How do you get into competitions?

[LittleSureShot1994]

My dad has told me about competitions and I really want to know, how do you get in a competition?
How do you find them?
And what catagorys are there in competitions?
I have been practicing for a year and I sure feel ready for a competition!!!!
But my dad has been telling me "Your getting there. Just keep prataicing." While I'm thinking "Are you sure I'm not ready? Have you not seen what I can do?"
I pratice ALOT and I think I'm pretty good.
( I even have little fake competitions with my dad and beat him in our "fake" competitions) I even use my not very good target revolver bearcat and I beat him.
He has practiced for probably since he was 11. And I have only been shooting for a year!!!!!!
Sincerly,
LittleSureShot1994

 

[another okie]

There are many different kinds for each type of gun, rifle, pistol, shotgun. Your dad is the best judge of when you are mature enough to be in a competition, and the normal age varies depending on the type of competition. Some of these can be pretty expensive.

Shotgun: the most common competitions involve breaking clay targets. Those are skeet, trap, clays. You can find organizations that sponsor those on the web easily, and most gun clubs have competitions like that. There are also "tactical" shotgun matches that involve moving, reloading, and different types of targets. IPSC and other organizations sponsor them.

Rifle and handgun: the most common competitions are target shooting at paper, such as High Power matches. Check the NRA website. Again there are also "tactical" pistol matches such as IDPA, IPSC and "tactical" rifle matches.

Find a gun club in your area that has the type of match that you are interested in and ask your dad to take you to one just to watch.

 

[losangeles]

There are many competitions for the NRA. Here's a link: http://www.nrahq.org/compete/

 

[Fly320s]

LittleSure,

First up... safety. You may be a good shot, but all competitions require safe gun handling first. Make sure you know how to do that.

Now, let's narrow down what you are looking for. Do you want to shoot rifle, shotgun or handgun? Centerfire or rimfire or airgun? Action or bullseye?

Can we assume by your screen name that you are 11 years old? If so, you may want to get started in youth programs. If you would like to compete in other areas, say USPSA for instance, you will probably need to have your dad with you during the competition. Most clubs will let you shoot, but they want to make sure you have the skills first.

Hope it helps.

 

[sm]

I was about so high, and had to dance in the shower to get wet. I had been shooting with Mentors and Elders and having fun shooting impromtu stuff.

Did I mention one Elder was a Gunny?

I show up as I "normally" do and ...well doggie, we gots a lots of folks at the range. We had some Army, Marine, folks and a Lady with a Navy Uniform...that puzzled me...
Stupid me just had to ask "what is going on?" Well I cannot type "exactly" what Gunny said - the bottom line was to get my skinny butt up there and If screwed up , missed, or both he was going to kick my skinny butt.

"I didn't tell ya kid 'cause I didn't want you getting nervous, just do what you do and forget about anyone else - just focus".

I focused, did pretty good taking 3rd and won some prizes.

.22 Rimfire , I used a Model 52.

--

Skeet:

Though a bit bigger, I still had to dance in the shower to get wet.

This time when a Mentor/ Elder just drove to a Range, and I saw a lot of folks, banners, BBQ ...

"This is the part where you have entered me in a tourney and if I screw up you kick my butt - right?.

"For a kid you ain't half bad.

" I thought one had to shoot a certain amount of targets to get classed"

'You do kid, you are going to shoot your qual targets in competition though".

"Oh..."

So I shoot with 3 guys that I shot with anyway. Lucky me, I was lead off.
Too many years ago, seems I shot a 72,or 74 tho' in No Class [NC].

I make the Shoot Off Yep sure did! Tossed me into a shoot off with one other NC and two E class. I had the highest score of us 4, still the thinking of the day was experience.

I won the Shoot-Off. Granted I went last, everyone else had missed, so hitting my double from station 3 nailed it.

Hey - if it breaks - its broke.

Mentors and Elders kinda, sorta believed in the Sink or Swim School of Learning

My first centerfire competition? ...I show up to shoot rimfire and got handed a Model 70 in '06.

"Yeah , Yeah I know, I goof up you will kick my butt...SIR!

 

[scotty]

My experience is shooting USPSA pistol matches and a little bit if trap shooting.

As mentioned above, safety is paramount.

Whatever competition you decide to shoot, you will find that nobody cares how good you are as long as you handle your firearm in a safe manner.

Most clubs will have a new shooter orientation where the safety and competition rules are explained. If not, simply find the match director or a range officer, introduce yourself, and tell him or her that you are a new shooter and are interested in shooting the competition. You will find the match officials and fellow shooters to be very friendly and helpful. If you just come to watch, don't be surprised if someone offers you the use of a firearm for the duration of the match. Everyone likes to see new shooters come out to compete.

Good luck and good shooting!

 

[Sunray]

"...I'm pretty good..." How good you are doesn't matter. Being good isn't a requirement. When you go to your first match, you'll have a whole bunch of things to learn. Starting with dealing with match jitters. The course of fire, timing, sight settings, etc. will be new to you. Relax, it's normal. For your first match, just go shoot and don't worry about anything but sight picture, breathing and trigger control. Just relax and shoot.
Since your da knows about competitions, ask him to get you into the youth programs like Fly320s says. Just remember that if you don't talk to your da, he won't know you want to shoot competitions.

 

[pax]

LittleSureShot ~

A couple of summers ago, I watched a 10-year-old girl do an excellent job shooting at her very first GSSF match. That is a match which uses Glock handguns and has a fairly simple course of fire. It is kind of like a very, very basic IDPA match, but participants work off the barrel instead of from the holster so it is more accessible to most people. I do not think they have a specific age limit for those matches, but this girl's dad was well-known to the people running that match and they knew he would help keep her safe, so that might have made a difference.

I know that the NRA has junior marksmanship programs. You could probably check out the NRA website to find out more about those or to find out if there is one in your area. These programs allow you to compete with your own scores as you get better over time but I guess the specifics are probably up to whatever local club is doing them.

Hope that helps.

pax

 

[LittleSureShot1994]

Ok Yes I am 11.
And my dad has taught me... "never shot with me out of the range SureShot, don't drink water in the range, and never touch a gun with out asking."
"I know dad"
I would like to shot in a competition a pistol.
Sincerly,
LittleSureShot1994

 

[Zak Smith]

Use the USPSA web-site to "FIND A CLUB" near you. http://www.uspsa.org/

Here is more than likely a USPSA (pistol shooting) club near you, and you or your father could find a USPSA mentor for you.

 

[Genghis]

Options to Compete

1. Join 4-H Shooting Sports. I would do this even if you pursue other options. I've worked with the program in Texas for several years. I can tell you that you will know safety, you will be well-instructed, and you will have opportunities to practice productively. 4-H has numerous disciplines (pistol, rifle, shotgun, airgun), although they do not have anything like USPSA or IDPA.

2. If you're into practical pistol shooting (USPSA, IDPA, steel, etc.), contact the local clubs to make prior arrangements. Start by emphasizing safety - you'll have a lot to remember, and you don't want to take any chance of getting hurt. Build good safety habits then work on accuracy, then speed. Most importantly, find a mentor to advise you so you do it right from the beginning, and so you don't waste money on the wrong equipment.

 

[bdutton]

Ok Yes I am 11.
And my dad has taught me... "never shot with me out of the range SureShot, don't drink water in the range, and never touch a gun with out asking."
"I know dad"
I would like to shot in a competition a pistol.
Sincerly,
LittleSureShot1994

Bullseye is a good sport to try. Indoor .22 pistol at 50 feet. Contact local ranges to see if they have any matches or leagues.

 

[LittleSureShot1994]

That's a great idea!!!!!!!
Thank you so much!!!!!
But do competitions cost money?
And do I need a hunters safety for competition shooting?

Oh I just got a contender it's so accurate!!!!!!!!!
At Basspro they won't let me practice so my dad has to drive an extra like 30 miles to go to a place called target sports. So I end up not being able to practice as much as I would like to because of the long drive.

Just because I'm 11 doesn't mean I have learned all the hunter safety rules.
My dad was an instructor and I have learned well from him.
I felt offended...
not many people respect women shootest. Oh well
Sincerly,
LittleSureShot1994

 

[ACP230]

Little Sure Shot1994:
The NRA has a Marksmanship Qualification Program that you could do under your dad's supervision.
It would let you try several different types of shooting and earn patches and certificates as you complete each level.
It would allow you to try different types of courses and learn what kind of shooting appealed to you most.
It's run by the NRA Education and Training Division.
I think you could find info about it at www.mynra.com.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation also has a shooting program that can be done individually. I don't know as much about that one but there is info on their website too.

You might also look at the .22 rimfire site, www.rimfirecentral.com for info on benchrest .22 matches. These are shot at your own range and scores are submitted by e-mail.

My son is 13. He's shot benchrest .22, steel plates, PPC type pistol matches, and some of the NRA qualification program. He will probably start Bullseye pistol matches this summer, and may shoot HP rifle matches soon. He's also shot in a lot of the e-mail THR matches. If they keep going after this month, you might give them a try too.

Most of the shooters I know are men or boys, but I do know some women who are very accurate shooters. I used to go to a big bowling pin match each year and several women did better than I did there.

 

[GEM]

Don't drink water?

I don't get it?

In TX - if you didn't hydrate on the range, you would be LittleRaisinette.

Did he mean - Don't walk out onto the range while people are shooting to drink water?

 

[atek3]

Sure you could shoot games like IPSC or highpower. They are fun, but at your age I'd shoot 3-position 22 rifle. You normally shoot standing, kneeling, and prone. The reason I'd shoot 22 rifle, is that first of all, it's cheap. You could get a great setup used for under 400 dollars. Plus 22 ammo is really cheap. Plus if you really are a "SureShot" you might get a scholarship to shoot competitively in college. Plus a good background in 3-position rifle will carry you a long way when you get older and decide to shoot, IPSC, highpower, long range, or tactical.

atek3

 

[lmccrock]

"don't drink water in the range" = "do not ingest chemical contaminants such as lead"

Typical range session varies by individual. Indoors I never worried about hydration. Outdoors typically has down time and is hotter, so hydration is a concern.

Contender? Maybe a silhouette match would work.

Lee

 

[riverdog]

Good advice above, but your Dad probably knows the situation best and we can't change his mind. He may have very good reasons to not let you compete yet.

Of the advice above, safe gun handling is the most important. Not being safe is what gets you kicked off the field. At the range I used to shoot at they had only had one serious mishap and that was with smallbore competition. Some of the rimfire/.22LR shooters didn't take safety quite as seriously as the highpower rifle guys and one of them ended up getting shot. He was fortunate that a rib got in the way and the bullet didn't hit anything serious, but it hurt a lot. I shot highpower rifle and don't recall a single unsafe shot -- lots of misses, lots of big groups, but safety ruled.

If you win or place in the competition that's great, below the top two or three it doesn't matter much. First time out you're there to have fun and learn the basics of competition. Just shoot your best and use every match to get better.