Shoot what ya brung

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Shoot what ya brung

Post by Boomer »

Shoot What You Brung
by Steve Ware

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First a disclaimer, this article is not promoting the addition of any new disciplines. Rather, its purpose is to explore the “necessity” of building a battery of whiz bang guns by a new shooter.

The members of the JCSA Pistol Silhouette Club in Grants Pass, OR thought it would be fun to shoot a Standard Handgun discipline within the discipline of Field Pistol. Most shooters have a Standard Handgun as we defined it, any centerfire semi-automatic or revolver with a barrel length no greater than 6.5” and no optics. The course of fire is the IHMSA sanctioned Field Pistol – Production discipline, but no sight adjustments are allowed. The no sight adjustment rule is intended to create some equity between fixed sight handguns and adjustable sight handguns. We have been shooting this discipline since 2007, and I have records of all the scores except for the year 2008.

All shooters firing the Standard Handgun unofficial discipline have their scores recorded under FP-P, and we pay IHMSA the $1 sanction fee for that entry. Some shooters prefer to shoot it as a re-entry, and others fire it as their FP-P entry.

We award a Standard Handgun Champion plaque annually to the individual that fired the highest score that year. Dave Whitman is generally our winner and he is pictured here with his 2010 plaque. His high score for 2010 was 27x40.

Dave and Larry Hixson have even had Shorty Forty matches using .45 ACP and .40 S&W semi-autos with sub four inch barrels. Larry took the first match in 2007 with a 20x40, and Dave won in 2010 matching Larry’s record score of 20x40. They should try it again to break that record tie!

We decided to run this side match for three reasons. First, most of us have a Standard Handgun languishing in the rear of our gun vault somewhere. This gives the IHMSA shooter an opportunity to dig that handgun out and shoot it from time to time. Secondly, we thought it would give the Cowboy and Action Pistol shooters something new to try. Finally, it allows us to show a new prospect that may stop by our match and say hi that he/she should not be intimidated by the Contenders with Ken Light mid and high rise scope mounts, the custom mid grip Anschutz or Dewschutz and Freedom Arms handguns they see in our gun cases.

So, what have we discovered? First, a Standard Handgun can be competitive. The highest score fired was fired by Dave in 2007, a 31x40. Second, even if you don’t shoot scores that are equal to your taco hold peep on peep or peep on post Contender, you can fire decent scores if you apply yourself and have fun in the process.

We also learned a lesson concerning recruiting new members. We have actively marketed this side match to the Cowboy and Action Pistol shooters. Some of each has come to observe the course of fire and the president of the Action Pistol Club and his wife even tried it once. However, even with our active marketing (visiting these clubs on numerous occasions and extending an invitation, posting signs around the range and announcing the events at range board meetings) the Standard Handgun discipline has not added one single member to our club. Thus, it appears that the “build it and they will come” philosophy is not applicable to IHMSA. The prospective new shooter must also have the desire to hone his/her shooting skills beyond that of an average shooter and be interested in exploring the outer limits of handgun accuracy.
Regards,
Bob

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