Unfortunately, this is all too common with NRA Conventional Pistol competition--especially at the larger ranges, and MOST especially at the Nationals, at Camp Perry, OH. The targets are VERY close together--separated by about 1 foot, and there are about 50-60 people in each firing group, with at least three to four groups per relay. You are almost literally standing shoulder to shoulder.
We actually have a saying: "There are two types of pistol competitors in Bullseye shooting--those who have crossfired, and those who will." For this reason, it pays to take special care to ensure that you are on your own target.
My most memorable incident occured at Camp Perry 2001. I was riding neck-and-neck with the person who eventually won the Police/Service (Marksman) category.
I was shooting the .45 match, and preparing for a timed fire string. I was pumped, psyched, whatever. I was READY to clean the target.
On the load command, I inserted a magazine with my first five rounds, and loaded a round into the chamber. I had already found a perfect stance, and my NPOA was dead on. I raised the pistol during the preparatory commands, and as the last command was given--"READY ON THE FIRING LINE"--I let the pistol settle so that the Ultra-Dot sight was dead centered on the X, at 25 yards.
For once, the pistol seemed to LOCK onto the center of the target, as viewed from the edge. All was in perfect order.
The targets faced, and the dot was perfectly placed. I rolled the trigger 5 times; each time the pistol fired; my grip was so well placed that the gun recoiled straight back and settled back into perfect alignment, right in time for the sear to break once more.
I didn't NEED a spotting scope--I SAW a large bughole where the X had been completely eaten out! We fired out second, five-shot string, and it was a repeat of the first--I simply aimed at the hole in the center of the target! I rejoiced, and secured my pistol in the box with a flourish--I had fired my first clean target with the 1911 pistol! At the Nationals, no less!
The line was declared clear, and I went down range with a song in my heart to score my neighbor's target. As I approached, I looked at my target--and stopped dead in my tracks.
There was my target--COMPLETELY CLEAN! NO HOLES!!!
There was my neighbor's target--with three holes in the 9 ring--2 in the 10--and the X completely gone.
I had just fired the best score of my LIFE in timed fire--on my neighbor's target. :banghead: :banghead:
Well, he got a 97-7X for that target.
I got a big fat goose egg. It was enough to bump me to third, overall.
(But I STILL won the .45 Rapid Fire match!!!
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