About Thunder Hole

Thunder Hole is the long range facility adjacent to the Willow Hole Cowboy Action range, hosting a monthly match on the Sunday following the 1st Saturday. This match uses true period correct rifles and cartridges and may be shot with either lever action or single shot rifles (or replicas) available in the pre-1900 time period.

The match is a relaxed, relay type format where up to 10 people may shoot on each relay, with each shooter firing in sequence. That is, Shooter #1 fires a round, then Shooter #2, Shooter #3, etc. Thus, you have plenty of time to get ready for your next shot — nobody is rushed.

Match Type

Thunder Hole shoots a "gong" match. This is simply a square steel plate at specified distances with a simple hit or a miss on the target. Most targets except bonus targets are at 100yd intervals. The targets range from 12" square at 100 yards to 48" square at 600 yards. Except for the 100 yard target, most are equal in size to 8 MOA (minutes of angle). The exceptions are the 250 and 465 yard targets — these are considered "bonus" targets and will be smaller than 8 MOA.

All ammunition must use lead bullets — no jacketed bullets. The propellant may be either smokeless or black powder, but the cartridge must be a period-correct cartridge. Since we're a relaxed (for fun) type shoot, you can use gas checks if you like. Just be aware that you won't be able to use them in any official matches anywhere.