First up is Kirkland, Washington (wooo PacNorthWest) native Travis Tomasie of the Army Marksmanship Unit with a neat article detailing his meteoric rise to the top of the USPSA shooting game. They talk a little bit about guns and gear, but what interested me the most about the article is the picture of Travis during a USPSA match – specifically his footwear. If you look closely, you’ll see that he’s wearing cleats, like you’d see a soccer or baseball player wear. At first, I did a double take, but then I realized that if you’re shooting a run-‘n-gun match on dirt, cleats might not be such a bad idea. You can get started moving faster, stop quicker, and generally provide that all important aspect of shooting – a stable firing platform.
The next article is a brief blurb in the Fresno Bee about the USPSA Area 1 championships where Brad Holt won the production division. Now, I could be wrong, but for some reason I want to think that the USPSA Area One championships take place at the Hogue Action Pistol range, just south of Morro Bay, CA. If they do, I need to punch my ticket to that event ASAP.
I really enjoy seeing practical shooting sports covered in the local paper – not to slight shotgunners and clay shooters, but I think that a lot of the future of the shooting sports lies in the run-‘n-gun events, the practical shooting. The fast pace and hang-and-bang nature seems like it would appeal to the younger demographic. That creates a double bonus, because 1) you attract young shooters, and 2) action pistol shooters are “high volume” shooters, buying gear, ammo (or components for reloading) at a huge level.
Congrats on you new Glock! I’m a chick who is learning to shoot… getting better with my Glock 17 everyday. I agree regarding practical shooting sports. Not only are the matches fun, but they’ve helped me improve my accuracy and speed. Every time I finish a match I get a big confidence boost regarding my (improving) ability!