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2011 US Annual Vol. 28, No. 1A<br />
FREE!<br />
Lean Into<br />
<strong>Excitement</strong><br />
2011 Annual Issue<br />
2011 Annual Issue
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES PRACTICAL SHOOTING ASSOCIATION<br />
FRONT<br />
SIGHT<br />
Interested in USPSA Shooting?<br />
Welcome to the world of<br />
USPSA! In this annual issue<br />
you will find plenty<br />
of information about our<br />
sport. Founded in the mid 1970s, our<br />
sport has matured every year. Today<br />
more than 19,000 active members participate<br />
at some 360 local clubs. USPSA<br />
forms the largest of 60-plus regions in<br />
the International Practical Shooting<br />
Confederation.<br />
Handgun shooting is the usual focus<br />
of our competitions and we have<br />
six separate divisions to cater to just<br />
about every type of handgun you may<br />
wish to shoot. Our stages combine<br />
some athleticism with a larger emphasis<br />
on safe gun handling through speed<br />
and accuracy. Our classification system<br />
allows competition among shooters of<br />
like skill level. Rifle, shotgun, precision<br />
COVER STORY<br />
8 FOCUS ON: Divisions, Which One For You?<br />
By Robin Taylor, USPSA Staff<br />
Cover: S&W’s Phil Strader leans out for a shot at the 2010 Open/Limited-10 Nationals<br />
in Las Vegas, Nev. His S&W single-stack .45 with 10-shot magazines carried him to<br />
fifth overall in Limited-10 division. (Photo by Robin Taylor, USPSA Staff.)<br />
FEATURE STORIES<br />
2 USPSA’s Credo= Speed, 10 USPSA Ladies’ Zone<br />
Power, and Accuracy 14 Steel Challenge!<br />
4 Learning The Rules 18 USPSA Goes Multi-Gun<br />
6 Getting the Club 19 3-Gun Aggregates<br />
Connection<br />
22 USPSA’s Classifications<br />
7 Scholastic Steel Chall. 24 Biography: Tasha Hanish<br />
8 Understanding the 30 S&W Steel Nationals<br />
Divisions<br />
32 Membership Application<br />
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS<br />
Area 1 Chuck Anderson area1@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 2 Chris Endersby area2@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 3 Sherwyn Greenfield area3@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 4 Phil Strader area4@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 5 Gary Stevens area5@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 6 Linda Chico area6@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
rifle and 3-Gun<br />
matches also fall<br />
within USPSA’s<br />
rules. Our range<br />
officers are certified<br />
to provide<br />
safe and fair<br />
competitions.<br />
Michael Voigt,<br />
USPSA President<br />
and past 3-Gun<br />
Champion<br />
USPSA<br />
members receive<br />
Front Sight magazine,<br />
USPSA’s<br />
80-page publication<br />
on practical shooting. We’ve taken<br />
some of the best parts of Front Sight<br />
and condensed them into this 32-page<br />
miniature. We’ve tailored it just for<br />
shooters who have never competed in<br />
USPSA events.<br />
Come, be our guests, read on!<br />
Area 7 Rob Boudrie area7@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Area 8 Harry Foltz area8@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
DNROI John Amidon dnroi@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Pres. Mike Voigt president@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
ED Dave Thomas dave@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Front Sight Magazine<br />
New Shooter Annual for 2011<br />
Vol. 28, No. 1A<br />
Publisher - USPSA/IPSC, INC.<br />
President<br />
Exec. Director<br />
Vice President<br />
Mike Voigt<br />
Dave Thomas<br />
John Amidon<br />
Editorial Staff<br />
Editor<br />
Dave Thomas<br />
Assistant Editor Robin Taylor<br />
Special Projects Roger Maier<br />
Advertising Staci Pulver<br />
Copyright © 2011 The United States Practical<br />
Shooting Association/ IPSC, Inc. All<br />
rights reserved. Duplication of contents in<br />
full or part is prohibited unless prior authorization<br />
has been obtained by writing to<br />
USPSA/IPSC.<br />
FRONT SIGHT (ISSN 0889681x) is published<br />
bi-monthly for USPSA members by:<br />
USPSA/IPSC Inc., 702A Metcalf St., Sedro<br />
Woolley WA 98284.<br />
Annual Membership dues (U.S. and its possessions)<br />
$40, Foreign $50. $18 of dues goes<br />
toward a one year subscription to FRONT<br />
SIGHT.<br />
Unless an advertisement in this publication<br />
contains a specific endorsement by USPSA,<br />
it has not been tested by, approved by or endorsed<br />
by USPSA. Therefore, if you purchase<br />
goods or services advertised in<br />
FRONT SIGHT and the goods or services<br />
are not satisfactory or as advertised, USPSA,<br />
its officers, agents or employees disclaim all<br />
liability for any consequential injuries or<br />
damages.<br />
USPSA Office<br />
PO Box 811, Sedro Woolley WA 98284<br />
Phone (360) 855-2245<br />
FAX (360) 855-0380<br />
web page http://www.<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
e-mail<br />
office@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Office hours - 8 am to 5 pm Pacific<br />
President’s Office<br />
6802 Burke Ct, Chino CA 91710-6206<br />
Phone (909) 548-3355<br />
FAX (909) 266-8005<br />
Office hours - 9 am to 5 pm Pacific<br />
1
USPSA=<br />
Speed, Power,<br />
and Accuracy<br />
by Robin Taylor, USPSA Staff<br />
Blend those three elements, and you have what we<br />
believe is the most dynamic shooting sport ever<br />
devised. USPSA shooting grew out of the “combat<br />
shooting” and “leatherslap” matches held in<br />
the American Southwest. Part fast-draw, part “combat”<br />
course, the details of its evolution are laid out in the<br />
USPSA handbook.<br />
Today USPSA shooting maintains a connection to its<br />
combat shooting roots, but we understand that the game<br />
we play is just that, a game. We use big silhouette targets,<br />
but the odds of anyone being assaulted by an angry mob<br />
of brown paper cutouts on sticks are remote.<br />
In keeping with its roots, USPSA strives to use “practical”<br />
equipment such as that in use by military and law enforcement<br />
shooters worldwide. Competition-only modifications<br />
are common in some divisions, and colorful uniforms<br />
are seen at big matches. USPSA shooting is a sport, but like<br />
fencing or wrestling, it’s a sport with a martial history.<br />
Most of our competitions focus on skill with a handgun,<br />
but rifle and shotgun matches have become steadily more<br />
popular in recent years. Law enforcement and military<br />
shooters are a natural part of our audience, but they represent<br />
only a small fraction of USPSA competitors worldwide.<br />
(Photo by Robin Taylor)<br />
Speedy Reload: Blake Miguez’s<br />
finger is well clear of the trigger, as<br />
it must be while loading. Otherwise,<br />
he will be disqualified.<br />
(Photo by Roger Maier.)<br />
USPSA President Michael Voigt snatches his pistol<br />
from a table. Table starts are common in USPSA.<br />
Scoring<br />
USPSA shooting revolves around a “points per second”<br />
concept called “hit factor.” To get a hit factor, we take into<br />
account three factors: Speed, Power, and Accuracy.<br />
Each competitor shoots the course of fire against the<br />
clock. When finished, the range officers record the shooter’s<br />
time (speed), and record where the shots impacted on the<br />
targets (accuracy). They record any penalties, then forward<br />
that information up to the stats shack, where points are assigned<br />
to the hits based on your ammunition (power). (.40<br />
S&W and larger scores as “major,” 9mm, .38 Special, and<br />
some light .40 S&W loads score as “minor.”) The resulting<br />
point total is divided by the time, and voila! we have a points<br />
per second score, or “hit factor.”<br />
Most local club matches involve from four to six short<br />
courses called “stages,” and a shooter will end up with a separate<br />
“hit factor” for each one.<br />
Scoring officials will later compare the hit factors on each<br />
course, and give the maximum points to the shooter with the<br />
highest “hit factor.” Other shooters are awarded points<br />
based on how their hit factor compares to the highest one.<br />
(90 percent of the top hit factor earns 90 percent of the<br />
points, for example.) All the points for each stage are added<br />
up, and the shooter with the most total “match points” wins!<br />
The math sounds more complicated than it really is, and<br />
USPSA provides our clubs with a PC-based<br />
scoring program to help keep it all straight.<br />
Don’t Miss<br />
While it may sound like speed is everything,<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
USPSA shooters’ favorite cliche’ declares:<br />
“You can’t miss fast enough to<br />
win.”<br />
Should you leave a miss, or hit a<br />
penalty target, you will lose points<br />
rapidly. An “A” hit on the target (we<br />
score A, B, C, D) earns 5 points. For<br />
each MISS, you will be penalized 10<br />
points. So not only do you not get the<br />
5 points possible, you LOSE a further<br />
10. Hits on penalty targets are worth a<br />
further 10-point penalty. Do the math,<br />
and you will see that the need for accuracy<br />
in USPSA shooting is very real.<br />
Much More Than “Shooting”<br />
USPSA competition involves more<br />
than just “shooting.” Shooters are required<br />
to draw, move, reload, negotiate<br />
obstacles, analyze the course AND<br />
shoot. The timer doesn’t stop until<br />
you’ve finished doing all those things,<br />
AND fired your last shot. If your gun<br />
malfunctions, it’s up to you to fix it<br />
safely — and fast. If you need to reload,<br />
same problem. There are no<br />
breaks or “alibis” for anything short of<br />
range equipment failure and safety.<br />
USPSA competition stresses gun handling<br />
just as heavily as it stresses shooting,<br />
and our courses will force you to<br />
do a lot of it. It’s thrilling, and something<br />
we’re sure you’ll enjoy.<br />
What About Safety?<br />
USPSA shooters are sticklers<br />
for safety — much more so<br />
than in many other shooting<br />
sports. For example, when you<br />
attend a match and aren’t either<br />
shooting, or working on<br />
your pistol in the “safety area,”<br />
your pistol must remain in the<br />
holster, unloaded, the entire<br />
time. Breaking this rule leads<br />
to immediate disqualification.<br />
Pointing a firearm (empty or<br />
not) at yourself, at another<br />
person, or anywhere uprange<br />
of the firing line also leads to<br />
immediate disqualification,<br />
and two range officers watch<br />
you as you shoot. The same applies<br />
to a half-dozen other<br />
safety rules, all of which work<br />
in concert to give USPSA its exemplary<br />
safety record.<br />
Points/Time = “Hit Factor”<br />
20 Points/ 10 Seconds = 2.0 “Hit Factor”<br />
As a rule, USPSA shooters<br />
are intolerant of unsafe gunhandling<br />
— they expect to be<br />
able to compete in a safe environment,<br />
and<br />
sloppy gunhandling<br />
everyone<br />
risk.<br />
puts<br />
at<br />
That said, don’t worry about getting<br />
disqualified. Before you shoot<br />
your first match, the host club will<br />
show you the ropes. They’ll run you<br />
through a “safety orientation” or<br />
“safety check” to aquaint you with<br />
their range and all the necessary rules,<br />
Safe scrambling. Check out Travis<br />
Tomasie’s shooting hand. See how he<br />
points his pistol safely downrange and<br />
keeps his finger well outside the trigger<br />
guard? USPSA requires this any time you<br />
move with a gun in hand. (Photo by Robin Taylor.)<br />
check your gear, and walk you through<br />
some shooting exercises. We all want<br />
you to succeed, and to have a good<br />
time doing it.<br />
To find a club near you, go to the<br />
USPSA website (www.USPSA.org), or<br />
give us a call here in Sedro Woolley,<br />
Wash., at (360) 855-2245. We’ll be<br />
happy to put you together with a handful<br />
of local club contacts. We have<br />
roughly 360 clubs across the United<br />
States, and in several countries<br />
around the world.<br />
Simple equipment, or high-tech? We do both. Annette<br />
Aysen (left) drives a S&W .45 ACP revolver. JJ Racaza (right)<br />
fields a custom-built, scope-sighted, recoil-compensated<br />
2011 in .38 Super Comp. (Photos by Roger Maier and Robin Taylor.)<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
3
Learning The<br />
RULES<br />
By John Amidon, NROI DIRECTOR<br />
dnroi@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
Rules occupy a major part of<br />
any game, and it’s my job as<br />
Director of the National<br />
Range Officer Institute<br />
(NROI) to interpret those rules for<br />
USPSA, and to assist in the training of<br />
range officers.<br />
I won’t go into the details of rules<br />
here, you’re much better off to get a<br />
rule book of your own then ask questions<br />
of the competitors in your area.<br />
You will get a rule book free with membership,<br />
or you can buy a copy direct<br />
from USPSA, or download one from<br />
www.USPSA .org.<br />
NROI-certified range officers will<br />
be seen in uniform at the larger Areaand<br />
National-level events. However,<br />
the entire RO cadre competes actively.<br />
They only put aside their guns when<br />
it’s time to help run events. The range<br />
officer corps forms the backbone of the<br />
volunteer infrastructure at a great<br />
many clubs. The best ones are often<br />
asked to travel to major events, and our<br />
people are frequently tapped by the International<br />
Range Officer Association<br />
(IROA) to officiate the major shoots<br />
worldwide (including the tri-annual<br />
world championship matches). NROI<br />
certification carries a certain cachet<br />
within the USPSA/IPSC world, particularly<br />
if the RO develops a reputation<br />
for being calm, knowledgeable, and<br />
fair.<br />
To become a range officer, we ask<br />
that you compete actively in USPSA<br />
matches for approximately one year.<br />
Prospective ROs then attend a level 1<br />
certification class (usually over a weekend)<br />
where they are taught the nuts<br />
and bolts of being an official, and are<br />
tested on their knowledge of the rules.<br />
(Photo by Robin Taylor)<br />
ROs Mitchell Welte and Frank<br />
Thompson working out the scores.<br />
CRO status can be gained by correspondence,<br />
but we recommend attending<br />
a level 2 seminar if that’s possible.<br />
Hierarchy Of Officials<br />
USPSA’s volunteer officials come in<br />
several flavors, all of which are trained<br />
and certified by NROI.<br />
1. Range Officers - Certified by<br />
NROI, Range Officers perform<br />
most of the “refereeing” seen at a<br />
USPSA match. They carry the<br />
(Above photo by Dave Thomas, left photo courtesy of Timo McKeown)<br />
NROI officials cover the top national events and travel<br />
abroad. At left, Finnish competitor Timo McKeown runs<br />
under the watchful eyes of an IROA official at World Shoot<br />
XV, held in Bali, Indonesia. Above, chrono experts Ken<br />
Skeeters and Greg Lent pose with the “Chrono Coffin”<br />
used to test competitors’ ammunition at our nationals.<br />
4<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
timer, check equipment, score targets, and<br />
help make sure the competitor plays in a safe<br />
manner.<br />
2. Chief Range Officers - CRO’s are the<br />
Sergeants of the Range Officer corps. They<br />
have supplemental training in course design<br />
and range operations. They normally serve as<br />
the chief range officer on a stage, overseeing<br />
the activities of the two range officers under<br />
him.<br />
3. Range Masters - Have extensive supplemental<br />
training in range operations, arbitrations,<br />
staff management, squadding, and the various<br />
fine points of the rules. RM candidates are assigned<br />
a mentor, and over the course of a year<br />
they will complete an extensive program of<br />
correspondence and on-the-job training.<br />
RM’s oversee the officials at major<br />
matches. The nationals, for example, employ two —<br />
one assigned to each half of the range.<br />
4. Tournament Director - Tournament Directors (Match<br />
Directors) receive specialized training aimed at the top<br />
staff job at a large match. They must complete an extensive<br />
program of correspondence coursework and onthe-job<br />
training with an assigned mentor.<br />
5. Range Master Instructor - The top<br />
of the RO heirarchy, the RMI’s travel<br />
the United States to instruct range officers<br />
and certified range officers.<br />
(Photo by Robin Taylor)<br />
USPSA matches challenge you mentally and physically.<br />
Here Jamaica’s Lesgar Murdock launches out of<br />
a low port. (Note Murdock’s trigger finger and safe<br />
muzzle direction.) Figuring out the fastest, easiest way<br />
to complete a course is a big part of the game.<br />
We look forward to showing you what we mean! Come<br />
and see us in action at a local match, and remember,<br />
shoot safe!<br />
Multigun Certification<br />
If your interest lies in the complex<br />
world of Multigun, NROI recently<br />
started offering an endorsement to go<br />
along with the above-listed certifications.<br />
First offered in late 2008, the Multigun<br />
endorsement focuses on the issues specific<br />
to using rifle, pistol, and shotgun together<br />
in the same match. USPSA has a<br />
special set of rules just for this -- hence the<br />
extra training for Multigun ROs.<br />
Overall, USPSA’s officials are some of<br />
the most highly-respected in the shooting<br />
sports, and because of this are often<br />
sought out to help orchestrate non-<br />
USPSA events.<br />
Their success, diligence, and professionalism<br />
as officials is a major part of<br />
what makes USPSA one of the safest, and<br />
most professional shooting sports available<br />
anywhere.<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
5
Getting the Club<br />
Connection<br />
By Dave Thomas, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR<br />
dave@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org<br />
If you’re considering taking a<br />
closer look at USPSA competition,<br />
I can’t urge you strongly enough<br />
to contact a local club representative<br />
and spend time on the range. They<br />
can show you and tell you more in half<br />
an hour at a match than we can tell you<br />
in this entire 32-page book.<br />
USPSA competition is marvelously<br />
diverse, with many subtleties that a local<br />
person can show you fairly easily.<br />
USPSA shooters are also a very social<br />
bunch, so don’t be bashful about asking<br />
questions.<br />
An Association Of Clubs<br />
USPSA is an “association” of independent<br />
clubs. They all use the same<br />
rule book, but the clubs themselves are<br />
groups of local volunteers that like to<br />
shoot.<br />
Each affiliated club has a slate of officers,<br />
and they typically appoint a contact<br />
person or two to welcome newcomers.<br />
It’s the volunteers in the clubs<br />
that make it all happen, that’s why we<br />
put such an emphasis on getting people<br />
connected with a good club near them.<br />
To find a club near you, go to<br />
www.<strong>uspsa</strong>.org, click on “Find Clubs”<br />
and enter your ZIP code in the box.<br />
The clubfinder will show you every affiliated<br />
club within 90 miles of your<br />
post office, including the Area director<br />
and any retail “partner” stores.<br />
Currently we have some 360 clubs<br />
formally affiliated with USPSA. Together,<br />
they offer the level playing field<br />
that USPSA shooters value so much —<br />
one that allows for fair competition<br />
throughout our national ladder.<br />
Clubs Working Together<br />
Affiliated clubs are typically<br />
grouped into what we call “sections.” I<br />
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FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
ies “Section” (western Montana).<br />
Other members of the staff hail from<br />
clubs in the northwest Washington<br />
“section.” Each section has a “section<br />
coordinator” who helps orchestrate<br />
things like section championships, and<br />
joint club activities such as staffing<br />
booths at local gunshows. If you asked<br />
for information from us, you’ll find a<br />
list of section coordinators in the<br />
packet we sent you. They can easily explain<br />
the local match schedule, and will<br />
likely invite you to attend a match with<br />
them, or put you in touch with a club<br />
near you.<br />
USPSA “Area” Map<br />
Scholastic Steel Challenge<br />
(SSC) provides young people<br />
with a positive experience<br />
in the shooting sports.<br />
Belonging to an SSC team introduces<br />
them to the wider world of<br />
firearms, while teaching fair play,<br />
compassionate understanding, individual<br />
responsibility, sportsmanship,<br />
commitment and self-discipline — qualities that serve young people<br />
well throughout their lives.<br />
Competition is clearly part of the SSC, but it is not the program's underlying<br />
principle. The "win-at-all-costs" philosophy has no place in the SSC. Striving<br />
to win while playing by the rules does. It is the DUTY of everyone involved<br />
in the SSC — coaches, parents, and participants — to establish high standards<br />
of moral and ethical conduct that<br />
SSC team members may strive to emulate.<br />
(Photo by Dave Thomas)<br />
A shooter at the Tennesee SSC rollout<br />
rings the plates with equipment<br />
supplied by SSC’s sponsors.<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
SSC activities are designed to incorporate<br />
two indispensable elements -<br />
safety and fun. SSC participants learn<br />
the safe and responsible handling<br />
and use of firearms. They discover<br />
the joy of contributing to a shared<br />
team goal and the commitment that<br />
goes along with it. During this selfdiscovery<br />
process, team members develop<br />
proficiency in a thrilling sport<br />
that can be shared and enjoyed with<br />
family and friends for a lifetime.<br />
Youth between the ages of 12 and<br />
20 are eligible to participate in<br />
Scholastic Steel Challenge.<br />
To learn more, visit www.scholasticsteelchallenge.com.<br />
For more information<br />
about teams near you, contact<br />
SSC Director Scott Moore at<br />
scott@steelchallenge.com.<br />
The various sections are grouped<br />
into multi-state “Areas,” numbered 1-<br />
8. For example, the western Montana<br />
section and the northwest Washington<br />
section are part of “Area 1.”<br />
Each “Area” elects an “Area Director”<br />
who sits on the board of directors<br />
for USPSA. They orchestrate the Arealevel<br />
championships, and vote on<br />
USPSA’s major policy decisions.<br />
That Board hired me as the executive<br />
director to look after the day-today<br />
operations of the association and<br />
serve as editor of Front Sight. I report<br />
to the president of USPSA, who is<br />
elected by the members to a four-year<br />
term. It is his responsibility (with the<br />
help of the home office) to orchestrate<br />
the national championships on ranges<br />
operated by local volunteers.<br />
In case you’re wondering, the only<br />
people actually on the payroll are me,<br />
the president, the director of NROI,<br />
and a few paid staff members in the<br />
home office. Everyone else is a volunteer<br />
(including the Board members).<br />
Local volunteers are the engine that<br />
makes USPSA shooting happen, and<br />
when you start shooting, you will be<br />
expected to help out. All USPSA<br />
matches, including our national championships,<br />
are run by volunteers. Without<br />
them, (particularly volunteer officials)<br />
there are no matches, and we will<br />
have just sent you a nice color minimagazine<br />
for nothing.<br />
For more information, call (360)<br />
855-2245 or e-mail us at<br />
info@<strong>uspsa</strong>.org.<br />
7
BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF<br />
USPSA shooting represents<br />
the most demanding form of<br />
PRACTICAL pistol competition<br />
on the planet. Manufacturers<br />
know that if their products fare<br />
well here, people notice. Problems<br />
with their designs will be exposed,<br />
studied, and repaired. If a particular<br />
firearm earns a good reputation in our<br />
sport, that opinion gets carried home<br />
by the many trainers, buyers, and officers<br />
that compete at all levels of our<br />
sport.<br />
But what division should YOU<br />
compete in? The reasons why people<br />
pick one division over another relate<br />
to why they shoot pistols in the first<br />
place. Some are polishing their shooting<br />
skills because they might need<br />
them for self-defense. Others thrive in<br />
divisions that encourage tinkering<br />
8<br />
with the guns. Still<br />
others are focused on the experience,<br />
and learn to shoot each style of pistol<br />
in turn.<br />
As I’ve often told shooters who call<br />
USPSA looking for advice, the best gun<br />
to use at your first match is the gun you<br />
already have. Unless your pistol looks<br />
like it would be at home on a Western<br />
movie set, forget about new equipment<br />
until you’ve got an idea how the<br />
game is played. Many of the world’s<br />
top pros focus on Production Division,<br />
one of the least-fancy, least expensive<br />
divisions, while others shoot space-age<br />
guns that look like race cars with a<br />
scope. The division for you is the one<br />
that puts a smile on your face — there<br />
really isn’t a “best gun” for USPSA.<br />
People choose one style over the<br />
other because they get more enjoyment<br />
out of doing it.<br />
Production Division<br />
“Shooting Production helps keep<br />
my skills sharp for patrol,” says Darion<br />
Holliwell, one of the top firearms<br />
trainers at Seattle P.D.<br />
Strictly limited to the use of production<br />
handguns with double- or<br />
safe-action triggers, Production lines<br />
up nicely with owners of double-action<br />
9mm or .40 S&W firearms.<br />
Glocks are popular, as are Smith &<br />
Wesson autos, SIGs, Springfields, and<br />
FOCUS On:<br />
DIVISIONS<br />
Which Guns Do We<br />
Shoot, and Why?<br />
Photo by Roger Maier.<br />
Robert Vogel shoots a Glock 24<br />
(.40) in Limited 10 Division, and<br />
a Glock 34 (9mm) in Production.<br />
He uses the same holster and<br />
mag pouches for both. Vogel<br />
won the USPSA Production title<br />
in 2009, and placed second in<br />
Limited 10.<br />
a host of others. Stock revolvers<br />
may also be used, including 8-shot<br />
versions.<br />
Since Darion can use his actual<br />
duty pistol, it just makes sense for<br />
him to shoot in this division. For<br />
him, it’s training and recreation all<br />
rolled into one. The low equipment<br />
cost and lower ammo costs are another<br />
benefit, but the tightly-constrained<br />
“level playing field” of Production<br />
appeals to many people.<br />
As you might imagine, the Production<br />
title has a lot of marketing cachet,<br />
so you’ll see many of the World’s top<br />
shooters shooting Production on behalf<br />
of corporate sponsors (like Robert<br />
Vogel, left, or Para-Ordnance’s Debbie<br />
Keehart, right).<br />
Photo by Nathan<br />
Reynolds & Dick Cole.<br />
Production Division<br />
-Double-action 9mm or .40 S&W<br />
firearms that appear on the “approved<br />
list.” (See <strong>uspsa</strong>.org.)<br />
-Shooters may change the sights,<br />
add skate tape, and tune the internal<br />
parts of the gun.<br />
- Other external changes not allowed.<br />
- Max 10 rounds in the magazine<br />
- All guns scored “Minor” (like a<br />
9mm) — no matter how powerful<br />
the load actually used.<br />
-Holsters and equipment must be<br />
“non-race-type” and be worn behind<br />
the hip.<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Our cousin, the International Defensive<br />
Pistol Association (IDPA) has a<br />
similar division called “Stock Service<br />
Pistol.” Many shooters compete in<br />
USPSA one weekend, then IDPA the<br />
next.<br />
Shooters may change the sights,<br />
add skate tape, and tune the internal<br />
parts of the gun, but externally-visible<br />
changes are not legal.<br />
Shooters may only load 10 rounds<br />
into their magazines, and all Production<br />
guns are scored as though they<br />
fired a “Minor” caliber cartridge<br />
(9mm) — no matter how powerful the<br />
load actually used. Holsters and allied<br />
equipment must be “non-race-type”<br />
and be worn behind the hip.<br />
Most shooters use a standard outside-the-belt<br />
holster intended for daily<br />
wear, such as the Blade-Tech or Ky-Tac<br />
lines. (See Vogel, Keehart photos this<br />
page.)<br />
Photo by Nathan Reynolds & Barrett Sexton<br />
Single Stack 1911<br />
-Single-stack Government model<br />
pistols are the only guns allowed.<br />
-Standard-capacity magazines<br />
only (8 rounds for “major calibers,<br />
10 rounds for “minor”).<br />
-Holsters and equipment must be<br />
“non-race-type” and be worn behind<br />
the hip.<br />
-Shooters may change the sights,<br />
add skate tape, and tune the internal<br />
parts of the gun.<br />
- Shooters may change grips, slide<br />
stops, magazine releases, mainspring<br />
housings, triggers, etc.<br />
- No optics, no porting, no compensators,<br />
or “devices to control<br />
recoil,” such as weights.<br />
-Guns can be scored “minor”<br />
(9mm and light .40) or “major”<br />
(full-power .40 and larger).<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
(Photo by Robin Taylor)<br />
Ladies’ Production finalist<br />
Debbie Keehart digs for a reload.<br />
Single Stack 1911<br />
“I’ve always loved the 1911,” says<br />
USPSA’s Executive Director Dave<br />
Thomas. “It’s the one I shoot the best.”<br />
Look through any pistol-oriented<br />
magazine, and you’re guaranteed to<br />
see pictures and articles dedicated to<br />
John Browning’s signature pistol.<br />
USPSA introduced a provisional<br />
“1911 Single Stack” division in 2006,<br />
making it a full-fledged division in<br />
2008. Single-stack Government model<br />
pistols (such as those made by Kimber,<br />
Springfield Armory, and others) are the<br />
only guns allowed.<br />
Shooters may use standardcapacity<br />
magazines only (8 L-10 shooters (Like<br />
(Photo by Dave Thomas)<br />
rounds for “major” calibers — Brett Gyarfas) often<br />
.40 and .45 ACP, 10 rounds for use single-stack 1911s.<br />
“minor” — 9mm and .38 Super.)<br />
For holsters, Single-Stack shooters<br />
must adhere to the the Production division<br />
guidelines.<br />
Limited-10 Division<br />
“Here in Hawaii, we’re limited to<br />
10-round magazines by law,” says<br />
Limited-10 Division<br />
-Single-action autoloaders<br />
-Max 10 rounds in magazine<br />
-Shooters may change the sights,<br />
add skate tape, and tune the internal<br />
parts of the gun.<br />
- Shooters may change grips, slide<br />
stops, magazine releases, mainspring<br />
housings, triggers, etc.<br />
- No optics, no porting, no compensators,<br />
or “devices to control<br />
recoil,” such as weights.<br />
-Guns can be scored “minor”<br />
(9mm, and light .40) or “major”<br />
(full-power .40 and larger).<br />
Honolulu’s Richard Abe.<br />
Single-action autoloaders in .40<br />
S&W and .45 ACP rule the roost here.<br />
Competitors can make various minor<br />
changes to make the gun more<br />
shootable (change sights, grips, slide<br />
9
stops, magazine releases, mainspring<br />
housings, etc.), but they MAY NOT<br />
add optical sights, porting (such as<br />
Mag-na-porting), or a recoil compensator.<br />
The rules do a fine job of leveling<br />
out the equipment, so check the<br />
rule book for complete details.<br />
Calibers can be either “minor”<br />
(9mm, .38 Super, and light-loaded<br />
.40S&W, for example) or “major”<br />
(full-power .40 S&W and larger).<br />
Limited Division<br />
As of this printing, Limited is the<br />
most popular division within USPSA.<br />
Most Limited competitors shoot widebody<br />
1911’s (STI, SV, Para-Ordnance),<br />
a Glock, or one of various CZ/TZ 75<br />
variants.<br />
“Limited lets me make the most of<br />
my equipment and skills,” says Lisa<br />
Munson, multi-year ladies Limited<br />
champion. “It lets you use the technology<br />
available today, without going all<br />
the way into driving a ‘race gun.’”<br />
Allowable changes include all those<br />
listed for “Limited 10,” plus shooters<br />
may use high-capacity magazines no<br />
longer than 141mm overall.<br />
Limited Division<br />
-Same as “Limited-10” except<br />
high-capacity magazines up to<br />
141mm overall may be used<br />
(171mm for single-stack guns).<br />
Revolver Division<br />
“I love the challenge of it,” says<br />
Patrick Sweeney, handgun editor for<br />
Guns & Ammo, and gold medal winner<br />
at World Shoot XIV. “We’re the<br />
‘Limited-6’ division.”<br />
10<br />
Revolver Division<br />
- Six rounds (only) between reloads.<br />
- No optical sights, porting, or recoil<br />
compensation.<br />
- May change grips, enlarge the cylinder<br />
release, change sights, chamfer<br />
cylinders, and tune the action.<br />
- May score “major” using any bullet<br />
.355” or larger.<br />
Designed for stock revolvers, Revolver<br />
Division is dominated by the<br />
Smith & Wesson 625 and its ilk.<br />
Shooters may only fire six rounds between<br />
reloads, and modifications are<br />
limited. No optical sights, porting, or<br />
recoil compensation is allowed. However,<br />
shooters may change grips, enlarge<br />
the cylinder release, change<br />
sights, chamfer cylinders, and tune the<br />
action as they desire.<br />
Revolver shooters may score “major”<br />
using any cartridge firing a bullet<br />
.355” or larger.<br />
Open Division<br />
Dominated by cutting-edge highcapacity<br />
1911’s and TZ-75’s, Open is<br />
the top-fuel drag racing division within<br />
USPSA.<br />
“If you can roll it up to the line,<br />
odds are you can shoot it,” says USPSA<br />
President Michael Voigt.<br />
Shooters can make all the modifications<br />
allowed for Limited, and add<br />
several more. Magazines may extend<br />
to 171mm overall, optical sights may<br />
be used, and recoil compensators are<br />
practically required.<br />
Shooters may use any caliber that<br />
fires a .355 or larger bullet, including<br />
the 9X19 (carefully handloaded). The<br />
most popular cartridge at this writing is<br />
one of several variations of the .38 Super.<br />
Women Of USPSA<br />
USPSA participation by women has grown steadily since Kay Miculek’s<br />
first “ladies camp,” held in 2004. Intended for women headed to<br />
World Shoot XIV, the original camp was so popular that the idea of<br />
“ladies-only camps” immediately took on a life of its own.<br />
In 2006, Miculek organized six camps in states ranging from Massachusetts<br />
to Arizona. All six were co-taught by the power trio of Kay Miculek, Lisa Munson,<br />
and Julie Goloski<br />
— all three are USPSA<br />
National Champions.<br />
Kay’s camps soon<br />
inspired the book<br />
“Babes With Bullets”<br />
by Debbie Ferns, and<br />
the two have built on<br />
each other with great<br />
success.<br />
Photo by Roger Maier.<br />
Lisa Munson drills a target.<br />
In 2009, the same crew, along with Kippi Leatham and other “household<br />
names” of ladies USPSA shooting formed a website, www.womenof<strong>uspsa</strong>.com<br />
to help with recognizing, encouraging, and supporting the women involved in<br />
our sport. Women of USPSA acts as a focal point, offering links to Kay’s<br />
camps, and to the contact points for other ladies involved in USPSA.<br />
“Practical shooting is the best way for women to get involved in the<br />
shooting sports,” says Kay, and we couldn’t agree more.<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Open Division<br />
-High-capacity magazines no<br />
longer than 171mm overall<br />
-Optics allowed<br />
-”Devices to control recoil” allowed.<br />
-Guns may score “major” with any<br />
bullet .355” or larger.<br />
Experimenting with equipment<br />
and technique has always been a part of<br />
USPSA, since the days of Jeff Cooper<br />
and the Southwest Pistol League in the<br />
1950s. That experimental flavor is a<br />
big part of what keeps them coming<br />
back, there’s always some new sight<br />
setup, some new scope, some new idea<br />
to try.<br />
Photo by Robin Taylor.<br />
RETREAT! USPSA events use the odd “retreat stage” where shooters<br />
move away from the targets. Note how Matthew Mink does this. His body<br />
is moving uprange, but his pistol remains safely pointed downrange.<br />
I encourage you to take whatever<br />
pistol you already have, and go shoot a<br />
match or two. Odds are you’ll see<br />
someone shooting in a division that appeals<br />
to you. Enjoy!<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
11
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12<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
13
USPSA’s Newest, Oldest Specialty<br />
STEEL CHALLENGE<br />
BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF<br />
Described by many as a<br />
distillation of all the basic<br />
skills required in<br />
practical shooting,<br />
steel shooting asks you<br />
to draw from a holster,<br />
shoot accurately at maximum<br />
speed, and occasionally<br />
move short distances<br />
with a gun.<br />
Originally part of the Practical<br />
Shooting pro circuit<br />
(including the USPSA Nationals,<br />
Steel Challenge,<br />
Bianchi Cup, and the now-defunct<br />
Second Chance bowling pin<br />
shoot) the Steel Challenge championships<br />
has been around since<br />
USPSA’s earliest days. Practically<br />
Photo by Robin Taylor<br />
Steel Challenge champion Max Michel poses for a<br />
photo after winning his third World title.<br />
tailor-made for TV, the Challenge is<br />
easy to understand, easy to score, and<br />
great fun to watch.<br />
USPSA purchased the Steel Challenge<br />
match, and its associated Steel<br />
Challenge Shooting Association<br />
(SCSA) in late 2007, combining the<br />
pizzazz and history of the challenge<br />
with USPSA’s professional infrastructure<br />
and network of volunteer clubs.<br />
With that purchase came Mike Dal-
United States, but the best of the<br />
best get together at the International<br />
Shootists Institute (ISI) in<br />
Piru, California to fight it out for<br />
pride, prizes, and some of the<br />
biggest cash purses in the sport. In<br />
2006, more than $30,000 in cash<br />
and 160 firearms were given away.<br />
Smoke & Hope tempts shooters to go fast.<br />
Inevitably, many go too fast and miss.<br />
ton and Mike Fichman, co-founders of<br />
the challenge. Fichman has since retired,<br />
but Dalton continues to serve as<br />
the Steel Challenge match director and<br />
author of a column in Front Sight magazine<br />
dedicated to steel shooting<br />
worldwide.<br />
Steel Challenge shooting is based<br />
on speed.<br />
Each “stage” at a Steel Challenge<br />
match asks you to shoot five steel targets<br />
arranged in a pattern, with a designated<br />
“stop plate” that must be shot<br />
last (see illustrations).<br />
For each stage the shooter stands in<br />
a box, facing downrange, and raises his<br />
wrists above his shoulders. At the start<br />
signal, he draws and shoots the five targets<br />
according to the stage description.<br />
Once you’ve shot all five, you’ll re-load<br />
and re-holster, getting ready to do it<br />
again. In all, you’ll get five tries at each<br />
stage, throwing out your slowest of the<br />
five tries. The Steel Challenge match itself<br />
consists of eight such stages for a<br />
minimum of 195 rounds. (The stage<br />
called “Outer Limits” is only fired four<br />
times.) When you’re finished with all<br />
stages, add your times together. Lowest<br />
time wins.<br />
The Steel Challenge itself is a prizetable<br />
event of grand proportions with<br />
hundreds of thousands of dollars in<br />
cash and prizes up for grabs every year.<br />
Local steel matches happen all over the<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
Competitors fly in from many nations,<br />
but most notably from<br />
Japan. (Past champion Tatsuya<br />
Sakai is a Japanese national. “Team<br />
Loaded” of Japan finishes extremely<br />
well.) The European Steel<br />
Challenge match has been held annually<br />
in the Netherlands since<br />
2008, and some of their top shooters<br />
make the trip all the way to<br />
California to compete.<br />
PICK A DIVISION<br />
Steel shooting draws most heavily<br />
on the USPSA/IPSC/IDPA crowd, so its<br />
divisions are built around their divisions.<br />
However, the challenge maintains<br />
an open door policy toward all<br />
the shooting sports. You’ll find divisions<br />
for .22s, cowboys, shotguns, and<br />
Pistol Bullets<br />
and<br />
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15
Women & Children First<br />
Unlike any other event in the shooting<br />
sports, the Steel Challenge is very much a<br />
family affair, with plenty of women and<br />
junior shooters competing, often from the<br />
same family. Even family members among<br />
the spectators are so well known from<br />
their many years attendance that they are<br />
considered very much a part of the character<br />
of the event itself, so much so that<br />
they'd be sorely missed if they did not attend.<br />
That family aspect is due in part to<br />
the strong attendance by women at the<br />
match. Roughly one in six shooters is<br />
a woman. In 2010, some were up-andcoming<br />
speedsters like Smith & Wesson's<br />
trio of juniors Rachel Crow,<br />
Molly Smith, and Janae Sarabia. Some<br />
were moms like Tereza Arellano<br />
whose son and daughter Jason and<br />
Photo by Yamil Sued.<br />
Jenna, along with husband Montie,<br />
Sara Drake and her signature yellow joined her in the .22 event.<br />
CZ.<br />
And there was even a mom-to-be as<br />
the very pregnant Laurel Yoshimoto<br />
competed, and while neither she nor<br />
her husband Josh took home any big title,<br />
on Oct. 15 they won a much bigger<br />
and better title; that of proud parents<br />
of future Steel Challenge shooter<br />
Jonathan William Yoshimoto.<br />
the like. You should be able to find one<br />
that lines up neatly with whatever<br />
equipment you already own.<br />
Photo by Yamil Sued.<br />
Mike and Alicia Setting discuss<br />
how to handle the targets.<br />
Photo by Yamil Sued.<br />
Laurel (and the unborn Jonathan) Yoshimoto on “Outer Limits.”<br />
AMMO FOR STEEL<br />
Most shooters run their ammunition<br />
on the light side. There is no advantage<br />
to shooting heavier loads, so<br />
most folks stick with a low-power 9mm<br />
or .38 Special that still makes the minimum<br />
120 power factor.<br />
TACTICS FOR STEEL<br />
While steel shoots LOOK like speed<br />
contests, they’re actually accuracy contests<br />
with a fancy wrapper on them.<br />
Only a few courses are coarse enough<br />
to be shot without paying close attention<br />
to your sights (notably “Smoke<br />
and Hope” with its extra-large steel<br />
rectangles) and even it has a relatively<br />
small stop plate.<br />
As most anyone that shoots steel<br />
will tell you, you’ve got to get your hits.<br />
“KC Eusebio messes the whole<br />
strategy up because he's actually fast<br />
enough to miss and still win,” says Matt<br />
Kartozian of customglock.com, but<br />
he’s very much the exception.<br />
What’s the strategy?<br />
“Don’t miss.”<br />
Get the gun out and shoot five accurate<br />
shots. It’s common to beat people<br />
that are higher-ranked, and much,<br />
much faster simply by shooting less often.<br />
If you have an eye toward shooting<br />
steel, there are a few things you can do<br />
to practice. The main thing that will<br />
help is to improve your draw — and<br />
shooting USPSA matches. Since steel<br />
consists of little other than drawing and<br />
shooting, the math is pretty simple.<br />
“If you're off on your draw, you're<br />
behind from the start,” says Kartozian.<br />
Kartozian, Kay Miculek, and many<br />
others also emphasize learning to<br />
rapidly move the gun from target to<br />
target.<br />
“Transitions” are a big deal in steel,<br />
but can be easily practiced at home<br />
without firing a shot.<br />
One reason for its broad appeal is that<br />
Steel Challenge makes great<br />
“crosstraining” for any other shooting<br />
endeavor. You’ll find Cowboys, tactical<br />
types, revolver specialists, even shotgunners<br />
at the Challenge every year.<br />
You might say it’s the newest, and<br />
the oldest, specialty within USPSA.<br />
16<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Annual For 2010 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
17
USPSA Going<br />
Multi-Gun<br />
BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF, TY-<br />
19724<br />
Since the early days of USPSA<br />
shooting, enthusiasts have<br />
brought their long guns out and<br />
held informal matches using the<br />
USPSA pistol rules as a guide. However,<br />
the number of rifle and shotgun<br />
matches has exploded in the last few<br />
years. Call it the war on terrorism, call<br />
it what you will, new shooters and new<br />
sponsors are jumping in right and left,<br />
with major equipment innovations and<br />
new matches cropping up almost<br />
monthly.<br />
USPSA has held a 3-Gun national<br />
championship for years, but recently,<br />
regional events have started cropping<br />
up, along with rifle- and shotgun-only<br />
events. Independent tournaments like<br />
the MGM “Ironman” and Superstition<br />
Mountain Mystery 3-Gun are the<br />
biggest growth area, drawing hundreds<br />
of competitors per match. All of them<br />
Photo by Robin Taylor.<br />
Jerry Miculek, U.S.<br />
National Champion.<br />
have gone to a<br />
“multi-gun” format,<br />
where shooters employ<br />
more than one<br />
type of firearm in<br />
each stage.<br />
Check out Jerry<br />
Miculek (left), he’s<br />
shooting a shotgun,<br />
but has pistol mag<br />
still on his belt. In<br />
Multi-gun, shooters<br />
often need to ditch<br />
one weapon and<br />
switch immediately to another to finish<br />
the course.<br />
Equipment And Competitors<br />
Developing Fast<br />
Since 2002, the competitive bar in<br />
Multi-gun has been rising — quickly.<br />
Very few shooters walk into matches<br />
unprepared for a 200-yard rifle shot,<br />
or without enough shell holders to deal<br />
with a 25-round shotgun course.<br />
Joe Cabigas and Craig Salmon are<br />
part of a growing segment of multi-gun<br />
specialists within USPSA. You won’t<br />
see either of them at pistol matches<br />
very often, but they’ve got the Multigun<br />
bug.<br />
“I shot pistol real heavy for about a<br />
year and kinda got bored with it,” says<br />
Salmon. “I still get the pistol, but<br />
there’s so much more to 3-Gun.”<br />
“I got kinda tired of pistol, but a<br />
friend of mine (got me involved) in 3-<br />
Gun down in Arizona. I went down<br />
there and got hooked. I’ve shot Superstition<br />
Mountain four, five years now,”<br />
says Cabigas.<br />
Course design in Multi-gun is developing<br />
fast as match directors learn<br />
what shooters really can and cannot do<br />
with their long guns. At the 2003 Area<br />
1, for example, shooters faced four<br />
partially-obscured 235-yard steel targets,<br />
and engaged them in two “shoot<br />
four, reload, then shoot four” strings.<br />
Very few shooters did well here, since<br />
this course DEMANDED intimate familiarity<br />
with one’s rifle to succeed.<br />
However, the rise of optics on tactical<br />
rifles has made this course much more<br />
“do-able” than it was using iron sights<br />
just a year or two earlier.<br />
USPSA released a 3-Gun supplement<br />
for the club program manual in<br />
2003, which helped streamline policies<br />
for Multi-gun stages nationwide.<br />
(Members can download a copy from<br />
the USPSA website.)<br />
Today, we’re seeing surprising support<br />
from the military, as the U.S.<br />
Army Marksmanship Unit has begun<br />
hosting 3-Gun matches of their own,<br />
inviting various high-ranking officers.<br />
Following the third annual Fort<br />
Benning 3-Gun Challenge, USAMU<br />
Commander Lt. Col. Frank Muggeo<br />
was quoted by the on-line magazine<br />
The Shooting Wire saying, "As the proponent<br />
for the All-Army Small Arms<br />
Photo by Robin Taylor.<br />
BJ Norris dealing with a low port.
(Photo by Robin Taylor)<br />
Multi-gun requires rapid transitions between<br />
weapons. Here FN Herstal’s Mark Hanish leaps out of a<br />
military Humvee, headed toward a “drop box” where<br />
he’ll exchange his rifle for a pistol.<br />
Championships, the USAMU is going to place a greater emphasis<br />
on multi-gun shooting in next year's All-Army since<br />
there is a direct correlation between this type of shooting<br />
and what a soldier can face on the battlefield."<br />
Technology Counter- Revolution?<br />
Amid Multi-gun equipment, simplicity and reliability are<br />
becoming watchwords. Shooters have so much to worry<br />
about (ammo, mags, and ammo carriers for the rifle, pistol,<br />
3-Gun Aggregates<br />
Open<br />
Fiercely competitive, Open division<br />
applies the “Open” rules to pistol,<br />
rifle and shotgun — except long gun<br />
magazines may be any length (see page<br />
11). Recoil compensators and optical<br />
sights are practically required to be<br />
competitive. Bipods are allowed on<br />
the rifle, and in shotgun, shooters may<br />
have a maximum of 11 rounds in the<br />
gun. Shotgun competitors may even<br />
use speed-loading devices (including<br />
box magazines) to reload.<br />
Standard (a.k.a. “Limited”)<br />
Standard applies the “Limited”<br />
rules to pistols (see page 10), and applies<br />
the same rules to long guns with<br />
five minor exceptions: Competitors<br />
may use a recoil compensator on their<br />
rifle no larger than 1 inch in diameter<br />
by 3 inches long. Competitors may<br />
NOT use a bipod. Long ugn magazines<br />
may be any length. No more<br />
than nine rounds may be loaded in the<br />
shotgun and the shotgun may NOT<br />
use speed loaders.<br />
Tactical<br />
Immensely popular from its birth,<br />
Tactical has quickly supplanted “Limited”<br />
as the most popular division<br />
within USPSA 3-Gun.<br />
The Tactical Aggregate allows an<br />
otherwise “Standard” shooter to add a<br />
single optic to his rifle. All other<br />
equipment must conform to the<br />
Standard division criteria.<br />
and shotgun), that any firearm or accessory that requires extra<br />
bother is a problem.<br />
One can see this most clearly in the movement away<br />
from minimalist race holsters to more-secure Kydex affairs.<br />
Not only is a person less likely to disqualify themselves by<br />
having a loaded gun drop out of the holster on the run, the<br />
Kydex rigs aren’t much slower. To deal with the challenges<br />
of negotiating obstacles while shooting a shotgun (for example),<br />
a Multi-gun competitor needs much more retention<br />
than a typical pistol shooter. One might venture to say, a<br />
more “practical” holster. Imagine that!<br />
Shotguns<br />
Where Benelli Super-90’s and Winchester SX2’s vie with<br />
the Remington 1100 in Limited, Remington 1100’s and 11-<br />
87’s fight it out with the box-magazine-fed Saiga-12 in<br />
Open. Each has ever-increasing bits of technical gadgetry attached.<br />
You name it, it’s out there somewhere.<br />
Standing around at a 3-Gun match a few years ago, I<br />
heard one of my squadmates, Joe Hampl, talking about 3-<br />
Gun: “This is a lot of fun, I think it’s going to take off.”<br />
3-Gun grew steadily in the next few years, to where today<br />
there are multiple major events around the United<br />
States. Those events have caught the attention of two different<br />
shooting-oriented cable TV programs (Shooting USA and<br />
3Gun Nation), who have started sharing the fun with hundreds<br />
of thousands of viewers.<br />
Like Hampl, today we think 3-Gun is about to take off,<br />
again, reaching a new level of popularity.<br />
Photo by Dave Thomas.<br />
Top Senior-category shooter Joe<br />
DeSimone aims his scoped Opendivision<br />
Remington 1100 shotgun.<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011 19
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
21
Local Competition,<br />
International Classification<br />
BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF<br />
When you participate in a<br />
local USPSA match, you<br />
will likely shoot one of<br />
USPSA’s recognized classification<br />
courses (see page 23 for an<br />
example). USPSA tracks score data on<br />
each of the 60-some courses printed in<br />
the USPSA classification course book.<br />
Once you have four valid scores within<br />
a division on file, USPSA will issue you<br />
a classification card that reflects how<br />
your skills compare to the top scores<br />
around the world. It’s easy, simple, and<br />
has worldwide recognition.<br />
Classification Card<br />
Recognized Worldwide<br />
With four scores on file, USPSA<br />
will issue you a classification card.<br />
Present that card at any club<br />
worldwide, and you will be classed<br />
with shooters of like ability.<br />
How Does It Work?<br />
Classification scores are based on<br />
how your score compares to a composite<br />
“high hit factor” kept on file<br />
here at USPSA. Your initial classification<br />
requires only four scores in the<br />
system. However, as your skills improve,<br />
USPSA continuously re-evaluates<br />
your abilities. Each month,<br />
USPSA’s classification system looks at<br />
the best six of your most recent eight<br />
scores. If your average score warrants<br />
moving you up to the next class, we<br />
send you a new membership card in the<br />
mail, emblazoned with your latest classifications.<br />
Classification Bracket<br />
Percentages<br />
Grand Master 95 to 100%<br />
Master 85 to 94.9%<br />
A 75 to 84.9%<br />
B 60 to 74.9%<br />
C 40 to 59.9%<br />
D 2 to 40%<br />
A Robust, Dynamic System<br />
Someone once said that “changes<br />
aren’t permanent, but change is.” Over<br />
the last 20 years, practical shooters<br />
have turned the shooting world on its<br />
ear, re-inventing the way we shoot, the<br />
way guns are built, the way holsters are<br />
Photo by Roger Maier.<br />
World Champion Eric Grauffel<br />
USPSA Member No. F-38440,<br />
lives in Quimper, France. His Grand<br />
Master classification dates back to<br />
the 1998 Area 3.<br />
made, and even what bullets we shoot<br />
in them.<br />
Like a schoolteacher’s bell curve, as<br />
the top end of our sport improves, the<br />
“high hit factor” required to<br />
achieve a “Grand Master” score<br />
improves as well. By continuously<br />
adjusting for change, our classification<br />
system has become the one<br />
universally-recognized benchmark<br />
within the practical shooting<br />
world.<br />
IPSC, the world body of which<br />
USPSA is a part, also has a classification<br />
system, but it runs under<br />
a different rule set, confusing the<br />
issue. USPSA’s database is much<br />
more mature and better-populated<br />
than the IPSC system,<br />
prompting shooters to place great<br />
Photo by Roger Maier.<br />
Jorge Ballesteros travels to the<br />
United States from Spain to compete.<br />
Compare his pistol to the single-stack<br />
1911 on page 10. His “C-<br />
More” optical gunsight didn’t exist in<br />
1985.<br />
22<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
A<br />
B<br />
D C A C D<br />
©<br />
stock in their US classification.<br />
Today’s practical shooter wields a<br />
level of technique and technology that<br />
outpaces the very best shooters of the<br />
mid-1980s. Thankfully, our system’s<br />
ability to continuously re-set the standard<br />
of achievement has maintained<br />
the integrity of a USPSA classification.<br />
When Can I Get Classified?<br />
USPSA “runs the system” once a<br />
month. Your local club has until the<br />
10th of each month to submit your latest<br />
scores. USPSA then enters all that<br />
data (upwards of six thousand scores<br />
per month), runs the system, and posts<br />
the results to www.<strong>uspsa</strong>.org. When<br />
you punch in your membership number,<br />
all your scores become visible, letting<br />
you check for errors and keep<br />
track of your status.<br />
In addition to the classifier courses,<br />
all National-level, and many Area-level<br />
matches are used for classification purposes.<br />
We mark them differently so<br />
you can tell them apart, and upload<br />
them to the website along with the classifier<br />
scores submitted by the clubs.<br />
CM 03-02<br />
START POSITION: Standing in Box A, hands naturally at sides. Handgun is loaded and holstered as per ready condition<br />
in rule 8.1.1 and 8.1.2.<br />
STAGE PROCEDURE<br />
On the signal, engage T1-T6 with one round maximum<br />
freestyle, perform a mandatory reload, then reengage T1-T6<br />
with one round maximum, strong hand only.<br />
SETUP NOTES: Set no-shoots to 4 feet high at top<br />
of B-zone. Build target arrays so that the upper corner<br />
of the waist meets the lower corner of the no-shoot,<br />
NATIONAL RANGE OFFICERS<br />
SCORING<br />
SCORING: Virginia Count, 12 rounds, 60 points<br />
TARGETS: 6 IPSC<br />
SCORED HITS: Best 2/Paper<br />
START - STOP: Audible - Last Shot<br />
PENALTIES: Per current edition of USPSA Practical<br />
Shooting Handbook.<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
INSTITUTE<br />
Six Chickens<br />
RULES: Practical Shooting Handbook, Latest Edition COURSE DESIGNER: Crow Carter — Modifications by US Design Team<br />
Target Array<br />
Construction<br />
Shaded dashed lines show<br />
target edges behind no-shoot.<br />
with the short angled waist parallel to the bottom of the<br />
no-shoot.<br />
“Six Chickens” is one of more<br />
than 60 classification courses used<br />
worldwide.<br />
119<br />
Why All This Concern Over<br />
Change?<br />
In 1985, when USPSA’s classification<br />
system came<br />
into being, high<br />
technology meant<br />
an 8-shot 1911 in<br />
.45 ACP, supported<br />
by a two-port recoil<br />
compensator.<br />
Today, competitors<br />
in Open division<br />
carry a modular<br />
1911 or a CZ-75 in<br />
one of several<br />
9mm/.38 Super<br />
variants. Red dot<br />
scopes simplify<br />
aiming, and recoil<br />
compensators<br />
(computer designed<br />
with up to 12 ports, openings,<br />
and side vents) reduce recoil and stabilize<br />
the gun as it fires (see photos).<br />
Magazines hold up to 28 rounds of ammunition<br />
(yes, twenty-eight!), and holsters<br />
look more like a mounting<br />
bracket for a super-sized cell phone.<br />
Technique has progressed along a<br />
similar track, leaving a trail of outmoded<br />
ideas in its wake. The fine<br />
points aren’t germane, but practical<br />
shooting experts now serve as trainers<br />
to the world’s law enforcement and<br />
military organizations.<br />
The change in competitive strategy,<br />
along with technique, would have long<br />
ago outmoded any fixed measuring<br />
scale.<br />
In our classic course, the “El Presidente,”<br />
the shooter starts facing uprange<br />
with his hands above his shoulders.<br />
The shooter turns to face the targets,<br />
draws, fires two rounds at each of<br />
three targets, reloads, and shoots two<br />
more rounds at each of three targets.<br />
When USPSA’s classification system<br />
was first conceived, any El Presidente’<br />
time under 9 seconds earned a very<br />
high rank. Today, America’s top shooters<br />
frequently post times under six seconds,<br />
with isolated performances going<br />
under five. Like the 4-minute mile,<br />
a 5-second El Prez seems impossible,<br />
until you see it done.<br />
Photo by Roger Maier.<br />
Ladies World Champion<br />
Athena Lee earned her USPSA<br />
classification while shooting for the<br />
Philippine national team. Today she<br />
lives in Houston.<br />
In the same way a golfer must complete<br />
many rounds of golf on courses<br />
with a known “par” to earn a “handicap”<br />
USPSA shooters must complete<br />
several courses with a known “high hit<br />
factor” to earn a classification. Once<br />
they’ve done so, other shooters (like<br />
golfers) can use that classification to<br />
judge their abilities, and arrange competitive<br />
classes where shooters compete<br />
against others of like ability.<br />
That’s the gist of the USPSA system.<br />
It’s a robust system, and one that has<br />
served USPSA well.<br />
23
In<br />
The Game<br />
In The Game<br />
Tasha Hanish:<br />
Bringing New<br />
Life To 3-Gun<br />
massive support from FN Herstal. Together, they're reshaping<br />
the face of 3-Gun shooting.<br />
THINKING BIG<br />
Tasha's roots lie in pistol, not 3-Gun. In fact, she's only<br />
been 3-Gunning seriously for about four years. However,<br />
that famous aggression has served her well.<br />
"Tasha's definitely one of, if not THE top female shooter<br />
in the tactical environment," says USPSA President Michael<br />
Voigt. "She's aggressive, which helps a lot. She's quick, and<br />
she's around Mark (Hanish) all the time, which makes her<br />
fearless on the trigger."<br />
“Go big or go home” describes Tasha Hanish in a nutshell.<br />
Aggressive, daring, and talented, she’s one of, if<br />
not “the” top female shooter in the tactical environment,<br />
says USPSA President Michael Voigt.<br />
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROBIN TAYLOR, USPSA STAFF<br />
Tasha Hanish started bringing fresh excitement to<br />
practical shooting when she was 16 years old, and<br />
she's doing it again.<br />
Famously aggressive and go-for-broke, Tasha was 16<br />
when her high school principal announced over the school's<br />
loudspeakers that she had won an invitation to the 1995<br />
USPSA National Championship in Reno. At 17 she went to<br />
work for STI International, and showed up at STI's invitational<br />
"Pig Roast" match. She finished 8th (out of 100). As<br />
Taran Butler told me back then: "a lot of us wanted to take<br />
up golf or cowboy shooting after that."<br />
She left shooting for a time, getting her CNA license, a<br />
B.A. in business management, and having children.<br />
24<br />
Now she's back, bringing that famous energy of hers, and<br />
Don Kemble at STI minced no words about Tasha's potential.<br />
Reflecting<br />
back on her time at<br />
STI, he said "she had<br />
the potential to be a<br />
world champion,<br />
absolutely." Unfortunately<br />
the financial<br />
support wasn't<br />
there in 1997 to<br />
make it happen.<br />
Now with FNH in<br />
the picture and<br />
Tasha shooting as an<br />
adult, things have<br />
changed.<br />
Talking with<br />
Tasha at her home<br />
in Cave Creek,<br />
Ariz., she laughed<br />
about men's reactions<br />
to women at<br />
her skill level - particularly<br />
in 3-Gun.<br />
They're just not<br />
used to women with<br />
real skills and a "go<br />
big or go home" attitude.<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
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Check out the flames and hot<br />
gasses coming out around Tasha<br />
Hanish’s SCAR-16, above.<br />
With a laugh she told me "I've had a<br />
lot of people say, 'Man, you shoot like<br />
a dude!'"<br />
Listening to her talk about the rigors<br />
of 3-Gun, it's not hard to understand<br />
why.<br />
"There's not a match where I don't<br />
come home bleeding. I've either cut<br />
myself or hit something and got<br />
bruised."<br />
Tasha approached FNH about<br />
sponsoring her as a 3-Gun<br />
competitor about two years<br />
ago. What started with Tasha<br />
rapidly expanded into a small<br />
team managed by FNH's Director<br />
of Product Management,<br />
Tommy Thacker. Tasha assists Thacker<br />
with the team, running cost projections,<br />
helping to set the calendar, and<br />
interfacing with the public — all while<br />
keeping an eye on two kids. Tasha's<br />
husband Mark, Diana Leidorff, Larry<br />
Houck, and David Neth are some of<br />
the more-familiar faces on the team.<br />
"There are seven of us total. Plus<br />
some of the corporate guys come out<br />
and shoot too," says Tasha.<br />
Since the 2009 SHOT Show,<br />
Tasha's "shooting<br />
life" has<br />
kicked into high<br />
gear. "We had no<br />
idea what we<br />
were in for," she<br />
says, laughing at<br />
herself. Instead of<br />
one or two major<br />
matches a year,<br />
now she's shooting<br />
12 — and<br />
bringing a team<br />
with her. On top<br />
of that, the FNH<br />
team started running<br />
the shootoff<br />
Team FNH USA has amazing sponsor support. How many<br />
shooters do you know that have a custom-painted Polaris at each 3Gun Nation<br />
qualifying<br />
off-road vehicle to carry their gear? That’s husband Mark<br />
Hanish in the back seat.<br />
event.<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
"There's not a match where I don't come<br />
home bleeding. I've either cut myself or<br />
hit something and got bruised."<br />
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25
Tasha and Mark Hanish’s medical<br />
training came in handy during the 3-<br />
Gun Nation finale when well-known<br />
USPSA CRO Larry D’Agostino suffered<br />
a serious laceration to his left<br />
leg, above.<br />
3Gun Nation<br />
When 3Gun Nation<br />
wrote a check for<br />
$25,000 to Daniel<br />
Horner after the USPSA<br />
Multigun Nationals in<br />
Las Vegas in September,<br />
they transformed 3-Gun<br />
from a little-known<br />
USPSA specialty to the<br />
most lucrative of all the<br />
practical shooting sports<br />
- and Tasha Hanish was<br />
right in the middle of it.<br />
With the increased TV visibility,<br />
sponsorship of Team FNH USA has<br />
taken off. In rapid succession, the<br />
team's sponsors put together a custompainted<br />
truck, trailer, and a Polaris offroad<br />
vehicle. If you're familiar with the<br />
shooting industry's sponsorship profile,<br />
take special note of sponsors Polaris<br />
and Mac Tools. Their product<br />
lines aren't "firearm related," but<br />
Bruce Piatt, Daniel Horner, and David Neth pose<br />
with their checks at the 3-Gun Nation season finale.<br />
Together, they took $40,000 to the bank.<br />
"3Gun Nation" is a reality TV Show about 3-Gun Competition, currently airing<br />
on the Versus Network. That $25,000 check climaxed a series of five competitions<br />
held at the major 3-Gun shoots nationwide.<br />
More importantly, 3Gun Nation brought each event the promise of TV coverage<br />
on a major network. That's advertising that money couldn't hope to buy.<br />
It's part of the rise in "shooting TV" that is transforming people like Tasha from<br />
home-town heroes into national celebrities.<br />
they're putting down serious sponsorship<br />
dollars to get access.<br />
Hanish started rattling off additional<br />
sponsors "…Leupold, Safariland,<br />
Surefire. MGM stepped up and<br />
gave us practice targets. Oakley, Otis,<br />
they brought us stuff we needed to<br />
look more uniform as a team. We're<br />
not a hodge-podge of individuals anymore.<br />
We're very much a managed<br />
team…"<br />
"It's been an amazing experience<br />
having so much support on and off the<br />
range, it's been incredible," says Hanish.<br />
"The FNH USA guys really wanted<br />
to make sure that when they did it, they<br />
did it right."<br />
Back In The Fray<br />
In professional sports, it doesn't<br />
take long to go from being a household<br />
word to a memory. When Tasha Hanish<br />
showed up at last year's handgun<br />
nationals, ready to fight it out for the<br />
title, a few people asked "Tasha who?"<br />
That teenage hoser that showed up<br />
at the Pig Roast in the candy-stripe STI<br />
uniform has matured into a more-controlled<br />
version of her former self,<br />
dressed in FNH USA's blue-and-white.<br />
She's still hosing when it's called for,<br />
but she's better able to back it off and<br />
26<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
27
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Last year and this, Tasha had<br />
been focusing on 3-Gun, practicing<br />
in the desert once or twice a<br />
month. "Most of the time that is<br />
making sure all three guns are<br />
sighted in, chronographed, and<br />
functioning," she admits. "If time<br />
permits, we'll shoot a match at<br />
Rio Salado or Ben Avery, which<br />
are primarily handgun matches."<br />
That's not much of a training<br />
regimen, but it was enough to<br />
Tony Holmes gets ready under the<br />
camera eye of Shooting USA’s Greg<br />
Simmons. Regular TV coverage is<br />
changing the sport.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
USPSA Ladies Tactical Champion Tasha<br />
Hanish competing in the 3-Gun Nation final.<br />
She did well, but did not qualify for the<br />
top 16 against the world’s top men.<br />
bring Tasha back into the top tier of<br />
ladies' practical shooting. Though she<br />
hadn't shot an Open gun since the<br />
1999 Nationals, Tasha shot the 2009<br />
Open and finished ninth. In the Limited<br />
contest, better preparation helped<br />
her climb to third, bested only by Jessie<br />
Abbate and Lisa Munson.<br />
But those matches were just a<br />
warm-up.<br />
Tasha won her first National title a<br />
few weeks later, winning "Tactical" division<br />
at the 2009 USPSA Multigun<br />
Nationals in Boulder City. She followed<br />
that up this year with another<br />
victory in "Tactical," cementing her return<br />
to the spotlight. She's still shooting<br />
very little pistol compared to the<br />
other top women, but it's enough to<br />
keep her competitive.<br />
With a full year's worth of fresh experience<br />
on the road, and support like<br />
she has never had before, Tasha Hanish<br />
will be one to watch within the ladies'<br />
contests for 2011. We're not really expecting<br />
her to oust Jessie Abbate from<br />
the top spot, but the shooting world<br />
hasn't seen a fully-prepared, fully-mature,<br />
fully-equipped Tasha<br />
Hanish…ever. Here at Front Sight,<br />
we'll be watching not just for a formidable<br />
athlete to emerge, but for a<br />
"mover" within the industry. If Tasha<br />
Hanish and her friends at Team FNH<br />
can help bring Multigun competition<br />
into America's living rooms, their<br />
legacy will affect practical shooters in a<br />
profound way.<br />
28<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
2010 Smith & Wesson US<br />
Steel National Championship<br />
KC Eusebio scrambling to<br />
victory on “Outer Limits.”<br />
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVE THOMAS, USPSA ED<br />
Thunder and lighting crackled through the night at Titusville,<br />
Fla., in March, but that show was no more spectacular than<br />
the down-to-the-wire battle between K.C. Eusebio and Max<br />
Michel. When the dust settled K.C. pulled it out with a total<br />
time for the eight stages of 78.01 seconds compared to Max's 78.02.<br />
Yes, you are reading that correctly. The winning margin was one<br />
one-hundredth of a second. Think of that…a slight hesitation on the<br />
draw, a slightly missed grip, a slight stumble between the boxes on<br />
Outer Limits…how could you possibly identify the one little thing over<br />
the course of the day that made the difference in such a tiny margin?<br />
Dave Sevigny finished third with a total time of 89.29. Coupled<br />
with his wins in both Limited and Rimfire this was enough to earn him<br />
the men's Steel Master trophy. The rest of the top 10 included, in order,<br />
B.J. Norris, Jerry Miculek, Doug Koenig, Todd Jarrett, Shannon<br />
Smith, James McGinty, and Billy Abbate.<br />
Jessie Abbate continued her domination in her last match as a Glock<br />
Team member with a 22nd place overall finish, beating her now former<br />
team mate Randi Rogers who finished 44th. Jessie completed the<br />
sweep with first place finishes in Limited and Rimfire Divisions, earning<br />
the ladies' Steel Master title.<br />
For complete results, go to steelchallenge.com/match-results/.<br />
While the times shot by a number of the competitors surpassed the<br />
world records, they fell afoul of timing issues. Because of issues associated<br />
with relative bullet flight time, World records can only be recognized<br />
when the match employs "wired" stop plates (where the plate’s<br />
movement caused by bullet impact trips a sensor). The only match currently<br />
using wired plates is the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting<br />
Championship.<br />
30<br />
FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011
Superior Machining<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Eusebio, Sevigny, cradle the US<br />
Steel “Overall and Steel Masters”<br />
trophy.<br />
Return To Titusville<br />
This was the third time the match<br />
was held at the Titusville Rifle and Pistol<br />
Club. The range is a very pleasant<br />
place to shoot in March. However, the<br />
range is home to a certain amount of<br />
wildlife not usually encountered during<br />
SCSA events. Hence the "Beware of<br />
<br />
<br />
Off stage: Tori Nonaka and Randi<br />
Rogers talk and joke as they await<br />
their turn to shoot. They stayed<br />
cheerful and calm despite a national<br />
title and $50,000 in prizes at stake.<br />
Rattlesnakes" signs.<br />
NSSF Outreach<br />
The National Shooting Sports<br />
Foundation (NSSF) brought their First<br />
Shots program to Titusville, introducing<br />
shooting sports to people who may<br />
have never fired a gun. If your club is<br />
interested in hosting such an event<br />
more information is available at<br />
nssf.org/shooting/sports/<br />
Roze Distribution, Inc.<br />
(800) 204-1526<br />
www.rozedist.com<br />
Zero Bullets & Ammunition<br />
(call for availability)<br />
No shipping charges (see site for details)<br />
Primers (when available), Brass, Knives, & Targets<br />
Shotgun Shells, Rifle Ammo & Components<br />
Contact us for more info: PO Box 1402 Cullman, AL 35056<br />
RozeDistribution@aol.com<br />
Annual For 2011 • FRONT SIGHT<br />
31
Close<br />
Call!<br />
USPSA and Steel<br />
Challenge folks<br />
consume more<br />
centerfire ammunition<br />
than most other<br />
types of pistol competitors.<br />
As a result, they see<br />
more strange and/or unusual<br />
events with<br />
firearms than other<br />
shooters might.<br />
Photos by Mike Thomas.<br />
This rare squib had enough blowback energy<br />
to cycle the slide. A few pounds of pressure<br />
on the trigger would have transformed this<br />
expensive pistol into a hunk of junk.<br />
The attached photos were taken of a squib round fired at<br />
the North Tennessee Practical Shooters club match the<br />
weekend of Nov. 20-21, 2010. Typically a “squib” is a defective<br />
cartridge that was loaded without any gunpowder.<br />
When fired, a “squib” leaves the bullet firmly lodged in the<br />
barrel, but generally will not cycle the action and load another<br />
round. They’re extremely dangerous, because if the<br />
shooter does not recognize the squib’s distinctive hollow<br />
“pop” sound, he may load another round in behind the<br />
lodged bullet and fire — destroying the gun and potentially<br />
injuring the shooter and/or bystanders.<br />
In this case, Aaron Howald fired a round that<br />
had just enough gunpowder in it to cycle the<br />
slide, but not enough to push the bullet out of<br />
the barrel. Why that’s possible would take more<br />
space than we have here, but suffice it to say it’s<br />
very rare.<br />
“Several people on the squad have urged me to<br />
send (these pictures) to you,” says Howald. “I<br />
have not been shooting USPSA for long, but I<br />
have certainly never seen anything like this.”<br />
The bullet from the squib stopped halfway out<br />
of the muzzle. Fortunately Howald and his<br />
range officer both recognized the sound of the<br />
squib in time to stop.<br />
“Clearly this could<br />
have been very dangerous,<br />
and it serves<br />
as a reminder of how important<br />
it is to be careful at the reloading<br />
bench and at the range,” says<br />
Howald. “As it turned out nobody<br />
was hurt and we ended up<br />
with some pretty good photos of<br />
an incredibly unlikely result. I<br />
probably should have bought a<br />
lottery ticket on the way<br />
home.”<br />
Aaron Howald.<br />
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FRONT SIGHT • Annual For 2011