Arizona Rifleshooting
Olympic Rapid Fire Shooting
The Rapid Fire Pistol event at a World Cup in Munich, 2005 (Pilk)
(note the electronic targets)
Some form
of Rapid Fire Pistol (RFP) shooting has been part of the Olympic games
since
the founding of the modern games in 1896 (three years after Phoenix’s
“Washington’s Birthday Rifle Match” was initiated, more on that in
another
article, and 16 years before Arizona became a state). It is one of the
5 pistol events currently in the Olympics.
Imagine
this: You stand facing downrange, your pistol pointing 45º to the
ground in
front of you. Seconds after the command “Attention” five targets turn
facing
you, you lift your gun smoothly to the first target “bang”, come out of
recoil
to bring your shooting arm in line with the second target, “bang”, then
the
third, fourth and fifth targets... in 4 seconds!…. Nothing moves
deliberately other than your waist as
you turn
to the next target and of course, your trigger finger.
Rapid fire
pistol consists of shooting at 5 big bullseye targets at 25 meters in
several
strings of 8 seconds, 6 seconds and 4 seconds. A total of 60 shots are
fired
over these 12 strings, so a 600 would be a perfect score. Some German
guy (from
the east) named Ralf Schuman holds the world record with a 597 and 3
Olympic
gold medals, a 592 won his gold in Athens.
Problem is,
the US has NOT won a gold medal in this event since 1960! What’s going
on? We're the home of the 2nd amendment!
Americans LOVE our guns! Why don’t we produce as many top shooters and
communist countries do? (at the Pan Am games in 2003, the results were:
#1:
Cuba, #2: Cuba, #3: USA) Well that might change!
The rules
have changed over the years. Like most games it became an equipment
race,
evolving very specialized pistols chambered in .22 short, with
compensators and
wrap-around grips and very light electronic triggers. You can’t buy
such guns
at your local gun shop! The International Shooting Sports Federation
wanted to
put the brakes on the equipment race, so NOW, starting in 2005, only
STANDARD
.22’s can be used.
The new
rules require .22 LR, standard bullet weight and velocity, no
compensators or
wrap-around grips. Almost any .22 semi-auto pistol except those with
very long
barrels or dangerously light triggers is permitted!
Schuman
& company won’t be shooting Ruger Mk II’s, Trailsides and Browning
Buck
Marks, but YOU CAN!!! Such guns would be perfect for starting out in
this
sport!
This
Olympic sport is very under-represented in the US. At this year’s
National
Championships only 11 people in the entire country shot! And TWO of
them are
from PRGC! Only 8 participated in both olympic tryout matches for this
event in
an attempt to qualify for last year’s US Olympic team.
So, it is
entirely conceivable that a shooter, starting this year, dedicating
himself to
this sport and training for 5 years, could qualify for the US Olympic
team in
2012 (Assuming the US wins the “quota slot” right to send an athlete to
the
games in this event!).
Rapid Fire Pistol at Phoenix Rod & Gun
Most PRGC
members have probably seen the little tiny half-building, near the club
entrance
off to the left between the High Power 500 yd line and the Range
Master’s
residence, and not even realized it significance, or know even what it
is for
that matter.
This is
probably the only functional, dedicated Olympic-style 25 meter Rapid
Fire Pistol
range with pneumatic turning targets in the state of Arizona (Ben Avery
shut
theirs down years ago and dismantled it, but might rebuild it).
PRGC has a monthly PTO (Preliminary Try Out) match
in the
Olympic/international shooting events. This is on the 3rd
weekend,
RFP can be fired on either Saturday or Sunday. We will expand the event
to more matches per month
if
there is interest. (also our state championships will be 17-18-Nov-07)
The PRGC
Pistol Division’s International-style shooters want to see this sport
grow. To
help all of you new to the sport get started in RFP we will hold a
training
class in conjunction with any of our monthly PTO for any interested new
shooter. The class will
consist of an
introduction to the sport, the skills and techniques needed, the rules,
targets
and the equipment, a chance to check the zero of the pistol at 25m,
and, with
one-on-one coaching, try all of the stages, shooting a full match.
Those who join USA Shooting will have their scores submitted
as part
of the PTO.
You will
need eye & ear protection, any .22 pistol, a coupla hundred
bullets, and a
mind open to trying something new and challenging and having a lot of
fun! Its
a pretty safe bet you won’t shoot a score in the 590’s (and scare off
the
German and Chinese Olympic teams) on your first time out, in fact,
you’ll
probably have a few misses and saved rounds in that 4 second string,
but you'll have fun and you’ve
probably got the equipment to get started.
While Rapid
Fire is a men’s only event in segregated Olympic competition, women are
certainly welcome to participate in all PRGC shoots too, but there IS a
women’s-only
25 meter event in the Olympics, its called “Sport Pistol”: same gun,
different
course of fire. We shoot that on too on the monthly PTOs and also on
the 2nd and 4th tuesday evening (6:30 till 9 or so) in
conjunction with the non-olympic sport of men's international
centerfire pistol.
We also have matches in olympic style
Air Pistol, Air Rifle, 50m smallbore (.22) rifle and 50m "free pistol",
both at PRGC and Ben Avery.
It has been
said that Rapid Fire Pistol is the easiest Olympic Sport. All your
equipment
fits in a briefcase, you stand still the whole time, you only have to
lift
about 2 lbs, and you only need top performance for 72 seconds. – See you in Beijing!
Pardini SP