There was some confusion at the Spring Buffalo Shoot regarding what was legal and what was not. These regional shoots differ in some respects from the Great Buffalo Hunt at the NCOWS Nationals. We have shaved the rules a bit to allow more shooters to try their hand at killing steel buffalo.
 Some restrictions still apply. You may only use lead bullets. Gas checks are not allowed. You may only use cartridges with a straight walled casing, meaning that 30-30s and .303s, as well as other bottle-necked cases, are not allowed. Additionally, side-mounted receiver sights and telescopic sights are not allowed.
     However, you may use smokeless powder at the Fall shoot, although you won’t be eligible for prizes. You may also use black powder substitutes.  You may use your lever action rifle, your High Wall or Low Wall rifle, your Trapdoor, your falling-block, your rolling-block and your break-action rifle at the Fall Shoot. You may also use your Remington-Lee, Remington-Keene or Winchester-Lee(Hotchkiss) straight-pull bolt action rifle. Your rifle may have a ramp front sight or a dove-tailed front sight.
     You may use spotters, coaches, binoculars and spotting scopes. You may use wind and barometric gauges, but you must share that information. Rangefinders are not allowed. You may use blow tubes and cleaning rods while you shoot, but the clock keeps running.
     You will shoot 4 herds of 20-25 buffalo. The buffalo vary from 24” high by 36” long down to 16” by 24”. You will  shoot 25 rounds for each herd, if needed. Depending on difficulty, you will have 8-12 minutes to shoot each herd. Only toppled buffalos count as a kill. Hits and time remaining are used to break ties.
      You may use cross-sticks from the prone, sitting or bench-seated positions. We will have sticks available for each herd if you need them.
 You do not have to be a member of NCOWS to enter. Please dress in pre-1899 style. We’ll be lenient in that regard with new shooters. Bring a comfortable chair; you’ll do more watching than shooting. We provide drinking water and shaded shelters with benches. Sturdy tables to clean your rifle will also be available at each station.
     We hope that removes any confusion. If you still have questions please call Jay or Karen Weber at (319) 266-0718. We hope to see you in Ackley September 6 & 7, 2003! Also, please mark your calendar for the 2004 shoots; May 1-2, 2004 and October 2-3, 2004. Watch The Shootist and this site for more information.

Helpful Hints
 Remember, these steel buffalo weigh up to 60 pounds and will range out to 300+ yards. It usually requires at least a 405 grain bullet to knock over the targets at the longer ranges. Those heavy bullets are normally not stabilized well in barrels with a twist rate faster than one in 16-18 inches.
 You’ll see that most competitive shooters are using single shot rifles like Sharps, Ballards, rolling blocks and High Walls and modern reproductions of those guns. Adjustable tang-mounted rear sights and spirit-level globe front sights seem to offer the most advantage. Bullet weights of 500 grains and more offer the best chance to deliver the energy needed to knock down steel buffalo targets. Most of the rifles are chambered for 45-70 or 45-90 cartridges.
 Since you will shoot 25 rounds in a short time, load selection is critical. You may find that barrel fouling is your biggest nemesis. Like most rifles, your buffalo gun will prefer a particular combination of powder, lube, wad, bullet weight and bullet design for accuracy and reduced barrel fouling.
 There are as many opinions about what’s best as there are shooters. Come to the shoot and bring what you have. Watch, listen, ask a lot of questions, read some books and then make up your mind. Then be prepared to have your rifle tell you you’re wrong.
 There are other types of long range shoots you may want to enter and you may be able to use one rifle and one load for all of your shooting. Experimentation and lots of practice will usually contribute to your success. It all adds up to more shooting, and that’s what the fun is really about.