Do you or have you participated in Competitive Shooting?

[Nkawu]

I was on my University Bisley rifle team in South Africa (.22lr prone at 50m) and competed at Provincial and National competitions. I can’t say I miss being strapped up in that jacket with my arm going numb, but I learned some valuable skills.

 

[Osama Mahdi]

Shooting my "Dragon Claw".
It can hit with easy a target at 1600 yards

 

[318AE]

I shot small bore prone and three position in college, including competing at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado, and was fortunate to be part of a US record setting team. I was also trained as a NRA rifle coach. This was all before I was commissioned in the US Army.

It provided lots of experience with open or iron sights, oddly sometimes in poor light conditions, as some of the indoor ranges were poorly light. I’m likely more comfortable with iron sights as a result, and that can translate to DG hunting.

With thousands and thousands of rounds in competition, you certainly learn that if the shot doesn’t look and feel right when you pull the trigger, it doesn’t get any better on the way down the barrel or on the way to the target. I think that translates too, as making the first shot count is really the paramount rule on DG.

 

[mdwest]

A variety of sports over the years..

As a younger guy I did IDPA and ISPC for a few years… also did a bit of 3 Gun for a little while…

Got into some long range stuff for a few years in my mid 30’s…

Have recently gotten into shotgun sports… mostly focused on sporting clays and skeet.. but also play trap a bit… but not really competing so much as going out and shooting the courses occasionally… and asst coaching / training a HS team a couple of days a week…

 

[Alistair]

Yup, that's how I got into shooting.

My father bought me my first air rifle at around 8 or so and I did FT and HFT disciplines with air rifles from 8-15 or so. That progressed into English Sporting clays with the secondary school team and my university team from 13-21 during which time I got my own Shotgun cert and guns. I also did all the marksmanship awards and competitions with Cadets at secondary school. I did a bit of beating (acting as part of the team flushing pheasants for driven game days) during this time and got to shoot on 'beaters day' myself in return.

Once I got to uni I met a friend who was a member at a range and started full bore competitions, doing F class, FTR, the running deer/boar discipline, Sporting Rifle comps, McQueens/ Practical rifle comps, some Black powder stuff and Cowboy Rifle. I dabbled a little in PRS in that time as well. This eventually lead to me getting my own Fire Arm Certificate and rifles and resulted in some deer stalking and driven pheasant opportunities with my friends form the club.

Now I'm slowly getting into some practical pistol and 2 gun stuff here in the states.

I'd say I'm still more of a competition shooter than a hunter really, but I do very much enjoy the hunting aspects of the sport as well. Obviously a fair bit of the technical aspects of shooting translate very well, as does range estimation, positional shooting, moving target stuff.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

I'd say I'm still more of a competition shooter than a hunter really

I know what you mean. While I know how to set up a deadly ambush, I am a far, far better marksman than I ever will be a hunter... That's what a Professional Hunter is for!!!

 

[buffybr]

I've always liked to shoot and my Dad bought me my first BB gun and .22 rifle, but we weren't a shooting or hunting family so I didn't shoot much until I was in college.

When I was in the Army, I was one of the top shooters in my training companies through Basic, AIT, and OCS. When I got home from Vietnam in 1970 I still had 9 months on my enlistment so I was stationed at Fort Sill, OK. While there I bought my first centerfire pistols, a Ruger .357 Blackhawk and a Gov't model 1911.

I used to go to the Base pistol range a couple of afternoons a week and shoot my .45. A week before my enlistment was up, the Base pistol team Sargeant saw me shooting and asked me to try out for the team, but all that I could think about was getting out.

The day that I left Vietnam I ordered my first shotgun, a Miroku 12 ga O/U. Once back home I joined a Trap club mainly to learn how to shoot my new shotgun. That led to shooting in Trap leagues, and then in the '80 to registered Trap shooting.

I shot my way up to my 27 yard punch in Handicap and Class A and AA in Singles and Doubles. I remember one State Shoot where I shot 199 in 16 yard Singles and didn't even get into a shoot off as there were 6 guys that shot 200s.

Then in the mid '80s we put a Skeet field in at our range, and I began shooting more Skeet than Trap. After a few years of shooting Skeet I worked my way up to Class A and AA in all four gauges and Doubles. I made the Montana All State Skeet 2nd Team in 1998 and missed making it again in '99 because I was 100 targets short of the minimum needed in .410 and didn't do the last shoot that year as I went Dall sheep hunting in Canada.

Through my shotgun competition years I was shooting at least 10,000 shells per year and I think that my overall number of shotshells that I reloaded and shot is somewhere between 250-300,000 shells. I don't think that I could even find enough components today to shoot that much.

 

[Don458]

What competitive shooting have you done? There are many of us who were or are very serious competitors. How do the fundamentals of marksmanship and competition techniques enable your shooting of dangerous game rifles? Let’s discuss?

I first started competing in a German shutzenverein , Anshultz 22 @ 25yds. I started shooting uspsa comp about 6 yrs ago in the limited division and love it . Also do 2gun and 3 gun matches. All fast moving and Running/shooting . I wish I started at a younger age but what you going to do?

What competitive shooting have you done? There are many of us who were or are very serious competitors. How do the fundamentals of marksmanship and competition techniques enable your shooting of dangerous game rifles? Let’s discuss?

 

[Alistair]

Through my shotgun competition years I was shooting at least 10,000 shells per year and I think that my overall number of shotshells that I reloaded and shot is somewhere between 250-300,000 shells. I don't think that I could even find enough components today to shoot that much.

Heh, I feel that. I was president of the Clay shooting society at Uni and part of that involved managing finances and purchasing cartridges.

Walking into the local gun shop and special ordering 20,000 at a time was an interesting experience, as was having to organize an explosive licensed courier to show up in a truck to deliver them to my uni halls. Then there was all the fun of having to look up the maximum amount of explosives that could be legally stored at a residential property, running the figures of charge weight per cartridge and splitting storage across 5 different club members in various dorms to comply. Then the interesting conversation when you brought a girl home and she'd ask why your wardrobe, under the bed and on top of all the dressers was stacked high with shotgun cartridges!

Fun times...

 

[Shooter375]

While I have shot all my life, the only competition shooting I participated in was during the early 90's in high school in South Africa. We competed with Anshultz 22 rifles at 25yds. That was a great time. We could shoot four times a week after school. Free ammo. Then on the weekends we would compete against other high schools. Matches could come down to a single miss of the .22 caliber bullseye. While I think that all shooting helps develop shooting skills this competition shooting didn't help me shoot big game as much as shooting a pellet gun off hand. I first shot a bird with a pellet gun at age 3 and had my own pellet gun by age 6. I shot hundreds of birds with a pellet gun. This helped me develop my skill of getting into position and taking the shot that has served me well over the course of my big game hunting endeavors.

 

[ZG47]

Fair

I shot competitively as a youth and in the marines too. I think most the responses are missing the question as to “How do the fundamentals of marksmanship and competition techniques enable your shooting of dangerous game rifles?” For me it’s knowing the level and type of practice needed to be proficient. I have a routine very similar to what I did to compete. No different than I did, and still do, for different disciplines w a rifle, pistol or shotgun.

After I find the right load for my weapon (only now the proper bullet is more important than accuracy), I’m off the bench. I go to the ranch twice a week for several months before my hunt. I practice situations that may occur in the field. Off sticks, off hand, kneeling and some prone. I’ll shot at 100, 50 and 25 yards in succession. Then reverse it out to 200. Also rapid fire at short distance. And of course, slow and well priced shots. Given the price of ammo and recoil, my sessions are generally around a dozen rounds. It’s all about frequency and having a deliberate plan.

Fair enough about missing the point. I couldn’t sleep and completed my response at 05:17 local time! I will see how this thread develops, before composing a response on exactly how my competitive training and shooting has helped me in the field i.e., I will be fully awake next time.

 

[7x57Joe]

In 1967 or thereabouts, I took up Bullseye competition and later on NRA Highpower Rifle competition until my old eyes just couldn't make out the iron sights anymore. I know my offhand shooting skills were really good back then and I was very confident in making the offhand shots.

 

[PARA45]

I shot expert on the Air Force qualification with the M-16, 38 spc and then the Berreta 9mm. Off the record, I shot numerous other weapons, when I was station in Sicily.

During my off time, I shot IPSC for several years, using a Para P16 in 40 Cal on the standard division, and used a a custom 38 Spr race gun for the open class. I also shot NRA High Power Rifle using a Springfield Armory M1A, customized by Gunny Hook. I’m sure some of you high power rifle shooters prob knew of him. Never met him, but spoke to him on the phone when was building my M1A.

 

[Tracey Colson]

I have been shooting trap since '89. Started when I was in college in Nebraska and somebody said there was a trap club in town. Learned to shoot trap on white targets under the lights with a great group of guys. Shot my first registered trap in '98, have given it up twice as finances wouldn't permit it. I shoot around 8,000 shotgun shells a year right now, reload most but that is becoming harder to do with the current state of affairs. I have managed to make the Wyoming State Trapshooting Team twice in the last three years and would have made it the third year but fell just short of having enough targets to qualify because of 1)trying to run a side business to pay for it, and 2) my first trip to Africa. I will trade the State team buckle for that trip every time.

 

[mdwest]

Off the record, I shot numerous other weapons, when I was station in Sicily.

Lots of .mil personnel shoot their weapons extensively when assigned to posts in Italy….

Or… so I’ve been told anyway

 

[shootist~]

Skeet
IHMSA
Bullseye
USPSA/IPSC
Texas Tactical (duty gear or actual concealed carry, only)
3-Gun (SOF rules were my preferred)
Sporting Clays
Professional Plinker

Jack of many, master of none.

The Professional Plinker title (shooting steel and paper from the sticks), along with 3-Gun, applies the best, IMO. Will find out this coming June.

 

[Puddle]

My competitive shooting started on my high school rifle team from 1972 to 1976. Way back then, many schools in Pennsylvania, upstate New York, Ohio and other states had rifle teams. Our mentors, sponsors, and coaches were members of Greatest Generation, veterans of World War II. Can you imagine a rifle team as a varsity sport in today’s world?

Ditto, only earlier than you. Depending on time of year it was air rifle, rimfire, and M1 Garand. All out in the "Big Empty" of central Oregon. Then Uncle Sam came calling.

These days it's the quarterly Big Bore shoots. Stiff competition for who'll be chipping in for the coffee afterwards. If the nice lady who owns the local Hallmark store makes an appearance, I know she'll be drinking coffee for free.

BTW, I was the first to bring a 9.3x62mm to the soiree...

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

I like the idea of Big Bore competition! @Kevin Peacocke mentioned a quarterly big bore shoot in ZImbabwe.

I recently joined SCI and was informed of their local shooting competitions. I asked about a big bore shoot and got a blank look. That may be a great venue to organize one.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Get is as good a position as possible and include;

Bone support (as much as possible, the sticks are artificial bones..)
Muscular relaxation (really important not to fight the recoil of a dangerous game gun)
Natural point of aim

Then

Focus on the front sight, intensely!
Align in the rear sight up and down, left and right. (a red dot or scope makes these two steps much easier)
Properly aim the sight, dot, or crosshairs at the target.

Squeeze the trigger without disturbing the sight alignment and aiming point (sight picture)
Provide consistent follow through during recoil (consistent opposition to recoil)

In a Junior Shooting Program that I ran and coached at Quantico during 1984 to 1988, Gary Anderson, 2-time Olympic 300 Meter Gold Medalist would bring his kids. Gary would just sit back and do paperwork while I coached all the kids. I did get to converse with him quite a bit while the kids were changing targets and cleaning up the range. The most important thing I remember was his confirmation that in shooting one has to MASTER the fundamentals of marksmanship. The most basic (other than safety) of which I listed above.

Or one could to refer to Mark Sullivan's video of "Handling a Double Rifle". His catch line is:
"When in a fight, front sight"

I've never participated in formal competitive shooting. I've shot a LOT of PPC and combat courses day and night with initially a revolver and for many years now, a pistol in my former career and current employment. I've always qualified Master for what that's worth. Anyway, I watched this video on Mark Sullivan. I'm not a video watching guy and this is the first Sullivan video I've seen. I've read here on AH some flattering and even more disparaging remarks on Sullivan's hunting "style". I'm not debating that. What I did gather from this video, is Sullivan's LEARNED simplicity as to his weapon and gear and even more importantly, his LEARNED "repetitive efficiency" with his weapon, hunting style and psychological "mindset". I've never hunted DG and probably never will, but whether it's a handgun or rifle in a potentially deadly situation, what Mark Sullivan has learned and applies when hunting DG, crosses over into any dangerous situation and helps keep one alive in those situations.

 

[xausa]

Where is the picture from??

Da Nang, Republic of Viet Nam, 1965.
I was in charge of clearing a 300 meter wide swath around the perimeter of the air base of all civilian structures, of which there were 826, all inhabitants, of which there were approximately 5000 and all graves, which numbered around 6000. The Vietnamese worshiped their ancestors and had to have access to their graves, so we relocated them a good distance from the scene of the action.
The policeman in the photo was my Vietnamese counterpart.
Most of the houses were flimsy bamboo structures, which could be dismantled and loaded in the back of a 6X6 truck, along with the family and their possessions. Part of my job was to round up every day 20 such trucks from the various battalion motor pools.
The house in the right side of the photo was an exception. It resisted efforts to topple it with a six-by and further investigation revealed that it had been built on top of a concrete bunker, built by the French, at one end of the runway. We had to get the engineers to blow it up and stopped take offs and landings while that was going on. The debris went a good distance in the air when the engineers touched off their charge.
I had an office and a desk, but I was seldom seated behind it. ,usually at night, when I was on the phone, trying to round up trucks.
The reason for the hurry was the night I arrived at the base a team of North Vietnamese sappers (engineers) cut through the chain link fence surrounding the base and blew up several very valuable airplanes, as well as killing several Air Force personnel. I spent a good part of the night in a slit trench near the barracks, watching the fireworks display and expecting to be involved at any minute.
The job took over four months to complete.