The Cowboy Chronicle: Single Action Shooting Society Profile, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
The Cowboy Chronicle is the official journal of the Single Action Shooting Society, the organization behind cowboy action shooting, a sport in which competitors take on Old West aliases, dress in period costume and shoot single-action revolvers, lever-action rifles and shotguns on themed stages. Published from Akron, Indiana, it reaches more than 75,000 readers per issue.
| Publisher | Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) |
|---|---|
| Address | 102 E. Rochester Street, Akron, Indiana |
| Schedule | Quarterly: print in January and July, digital-only in April and October |
| Readership | More than 75,000 per issue |
| Earlier schedule | Monthly print issues through the 2010s |
| Editor-in-Chief | Skinny (SASS alias) |
| Official website | SASSnet.com |
History of The Cowboy Chronicle
The Single Action Shooting Society grew out of the cowboy action matches started by Harper Creigh, known in the sport as Judge Roy Bean, and his friends. Accounts differ on the exact start date, with one longtime member placing the first organizing around 1981 and the society celebrating its 39th birthday in 2025. Its signature championship, END of TRAIL, became the sport's world championship.
The Cowboy Chronicle has been the society's voice for decades. Archived issues on the SASS website show monthly editions through at least the 2010s, carrying match reports, gun tests, costuming advice and Old West history. Longtime editors Tex and Cat Ballou are honored on the masthead as editors emeritus.
In recent years the Chronicle moved to a quarterly rhythm, with printed issues in January and July and digital-only issues in April and October. SASS's offices are now listed in Akron, Indiana.
The Cowboy Chronicle Today
The January 2025 issue reported on Land Run 2024 in Oklahoma City, the first Canadian Nationals near Saskatoon, the Gunsmoke Midwest Regional, the Great Maine Gun Fight and Texas's Comancheria Days, along with tests of cast bullets, brass-cleaning tips and history columns. SASS announced it would extend its contracts for Land Run and END of TRAIL for another five years.
END of TRAIL is now hosted by the Arizona Territorial Company of Rough Riders at the Ben Avery range in Phoenix, and SASS reported averaging about 200 new members a month in 2024.
What The Cowboy Chronicle Is Publishing Now
Match reports
Results and photos from state, regional, national and world championships, from Wild Bunch to classic cowboy categories.
Guns and gear
Tests and how-to pieces on single-action revolvers, lever guns, shotguns, ammunition and reloading.
Old West history and costume
History features on lawmen and outlaws, costuming guidance and member profiles and tributes.
The Cowboy Chronicle Editors and Staff
The Chronicle's masthead lists its staff by their SASS aliases:
- Skinny - Editor-in-Chief
- Misty Moonshine - Managing Editor
- Square Deal Jim - Advertising Manager
- Mac Daddy - Graphic Design
- Tex and Cat Ballou - Editors Emeritus
- Judge Roy Bean (Harper Creigh) - SASS founder
Who Reads The Cowboy Chronicle
Readers are SASS members and cowboy action shooters across the United States, Canada and beyond, many of them from rural communities where shooting clubs and ranch land host monthly matches. The sport's ranges often sit on working farmland, part of the rural landscape the USDA Census of Agriculture measures, and its Old West imagery celebrates the cattle ranching that USDA's Economic Research Service shows remains central to American agriculture.
Cowboy action shooters already have aliases, costumes and a fine appreciation for a tall tale, so they are halfway to being farm humorists. farm.FM finishes the job with farm satire, farm humor and ranch humor that would fit right in at a posse meeting. The farm jokes there hit their targets clean, no misses or procedurals.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
The Cowboy Chronicle Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- The Cowboy Chronicle, January 2025 - masthead, match reports and society news.
- The Cowboy Chronicle, June 2015 - an example of the monthly era.
- The Cowboy Chronicle, January 2023 - a recent print issue.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - data on the rural land and farms around the sport.
- USDA ERS: Animal agriculture receipts - cattle's place in U.S. agriculture.
The Cowboy Chronicle FAQ
Who publishes The Cowboy Chronicle?
The Single Action Shooting Society, based in Akron, Indiana.
How often does The Cowboy Chronicle come out?
Quarterly, with print issues in January and July and digital-only issues in April and October.
How many people read it?
SASS reports more than 75,000 readers per issue.
Who edits The Cowboy Chronicle?
The editor-in-chief is known by the SASS alias Skinny, with Misty Moonshine as managing editor.
For shooters who live a little of the Old West every weekend, Cowboy Chronicle is the paper that keeps score.