Best Cowboy Action Shooting Guns (2026): SASS-Legal Picks for Every Category

Last updated October 26th 2026

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By Nick Hall, who wrote our beginner’s guide to cowboy action shooting.

The best cowboy action shooting guns for most new shooters are a pair of Ruger Vaqueros, an Uberti 1873 rifle and a Stoeger Coach Gun, all in or for .38 Special and 12 gauge. Every one of them is legal under the SASS rules, they’re sold everywhere, and they’re what you’ll see most on the loading table at a club match.

But “legal” has fine print, and it changes with the category you shoot. A Marlin 1894 is a fine SASS rifle that you can’t use in Classic Cowboy. A Winchester 1873 is the classic choice that you can’t use in B-Western. Below are nine guns worth buying, checked line by line against the SASS Shooters Handbook (Version 28, January 2026), with live prices from our 200+ retailers on October 26, 2026.

Table of Contents

Best Cowboy Action Guns at a Glance

Gun	Type	Common SASS calibers	Best for
Ruger Vaquero	Revolver	.357/.38, .45 Colt	Best overall revolver
Uberti 1873 Cattleman	Revolver	.357/.38, .45 Colt, .44-40	Best value Colt-style
Taylor’s Smoke Wagon	Revolver	.357/.38, .45 Colt	Best for competition
Uberti 1873 Rifle	Lever rifle	.357/.38, .45 Colt	Best overall rifle
Winchester 1873	Lever rifle	.357/.38, .45 Colt, .44-40	Best name on the receiver
Marlin 1894 Classic	Lever rifle	.357/.38, .44	Best for B-Western
Rossi R92	Lever rifle	.357/.38, .44, .45 Colt	Best budget rifle
Stoeger Coach Gun	Side-by-side	12 or 20 gauge	Best shotgun
Chiappa 1887	Lever shotgun	12 gauge	Best for the look

What Makes a Gun SASS Legal

A SASS main match uses two single-action revolvers, a rifle and a shotgun. The handbook sets the rules for each, and they’re stricter than “anything old-looking”:

Gun	What SASS allows	What it rules out
Revolvers	Single actions made before 1899, their replicas, and SASS-approved adjustable-sight single actions. Centerfire .32 to .45, or .36 to .45 cap and ball	Double actions; carrying more than two main match revolvers to the line
Rifle	Lever or slide action designs from about 1860 to 1899, with a tubular magazine and exposed hammer. Centerfire .32 to .45 in a revolver caliber	Box magazines, rifle cartridges like .30-30, receiver-mounted peep sights
Shotgun	Side-by-side or single shot of 1860 to 1899 style, lever action, or the Model 1897 pump	Any other pump, trench guns, automatic ejectors on a side-by-side
Gauge	20 to 10 gauge for doubles, singles and levers; 16 or 12 gauge for the 1897	Magnum and high-velocity shells
Ammo	All-lead bullets. Revolvers at 1,000 fps or less and rifles at 1,400 fps or less, with a power factor of at least 60	Jacketed, plated, hollow point and gas-checked bullets; shot larger than #4 or anything but lead

Two of those trip up new shooters more than the rest. Your rifle must shoot a revolver cartridge, which is why .38 Special and .45 Colt rule the sport, and your ammunition must be all lead. Factory “cowboy” loads exist for exactly this reason.

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Best Cowboy Action Revolvers

1. Ruger Vaquero: Best Overall Cowboy Action Revolver

• Caliber (model 5101): .45 Colt; .357 Magnum models too
• Barrel: 5.5 inch, cold hammer-forged
• Weight: 40 oz
• Safety: Transfer bar and loading gate interlock
• List price: $1,099 for model 5101

If you ask the people at a club match what to buy, half of them will say Vaqueros. The Ruger Vaquero is a fixed-sight single action built on Ruger’s tough modern action, with a transfer bar that lets you load all six chambers safely and a reverse indexing pawl that makes loading easier. I’ve never seen one break at a match.

It’s not a Colt clone inside, and it costs more than the Italian guns. But you buy two revolvers for this sport, and Vaqueros hold their value if you move on. Pick .357 Magnum if you want to shoot cheap .38 Special loads through it.

Best For: New shooters who want a pair that won’t let them down.

2. Uberti 1873 Cattleman: Best Value Colt-Style Revolver

• Calibers: .357 Magnum, .45 Colt and .44-40 in the steel models; 9mm in some brass-frame models
• Barrels: 4.75, 5.5 or 7.5 inch
• Frame: Case-hardened steel on the standard Steel model
• List price: $689 for the Steel model, $599 for the Hombre

The Cattleman is a close copy of the Colt Single Action Army, and if you want the real 1873 feel without paying Colt prices, it’s the gun. Uberti lists 29 versions, from the $599 Hombre to engraved models. For SASS, the Steel model in .357 Magnum or .45 Colt with a 4.75 or 5.5 inch barrel is the one to get.

Plenty of shooters send a pair to a gunsmith for lighter springs before their first season. Our Uberti 1873 Cattleman review breaks down every model, and our Colt Single Action Army page covers the original.

Best For: Shooters who want the Colt look and feel on a budget.

3. Taylor’s Smoke Wagon: Best Cowboy Action Revolver for Competition

• Calibers: .357 Magnum and .45 Colt; limited runs in .44-40
• Barrels: 4.75 or 5.5 inch; 3.5 inch at times
• Grip: Thin-profile grip for fast handling
• List price: $770.49 for the 4.75 inch .357; $910.55 Taylor Tuned

Taylor’s introduced the Smoke Wagon in 2011 with cowboy action shooters in mind, and it’s one of the first single actions meant to be competitive straight out of the box. It’s an Uberti-made 1873 with a thinner grip, and the Taylor Tuned version gets hand-polished action work for a lighter, smoother hammer and trigger.

If you know you’re going to compete, the Taylor Tuned model saves you a trip to the gunsmith. Taylor’s also sells consecutive-serial-number pairs, which is a nice touch for a sport where you shoot two. Palmetto State Armory had the standard .357 at $647.99 when I checked.

Best For: Shooters who want match-ready revolvers without custom work.

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Best Cowboy Action Rifles

4. Uberti 1873 Rifle: Best Overall Cowboy Action Rifle

• Calibers: .357 Magnum and .45 Colt
• Barrels: 16.125 inch Trapper to 24.25 inch Sporting Rifle
• Competition model: .357 Magnum, 20 inch barrel
• List price: $1,399 for the .357 Short Rifle; $1,799 for the Competition

Walk down a loading table and you’ll see more 1873s than anything else. The Uberti 1873 runs on a toggle-link action that’s smooth and light because it was built for revolver cartridges, and it’s the rifle most cowboy action gunsmiths know best. Uberti’s Competition model is set up for the sport out of the box.

The 20 inch .357 Short Rifle is the one I’d buy. It’s also legal in Classic Cowboy if you get it in .45 Colt, because that category requires an 1873-or-earlier design. Read our Uberti 1873 Rifle review for the full model list.

Best For: Almost everyone, in almost every category.

5. Winchester 1873: Best Name on the Receiver

• Calibers: .45 Colt, .38 Special/.357 Magnum and .44-40 at retailers we track
• Barrel: 20 inch on the Short Rifle
• Capacity: 10+1 in .45 Colt
• Action: Toggle-link lever

The Winchester 1873 is the same design with the original name on it, and Palmetto State Armory had the .45 Colt Short Rifle at $1,206.99 when I checked, close to the Uberti. Retailers list it in .45 Colt, .38/.357 and .44-40 with a 20 inch barrel. If you want the Winchester name, buy it. If you want the most gunsmith support for speed work, buy the Uberti.

6. Marlin 1894 Classic: Best Rifle for B-Western

• Calibers: .357 Magnum/.38 Special and .44 Magnum/.44 Special at retailers we track
• Barrel: 18.63 inch in .357, 20.25 inch in .44
• Design: 1894, side ejecting
• Our review: Marlin 1894 review

B-Western rules require a rifle of 1880 or later design, and the handbook names the 1894 Marlin as an example. That makes the Marlin 1894 the obvious pick if you shoot that category. Sportsman’s Warehouse had the .357 Classic with an 18.63 inch barrel, and it ejects to the side rather than the top. Test your match ammunition in it before your first stage.

7. Rossi R92: Best Budget Cowboy Action Rifle

• Calibers: .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt at retailers we track
• Barrel: 16 to 20 inch
• Design: Copy of the Winchester 1892
• Capacity: 8+1 in the 16 inch .45 Colt carbine

The Rossi R92 is a copy of the Winchester 1892, so it’s a legal SASS rifle and a B-Western rifle too, and it costs about half what an 1873 does. The catch is the action. Out of the box it’s stiff and it can be picky about feeding, so most shooters who stick with one pay a gunsmith to slick it up. Even then you’re ahead on cost.

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Best Cowboy Action Shotguns

8. Stoeger Coach Gun: Best Cowboy Action Shotgun

• Gauge: 12 or 20
• Barrels: 20 inch, fixed IC and M chokes
• Extraction: Shell extractors, not ejectors
• Weight: 6.5 lb in 12 gauge
• List price: $549

The Stoeger Coach Gun is the shotgun on most cowboy action carts, and Stoeger itself says it’s made for the sport. It’s a 20 inch side-by-side with shell extractors, which matters: SASS doesn’t allow automatic ejectors on a side-by-side. Stoeger lists it at $549 in 12 or 20 gauge.

Its hammers are internal, so it isn’t legal in Classic Cowboy, which requires exposed hammers you cock by hand. New Coach Guns are stiff to open, so dry-cycle yours a few hundred times or have a gunsmith polish it before your first match. The 20 gauge is a good choice for smaller shooters. See our Stoeger Coach Gun review.

9. Chiappa 1887: Best Lever Shotgun for the Look

• Gauge: 12, 2-3/4 inch shells
• Barrel: 18.5 or 22 inch at retailers we track
• Capacity: 5+1, but SASS allows two in the main match
• Design: Copy of the Winchester 1887 lever shotgun

SASS allows lever action shotguns with a tubular magazine and exposed hammer, and the Chiappa 1887 is the one you can buy new. It’s pure theater: you lever it like a rifle and it throws empties over your shoulder. You can only load two at a time in main match stages, so it doesn’t buy you speed. Buy it because you love it, and skip the Mare’s Leg version, which has no shoulder stock.

What About the Winchester 1897?

The Model 1897 is the only pump shotgun SASS allows, original or replica, in 16 or 12 gauge, and trench gun configurations are out. Our Winchester Model 1897 page covers what originals sell for and what to check before you buy one. We didn’t find a new replica in our price feed when I checked.

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Category Traps: Check These Before You Buy

Most clubs run base categories where any SASS-legal gun works. The traps come when you pick a costume or shooting-style category. From the Version 28 handbook:

Category	Extra rule	What it means for your guns
Classic Cowboy / Cowgirl	Rifle of 1873 or earlier design; revolvers and rifle in .40 caliber or larger, rimmed; shot Duelist style; exposed-hammer shotgun	A .38 setup is out. An Uberti 1873 or Winchester 1873 in .45 Colt or .44-40 is in. A Marlin 1894 or Rossi R92 is out. The shotgun must be an exposed-hammer double with hammers you cock by hand, a single shot or a lever action, so a hammerless Stoeger Coach Gun is out.
B-Western	Rifle of 1880 or later design, such as an 1892, 1894 or Lightning	The 1866 and 1873 are out. The Marlin 1894 and Rossi R92 are in.
Frontier Cartridge	Blackpowder in all loads; side-by-side, single shot or lever shotgun	The 1897 pump is out of main match stages.
Duelist / Gunfighter	Revolvers fired one-handed; Gunfighter uses one in each hand	Any fixed-sight revolver. Adjustable-sight single actions are out.

If you’re not sure which category you’ll shoot, buy fixed-sight revolvers and an 1873 in .45 Colt. That combination is legal almost everywhere. If you want cheap .38 ammunition and don’t care about Classic Cowboy, .357/.38 guns are the sensible choice.

Which Caliber Should You Pick?

.38 Special is the most popular cowboy action caliber by a long way. It’s cheap, recoil is light, and the same round feeds your revolvers and rifle. Buy .357 Magnum guns and you can shoot .38 Special in all of them. .45 Colt hits steel harder and qualifies for Classic Cowboy, but costs more to shoot. Our .357 Magnum vs .38 Special guide explains the difference.

Whatever you pick, it has to be all-lead and under the speed limits: 1,000 fps from a revolver and 1,400 fps from a rifle. Standard .38 Special lead loads are well under both. Don’t bring jacketed hollow points to a match. They’re illegal, and they bounce back off steel.

What a Starter Cowboy Action Setup Costs

Using the maker list prices above, two Uberti Cattleman Steel revolvers at $689 each, a $1,399 Uberti 1873 Short Rifle and a $549 Stoeger Coach Gun come to $3,326. Swap in a Rossi R92 and the cheapest live prices on the cards, and you can get under $3,000. You also need a gun belt and holsters, a shotgun belt or slide, eye and ear protection, and a costume. Ammunition and match fees are the ongoing cost. Our beginner’s guide covers the rest.

How I Picked These Guns

I started with what I see on the loading table at club matches and checked every gun against the SASS Shooters Handbook, Version 28, January 2026: action, caliber, magazine type, sights and, for shotguns, ejectors. Specs come from Ruger, Uberti, Taylor’s and Stoeger, and from retailer listings for the Winchester, Marlin, Rossi and Chiappa. Prices come from those makers and our live price check across 200+ retailers on October 26, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions