Wild west in Wairarapa

Don Farmer | Wednesday, February 23, 2011 8:00

Gun Slingers: An impressive line-up of firepower at last year's Trail's End championships, which is expected to at least be matched, if not exceeded, this year.

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The mystery and romance surrounding the Wild West will never die if membership of the Wairarapa Pistol and Shooting Sports Club is any yardstick.

From its launch in 1992, club membership has skyrocketed from 50 to 180 and is gaining momentum each year, especially in the aftermath of Trail's End - the club's premier Western action championship.

This year's three-day Trail's End starts on March 18 and will be by far the largest cowboy shooting event in the Southern Hemisphere, using firearms dating from the period 1840 to 1899.

Not only will American Western guns be used but period attire for participants is essential, along with aliases such as Wild Bill Hickup and Rusty Chambers.

The range at Gladstone has been enhanced since the cowboy competition began in 1997, attracting competitors nationally and from overseas this year.

Twenty countries participate in Western action shooting globally.

The shooting competitions at Trail's End re-enact famous Western gunfights such as the gunfight at the OK Corral and the shootouts involving the legendary Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The official opening ceremony will be on Saturday, March 19, with the mayors of Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa being on hand alongside Wairarapa MP John Hayes and police representatives.