Shooting Competitions with a 50 Yard Component

[spEKTre]

Interested to know how many Competitive shooters in here who shoot competition matches that have a 50 yard string or section ? I shoot service Match's and WA1500 ( PPC ) that have strings of 24 shots at 50 yards in the sitting, prone, left barricade and right barricade.

It seems that most of the conversations in here deal with shorter distances and I noticed that most sites on the web have the Americans testing their revolvers at 25 yards or shorter for grouping and accuracy. I often see a group of 1.5" on a target and think that very good for 50 yards with a ransom or sandbag then see the distance is 15 yards.

What matches do people shoot that have 50 yard strings is what I want to ask.

[JohnKSa]

Handgun silhouette competitions have several courses of fire that include 50 meter/yard distances.

https://competitions.nra.org/media/7...l-rulebook.pdf

7.1 Conventional and Unlimited Standing Competition - A sanctioned match consists of 40, 60, 80 or 120 rounds fired in the standing position on standard High Power Rifle Silhouette targets as follows (an example of the minimum course of fire):

(a) Ten Gallina (chicken) targets at 50 meters (or yards).
(b) Ten Javelina (pig) targets at 100 meters (or yards).
(c) Ten Guajalote (turkey) targets at 150 meters (or yards).
(d) Ten Borrego (ram) targets at 200 meters (or yards).

7.3 Hunter’s Pistol and Smallbore Hunter’s Pistol Competition - A sanctioned match consists of 40, 60, 80, or 120 rounds fired in the standing position on targets which are one-half the size of standard High Power Rifle targets as follows (an example of the minimum course of fire):

(a) Ten Gallina (chicken) targets at 40 meters (or yards).
(b) Ten Javelina (pig) targets at 50 meters (or yards).
(c) Ten Guajalote (turkey) targets at 75 meters (or yards).
(d) Ten Borrego (ram) targets at 100 meters (or yards).

7.5 Conventional and Unlimited Smallbore Standing Competition - A sanctioned match consists of 40, 60, 80 or 120 rounds fired in the standing position on targets that are one-half size (chickens) and three-eighths size (pigs, turkeys and rams) of standard High Power Rifle targets as follows (an example of the minimum course of fire):

(a) Ten Gallina (chicken) targets at 40 yards (or meters).
(b) Ten Javelina (pig) targets at 50 yards (or meters).
(c) Ten Guajalote (turkey) targets at 75 yards (or meters).
(d) Ten Borrego (ram) targets at 100 yards (or meters).

[HighValleyRanch]

I shot Bullseye matches (now precision pistol) for a number of years and all the outdoor matches had 20 rounds slow fire at 50 yards and the first string of slow fire in the national match course was also shot at 50 yards. That was all one handed shooting in those days before they started to allow newbies to shoot two handed.

I shot many matches using revolvers and shot one of my best 50 yard scores with a Smtih L frame 4" 586 shooting a 94 one time. The ten ring on the 50 yard slow fire is 3.36" and the 9 ring is 5.54, so that about a 4" group one handed at 50 yards.

[Jim Watson]

I shot PPC for a number of years, even though not a policeman. My "honorary deputy"l card was then enough to get me on the county team when not enough of the department cared to shoot anything more than semi-annual qualifications. When NRA took over from PMA, credentials were more closely scrutinized and the local league folded up because so many of us were "civilians."

I also shot several seasons of full scale IHMSA on animal silhouettes to 200 meters.

That was a long time ago and my precision has deteriorated in favor of speed in the run and gun games.

[mk70ss]

Shot NRA bullseye for years. Slow fire was at 50 yards, one handed firing. Timed and rapid were at 25 yards one handed.

[DaleA]

Most gun magazines (including the NRA's "American Rifleman") do their handgun accuracy testing at 25 yards.

Long ago I shot smallbore rifle (.22) competition and we shot at 50 FEET. Later I shot informal handgun competition and we also shot at 50 FEET. (That was the maximum length of the indoor range we were using.) Use the above posts for REAL information and this post as anecdotal info.

[Jim Watson]

Yes, but the bullseye on a 50 foot target is a lot smaller than on a 50 yard target.
Actually smaller than 1/3 the size.

[stinkeypete]

I shoot bullseye but haven’t used the 50 yard line in a while... my club we shoot 50 feet indoors in the winter and 25 yards for all 3 legs... just with proportionally smaller slow fire.

If the range is crowded... (just reopened with limited schedule because many of our range officers are old retired guys at high risk (like me) and getting reorganized takes time and effort)... anyways, I may move back to the 50 yard line as it’s much less crowded.

[HighValleyRanch]

Go to a public range and set up your pistol shooting on the 50 yard rifle side, and you get lots of funny stares!LOL
How do I know??

[johnm1]

Years ago the Golden Triangle Gun Club in Beaumont, Texas had a very nice target competition every month. It was very simple and geared to bring out the average shooter. There were only two distances. 25 and 50 yards. The targets were steel plate and used a 6" circle, 8" circle, 6" square and 8" square. 5 plates per round for 4 rounds. I don't remember how thick they were or how long the feet that were welded on the bottom of them were. But the only power requirement was that you had to knock the target completely off of the railroad tie they were stood on. If you could knock it off with a 22 magnum you could use it. I'm pretty sure a 32 long would have been enough though most people used a 38 special and up. There was no need for a magnum loudenbommer. I used my .41 Magnum but loaded with 210 grain lead round nose at mouse fart levels and it would knock them off with authority but had hardly any recoil.

Anyone could compete with that arrangement as there were 3 classes A, B, and C. I won my last match there in B class and earned my way into A class where I would have been beaten to a pulp. But it sure was fun and I learned so much by that competition that I still use today some 40 years later.

I still think this is a great format for a Saturday morning. Just bring what you got and lets go shoot!

[Dave T]

John M,

Wouldn't it be nice if they started something like that out at Rio Salado.

Dave

[RickB]

I've shot over 600 "practical" pistol matches, and can remember two that had shots at fifty or more yards.
I was aware that an upcoming match had a 50yd string, so decided to head to the range and give it a try, never having shot a pistol at that distance before.
A few clicks of windage adjustment, and I was all set.
I have no memory of whether I hit the targets on match day, or not?

[DaleA]

Go to a public range and set up your pistol shooting on the 50 yard rifle side, and you get lots of funny stares! LOL

Hmm...last time I was at an indoor range I saw some folk shooting an AK variant rifle at 7 yards. Well...they were having fun.

[NoSecondBest]

I shot a lot of metal targets at long range in different types of competitions. I'm not sure if it's harder to hit a 4" plate at fifty yards than it is to hit a 2" plate at twenty-five yards. It's not the distance, it's the distance and the size of the target. When I was shooting three gun matches we had one event where you had to shoot ten 4"x4" steel plates at 35 yards and then shoot two 4"x4" plates at 25 yards. This had to be done in approx. 40 seconds and that included the time it took to run twenty yards to your gun, insert the mag, and then start shooting. So, what's the real question? Distance, target size, or time factor? Silhouette we shot rams at 200 yards but they were big (sort of) and you had two minutes for five shots. So again, what's the question? Spray and pray or precision?

[johnm1]

John M,

Wouldn't it be nice if they started something like that out at Rio Salado.

Dave


Yes it would be though I'm not sure Rio is the place to do it. It really opens up competition to the 'typical' shooter. Meaning not the guys dedicated to competition shooting. In my experiences shooting XTC matches, I did improve but there was no way to compete with the retired military guys who shot 3 or 4 times a week.

This format allows the average shooter to have success hitting targets and scoring from the first try.

By the way, there were time limits but they were generous meant only to keep the match moving. Each stage consisted of 5 targets/shots in either 60 seconds or 30 seconds. Even the 30 second stage was generous for 5 shots.

I've often thought it would be even better with .22 targets. Rifle or pistol classes.

[stinkeypete]

For me, my .22 sighted in at 50' also shoots point of aim at 50 yards.
My .45acp did the same, within something like 3/4 of an inch which was just a click or two of the Ultradot and often I didn't even bother!

It's one of the fun things about big ol slow wadcutters- the're balistically fairly similar to your subsonic .22

[Ibmikey]

In “ the old days” I was very active on our departments pistol team firing a practical police course that began prone at the sixty yard line and then position shooting at 50,25,15 and seven yards. I remember holding dead center with my 4” Combat Magnum service pistol at all ranges. We were good enough each match depended on x’s to win as we could all shoot “ possibles” with great regularity.

[Dave T]

Yes it would be though I'm not sure Rio is the place to do it.

Yea. The IPSC gamers wouldn't like their range cluttered up with regular shooters.

Dave

[stuckinthe60s]

all bullseyes are designed (regardless of distance,) to the front site width.
thus why close targets are smaller and farther are bigger. shooting 50yd may have a big bullseye, but when you look at it at 50yds...it looks no different than 25.
some may split hairs with me, but it is what it is.
reason i say this is....shooting 50 yds is no different than shooting 25yds (in you mind)
clear front site..blurred bull.
but the trick to shooting 50yd is the new adversaries you must deal with, namely windage, mirage, and shadows.
shoot 50yds and youll learn that a smoked front blade is your friend.
youd be surprised what a morning sun and a evening sun will do to your dope!
and of course, your errors are magnified a little too! lol.
i enjoy 50yd pistol.
go get em!

[Nanuk]

all bullseyes are designed (regardless of distance,) to the front site width.
thus why close targets are smaller and farther are bigger. shooting 50yd may have a big bullseye, but when you look at it at 50yds...it looks no different than 25.

I don't know about that. When I was on the Ft Worth, TX PD pistol team shooting PPC the front sight blade on my 686 covered the whole target.

[ThomasT]

When I shot the falling plate matches with my uncle at the Ft Worth Rifle And Pistol Club we would back off to 50 yards and have a one round match. Everyone who wanted to shoot put a dollar in the kitty. The best score won the pot. I never won it and neither did my uncle who also shoot on the Ft Worth Tx PD pistol team. I came close once but that was it. I was shooting a 6" model 19.

[stuckinthe60s]

...as i said.....

[spEKTre]

ratshooter was that 50 yard on the falling plates standing or prone ? all of the comps I shoot with a 50 yard component allow support with either a barricade or prone.