Our local NCOWS posse, the South Carolina Old West Shootists (SCOWS) recently held its regularly scheduled Monthly “2nd Sunday” Match for July on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in the Cooper Pistol Bays at the Mid-Carolina Rifle Club (MCRC). The match consisted of four (4) stages based on events from the Old West. Given the excessive heat, the posse unanimously elected to forego the customary usual short bonus stage.
A total of eleven participants (nine (9) shooters), including two (2) junior shooters, and two (2) observers who assisted with set-up/breakdown and manning the unloading table, braved what started as a manageable morning and quickly devolved into an incredibly hot and humid day. Three and a half hours, two pots of coffee, and an empty cooler that once held water and sports beverages later, everyone poured themselves back into their vehicles after another successful match, with most of the group heading out for lunch afterwards to enjoy food, fellowship, camaraderie and air-conditioning.
There was one clean shooter for the match — congrats to Sgt. Henry. Also of note is that one of the Juniors, Rusty, had the second faster raw time for the match, and with penalties factored in, placed 4th overall, just 2.5 seconds behind Rowdy’s total adjusted time.
Here are the scores, by category:
Category Total Time (incl. penalties & bonus)
Sodbuster (2 Gun: 1 Pistol/1 Shotgun)
SGT Henry (clean match) 189.29 (clean match)
Sheriff (2 Gun: 2 Pistol)
Youghiogheny Kid (Y Kid) 180.23
2 Gun Junior (1 Rifle, 1 Pistol)
Rusty McCabe 279.85
Dusty McCabe 488.42
Working Cowboy (2 Gun: 1 Rifle, 1 Pistol)
Rowdy McCabe 277.37
Dutch McCabe 394.17
Elder Smokeless Double Duelist Outlaw (4 Gun)
Doc WHO 634.18
Elder BP Shootist (4 Gun)
Manassas DNF
3 Gun (1 Rifle, 2 Pistols)
Wyoming Wade DNF
Congratulations to all, and thanks to everyone for a great match.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:
Next Match
Due to scheduling conflicts that have created some logistical challenges, SCOWS will not be holding a “2nd Sunday” Match in August. Our next scheduled match will be on the 5th Saturday of August — Saturday, August 30, 2025.
This will be our annual CAPT JEB Forrest Memorial & Remembrance Match, which celebrates the lives, dedication & contributions of departed posse members. The event will include a picnic-style luncheon, and we expect many family members of both departed and current posse members to be joining us. All are welcome, and we hope to see y’all there!
Aiken Wild West Festival
The Battle of Aiken group that runs the Aiken Wild West Festival has announced the dates for this year’s festival. The festival will be held on the first weekend of November — Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 — at the Battle of Aiken Park, 1210 Powell Pond Rd., Aiken, SC 29801.
This is a premiere event in which our posse plays a major role, so all are encouraged to come out and enjoy a day of Old West history. Hope to see you there.