Practical Pistol, Shotgun and Rifle

By Bill (Edit)

Last year the Club started a new series of matches for anyone interested.  These were the Practical Pistol and Shotgun Matches.  We conducted 4 matches during the summer months with 22 different shooters participating in one or more of these matches.  The program looked like it was going to be a success, so this year we asked for 12 matches and added Practical Rifle.  We also asked for support in the form of a Friends of NRA Grant, but more about that later.  At this point I would like to thank Lane (Edit), our Club Secretary, for writing this grant for the Club.  The grant also included funding for Junior’s programs and was fully funded.  Way to go Lane!

 

Some of you may not be familiar with this form of competition.  It was developed to give competitors a chance to improve on their shooting skills for real world confrontations in a competitive environment.  The matches are designed around standard factory weapons with iron sights, with the though in mind that the game should not be a weapons race to see who can get the news and greatest race guns for these matches.  Any standard center-fire pistol in 9mm or larger will work, be it semi-auto or revolver.  You also need a secure holster and something to carry your spare ammunition, like speed-loaders or extra magazines.  As for shotguns, any sporting shotgun will work here also, but semi-auto and pumps have a slight advantage over doubles or over/under styles.  For rifles, any center-fire rifle with iron sights is all that is needed.  Again, repeaters have an advantage over single shots, but your old 30-30 Winchester lever gun would be right at home here.

 

As for targets, both paper (the ISPC style) and steel reactive targets are used.  Scoring is a little different, in that the better you hit on the paper target, the lower the score you will receive for that hit.  An “A” hit, or center-hit scores a zero, while a hit on the outer portion of the target will get you a score of three.  Steel reactive targets must be knocked down for credit, other steel targets only need to be hit.  All of this is going on under the count of an electronic timer, with matches sometimes being decided by a hundredth of second.  The lowest score wins, with time penalties for hits on “hostage” target or procedural errors.  During each of the scenarios and there are normally four for the match, a safety officer/timer will be right with you.  You will be required to fire from various positions such as standing, sitting, prone or even while moving.  The difficulty can be increased by requiring weak hand unsupported with you handgun or weak side with your long guns.  Each scenario is briefed before the competitor starts their run.  Failure to follow these instructions is considered procedural errors. Each of which will cost you 5 seconds added to your total time.  This could be nothing more that firing from the wrong position or hitting the targets in the wrong order.  Four different scenarios are used for each match, with the intention of not allowing the competitors a chance to learn any particular scenario though practicing it before the match.

 

Now for the exciting part, our competition committee submitted a request, through the club, for an NRA Grant of almost $9,000 for steel targets and electronic timers to use in support of this program.  These targets include several various styles of steel targets, all made from AR500 armor plate.  This is very hard steel and will last a very long time when used as it was designed.  There is a rack of 6 falling plates that can be reset from the firing line.  A moving-target apparatus that will allow a target to be moved along an 80-foot cable with the ability of reversing directions and increasing or slowing down the speed of the target.  There are several other variations of targets that react when struck, giving the competitor an instant response to the competitor’s shot.  Some of the targets can be set-up to only be exposed for a few seconds, or when hit to trigger the action of another target, adding more realism to the course.  Some of the targets can be adjusted to take into account the energy of the bullet striking it, thus an individual with a 9mm might have to shoot the target two times to knock it down, while the competitor with the .45 ACP could knock the target down with one hit, again adding to the realism of the competition.  There is a dueling tree that has two shooters shooting against each other with the goal of getting all six of the targets on the other competitor’s side of the post to win the competition.  All totaled there are 53 targets in 14 different styles.  The grant also included funds for three electronic timers.