What Was Your First Competitive Shooting Event?

[AlNyhus]

Late '90's in the TCL Hunter Class Postal matches. That grew into traveling to both IBS and NBRSA registered BR events. Took time off from 2013-2020 to go back drag racing. Started shooting registered BR again in 2020.

 

[Dgd6mm]

3rd grade. NRA rimfire,50ft. Positional.
Back then decent ammo and very good rifles that I had no clue how good they actually were back then.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

1972 FFA trap, never shot trap before that day. 2nd place after a shoot out. 24 in the round, 3 hits from 27 yards before my shoot out miss. A few years ago, first 22 rf match 100 yards with optics 3rd place. Same day first open sight 100 yard shoot 1st place. Both with my BIL rifles, hadn't shot either until the sighters.

 

[JFrank]

Being later to the party than most of you guys I shot my first informal 600 yard match early 2016 over old wooden bench’s that were not very stable, awhile later I met some fellas that shot on concrete bench’s at a higher level and that peaked my interest which eventually led to sanctioned matches.

 

[rlporter507]

12 years old, hunter safety + 3 position bb gun county and state competition put on by the Jaycee's.

 

[ebb]

565 Clay bird shoot at Manatee. Back when they shot real clay birds glued to cardboard and nailed to a fence.

 

[219DW]

Handgun, silhouette late 70’s

September 1979 shot my first IHMSA match at Sycamore Valley Gun Club, Bloomington, In. I shot the only centerfire handgun I had, a U.S.Arms Abilene .44 Mag revolver. Had only shot it at 50 yds. before the shoot with cast wadcutters. Hit 7 chickens and 6 pigs never touched a turkey or ram but was hooked. At 79 years old I have cut back to 1 match a month, .22 rimfire and field pistol 6 months and indoor air gun 6 months.
Dave

 

[DiRTY DOG]

First match: Boy Scout camp, 25 yard with Marlin bolt action 22lr, I was camp week champion at age 12 and hooked for life.

 

[Fred Bohl]

22lr positional 50 & 100ft indoor 1951
Benchrest 222rem 100 & 200yd Local Club 1959
Benchrest 6br 1000yd heavy gun 2005
Retired from competition 2015 - enjoyed all 64 years

 

[INShooter]

Sycamore Valley Gun Club, Bloomington, In.

I loved that range. Shot a number of BR50 matches there.

 

[perazziguy]

10 bird turkey shoot at the Saybrook(IL) gun club. About '88 or '89. The wind blew my hat in the pond, no matter, I won a turkey or two!

 

[drover]

1970 - A local club meat shoot - one shot closest to bullseye with hunting rifles . I won enough that day to keep us in groceries for a couple of weeks. I was hooked on competitive shooting from then on.

drover

 

[dannyjbiggs]

In the Fall of 1957, as a newly arrived freshman at Arkansas Tech University, I competitively shot my way onto the ROTC Rifle Team, NRA 4-position smallbore. Two years later, I transferred to Oklahoma State University and was a regular member of their ROTC/varsity rifle team for another 2.5 years. Lettered at both universities. Show & Tell .

 

[Blackthorn]

1975 shooting quarters and fired 9mm cases at 25 yards offhand against my father with a 22LR BLR. Loser did the dishes in elk camp.
1982 I started shooting competitively in skeet.
Now I just compete in F-Class

 

[rr2030]

1968 I was 15, Bullseye pistol, shot .22 and .45. I shot for a member of the club team that could not make the match. This would have been his 3rd match of the year and needed to complete his 3 shoots for his average. I destroyed his average by significantly besting it. He was not happy, everyone got a good laugh out of it though.

 

[1shot]

The County Sheriff office put together a .22 RF match for local teens in 1970.
I won it and have been hooked ever since. Hell, still got the trophy!!

Lloyd

 

[JSH]

About 1974-75, I was 10-11 then. Dads model 75 WW, using T22 ammo. First match I ever shot in, first 1st place, still got the trophy, the rifle and a brick or two of ammo. Been a gun nut ever since.

 

[wkdickinson]

My first High-Power match was in 1988 at Eau Claire , WI. I was shooting a buddy's NM M1, borrowed a coat and a spotting scope from another competitor and had a very enjoyable day. So much so I ordered a coat the Monday after the match, my buddy let me use his NM M1 for the rest of the year, until I bought a M70 match rifle and I was hooked!

 

[jackieschmidt]

Back in the 1970’s, when my Wife and I lived in Jacinto City Tx, I joined the Jacinto City Reserve Police Force. Later I went to the A&M academy and got a full certification so I could work week end shifts.

I also became well acquainted with handguns, Smith & Wesson and Colt Revolvers in particular. We had a pistol team, where we fired the Police Proficiency Course for matches.

I got quite good at it. We had a progressive loader at the Station where we loaded 38 Special 148 grn wadcutters.

I started building the pistols for our team. I would take model 10 Smith’s and install a 6 inch custom barrel and a Bomar Rib. I also did a complete action job, removing the single action feature and making them slick as grease. In a Ransom rest, most would put 6 shots in a 1 1/4 inch group At 25 yards.

I 1976, I built 6 pistols for the City Of Houston Police Department‘s Team.

That was my intro into Competitive Shooting.

Of course, that was long time ago, when revolvers were the choice of most. I suppose those days are gone.

 

[WAMBO]

Been shooting since I was a kid but first competitive match was in June of 2003.
The Sahuaro 1000yd Benchrest match at the Tucson Rifle Club got me hook, line and sinker!