Rule Changes

New rules from either our ranges or SASS

January 2026

Voting Item #1	Voting Items #2
Any unloaded firearm that falls, regardless of whether it breaks the 170 will be a SDQ. SASS will remove the verbiage surrounding a gun that “slips and falls”/breaking the 170 vs. not breaking the 170. The rule with variables is no longer applicable- it dates back to when props and staging were less reliable. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THIS CHANGE?	A cocked revolver re-holstered with unfired round(s) is currently a SDQ. A re-holstered revolver with unfired rounds, cocked and released can be incredibly dangerous. The proposed change up for vote is changing the penalty for a cocked revolver re-holstered with unfired round(s) remaining leaving the shooters hand will be changed to a MATCH DQ.
RESULTS	RESULTS
YES: 236 (88.7%) Change the rule to state that any firearm that falls is a SDQ. (Unless actual prop failure occurs) NO: 30 (11.27%) Leave all the variables in place.	YES: 222 (83.4%) I am in favor of changing the penalty to a MDQ. NO: 44 (16.5%) Leave the penalty as a SDQ.

Wild Bunch Action voting:

88 Territorial Governors

85 Votes – 96.5% Response Rate

Voting Item

Should WBAS allow Shotgun Make-ups?

RESULTS

NO. Leave it as is. A Shotgun Miss is a Miss. – 61 (71.7%)

YES. Allow Shotgun makeups in WBAS. – 24 (28.2%)

NO CHANGE

Rifle/Revolver ammunition may not be carried in a shotgun/shotshell loop.

SHB p.4 (Ammunition Belts and Loops)

– Leaving empty or live round(s) in a magazine, action, or carrier of the long gun in which it was loaded.

– Leaving an empty in the chamber of a long gun.

SHB p.22 (Minor Safety Violation (MSV) infractions)

– The length or style of stock may be altered or replaced (e.g., a carbine style stock may be interchanged for a rifle stock and vice-versa).

– Long gun stocks with a “pistol grip” configuration (e.g., “Mares Leg” rifle or “Terminator” shotgun) are not allowed.

SHB p.34 (Stocks and Grips)

Must be in a cartridge commonly available in revolvers. Examples include, but are not limited to, .32-20, .32 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .44 Magnum, .44-40, and .45 Colt. (Includes some semi-auto pistol cartridges, e.g., 9mm, 10mm, and .45 ACP).

SHB p.37 (REVOLVER CALIBERS)

– Uberti 1873 percussion revolver (not legal in Frontiersman Category or Plainsman side matches)

SHB p.39 (OTHER APPROVED FIREARMS)

Progressive Penalty – Procedural for the first infraction, Stage Disqualification for the second infraction, Match Disqualification for the third infraction. Example: failure to adhere to category requirements. Multiple infractions on the same stage are not cumulative.

SHB p.44 (GLOSSARY OF TERMS)

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Neither of these proposed rule changes passed the vote. No changes for now.

December 13th, 2022

Hello SAWWS Members,

I received an email from SASS stating that the TG’s have 2 Items to vote on before January 6^th. Any changes will be included in the new Shooters Handbook printed Jan. 15, 2023.

I will include the Items below. I would appreciate anyone’s opinions on these issues so I can vote according to the members ideas. I would specially like some input from the BP shooters since I don’t know a lot about Item #2.

Please email me at lundy@xplornet.caor call or text me at 306-297-8493(call or text before Dec. 27 as my phone won’t work from the US).

Thank You

Short Fingered Bill

VOTING ITEMS – INFORMATION

ITEM #1 – Allowing competitors to shoot Gunfighter style in the Junior Category.

OPTION 1: (VOTE NO) – No change. Under current Gunfighter category rules, Gunfighter is an open category. (No age restrictions). A Junior could shoot in the Gunfighter category.

SHB p. 10: Above the “Base Categories” listed in this handbook, the local club monthly match and club annual match level, all SASS recognized shooting categories may be offered by subdividing by all factors, including age, gender, shooting style, and propellant.

*Shooting categories offered at any match are ultimately at the discretion of the Match Officials to ensure the success and viability of each match individually.

OPTION 2: (VOTE YES) Allow Gunfighter-style in the Junior category as follows:

SHB p.5:

AGE BASED CATEGORIES

Age based categories are offered to allow all participants to compete amongst their peers. Age based categories carry the following guidelines:

            – May use any main match revolver.

            – Revolvers may be shot in any SASS legal shooting style – EXCEPT Gunfighter.

* Junior category shooters may shoot Gunfighter-style under close supervision.

ITEM #2 – Revised BP Standard

(VOTE YES OR NO)

A majority “YES” vote on this item will result in the Shooters Handbook being edited to read as follows:

SHB p. 25

Power Factor / Blackpowder Smoke – Testing

   … Testing of blackpowder rounds for the production of adequate smoke will also be conducted in a similar manner as described above. Rounds should be obtained from the shooter’s loaded firearms while at the loading table. The rounds should be fired in comparison to test rounds made using the following load data:

       – Standard .38 Special case

       – 125 or 158 grain bullet

       – Any common substitute