Calling all hardy cowboys and cowgirls – our annual Iron Cowboy Match, scheduled for SATURDAY JANUARY 21st, is coming up soon. The weather forecast looks to be modest by upper-Midwest standards. Unless something changes drastically between now and then, it looks to be a go. If something changes, we’ll let you know here.

Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. with a Safety meeting about 9″00 a.m.

Dolittle B Ernest has 5 stages prepared. Click here to download them.

Set up for the match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. If you happen to be available and looking for something to do, come on out.

State Championsip Information

Registrations for the Illinois State Championship are coming along nicely. If you’ve not registered, it’s never too early to do so. We are now offering two ways to register – our traditional printed/mailed paper form AND our new online form. 

1. The traditional PAPER-BASED REGISTRATION FORM , available by clicking here; or
2. Our new ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM.  
   • You can also find links to both forms on our website’s Registration page.   

To learn more about our Host Hotel, the Celebration Belle Dinner Cruise or our On-site Camping, open the attached form or click on the following links:  Host Hotel; Celebration Belle Riverboat Dinner Cruise;     On-site Camping.

We’ve a couple of Stage Sponsorships available yet.  If you or your club is interested in supporting this event through a sponsorship, click here to download the Sponsorship packet.

Just a quick note for all you hardy souls to get your rifles, pistols, shotguns, boots, gloves, hats, coats, and handwarmers ready for our first match of the year – our annual Iron Cowboy Match scheduled for January 21st. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. with the games to begin shortly thereafter.

Doolittle B Ernest is the match director and is planning for some fun stages. We ‘ll have a warming fire ready as well.

Setup is scheduled for 3pm Friday afternoon if you’re so inclined to lend a hand.

Here are a few pics from our 2022 Iron Cowboy Match. If you’ve not attended an Iron Cowboy Match, there’s no time like the present to give it a try. It’s times like these that provide us with stories we can tell for years to come. Remember when . . .

First things first, Happy New Year from Illowa Irregulars!

Now, on to the matters at hand:

As a service to our subscribers, we are posting a link to Land Run’s registration page, which was just released a few hours ago. Click here to open it. Land Run, scheduled in October, filled up quickly last year.

On a related note, registration to the 2023 Illinois State Championship scheduled from August 18-20, 2023 is open as well. Click here to go to our registration page where you will find links to both the DOWNLOADABLE and ONLINE registration forms.

If you are inclined to be a Sponsor, click here to view the Sponsor Packet. Sponsorships help support our club and enhance the overall match experience. We’ve several sponsorships available. Many sponsorships include having your ad in the Event Program and on our website. Stage sponsorships include signage on the sponsored stage. We’ve only five stage sponsorships left as of today (out of 10 total).

We look forward to hosting the 2023 State Championship. We’re introducing a new award which, to the best of our knowledge, has never been given elsewhere – the State Record Holder Award. This award will go to the Illinois cowboys and cowgirls who set the state record in their category for having the fastest time on the newly developed State Record Stage. Click here for more information. On a related note, we also purchased 12 new larger targets including eight 18″ x 24″ and four 24″ x 24″ targets to add to our mix. We have also arranged for another optional riverboat dinner cruise on the Mississippi on Saturday night.

Happy Trails,

Illowa Irregulars

Merry Christmas from the frigid upper-Midwest and home of Illowa Irregulars. This post describes a special gift for your cowboy action shooting enjoyment.

Illowa Irregulars are excited to announce a new award at the 2023 Illinois State Cowboy Action Shooting Championship: The Illinois State Record Holder award. We are excited about having the opportunity to establish a list of Illinois State record holders and hope you will be as well. The State Record Stage is a fun, fast stage and is a pleasure to shoot.

This award will go to the Illinois shooter in each category who has the fastest time on the State Record Stage during the 2023 Illinois State Championship (i.e., sets the state record). Award winners will receive a pin, similar to what’s shown here, for having set the Illinois State Record and will hold the state record until their time is bested at a future Illinois State Championship. We believe this will add a new, fun dimension to our State Championship.

We modeled the State Record Stage after the World Record Stage, but with the following key differences:

1. The State Record Stage uses closer target distances to better reflect today’s target distances and to make it suitable for use at a State Championship match. For example, the World Record stage sets rifle targets at 54 feet, pistol targets at 21 feet, and shotgun targets at 30 feet, distances we felt would be inappropriate to use in a State Championship. Instead, the Illinois Standard Record Stage sets rifle targets at 27 feet, pistol targets at 12 feet, and shotgun targets at 18 feet – distances much more appropriate for a State Championship.
2. Each shooter is allowed to select the gun order they feel allows them to shoot their best time (rifle must not be last). This is a change from the World Record stage which requires gun order to be Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun.
3. Unlike the World Record which allows shooters several attempts, the State Record Stage will be set up as a stage during the 2023 Championship match. This means shooters have one opportunity to set the state record – when they shoot the stage at the Illinois State Championship match. This is consistent with most sporting events (e.g., Olympic records can only be set during Olympic competitions, etc.). This also eliminates the need to video record the shooter as required for the World Record, since each attempt will occur at a State Championship, observed by a Timer Operator, and witnessed by three Spotters.  
4. Just as only Illinois residents are eligible to be an Illinois Champion, only Illinois residents will be eligible to set the Illinois State Record. However, non-Illinois Residents will be eligible to set a new Illowa Irregular Club record during the Championship match.

Several Illinois cowboys/ cowgirls will go home from the 2023 Championship recognized as holding the state record in their shooting category.  It could be you and/or someone you know. We also believe there will be some unexpected surprises along the way.

As mentioned above, Illowa Irregulars will use this stage to establish our local “Club” records. We encourage you and other Illinois clubs to do the same.  Click on the download links below to get a copy of the State Record stage.

If you’ve not done so already, it’s never too early to get your State Championship registrations in. The Illinois State Championship is scheduled from August 18-20, 2023. Click here for more information and to download a registration form. We are pleased to announce we are now offering an on-line payment option in addition to our regular paper form.

Click here to download the State Record Stage.

See the video below to learn more about the State Record Stage.