Kylie Humble, 11, of Milton-Freewater unloads her pistol under the watchful eyes of Tim Roberts, left, of Hermiston and her father, John Humble.

Mudflat Mike was a blur of motion. He sprayed hot lead at two spitting cobras. Abandoning the shotgun, he pulled out his six-gun and hammered away at some cows then grabbed a rifle and fired at some cowboys bent over like lawn ornaments.

No, Mike wasn’t a cowboy run amuck. He was a participant in an extreme shooting event called Cowboy Action Shooting.

Bad guys are steel targets in various shapes – buffalo, outlaws, snakes and others. Some targets, when shot, release clay pigeons or swinging panels or set windmills into motion.

Competitors know each other by colorful monikers like Lyin’ Ike, Holy Terror and Widowmaker Hill.

Recently, “Mudflat Mike” Perin and other shooters converged on a ranch just east of Milton-Freewater. This particular day was underwear day and competitors were garbed mostly in red union suits.

Cowboy Action Shooting has a strict dress code. Competitors wear costumes that exude flamboyance and flashiness. Showy is in, shy is out.

Perin, a retired police officer, wore dusty boots, long black braids and a plaid robe that failed to completely cover his hairy legs. He accessorized with two six-shooters and a long, dangerous-looking knife.

Another competitor, Garrett Galbreath, also known as “Green Steele,” wore all-green – green long johns with green buttons, green boots, green bandana. Green-handled revolvers stuck out of his holsters and he even sported florescent green ear plugs.

“This is a fun game with a bunch of crazy people,” said Bill Miller, a retired physical therapist who lives in Pendleton and calls himself “Wilkes.”

The Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) is the governing body for the sport, claiming around 80,000 members around the world. Clubs have sprung up all over the country and others have formed in other unlikely spots including England, Finland, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands.

Shooters use vintage guns or replicas of firearms originally manufactured before 1899. Handguns are single-action revolvers. Rifles must have exposed hammers. Shotguns are either double barrel or slide action.

During competition, it’s all about speed.

Electronic timers record the duration for each stage to one one-hundredth of a second. The timer starts when the Range Officer pushes the button and it beeps. The hand-held timer has a built-in microphone and records the time of each shot.

LeAnn Kemmerer, a member of the Milton-Freewater club – the Dry Gulch Desperados – used two Colt clones with rosewood handles to efficiently dispense with her targets. Kemmerer, AKA “Pinto Annie,” sported a fancy buckle that proclaims her the 2006 regional champion.

Kemmerer said she liked the camaraderie as much as the competition and enjoys an ongoing rivalry with her husband Ed.

“I beat him at the last two big matches,” she said, grinning at a Louis L’Amour look-a-like standing nearby. “It was a long ride home.”

Kemmerer said costuming is definitely part of the allure.

“Normally, you will find me in full Victorian costume,” she said.

The costume is 20 yards of material with underskirt, overskirt and two petticoats with parasols to match.

Galbreath is a 20-something shooter from Moses Lake, Wash., who competes along with his father and brother. Though he’d been a bird hunter, he only started attending the action shoots a year ago.

“You must be able to hit and hit quickly,” he said.

But, don’t take anything too seriously, he advised.

“You can’t get too serious,” Galbreath said. “No one wants to be around you if you’re in the zone all the time.”

It seems the only thing the shooters get really serious about is safety.

“Safety is a big issue,” Miller said. “People are moving with loaded guns.”

Shooters only may load their guns just prior to shooting and unload immediately. They only can point their guns in a 170-degree arc, facing downrange.

“If they go to put their pistol away and it falls to the ground,” Miller said, “that’s it – they’re disqualified from the match.”

Perin and his wife, Terri, traveled to Europe last summer to try cowboy shooting in Italy and Norway. They competed against Europeans who looked like they had stepped out of an Old West painting.

“People were just passionate about the American West,” Perin said. “When people found we were from the American West – to them, that was the ultimate.”