from "The Valley Regulators" Cowboy Action Club
J.Z. Wales
Have been involved in single action shooting for over a year now and enjoying every moment from the clean match at my first major shoot to meeting all the great people, have been interested in shooting for many years but it took my father-in-law to get me out to watch a match and the next month I was hooked and I'm glad that I did because I look forward to come out every month and letting some lead fly.
I got the idea for my alias from a western type movie I like very much it's called "Outlaw Josie Wales" well its great in many ways, this movie came out the year I was born and using my initials J.Z. it sounds like josie and the Wales reminds me of the great place we live where we do get to see whales on a regular basis.
Kananaskis Kid
As a boy growing up on a farm near Pincher Creek in southwestern Alberta, I was a big fan of B-Westerns; Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Hopalong were my favorities. In late 2004, I picked up a copy of Guns of the Old West. I had owned single-action revolvers for over thirty years and was looking for a reason to use them. Upon reading about SASS-sanctioned cowboy action shooting events, I knew I'd found a great reason. Some research on the internet resulted in a long phone conversation with Gary Kangas in Victoria. He informed me that Phil was organizing a club in Courtenay. I joined SASS, bought two Ruger New Vaqueros, and started with the Valley Regulators in February 2005.
Choosing my alias was more difficult than I figured it would be. I finally based my persona on Cap Thomas, a rancher from Pincher Creek region. Cap was a bit of a dandy, he was fond of well-tailored clothes, wore handmad boots, and carried an ivory-handled Colt. He got into a gunfight with a crooked gambler at Pincher Station and shot him. The Kananaskis country is in Alberta, on the east slope of the Rockies, stretching from Cochrane region, west of Calgary, south of the Crowsnest Pass - about 30 miles norht of the Canada-U.S. Border. The area was also home to the Waldren Ranch which pretty much included the whole area. Back in the 60's, I worked for a seismograph crew in the region. My home town is about 20 miles or so east of the Kananaskis, so I chose it as the basis of my alias, Kananaskis Kid.
When I started cowboy action shooting, I shot in the Traditional category. So the guns I chose were stainless steel, .45 cal. Rugers, a .45 cal. Marlin carbine, and a 12 gauge Stoeger Coach gun. My eventual goal was to shoot in the Classic Cowboy so I started to shoot double duelist. The addition of a .45 cal Uberti 1873 carbine and a Baikal hammered double made it possible to shoot Classic Cowboy. I am currently shooting in B-Western as it allows me to use any shooting style I choose on any stage. My preferred shooting style is gunfighter because it requires the shooter to think about how the pistol sequences will be shot, especially when they are split.
My current arsenal of cowboy guns includes four .45 cal stainless steel New Vaqueros with 5 1/2" barrels, two .44 cal. stainless steel New Vaqueros with 4 5/8" barrels, a .45 cal Marlin CBC carbine, a .45 cal. Uberti 1873 carbine, a .44-40 cal. Marlin CB rifle, two 12 gauge Stoeger coach guns, a 12 gauge Baikal hammered double coach gun, and a 12 gauge Spencer hammered double coach gun. With these I can pretty much shoot in any category I choose with backups in case of a gun malfunction.
Cowboy Action Shooting has proved to be a very rewarding shooting discipline. It has given me the opportunity to travel to matches at other clubs. As a result, I have met, shot with, and enjoyed socializing with many great new friends.
Preacher Man John
I got my alias because I'm a Christian and have a big tatoo of Jesus on my arm. My buddies insisted that I should be The Preacher. I was thinking of changing my alias until I saw the movie Pale Rider. What attracted me to the sport was you got to shoot three types of firearms. What hooked me to the sport was the great people I met. The best thing about Cowboy action shooting is my wife loves it too.
I plan on shooting 49er, B Western and Classic Cowboy. I run Rugers and a Taylor Firearms 1873 and Winchester 97. Have a Marlin for B Western and a Norinco 1987 for the Classic Cowboy.
The Judge
My grandfather was Judge here in Cumberland, thats how I have my alias, I have been involved about 3 years, I went to the outdoor show at Courtenay Fish and Game. I shoot senior and like the life style of the old west and shooting. I shoot rugars 45 handguns, 45 Winchester and 12 gauge Stoeger.
Warden Smith
I am a Fire Warden so the alias, my wife's name is Rose so she has the name of Lady Rose, I am new to this style of shooting
Valdez
My alias is fictional, involved in Cowboy action shooting since 2007, shooting category is Traditional, enjoy the company of the once a month gathering.
Single Action revolvers, Ruger Vaqueros, cal. 357 mac. 45 lc, Rossi 1892 Lever Action cal 38 spl - 352 mag.. and 45 lc, cimarron 1866 yellow boy lever action cal 38 - 357 mac, Stoeger Coach gun, side by side cal 12 ga.