23rd Annual Cowboy Action Shooting National Championship Feb. 24 – March 1

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The largest Western style encampment in the world returns to Phoenix for Winter Range and the 23rd Annual Cowboy Action Shooting National Championship from February 24 to March 1 at the Ben Avery Shooting Range off Carefree Highway, just west of Interstate 17. Admission is FREE. Parking is $5 and all proceeds are donated to charity.

The Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) National Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting draws more than 1,100 competitors from 42 states and six foreign countries.  Men and women from 12 to 80 years old will compete in nearly three dozen categories depending on their age and competitive styles.

The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association and the SASS Mounted Shooters have teamed up this year and created a three-day mounted shooting event which is expected to draw at least 100 mounted riders competing in their separate arena from Feb. 28 through March 2.

Cowboy Action Shooting™ is the fastest growing shooting sport in America. Contestants must compete with firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West, like single action revolvers, lever action rifles and period shotguns. Participants must also adopt a shooting alias appropriate to a character or profession of the late 19th century, a Hollywood western star or a character from fiction, and then costume themselves accordingly.  This shooting sport is safe, fun and family-friendly. Cowboy Action Shooting draws generations of families together to compete in their respective events each year.

Winter Range 2014 has something for everyone. There are competitive events, displays of period militaria, western skills and crafts exhibits, a fast draw competition and nearly 100 vendors purveying everything from period clothing, hats and wigs to antiques and reproductions.  Entertainment includes singers, cowboy bands, trick roping, trick horses and other popular cowboy entertainment.

A special stage presentation featuring Wyatt Earp, the great grand-nephew of the late Wyatt Earp, is sure to be a highlight of the 2014 Winter Range. Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Earp will take the stage, step into the shoes of their long-gone relatives and reminisce about the colorful lives they led during the legendary days of the old west. Join them for a trip down memory lane at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2014. Admission is free.

Authentic chuck wagon cooking, hotdogs, ice cream, beverages and snacks will be available for purchase from a variety of food vendors.

Winter Range is an action-packed, exciting and educational outing the entire family will enjoy.

Remember, admission is free, parking is only $5, and all proceeds are donated to charity.

Ben Avery Shooting Range is located at 4044 W. Black Canyon Blvd., Phoenix AZ (I-17 to the Carefree Highway Exit).

For information, details and photo requests, visit www.winterrange.com.