As the shadows shorten on a hot summer day and the hands of the town clock crawl menacingly toward high noon, Marshal Will Kane’s (Gary Cooper) cold blue eyes turn yet more steely as he realizes he will confront four killers bent on revenge and he will be all alone.

Western classics from the 1950s such as “High Noon” had a part in the fascination in the cowboy’s stock in trade: the Colt six-gun and Winchester rifle. At least one firearms manufacturer, Bill Ruger, predicated his business on the Colt Single Action Army revolver – the “cowboy six-gun” or the “peacemaker” of ’50s-era western movies and TV shows.

Aficionados of the Old West gathered Sunday morning at the Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club to take turns firing single-action Colts (and replicas of Colts) at steel plates placed 10 yards from the firing line into a field, as part of the relatively new Cowboy Action Shooting sport. Some of them even came clad pretty much like Gary Cooper in “High Noon.”

Like Civil War re-enactments in its appeal, Cowboy Action Shooting has been gaining a following nationally in recent years. Some fans are drawn by the history and romance of the Wild West with its fast-shooting cowboys and cowgirls, guns such as the Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver, and the Stetson hats, long coats, intricately tooled holsters and other fancy getup. Others simply like the more laid-back shooting style of the period.

After firing five rounds, then reloading and firing another three at the plates with the six-guns, the shooters would reach for their trusty Winchester lever guns to try their luck at targets about 75 feet into the field. The ranges are short, but the object was not all competition, but more of a chance for shooters to get together for a relaxing weekend match. In this case, it was also an open house and clinic where anyone interested in the fast-growing sport could watch and even try a few shots. Plenty of new fans turned out besides club members, and they all shot.

Unlike “High Noon” where Gary Cooper’s character decides to fire from around corners of buildings and in whatever direction necessary to get the job done, competitors in Cowboy Action Shooting are required to stand facing their targets and to follow very specific safety rules that guarantee a fun and safe day at the range.

Chris Kravitt of Waltham, one of the organizers for Sunday’s shoot, very carefully explained that at no time would a shooter point a firearm anywhere but downrange and that guns would be loaded only at certain times and under supervision of range directors.

That is what is expected in all shooting sports and competitions, so no one showing up at a cowboy shoot should feel like … ahem … The Lone Ranger. Unlike the western movie depiction of the running gunfight down Main Street, through the livery stable and into the cattle pens at the edge of town, in real life the range officers disqualify anyone displaying any unsafe gun-handling habits.

Once past the topic of safety, which is considered the most important part of the match, Kravitt explained that the sport is one of re-enactment. Some very real scenarios are written for each match, based on real-life, Old-West confrontations (again, sans the shooting-in-any-old-direction part that probably played a big part in such shootouts, but which is not practical for the re-enactor).

Some shoots are based on fiction, too. A John Wayne Western will be the theme of one shoot and some of Wayne’s very crusty colloquialisms may surface during the day. One that Dan “Dangerous Dan” Koch of Ellsworth, another organizer, wants to get into the script is the line, “Fill yer hand!” from “True Grit” – sometimes, people just have to bring a little humor to these matches, organizers agreed.

Sunday’s story line was about a shooter who was a gold prospector panning a river in 1849 California. Suddenly, he (or she) sees bright yellow nuggets in the pan. “Gold!” he cries out. Just then, a gang of n’er do wells bursts from the bushes and prepares to fall on the prospector who, luckily, has brought along his Colt, Winchester rifle and a shotgun.

The shooter stands at an electronic command (there is an electronic timer to provide one basis for score – the best shooting time) and begins to shoot with the six-gun at five steel plates representing his assailants.

There also is a dress code to follow for the Cowboy Action follower. This is not a come-as-you-are sport. Western-style hats, boots and holsters are required, although work boots will do, too, Kravitt said.

The shooter can be really low budget and get his Stetson at the local department store for $20 or less, and maybe some Wellington boots for $40.

Some go all-out. One man bought a real Stetson for $140. It had a nice, velvety feel, almost like butter. But at $140, a hard old felt hat from the local five-and-dime will do just as well and leave the shooter some cash for ammo.

The revolvers are only single-action firearms commonly used in the 1880s to 1900 – no automatics are allowed. The rifles must be actions from the same period – most commonly, the lever action. Sunday’s shoot brought out a replica 1873 Winchester, with its handsome case-hardened receiver and nicely fitted wood butt- and forestocks, and there was a handsome 1866 Winchester, commonly called the Yellow Boy because of its brilliantly polished brass receiver reflecting golden sunlight.

Since period firearms may be too rare and valuable to shoot, or be in a condition that forbids firing them for safety’s sake, replicas are mostly used. Ruger six-guns are made in many calibers and the most favored styles are the new Ruger “Vaquero” and the Ruger Bisley, a loose copy of the Colt Bisley, which was the target six-shooter of its day. Other single-action Rugers, one of Ruger’s Blackhawks, or any replica of a Colt Single Action Army may be used and in any caliber. Sunday’s shoot brought out some .44-40s, .45s and even some .44-caliber magnums.

One shooter brought a replica of a Colt 1851 Navy, a .36-caliber percussion revolver popular during and before the Civil War that used black powder. Another used black powder in rifle loads, creating a fog of gray smoke at the firing line – very common in the last half of the 19th century before smokeless powder was either invented or commonly used. Black powder was used well into the 20th century in many rifle and pistol loads.

The period shotgun also is something required for the cowboy shoots. Some brought side-by-side doubles in 12- and 20-gauge and one brought a Winchester lever-action shotgun in 10-gauge from the 1890s. Typical shotguns might include an 1897 Winchester pump, but never an over-under shotgun, nor any autoloaders, which came after the period being re-created in the cowboy matches.

Down the range a few feet, shooters were firing at targets that spun when hit, making follow-up shots more difficult and the action more interesting for onlookers.

There are many scenarios and many different targets available to shoot. To compete during a full match, bring one six-gun and 50 rounds, a rifle and 50 rounds and a shotgun and 25 rounds of No.8 or smaller shot.

The next shoot will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 2, called the Summer Jubilee Cowboy Shoot with five stages. There will be fun stages, a costume contest, prizes, side shoots and more. There may even be a “gunfighter” class, but as in all matches involving firearms, strict safety rules apply and severe penalties will be exacted – you might be sent packing if you misbehave.

John Hubbard is a competitive shooter in NRA bullseye and has been a top shooter in state matches. So far, however, he has avoided wearing cowboy duds and a six-gun in public. But that may change soon. Miller Pearsall, photographer for the Sunday shoot, picked up a six-gun and a rifle and shot a nearly perfect score, even though she said she never shot a gun before.