There are many options when it comes to competitive shooting, including many national and international organizations that ensure a match will use the same rules no matter where you are. Such organizations include:
- International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA), United States
- Practical Shooting Association (USPSA, under the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC))
- Glock Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF)
- Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA)
- Single Action Shooting Society (SASS)
These all provide events ranging from simple to advanced. These organizations provide consistency in rules and experiences. Common scoring systems across events allow you to track your growth and skills. Beyond these organizationally sanctioned matches, many ranges provide local competitions that are also a great way to get introduced to competitive shooting.
I have spearheaded hosting sponsored (IDPA and GSSF) and unsponsored (house league, bowling pins, and single action shoots) at the range where I also serve as the training director. No matter what the level of sponsorship, any shooting match is a great place to expand your skills and comfort around shooting. Additionally, such events foster a community of individuals united in their love of shooting. At all the events we host, people hang out, encourage each other, help with the events, and just talk. There are a lot of great resources on the rules and experiences with sponsored events already available. My hope is to provide a very broad description of less structured local events and address the question: does the gun matter?
Local Shooting Events
There are many reasons a range may decide to host non-sponsored events. As such these events can vary from very simple static shooting from a gun out on a table, to very complex action shooting that involves drawing from a holster, movement, and complex courses of fire. Likely the most common local shooting events will be a house league or shoot. Leagues are usually a series of matches over weeks or months, requiring you to shoot multiple times for a final score. Shoots, by comparison, are standalone events.
House League
For example, our house league consists of four matches over four months. Final scores are averaged across these four matches. In contrast, our single action shoots and bowling pin matches are standalone events with scores tabulated at the end. These events are usually open to all levels of shooters and involve static shooting from the bench. Generally, guns are unloaded until shooters are told to ‘load and make ready.’ Then, they engage static targets, usually paper, at various distances. These shoots may be timed with time penalties added for inaccurate hits, untimed, or set time with scores based only on accuracy of hits. The course of fire of each event may vary and it may vary from league match to match (though usually within a common scoring system).
We host a house league monthly open to most center-fire handguns (semi-automatics and revolvers) with divisions for rimfire (different course of fire), stock handguns, modified (optics, etc.) handguns, revolvers, and pistol caliber carbines. Each league lasts four months
with monthly scores posted and final scores resulting in prizes. These events are somewhat timed — each portion of the course of fire must be completed in a certain time — but the final score is based on accuracy. Each round is worth from 10 points for an accurate hit to 0 for a miss on the target. We host the event for a three-hour time block on a weekday evening and shooters can come in at any time during those three hours and shoot their course of fire. It often takes five to 10 minutes and is done in groups of one to six people at a time. Many of those that compete stay longer to help with the event, encourage others, and catch up with their shooting friends.
Bowling Pin Shoot
We also host a bowling pins shoot. This is not a league but a monthly standalone event where shooters engage a series of bowling pins set up on a table. Bowling pin matches can vary in how they are conducted but are all similar in making the targets more reactive. There is just something fun about sending a bowling pin flying off a table with a good hit. Bowling pin shoots can be bracketed single or double elimination tournaments or just competitive events. Scores are time-based on how long it takes you to knock down all the pins with time penalties for pins that were not cleared.
We run our bowling pins in non-tournament form with each shooter taking three runs at the pins and taking the average of their fastest two runs for each shooter. This way everyone gets to shoot. They can show up, shoot, and leave if they want, and everyone gets a competitive score. Our bowling pins matches are even more popular than our house league as they are more dynamic, require more assistance, and have built up an even more loyal following.
Divisions for our bowling pins shoot include stock, modified (optics, etc.), revolvers, rim-fire, and heavy metal (.40 S&W, 10mm, .44 magnum, .45 ACP, etc.) handguns. All divisions except heavy metal just need to knock down all the pins; heavy metal must clear them off the table.
Is It the Gun or the Shooter? A House Shoot Examination
Recently during one of our bowling pin shoots we were discussing when shooting issues are caused by the gun (not common) compared to being caused by the shooter (much more common). I frequently say, “It’s not the gun, it is the person shooting it.” While there are advantages to certain guns in competitions, those advantages are small compared to the skills of the shooter.
At the time I was using a CZ Tactical Sport II Orange 9mm semi-automatic in Stock and a heavily modified Glock 34 (optics, compensator, rail weight, Zev trigger) in Modified. The person co-running the event was shooting similar firearms. The people shooting that day challenged us to shoot the competitions we were running with more ‘questionable’ choices. We both agreed and over the next several matches and leagues I shot a 70+-year-old military surplus Bulgarian Makarov and my friend chose a modern 9mm Hi-point.
My friend and I had been shooting full-frame guns in both competitions for the better part of a year, so we had ample pre-change data. Though we often varied exactly what gun we were using, our scores were consistently in the top three in both the house league and bowling pins matches.
In the house league, which was more focused on accuracy — generally, eight rounds at six target ranges starting at 9’ and ending at 45’ — our scores were reduced using the Makarov in my case and the Hi-Point in his. However, though this reduction did result in us both sliding out of the top three, the overall reduction in scores was less than 10% total. And this effect was primarily seen in our last two ranges (35’ and 45’).
The results were different in the bowling pin matches. With the pins set at 21’ the focus is more on speed and ‘combat accuracy.’ In this case, we retained our top three spots competing with the less-than-optimal guns as we were still able to maintain the needed accuracy and speed regardless of the weapon shot. Both of us won the competition at least once each with these guns.
Conclusions
The first thing people say when they shoot competitively for the first time is “Why didn’t I start doing this sooner.” The focus should be on having a great time, safely, while meeting a great and supportive group of people. The reasons given for putting off competitive shooting usually involve the perception that you don’t have the skills or can’t afford the ‘right’ gun. I am here to tell you all levels of shooters compete, and I have never heard anything other than encouragement from those who may have more practice than you.
Additionally, though the gun may matter a little, that amount is small. As long as you have a firearm that has the needed capacity, then you are ready to go. Many of the people at our events just use their everyday carry guns as they are more interested in building their familiarity with their chosen firearm than trying to win. Whatever your personal goals, find a local event and sign up today!
