy action shooting continues to become more popular in the community.

“We have got some definite, committed cowboy action shooters involved,” she said. “They’ve gone out and purchased the firearms that they need, and some of them have actually even started travelling to other clubs to enjoy their matches.”

You can register for the club’s upcoming tournament on June 10 and 11 through their website.