A companion competition to our Pistol League, this offers an easier experience for those who can't get on with open sights or a one-handed style although there's nothing to stop anyone entering both comps for double the fun.
2/11/22. No other takers so that makes Bri the winner of the 2022 Open Pistol competition. Not an immense turn-out for this one but it was still closely fought in the end.
26/10/22. One round left for Russ and he finished in a rather disappointing style with his 71 being his lowest score of the season.
Bri had a lot of catching up to do. Sitting at Round 4 and unsure if he could make it to Denwood the following week, he needed to put in six sets of cards totalling 60 shots. Which he did in less than half an hour averaging better than one shot every 30 seconds.
With no time to use a different gun for each round, the red dotted HW40 was zeroed and pressed into service. And, for once, worked reliably with scores ranging between 80-86, enough for a final score of 801 and a comfortable 20 point lead over Russ.
There's still one week left to go so it's feasible that someone can walk in and overtake Russ and Bri but, given the low participation level, I'm not putting any money on that.
19/10/22. In an attempt to shoot all 10 rounds before the AGM, Russ shot two rounds this evening. With his open sighted HW75, he racked up an 81 and 75.
Bri, throwing his policy of using a different gun for each round out the window, borrowed the HW75 and got an 80. With six rounds for him still to go, it's going to be a mad rush to cram them all in.
15/10/22. The brakes are off - shoot as many rounds as you like in any one evening session in an attempt to get all 10 rounds in before the AGM.
20/7/22. The HW75. An 84 in Russ's hands, a 71 in Bri's. Hmmm, kinda takes away any credible excuse for the lower score but I'll try anyway - the rearsight width is too narrow, there's too much trigger travel, I hadn't used those particular pellets before, the targets were looking at me in a strange way, it was a Wednesday, the blah, blah, blah...
Still, many thanks to Russ for lending me the gun to ensure I shoot each round with a different pistol.
29/6/22. The 10m lanes are far too underused for my liking these days - where is everyone apart from Russ? He's going to win this by default if the rest of us don't get a move on.
A 76 with his HW75 sees him surge ahead and, at this rate, we may have to put him on hold at Round 7 to let the rest of us catch up.
1/6/22. An easy one this week - just Russ shooting and he got an 80 with his HW75.
4/5/22. Alternating between the Pistol League and Open Pistol comp, Russ was on the HW75 again this week. High 80s in practice inevitably translated into a still decent 77 once cards were signed though.
He's just acquired a Webley Alecto and a few quick shots showed promise so maybe that'll put in an appearance in the near future.
Bri, intending to use a different pistol in each round, dragged his Original 6M out for some exercise. Some variable cards resulted - four shots in the white were balanced with more nearer the bull for a 68.
6/4/22. The Curse of Competition Pressure strikes again as this week was the time for Russ to have a go. With his open sighted HW75, he shot an excellent 85 in practice but a mere (by comparison) 75 officially. The unwritten law seems to be that, as soon as you sign a card, things go South.
The same can be said for Steve P. On one of his far too infrequent visits, he thought he'd have a crack with a CO2 powered Beretta M92 supplied by Les. With a history of not hitting targets (the M92, not Steve,) it maybe wasn't the wisest choice for this (or any other) comp but with a whaddahell approach, he and the gun threw 10 pellets downrange for a 42.
Les, fortunately, had the wisdom to put Discretion before Valour and declined to shoot officially with it while Nick and Bri ran out of shooting time.
Which leaves Russ at the top of the tree but for how long?
23/3/22. Continuing his aim of alternating week on/off between this and the Pistol League, Russ racked up a respectable 84 with his HW75 to put him in second place. Early days yet and I anticipate a few more shooters taking up this challenge to make things more interesting.
16/3/22. An easy one to update today, just Stef had a blast and racked up an excellent (or worrying to other competitors,) 88. Mentioning that he far prefers the Olympic Style shooting of the Pistol League, I also think I detected the tiniest amount of disappointment in him with this score.
This man has ice water running through his veins and needs to be stopped - GARC'ers, saddle up, lock 'n' load and give him some oppostion!
2/3/22. Another two shooters have joined in the Open Pistol comp - Bri and Stef. Both managed a respectable 85, Stef with his swanky Walther LPM-1 in a two handed stance while Bri broke out his used and abused red dotted HW40, proving that you don't need a top end pistol to get the scores.
Bri is also considering following the Steve L method of using a different pistol for each round to mix things up a bit and give some lesser used guns an airing. Probably dooming himself to failure but it should guarantee some fun.
Less taxing than the one-handed Olympic style of the Pistol League, Open Pistol is a good way to get more out of your range time while joining in the craic. It's open to all (even the mud stained HFT rufty tufties) and fun once you get into it.
Give it a try.
23/2/22. Russ has fired the first shots in our "Anything Goes" pistol competition. Intending to shoot this and the Pistol League on alternating visits, he picked up his newly acquired HW75 and got a respectable 78 with open sights - enough to put him in top spot.
Well, it would as he's the only entrant so far. That may change as others enter the fray and, to this end, I've taken the liberty of putting down a few names for the comp. It's for your own good and you'll enjoy it once you start shooting.