What Was Your First Competitive Shooting Event?

[tnt50]

Next week will mark 10 years since my first .50 shoot, it was a small shoot thrown together in Escanaba Michigan. Great introduction to a decade of fun this far. Less than 15 shooters and a relaxed, but safe crowd.

Made me curious, What was your first shoot?

 

[Shooter13]

I started in 2019 shooting UBR, had no clue of what I was doing! Ended the year at the Nationals placing 3rd at 200 yards. I think about it now and how unbelievable that is! This sport is sort if like diarrhea, once it starts it doesn't end!! I always can't wait for the next week and then when season is over I'm looking forward to "next year", at age 71 not sure how many "next years" there will be for me.

 

[K22]

I assume by referring to "first shoot" you mean competition shooting. My first competition shooting was in 67-to-69-time frame at Penn State wherein we shot three position small bore rifle, indoor at 50 feet.

However, I never pursued it after college and instead started competitive NRA Precision (bullseye) pistol shooting in the 71-to-72-time frame at Fort Belvoir on the post pistol team. It would be a discipline I would pursue for 30 years achieving a Distinguished Expert (285x300) rating.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Handgun, silhouette late 70’s

 

[Forum Boss]

Rimfire 25-yard bench match shot as an 8-year old cub scout at Camp Rancho Allegre near Lake Cachuma in California. Sadly, the facility was devasted in a 2017 fire -- but it is re-opening this summer.

Camp Rancho Alegre had served over 10,000 boys and girls and their families annually for fifty years. In addition to hosting Scout Camps, church retreats and community gatherings, Camp Rancho Alegre is also the site of The Outdoor School providing fifth and sixth grade public school children with unique outdoor learning experiences including hands-on environmental educational activities, hiking and exploring nature, opening doors to self-discovery, learning new life skills and forging friendships that last a lifetime. Camp Rancho Alegre is a regional camp and is located near Lake Cachuma serving primarily Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties schools and families. In 2017 the Whittier Fire destroyed 215 acres of our forested camp including 47 of the camps 50 structures. Building costs have risen to $18 million of which $12 million have been secured.

 

[Big Mc]

Next week will mark 10 years since my first .50 shoot, it was a small shoot thrown together in Escanaba Michigan. Great introduction to a decade of fun this far. Less than 15 shooters and a relaxed, but safe crowd.

Made me curious, What was your first shoot?

My first match in Germany 68th. Arty. National Match 10 Jan 1966 . I was hooked. Tommy Mc Made Pres 100 in 1967 Went to Vietnam did two turs. Got lucky only one purple Heart. So many did not come home.

 

[tygranch]

I shot my first High Power match around 1995 so I could buy a DCM M1 Garand. A friend loaned me an M1A, jacket and mat. I was hooked and shot several matches a year until an unfortunate chain saw accident in 2005 ended position shooting. I still try to shoot a prone mid range now and then.

 

[Mike Samer]

Early 90s for me in order to buy a DCM M1. When it finally arrived I didn't have enough time to jump into regular match shooting, but at least had the coat etc. when I did have the time 20+ years later.

 

[troupe]

My first competition was with a S&W M29 in a PPC match outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Wrong pistol for sure, but was all I had at the time. The bug was set for competition. I won that match, but the fellow competitors said they did not want to shoot with me, because of the muzzle blast. I was a indoor range !! Many years ago.

 

[Will Henry]

My first competitions were at informal turkey shoots, held in various rural communities. I would travel up to 100 miles to attend these events. Usually, it was one shot for center, from the bench or offhand (standing). Some places shot out to 300 and some had running deer targets. Great fun and social events. It was in 1976 that I learned we had a registered BR range just 35 miles north of me. I started shooting BR that year. WH

 

[Fuj]

I started PPC with a .357 loaded with 38spl's and wadcutters back
in the early 70's, then moved right into IPSC. Retired from all that
in the early ninety's.

 

[Bugs]

NRA 50' small bore at Boy Scout camp many (many) years ago. Our troop was fortunate enough to win the team title two years in a row and I lucked out and won the individual title. We actually had good rifles to shoot, Springfield trainers that shot really well.

 

[Richard Jones]

1994, USPSA at Black Creek Shooters Association. I was hooked after I saw the first guy run the first stage...

 

[Dkk37058]

Hunter pistol silhouette in late 80s
Then got into high power across the course early 90s and now F class midrange and long range

 

[Shurefire]

A modified PPC shoot in 2010 with my department got me interested in competition. 2014 was my first Highpower match

 

[PhilKeil]

My 1st as a shooter was 1980 shooting ipsc/acction pistol matches i believe a bowling pin match,
as a worker pulling targets in the early 70's at camp Bullis

 

[Liven The Dream]

Service Rifle Match at 200 yards with a M1A.
Fox Valley Range in Illinois 1986 .
And were we go from there?
Still Blasting Paper.

 

[xswanted]

My first was some positional 22lr. Smallbore “esque”

In reality it was NRA silhouette. I started out with a 257 Roberts 700 mountain rifle. Our club shot league at 200 yards and once a summer we’d shoot a full course match. That was at 8 years old.

 

[swd]

Small bore metallic silhouette about 40 years ago. I’ve been shooting various disciplines almost continuously since then.

 

[Greg@wfcustom]

IHMSA Silhouette match at Diablo Valley Gun Club circa 1985.
I shot Handgun Silhouette for @ 15 years and then discovered Benchrest.
The rest as they say is history. Been shooting pretty much all the various flavors of BR (RF,CF,LR)
since my first BR match which was the 1998 Cactus Classic.
(Talk about jumping in to the deep end)
LOL
G