Updated Information on Perfect Standing Scores

[KickBass]

Update Concerning Recent Perfect Standing Score
by Joe Frey

As was reported in the August issue of the IHMSA News, Joe Cullison fired a 60x60 at the West Coast Championship in Big Bore Unlimited Standing. This was thought to be the first perfect standing score, in that the IHMSA World Records showed no evidence of it, and of the several 20+ year standing shooters who were aware of Mr. Cullison’s accomplishment at the time, nobody had ever heard of a perfect standing score. Even the ol’ Google search didn’t show any evidence of an IHMSA perfect score, though many could be found for NRA matches. I must admit, I found this curious because I couldn’t imagine NRA shooters being that much better than IHMSA shooters, knowing how many fantastic and well-accomplished people we have in our sport and our organization.
Well, as it turns out, the NRA may not have better shooters—they just have better record-keeping! Thanks to a few contacts from faithful IHMSA members, as well as the lengthy research performed by Region 1 Director Allan Olsen, it was discovered that this indeed was not the first perfect standing score in IHMSA.
An email from Brian Witzeling was the first one I received, followed by a couple of others, noting that he remembered Jeff Hunt of Kalamazoo, MI shooting a 40x40. When it was brought to our attention that this tremendous feat had possibly been previously accomplished, Allan Olsen took the time to go back through his copies of the IHMSA News, dating clear back to 1991, to verify this.
In the beginning of 1999, Blair Hamilton took over the Big Bore Records Program. His June 1999 article indeed reports a 40x40 BB US score by Jeff Hunt fired on April 25, 1999. Then in the October 1999 edition, he reports Mark Resner (from North Dakota) shooting a perfect score on August 23, 1999 at Bison, SD. In that article, it states that 40x40 as being the 2nd known perfect standing score.
Another informative conversation and great history lesson for me came in a phone call from Lon Pennington. In what turned out to be a quite lengthy conversation, Lon mentioned names such as Marvin Tannehill and Roger Ward as people he believe may have achieved perfection in the standing realm.
While this does not diminish Joe Cullison’s great accomplishment—doing something which had seemingly been forgotten or lost to history certainly is an accomplishment—we certainly appreciate the efforts by our members to get this information corrected. It should be noted too that Joe’s perfect score was a 60x60 as opposed to the 40x40 scores listed above.
In the near future, I plan to get the existing known records posted in the IHMSA News, that way people can see the records we currently have on file. With multiple people conducting the various records programs over the years, one can easily see where maybe something would have gotten lost over time. By posting our existing records, this may bring about other great conversation of times and events which may not be known to current members.
Thanks again for the contacts people have made to me concerning this, to Allan Olsen for his work in researching this, as well as Joe Cullison for performing an accomplishment so exciting that it has allowed us to generate renewed conversation about our sport.

[260 Striker]

I'm sure there have been a FEW perfect standing scores as proven by the research by KB and others. I do not remember hearing of a perfect 60X60 standing score which anyway you look at it is 1 1/2 times as difficult as a 40X40 standing score. I think we all applaud these perfect standing entries and just marvel that people can actually stand up and shoot like that. I am amazed to say the least. I'm a lousy standing shooter so it boggles my mind that anyone could shoot a perfect standing score regardless of the number of targets!!! Congrats to all past and current members who have obtained that perfect score.

[35isit]

I ran across this just now. If I remember correctly not a perfect score, but I watched Hal Simpkins in the late 80s early 90s "hit" 79 out of 90 at an International. He was shooting field pistol and I was the Range Officer at that part of the range. He clean missed one target I don't remember which one. But he shot a pig out of sequence, although you're not supposed to he went back and hit the skipped pig. He wound up with a 77 but hit 79. That's the way I remember it. I'm sure the records are out there and I could be wrong. Oh by the way it was in Oak Ridge Tn.

[aggshooter]

Joe Frey,

Bill Robinson of Pennsylvania also shot perfect 40 in BB-US (maybe more than one) in the early 2000's. Not sure if I have the old issues of IHMSA News, but I thought he did it about the same time that Jeff Hunt shot his.

Rich Hawkins

[Mt-Sil]

Is this conversation limited to Unlimited Big Bore Standing?

I would like to point out that Field Pistol targets are "Half Scale" not half size. Look at the templates and remember that each square for Big Bore is 1" X 1" = 1 sp. in. Field Pistol (and NRA Hunter Pistol) use the same template with each side one-half inch long. This means that each square is .5" X .5" = .25 sq. in. Thus the targets are one-fourth the surface area (size) of Big Bore. Since they are shot at one-half the distance that means they are the equivalent of half the size of Big Bore. [ .25 / .5 = .5 ] Therefore 40 X 40 and 60 X 60 in Field Pistol are actually a harder feat to accomplish than in Big Bore because I do not consider recoil in slow fire standing to be a significant effect.

The October 2003 IHMSA News lists three 40s in Production Any Sight for that year:
Bill Robinson (PA) - TC Hornet
Roger Ward (CO) - TC Hornet
Dan Fiora (WV) - XL 270 Ren.

I would assume there have been several more since then. Has anyone ever shot a Standing Production 40 X 40 or better in any discipline? Remember Smallbore are 3/8 Scale. That means .375 squared divided by .5 = .28. Thus Smallbore targets are 28% of Big Bore.

[nutcase]

Being that I keep the records for smallbore (.22), No perfect scores have ever been shot in any .22 standing category. Somebody may have shot one but never submitted it.

for production standing (iron sight) these are the records:

40 round: 37x40
60 round: 51x60
80 round: 68x80

For unlimited standing (anysight)

40 round: 39x40 (done ten times, but no 40)
60 round: 57x60
80 round: 75x80

[ihmsa53393]

I do not remember the date but I witnessed Bill Zewe of Pennsylvania shoot a 40x40 in field pistol at Burrel Township Rod and Gun Club, Blacklick, Pa.

I also witnessed Bill Zewe and Gary Holben shoot a 40x40 in NRA Field Pistol at Irwin Sportsmen Association, Irwin, Pa. Those 40x40's were not shot in the same match. I was match director for those matches.

[aggshooter]

Is this conversation limited to Unlimited Big Bore Standing?

Remember Smallbore are 3/8 Scale. That means .375 squared divided by .5 = .28. Thus Smallbore targets are 28% of Big Bore.

Not sure your formula is correct.
3/8 scale means 3/8 x 3/8 = 9/64. A 3/8 chicken is about 9/64 (about 1/8) the surface area of a BB chicken.

[Mt-Sil]

Both my "formula" and math are correct. 1/8 = .125
3/8 = .375 .374 X .375 = .1406 9/64 = .1406

Yes, Smallbore targets are about 1/8 the size of Big Bore, actually .140 = 14% size.

However they are shot at half the distance and therefore their relative size or math equivalent is 28% as much area to shoot at as Big Bore. Also finding rimfire ammo that will shoot 2 MOA in a production gun is rare but common in Big Bore.