Gladstone gunslingers shoot it out

It wasn't yet high noon nor was it any wrangle over council amalgamation when Wairarapa's three mayors clutched rifles and took aim at "Tombstone" on Saturday.
Masterton's Garry Daniell, Carterton's Gary McPhee and South Wairarapa's Adrienne Staples each potted a steel buffalo to officially mark this year's 13th "Trail's End" wild west shooting weekend at Gladstone.
The "Very Reverend" Neil Hayes, who annually organises the Frontier and Western Shooting Sports Association championship, was more than blown away by the calibre of the trio's shooting finesse.
While Mr Daniell and Ms Staples scored direct hits on the static beast using a vintage single shot Sharps rifle mounted on a bi-pod, the ever-cavalier Mr McPhee made the shot trusting his steady shoulder and sure aim. The mayoral shoot-off was just one of many memorable moments of the three-day event, which attracted more than 100 gunslingers from across the country.
The Times-Age found the venue without much hassle a colt revolver painted on a hung sign just past the Gladstone Inn aimed toward a deftly constructed graveyard boasting a who's who of Wild West outlaws and peacemakers.
Having driven past the "Boot Hill", the air echoed with the booms and blasts of an ear-splitting chorus of pre-1899 lever-action rifles, six-shooters and side-by-side shotguns being gleefully unloaded on a ridge-side range.
The first gunman to come into view was a goateed cow-poke ducking around the "Tombstone County Court" toting a replica Winchester.
With the constant clamour of gunfire, it proved a little difficult to ask directions to Mr Hayes, who was eventually found enjoying a three-gun shoot-off under a marquee filled with frontier-era firearms for sale.
While the most fiercely contested challenge was the three-stage round which combined pistols, rifles and shotguns, one of Mr Hayes' favourite stages was the race to chop a log in half contested at once by four teams of seven shooters.
"It gets a bit loud when you've got 28 guns blasting away at once. I think the record at the moment is 19 seconds. When you're shooting with something as powerful as a 45-70, I tell you, it doesn't take long.
"As far as shooting goes these days, I'm slow but accurate. Now, I just come for the food and the fun," he said.
Mr Hayes reckoned the site, forged by an old riverbed, is the safest firing range in the country and an old photograph at the Gladstone Inn indicated it had been used as one since 1898.
"We've had some good times here over the years. Just a few Trails Ends' ago, we married a young cowboy and cowgirl here."
Friday saw a more solemn ceremony when the posse gathered at the foot of Boot Hill to mark the passing of three cowboys during the year.