The Metro Pistol League (MPL) holds weekly matches at the NRA Range, beginning in late September and continuing through the end of May. It operates like a bowling league in that teams compete against one another and the scores are based on a handicap system. Unlike a bowling league, however, the teams are not a fixed size and the personal commitment to being there every week is not as strict. The following will answer some of your questions and help you to get started in Bullseye shooting.
What is Bullseye shooting?
A more proper term for Bullseye shooting is conventional pistol shooting. This form of shooting has it roots in military training. Bullseye shooting is very popular, both indoors and out. All that is required is a .22 caliber handgun and a steady arm. Bullseye shooting is done with one hand only. The September to May league is .22 only, but during the summer months we shoot individually and allow center fire calibers.
How good do I have to be to participate?
As good as you are right now. Since this is a handicap league, you are really shooting against your own average. If you shoot better then the average of the last three times you shot, you get a good handicap score. If you have a bad night and don’t beat your average, you get a lower handicap score. A beginning shooter that is improving rapidly can be a bigger asset to his/her team then a more experienced shooter who is working very hard to improve a few points. The majority of the participants are there to have fun and improve their own shooting skills. It is not uncommon to see someone coaching a member of a different team.
What do I need?
A .22 caliber handgun, hearing protection, and eye protection. The latter items may be borrowed from the range. If you don’t own a .22, but want to try out the course, there is always someone that will loan you a gun. In fact, this is a good way to try out different makes and styles of guns to find out what you like best.
All I have is an old plinker....Do I need a match quality gun?
Almost any gun is capable of shooting better than the person holding it. This is true for most of the shooters in the league although we do have a few outstanding competitors, most of our members are only “average” shooters. During league night, you will see everything from Ruger Mk-l ‘s up to Hammerli’s and other similar match grade firearms. Very few shooters use revolvers, as most use semi-autos. More on gun selection later.
What does it cost?
There is a $11.00 weekly fee which covers the use of the range (paid to NRA), targets, and a trophy fund. This also covers the cost of the NRA SR-1 (classification report) that is submitted at the end of the year by the league to the NRA for shooter classification purposes. More on classification later.
When are the matches held?
The matches are held on Monday evenings beginning at 6:00 PM. Generally, anybody that arrives and signs up for a relay by 8:00 PM will get a chance to shoot.
What’s the course of fire and how is it scored?
MPL fires a ‘double National Match course at 50 and 25 yards consisting of the following:
• Slow fire: (50 yards
Two 10 shot strings slow fire (you have 10 minutes to shoot 10 rounds at the slow fire target)
• Timed fire: (25 yards)
Four 5 shot strings timed fire (you have 20 seconds to shoot S rounds at the timed and rapid fire target)
• Rapid fire: (25 yards)
Four 5 shot stings rapid fire (you have 10 seconds to shoot 5 rounds at a new timed and rapid fire target)
The targets are marked with numbered rings, just add them up. A perfect score is 600.
What does it take to have my own Team?
Team scores consist of the highest four handicap scores of those people shooting that night. If you don’t want to be forfeiting matches, you have to have at least four shooters there every week. Better to have 6-8 shooters every week so that if somebody has an off night, you have other scores to choose from. The desire and ability of the team members to attend the matches dictates how many you have to carry on your roster to yield enough scores for each match, A new team must be in place at the beginning of the league since each team shoots against every other team a fixed number of times during that league. New leagues start in the fall. New shooters can join at any time.
What do I do on league night?
As you walk in the door there will be a sign up sheet. Sign up for a relay. You will shoot on the same lane as you sign up for on the Relay Sheet.
Prepare your targets. You will need one small slow fire target and two large timed and rapid-fire targets. The targets will be hung from the target carriers on hangers provided by the MPL.
Should you need to handle your gun before your relay is called to the line, do so only in the designated area, When your relay is called, move to the point on the line you signed up for and mount your slow fire target on the target carrier.
Remove your gun from the case. With the muzzle always pointing downrange, check to be sure that it is unloaded and place it on the bench, with the action open (or cylinder swung-out) and the magazine removed. Whenever your gun is not in your hand ready to shoot, it should be in this condition
The range master will send the targets down range Then advise you of the beginning of a non-firing three minute preparation period. Use this time to adjust spotting scope, set timers, and load your magazine(s). Do not put a magazine in or otherwise load your gun.
After 3 minutes have gone by, the range master will advise you that this is the slow fire stage of the course and that you will have 20 minutes to fire 20 shots, You will be given the command ‘load’. Insert a magazine and allow the slide to cycle a round into the chamber. Rest the gun on the table with your finger outside the trigger guard. The following sequence of commands will be given:
Is the line ready? (3-second pause)
The line is ready. (3-second pause)
Ready on the right? (3-second pause)
Ready on the left? (3-second pause)
Ready on the firing line (3 second pause) (During this time most shooters raise their guns and sight in on the target) (You may now place your finger lightly on the trigger ONCE THE GUN IS RAISED AND POINTED DOWN RANGE)
The targets will turn to face you or an alarm bell/buzzer will sound marking the start of the 10 minute time period.
You will shoot 10 rounds at the slow fire target. At the end of the 10-minute period, the targets will turn or the alarm bell/buzzer will again sound. After a 1 minutes break you will fire a second 10 shot s slow fire in 10 Minutes. What usually happens is when the range master thinks that everybody is finished he/she will ask if anybody needs more time. If you do, raise your hand. Rarely do the competitors utilize the entire 10 minute time period that is allowed.
The target carriers will be brought back and you will be asked to remove your slow fire target and mount your timed fire target. The targets will be sent downrange.
The range master will advise you that this is the timed fire stage of the course and that you will fire four strings of 5 rounds each at the target. He/she will then issue the following commands:
For your first string of timed fire, with a magazine of five rounds Load (short pause)
Is the line ready? (3-second pause)
The line is ready. (3-second pause)
Ready on the right? (3-second pause)
Ready on the left? (3-second pause)
Ready on the firing line (3 second pause) (During this time most shooters raise their guns and sight in on the target and You may now place your finger lightly on the trigger)
The targets will turn or the starting bell/buzzer will sound.
After 20 seconds the targets will turn or the ending bell/buzzer will sound
The range master will say “cease fire, are there any alibi’s?” If you had problems raise your hand. More on alibi’s later. He/she will wait while any alibi’s are cleared then issue the above commands three more times. (Four if alibi string is required)
After the last string, The target carriers will be brought back and you will be asked to remove your timed fire target and mount your rapid fire target. The targets will be sent downrange.
The exact same procedure will be followed for rapid fire as for timed fire, except That the time limit will be ten seconds instead of 20.
After the rapid-fire course, your targets will return. Remove the targets from the backers and go into the classroom to score your targets.
Scoring
Scoring the targets is easy. There should be 20 holes in the paper (unless you had an alibi (defined below) or you missed the paper entirely). Simply add-up the point values associated with each hole. If a hole is touching a higher scoring ring you get the higher value. Get someone to help you calculate the handicap score. It’s not difficult once you get the hang of it, but
the first couple of times it can be confusing.
An alibi or refire
At some point in the match your gun may jam or fail to tire. If this occurs during slow fire you’ve probably got enough time to fix it. If the gun jams during timed or rapid fire you won’t have enough time to fix it and finish shooting. When the guns jams during timed or rapid fire, raise your hand (the hand not holding the gun). Do not touch or attempt to clear the jammed round. If you do, the alibi will not be allowed. Rest the gun on the bench but retain your grasp on it. After the round the caller will ask ‘are there any alibis?” and see your raised hand (if not, yell!). A range officer will come to your station to examine the situation. At this time remove the magazine and remove the round in the chamber. He may inspect the round that did not fire and ask you what the problem was. An alibi round will be scheduled to be shot at the conclusion of shooting for that target. The alibi stage will be called just like any other stage except you’ll be the only one shooting. You’ll shoot 5 shots. Example: Say during the first 5 round string of timed fire your gun jams. You’ve already fired two rounds and it jammed. An alibi stage will be scheduled. The timed fire stage will continue with everyone, including you, shooting the next 5 shots to complete that target. Now the alibi stage is called. You’ll shoot 5 shots and be the only one shooting. When you get your target it will have 22 holes in it (assuming you hit the target with every shot). Everyone else will have 20 holes in their target. This would be called a 22 shot alibi, To score the target you need to discard your 2 best shot and score the lowest 20 shots. You’re only allowed one alibi per course of fire. If your gun jams again while you’re shooting that target, you’ll have to clear it and continue the best that you can.
Classifications
At the end of the league, your scores for the year are tallied and entered on the SR-1 report. The NRA uses this to issue you a classification. The classification allows you to compete in normal matches against others in you skill range. The NRA publishes more information about classification and rules in their booklet, available from the NRA. In general, the classifications are Marksman, Sharpshooter Expert, Master and High Master. Scores under 85% Marksman, 85% to 89.99% are Sharpshooter, 90-94.99% Expert, 95-96.99 Master and over 97% High Master. Don’t feel bad if you’re classified as a Marksman, most people are.
Firearms
The general recommendation for any beginner would be to use whatever 22 pistol you have or can borrow. Investment in a .22 can run anywhere from $250 to $300 for a used plinker to over $2000 for a match grade gun. As stated previously, even the most modest gun will produce groups tighter then the ability of the shooter to hold steady. The two Things that will help you to improve your scores most, regardless of gun, area good set of sights and a good trigger pull. Adjustable sights are a necessity in getting the gun to shoot to point of aim and a good trigger will lessen the chance of disturbing the muzzle while getting the shot off. The shooters in the league exhibit a high level of brand loyalty and are generally willing to prove to
you that their gun is the best by letting you use it to shoot a match. This is a great way to try before you buy. The following are the most frequently used guns in MPL:
Ruger Mark II, III or IV. Usually with a bull or slab side barrel and adjustable sights,
Smith & Wesson Victory or Model 41.(Both original and new manufacture guns.)
There are also shooters that use Benelli, Colt, Hammerli, High Standard, Pardini and others, but they are not as prevalent as the above. A very few people still shoot revolvers and do it very, very well.
After developing your skills with an “out of the box” gun you’ll eventually wonder what you could do to improve your scores. Aside from more practice, you could experiment with some of the following items.
Sights
People with bifocals or week eyes may benefit from an electronic scope or telescopic sight. Electronic dot sights are very popular for several reasons. They have no magnification (good) and they have unlimited eye relief. They range in price from $100 to about $300. Depending on the gun you need to drop another $50 or so for a mount.
A cheap way to spruce up your sight picture when using iron sights is by using an aperture. Ideally you focus on the gun’s front sight. This makes the target blurry (that’s normal). By looking through a pinhole, you can put the sight and target in focus. Try it using apiece of cardboard held up to your eye. Commercial apertures are available but with a little ingenuity you
can make your own. Don’t expect a dramatic increase in your scores. For most people the ability to hold steady swamps the errors encountered with iron sights.
Trigger Work
Most inexpensive factory guns have hard, long and rough triggers. A, light, crisp trigger can markedly improve your score. For most people this means a trip to the gunsmith for a “trigger job”. Expect to pay about $80 to $150 for this. Drop-in trigger kits are available for some guns (e.g. Rugers), which allow the average person to replace the hammer and sear for a better trigger. In my experience these drop in kits are much better than the factory trigger but not as good as a gunsmith job. Minimum trigger pull weight is 2 lbs for.22 caliber firearms.
Grips
There are a lot of after market grips for target pistols. They can run from about $30 to over $300. It might be best try holding other shooter’s guns to determine which is best for you.
More information
There are several Web Sites and discussion groups devoted to Bullseye style shooting.
For specific information about participating in the Metro Pistol League, please contact:
metropistol@cox.net
