Congratulations to Team Vihtavuori member Doug Koenig on winning the 2026 CMP Bianchi Cup Championship, one of the world’s most prestigious pistol tournaments. Koening took the 2026 title with an impressive Grand Aggregate, shooting a Ruger SR1911 pistol. Koenig’s 2026 Bianchi Cup title marked a major milestone — his 21st Bianchi Cup Championship. The 2026 Bianchi Cup Championship brought together top competitors from across the country, making Koenig’s first place finish a major accomplishment. Throughout the Bianchi Cup match, Koenig demonstrated consistency, precision, and competitive excellence.
“I’m proud to represent Ruger and grateful for their continued support,” said Koenig. “This victory means a lot to me personally. I put in the work, trusted my preparation and trusted the products backing me.” To learn more about Doug’s accomplishments, visit KoenigShooting.com.
The 2026 CMP Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament was held at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Hallsville, Missouri. The renowned competition, hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), took place May 21–24, 2026 — just last week. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has governed the international competition for the past few seasons. In partnering with Green Valley, the CMP seeks to grow the event with more shooters and new divisions. The Bianchi Cup, known as the gold standard in action pistol shooting, has a 40+ year history and attracts the world’s leading competitive pistol shooters.
These two videos show Doug Koenig in action in past years at the Bianchi Cup Range.
Say hello to the future of target rifle team shooting in the USA. Here are the young members of the U.S. Young Eagles shooting squad. You can show the Young Eagles support by contributing to their program. Go to USNRT.com to donate!
Brandon posted: “I just wanted to share an opportunity for you guys to help our Young Eagles rifle team in preparation for the 2028 World Long Range Championships. This team is comprised of shooters under the age of 25 and will compete for the U25 championship in Bisley, England. They will be traveling over in 2027 for the Imperial meeting and again in 2028 for the Imperial and the Worlds. Anything you guys can do will be truly appreciated and the MidwayUSA Foundation will match donations!”
CLICK HERE to go to the MidwayUSA Foundation webpage set up for donations to the USNRT Young Eagles program. You can donate any amount large or small and also make a recurring donation.
About the USNRT Young Eagles
The USNRT (United States National Rifle Team) Young Eagles is a junior shooting program for athletes aged 25 and under, focusing on fullbore and long-range rifle disciplines. This elite team competes internationally, developing young talent in under-19, under-21, and under-25 categories. The team enjoyed notable success at the 2024 World Championships in South Africa.
Key Aspects of the USNRT Young Eagles Program:
Purpose: To represent the USA in international, high-level, fullbore, and long-range rifle competitions.
Disciplines: Participants compete in matches involving, or similar to, the Palma match format, shooting at ranges from 300 to 1000 yards.
Structure: As part of the USNRT, the Young Eagles program serves as a development pathway for younger shooters to gain international experience.
Competition Levels: The program includes under-25, under-21, and sometimes under-19 divisions.
Achievements: The Young Eagles have achieved great results, with podium finishes at the 2024 World Long Range Championships in South Africa, and 2nd place in the Under-25 World Team Championship.
The United States National Rifle Team, Incorporated (USNRT INC) is a 501(c) (3) tax-deductible charitable organization (FEIN 84-4135396) that fosters, promotes, develops and supports the amateur athletic teams that represent the United States of America in domestic and international Fullbore Rifle and Long Range Rifle marksmanship competitions.
Kulzer Sets Eight IBS 1000-Yard IBS Benchrest Records with 6 BRA Rifle Report by Alex Wheeler
In 2021, Glenn Kulzer of Dillon, Montana had a season that will go down in 1000-Yard Benchrest history. Glenn set eight IBS records in 2021 at the Deep Creek range in Missoula, and then was named IBS 1K Shooter of the Year. What makes this so incredible is not just the number of records but the records themselves. Normally when a world record small group is shot that’s a singular event — never accompanied by Aggregate records set by the same shooter. Glenn’s IBS record small group wasn’t a one-time lucky string. Consider this — Glenn nailed that historic small group, but also recorded multiple IBS Aggregate records in 2021. And Glenn set these IBS Heavy Gun records actually using his 6 BRA (6mmBR Ackley) Light Gun! Mighty impressive.
[Editor: These were impressive records that have stood the test of time. A quick search of the IBS record site shows Glenn Kulzer still holds six of the ten listed IBS 1000-yard Heavy Gun records. Plus, Glenn broke the Light Gun 20-Target Agg group record, but that was later bettered by Tom Mousel.]
1000-yard Benchrest Aggregate records represent a series of targets shot over the course of multiple matches during a season. That really takes any luck out of the equation. You have to keep the rifle shooting at its peak all year long. It’s the ultimate test of accuracy. But the small groups do get the most notice and Glenn also broke the small group record with a remarkable 2.6853″ 10-shot group (photo below).
Eight IBS Records Set by Glenn Kulzer in 2021
Date: 06/13/2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 10-Shot Group, 2.6853″
Date: 06/13/2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 10-Shot Score 100/2.6853″
Date: 2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 6-Match Group Aggregate, 4.349″
Date: 2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 6-Match Score Aggregate, 99.167/4.679″
Date: 2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 12-Target Group Aggregate, 4.529″
Date: 2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 12-Target Score Aggregate, 98.583/5.058″
Date: 2021
Class: Heavy Gun
Record: 20-Target Score Aggregate, 95.2/6.422″
Date: 2021
Class: Light Gun
Record: 20-Target Group Aggregate, 5.202″
NOTE: Most of these records have been broken. In 2025 talented Montana shooter Tom Mousel set 8 multi-match and multi-target records, including an amazing 12-target Group Agg of 3.8790″ and 12-target Score Agg of 99.5.
This IBS record 1000-yard group, and Glenn’s other IBS records, were shot with Roy Hunter’s 103gr “A” bullet, Hodgdon H4895 powder, CCI BR4 primers, and Alpha Munitions 6 BRA brass. However, Glenn does use Lapua brass for some other 6 BRA rifles.
Glenn’s record-setting rifle is a Light Gun with a common setup used in long range Benchrest. The rig features a Borden BRM drop-port action with a Bix’n Andy trigger. The action is glued and screwed into a industrial wood laminate Deep Creek Tracker stock, a predecessor of the McMillan LRB. The Krieger barrel is a 4-groove, 1:8″-twist Heavy Varmint contour chambered for the 6 BRA (6mmBR Ackley) cartridge. All of Glenn’s rifles are topped with Vortex Golden Eagle scopes. Glenn notes that his Vortex Golden Eagles have show excellent point-of-aim stability when tested with a scope checker. The front rest was a Sinclair competition with Edgewood front bag, Field & Cave outfitters front rest plate, and speed screw. For rear support Glenn uses an Edgewood LRB rear bag.
Loading Procedures for Record-Setting 1000-Yard Shooting
Glenn’s loading process is pretty simple. He full-length sizes every time, bumping the shoulders back about .003″. Powder is weighed to the kernel, and bullets are seated with a Wilson seater. NOTE: Glenn does does not anneal his brass. He sorts primers by weight but does not otherwise measure them by dimensions. He seats the primers by feel using a relatively inexpensive primer seating tool — nothing fancy.
Glenn worked up a trim-and-point recipe for this lot of bullets based on group size. Load development is all performed at 1000 yards using the group ladder method. Glenn’s record load ended up being 30.3 grains of H4985 powder with the 103gr bullet seated very far into the rifling with .005″ of neck tension. This gave a velocity of 3030 fps in the 28″ Krieger.
Glenn shot Alpha Munitions 6 BRA brass all year with the .080″ flash hole. This year he shot Roy Hunter’s 103gr “A” bullet set quite deep into the rifling. NOTE: This deep jam has proven to be very stable IF you barrel likes it. Glenn used CCI BR4 primers and Hodgdon H4895 with .005″ of neck tension. His load delivered 3030 fps out of a 28″ barrel. NOTE: This is a “HIGH NODE” that may not be possible in an average barrel with different brass. Many 6 BRA shooters are reaching a 3000+ fps node, but you should always start low and work up. Some 6 BRA barrels will max out at 2950 FPS with 103-108gr bullets.
Glenn Interview Part I — All About the Rifle that Set Eight 1000-yard Records
Glenn Interview Part II — Load Development Process and Loading Methods
Glenn Interview Part III — Barrel Cleaning Discussion
Glenn Kulzer also shot his impressive 6 BRA at the 2021 IBS Nationals at Deep Creek (shown above). This Deep Creek range photo is by Forum member Dave Way.
Setting Records in June 2021 Report by Alex Wheeler
It was a typical match for June, nothing unique about it. Saturday was actually looking to be a really great day. Overall it was good but not great. Sunday had a clear blue sky with bright sun. I looked through a couple of scopes before the match and it was milky. I probably would have shot that relay at 30-35 power. But somehow Glenn Kulzer was able to pull off the best heavy gun group ever shot in 1000-yard IBS competition. With that group Glenn also broke the 6-match IBS Group Aggregate record (which was later broken by Tom Mousel in 2025). The group was no fluke, this rifle also shot great in previous matches with small groups at 1000. To my knowledge this may be the only time a small group record AND an Aggregate record were broken in the same season by the same gun. The ultimate achievement.
On June 13, 2021, Glenn shot a 2.6583″ 10-shot group, all shots in the 10 Ring for a 100 score. This group still stands as the current IBS Heavy Gun 1000-Yard 10-shot group record AND score record. It was also part of Aggregate Records listed above.
About Glenn Kulzer — Rising Star in the Long-Range Benchrest Game by Alex Wheeler
Kulzer is a pharmacist in Dillon, Montana. The attention to detail required for his job crosses over to Long-Range Benchrest. He started off a very competitive shooter right from the start. I have said it many times, but benchrest is not an elitist sport. Hard work and dedication will always rise to the top. Glenn took the sport seriously from the beginning. Accordingly, he displayed a rapid learning curve and quickly surpassed some of his mentors in match results. Glenn tunes mostly at 1000 yards using the Deep Creek variation of ladder testing. He will also load and tune at the range to try and nail the best tune for the conditions. Again, it all about the work done by competitors. But Glenn’s success shows that a bright, hard-working shooter can rise to the top of the game in just a few seasons.
This was one of our 25 Most Popular Articles in past years. We’re repeating it for those of you who may have missed it the first time around. These diagrams were created by the South Texas Shooting Marksmanship Training Center (STMTC).
There was an excellent article about Mirage created for the South Texas Marksmanship Training Center (STMTC). This article explains what causes mirage and how mirage can move the perceived aiming point on your target. Most importantly, the article explains, in considerable detail, how you can “read” mirage to discern wind speeds and wind directions.
Mirage Is Your Friend
While hot days with lots of mirage can be frustrating, mirage can reveal how the wind is flowing (and changing). If you learn how to recognize and read mirage patterns, you can use that information to shoot higher scores. That’s why many leading long-range shooters tell us: “Mirage is your friend.” As the STMTC article explained: “A mirage condition is not a handicap, since it offers a very accurate method of perceiving small wind changes[.]”
Mirage Illustrated with Diagrams
With simple but effective graphic illustrations, this is one of the best explanations of mirage (and mirage reading) we have found on the internet. This is a “must-read” for any serious competitive shooter. Here is a brief sample from the article, along with an illustration. NOTE: the full article is six times longer and has 8 diagrams.
The term “mirage” as used by the shooter does not refer to a true mirage, but to heat waves and the refraction of light as it is bent passing through air layers of different density. Light which passes obliquely from one wind medium to another it undergoes an abrupt change in direction, whenever its velocity in the second medium is different from the velocity in the first wind medium; the shooter will see a “mirage”.
The density of air, and therefore its refraction, varies with its temperature. A condition of cool air overlaying warm air next to the ground is the cause of heat waves or “mirage”. The warm air, having a lower index of refraction, is mixed with the cooler air above by convection, irregularly bending the light transmitting the target image to the shooter’s eye. Figure 1 shows (greatly exaggerated) the vertical displacement of the target image by heat waves.
Heat waves are easily seen with the unaided eye on a hot, bright day and can be seen with spotting scope on all but the coldest days. To observe heat waves, the scope should be focused on a point about midway to the target. This will cause the target to appear slightly out of focus, but since the high power rifle shooter generally does not try to spot bullet holes, the lack in target clarity is more than compensated by clarity of the heat waves.
Story tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
Capstone Precision Group and Team Lapua USA announce with deep sadness the passing of Steve Reiter, one of the most accomplished competitive pistol shooters in history and a foundational member of Team Lapua in the United States. Steve passed away on May 18, 2026. In the slow-fire pistol shooting disciplines, Steve is probably the greatest American shooter ever.
Reiter was among the original members of Team Lapua USA when the program was established in 2009, helping to define the standard for excellence, sportsmanship, and brand representation that continues today. Throughout his career, he served not only as a world-class competitor, but also as a dedicated ambassador for the shooting sports.
Steve Reiter’s record in high-level competition is extraordinary:
34 National Championship titles, including five National Championships at Camp Perry
63 National Records, including a historic .22 Aggregate score of 899, the highest ever recorded
40+ Regional Championships
First-ever Quadruple Distinguished Marksman under the CMP
Triple Distinguished Marksman under the CMP
Two-time President’s 100 Champion in Pistol
Two-time National Trophy Individual Match Champion in Pistol
10-time Winner of the National Match High Senior Pistol Trophy
Five-time Winner of Citizens’ Military Pistol Trophy
Canada International Service Pistol Champion
Two-time Free Pistol National Champion
Seven-time Interservice Champion
Standard Pistol National Champion
Member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team (Free Pistol)
Reiter continued to compete at an elite level well into his later years, achieving many Senior titles. Following his retirement from active competition, Reiter remained an integral part of Team Lapua as an Emeritus Member, continuing to mentor shooters and support the sport he loved.
Steve Reiter Senior Championships:
2017 NRA National Pistol Championships — 1st Place, Super Senior
2013 NRA National Pistol Championship — Grand Senior Champion
2014 Mid-Winter Championship — 1st Place
2014 Indoor National Sectional Championship — 3rd Place and new Senior National Record
“Steve Reiter was more than a champion—he was one of the foundational figures of Team Lapua in the United States,” said Adam Braverman, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Capstone Precision Group. “His achievements speak for themselves, but what truly set Steve apart was the way he carried himself and the impact he had on others. He represented our brand with integrity, passion, and a genuine love for the shooting sports. Steve helped shape what Team Lapua stands for today, and his legacy will continue to inspire our team and the broader shooting community for years to come.”
In 2022, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) honored Reiter by establishing the Reiter Cup National Champion Trophy. This award is presented to the winner of the Match Pistol 2700 Any Sights National Championship, which recognizes the highest combined scores from the .22, .45 ACP, and Centerfire 900 Aggregate matches held during the annual National Matches at Camp Perry.
Beyond his competitive accomplishments, Reiter was widely respected for his humility, sportsmanship, and commitment to growing the shooting sports community. His influence extended far beyond the firing line, impacting countless shooters, teammates, and fans across generations. Capstone Precision Group and Team Lapua extend their deepest condolences to Steve’s family, friends, and the entire shooting sports community.
To understand the heart and mind of a champion, watch this video profiling Jessie Harrison. This talented lady is arguably the best female action pistol shooter in history. No other woman has amassed as many championships or set so many speed-shooting records. Over the past two decades Jessie Harrison (who has also competed with with married names Jessie Duff and Jessie Abbate) has earned dozens of major titles including twenty-two U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Ladies Championships. Jessie won her 22nd USPSA title at the 2021 USPSA Race Gun Nationals in Alabama.
Jessie is one of the hardest-working athletes in the shooting game. Jessie is America’s “leading lady” — perhaps the winningest female pistol shooter in the game today. The drive and dedication that has made Jessie a success are revealed in this video from Weatherby.
Jessie Harrison’s Will to Win
Jessie explains how hard work brings titles: “To prepare for a championship, I’m on the range constantly.
My office is the gun range — that’s where I do my work.
I travel the country pullin’ the trigger, makin’ brass, smelling gunsmoke. I have to make sure that I’m in control because… there is no other person on the line with me, helping pull the trigger.
I have to pay attention to my foot placements, my set-ups, my positions, gettin’ the gun clean out of the holster, my reloads. I can’t think about it when I’m shooting. I can’t think about these small things. I have to focus on the sights and pulling the trigger. It’s just me and the gun.
[When] I step out on to the range, I simply have to be perfect — I have to be the best… I won’t settle for anything less.”
First-Ever Female Grand Master
Jessie Duff is the first woman in history to earn the title of USPSA Grand Master (GM), the highest rating conferred by the U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). To earn this prestigious ranking, Duff had to maintain an average above 95% in shooting classification courses, something never before achieved by a lady shooter. Jessie finished 2013 with a 95.39% average.
Editor: This story by Tommy C. (aka “dc.fireman”) comes from our Shooters’ Forum. It’s fascinating to see how a relatively inexpensive Savage M12 BVSS varmint rig was transformed into a sophisticated 300M match rifle with a modern chassis, Shilen barrel, and top-of-line sights. With some ingenuity, and careful parts selection, Tommy created a rifle that can compete with match rifles costing many thousands of dollars more. American ingenuity at work!
Savage Reborn — Old BVSS Transformed into 300M Match Rifle
by Tommy C. (aka “dc.fireman”)
So, I began the project of building a 300M International competition gun, about a year ago, intending to compete at the 300M Nationals this year in Minnesota at the Minneapolis Rifle Club. Realistically, I didn’t want to pay the price-tag demanded of the Bleikers, Grunig & Elmigers, Hammerlis, or Tanners that (infrequently) pop-up for sale from time to time. So I decided to build my own 300M Match rifle with an American action, barrel, chassis, and trigger.
Here is Tommy’s completed 300M Match rifle with Savage action in PDC Custom chassis.
I had decided on the .260 Remington (aka 6.5-08) as the caliber choice. This beat out 6.5×47 Lapua simply due to the cost/availability of brass. The .260 Rem cartridge is based on the .308 Win parent. I made my first batch of brass by necking down some Federal .308, and it worked great. [Editor: We do recommend Lapua .260 Remington brass for match purposes for those who don’t have a supply of good .308 Win brass.]
I had an older Savage M12 stagger-feed action, originally from an old .22-250 BVSS. I contacted James at Northland Shooter Supply, and he walked me through the game plan and equipment I needed: Shilen Select Match 26″ barrel, NSS Stainless recoil lug and nut, a set of Forster headspace gauges, and the NSS action wrench.
Catalog photo of current Savage M12 BVSS in .22-250 Rem.
A few months later, I replaced the original Accu-trigger with a Rifle Basix SAV-II trigger, and immediately wondered why I waited so long to do that. The Rifle Basix is perfect for my application. Mind you the he safety DOES NOT work now, but, I don’t need it for my application.
Another member on the AccurateShooter Forum sold me a BVSS stock that has been re-worked by Alex Sitman of Masterclass Stocks, and it served as a placeholder, until I could find a maker who could nearly replicate my Feinwerkbau 2700 Alu stock in my smallbore match gun.
After scouring the AccurateShooter Forum, and multiple internet searches, I found PDC Custom in Michigan. I spoke with Craig Kierstadt a few times, before finally deciding to pull the proverbial trigger on his chassis. He had a few of the older chassis stocks with spacing for the Savage stagger-feed action. He machined an Anschutz rail into the fore-end for my hand stop and sling. Then he powder-coated the chassis black, and sent it to me sans grip and butt plate.
Photo of action/chassis. Tommy says: “It locks up really tightly, and you can tell Craig spent some time on the CNC work need to make this all fit.”
There are a few minor issues with the PDC chassis, but overall, I would rate this a 9.5 out of a possible 10. The price, and the features built into it, plus the ease of which everything fit together, far outweigh any minor issues. And two of the issues I quickly corrected with Teflon tape. I will need to make a walnut cheek piece — a curved one isn’t conducive to aperture iron sight shooting.
Savage Action .260 Rem 300M Match Rifle Components:
Action, Barrel, Stock, Grip
Savage M12 stagger-feed action, 4.27″ spacing
Shilen Select Match Barrel, 26″
Rifle Basix SAV-II Trigger
PDC Custom Chassis — tool-less adjustments
Bobsled SLED for single loading (required)
MEC Contact III Butt plate (German)
MEC handstop/sling swivel (German)
Walnut Target grip for AR-15 (eBay sourced)
Sight Components and Hardware
MEC Spy Long rear sight (German)
Centra front sight tunnel (German)
Centra adjustable aperture (German)
Medesha sight extension tube + collar
Champion’s Choice front sight base
Champion’s Choice mirage band
For his practice load, Tommy shot 123gr Hornady ELD-M bullets with H4831 powder and CCI BR2 primers. This load performed well — Tommy posted: “My 25-shot initial prone test today shows promise. There are five sighter shots, and 20 record shots. One of the 9s at 9 o’clock is my first sighter, the other one I own. The 8 out at 4 O’clock was a round that was difficult to chamber. My initial scoring puts me somewhere in the vicinity of 193-7X.”
The target used is the NRA C2, “300M International Rifle Target, reduced for 200 yards”. The 10 Ring is 2.40″ in diameter, while the Inner 10 (X-Ring) is 1.24″.
Match Load — Varget and Nosler Bullets
For his match load, Tommy switched to Varget and Nosler bullets: “My match load uses 37.9 grains Hodgdon Varget with a Nosler 123gr bullet. This was a recommendation by a gentleman with a lot of experience in 300M shooting.”
Tommy adds: “The amount of knowledge gained via the AccurateShooter Forum has made this all a reality, instead of just a passing thought.”
Some folks say you haven’t really mastered marksmanship unless you can hit a target when standing tall ‘on your own hind legs’. Of all the shooting positions, standing can be the most challenging because you have no horizontally-solid resting point for your forward arm/elbow. Here 10-time National High Power Champ Carl Bernosky explains how to make the standing shot.
Carl Bernosky is one of the greatest marksmen in history. A multi-time National High Power Champion, Carl has won ten (10) National High Power Championships in his storied shooting career, most recently in 2012. In this article, Carl provides step-by-step strategies to help High Power shooters improve their standing scores. When Carl talks about standing techniques, shooters should listen. Among his peers, Carl is regard as one of the very best standing shooters in the history of High Power shooting. Carl rarely puts pen to paper, but he was kind enough to share his techniques with AccurateShooter.com’s readers.
If you are position shooter, or aspire to be one some day, read this article word for word, and then read it again. We guarantee you’ll learn some techniques (and strategies) that can improve your shooting and boost your scores. This stuff is gold folks, read and learn…
How to Shoot Standing by Carl Bernosky
Shooting consistently good standing stages is a matter of getting rounds down range, with thoughtfully-executed goals. But first, your hold will determine the success you will have.
1. Your hold has to be 10 Ring to shoot 10s. This means that there should be a reasonable amount of time (enough to get a shot off) that your sights are within your best hold. No attention should be paid to the sights when they are not in the middle — that’s wasted energy. My best hold is within 5 seconds after I first look though my sights. I’m ready to shoot the shot at that time. If the gun doesn’t stop, I don’t shoot. I start over.
2. The shot has to be executed with the gun sitting still within your hold. If the gun is moving, it’s most likely moving out, and you’ve missed the best part of your hold.
3. Recognizing that the gun is sitting still and within your hold will initiate you firing the shot. Lots of dry fire or live fire training will help you acquire awareness of the gun sitting still. It’s not subconscious to me, but it’s close.
4. Don’t disturb the gun when you shoot the shot. That being said, I don’t believe in using ball or dummy rounds with the object of being surprised when the shot goes off. I consciously shoot every shot. Sometimes there is a mistake and I over-hold. But the more I train the less of these I get. If I get a dud round my gun will dip.* I don’t believe you can learn to ignore recoil. You must be consistent in your reaction to it.
5. Know your hold and shoot within it. The best part of my hold is about 4 inches. When I get things rolling, I recognize a still gun within my hold and execute the shot. I train to do this every shot. Close 10s are acceptable. Mid-ring 10s are not. If my hold was 8 inches I would train the same way. Shoot the shot when it is still within the hold, and accept the occasional 9. But don’t accept the shots out of the hold.
6. Practice makes perfect. The number of rounds you put down range matter. I shudder to think the amount of rounds I’ve fired standing in my life, and it still takes a month of shooting standing before Perry to be in my comfort zone. That month before Perry I shoot about 2000 rounds standing, 22 shots at a time. It peaks me at just about the right time.
This summarizes what I believe it takes to shoot good standing stages. I hope it provides some insight, understanding, and a roadmap to your own success shooting standing.
— Good Shooting, Carl
* This is very noticeable to me when shooting pistol. I can shoot bullet holes at 25 yards, but if I’ve miscounted the rounds I’ve fired out of my magazine, my pistol will dip noticeably. So do the pistols of the best pistol shooters I’ve watched and shot with. One might call this a “jerk”, I call it “controlled aggressive execution”, executed consistently.
Todd Jarrett is one of the world’s best handgun shooters. A multi-time World Champion, Todd knows a thing or two about semi-auto pistols, particularly 1911s and 1911-based raceguns. Jarrett has been IPSC Open Division World Champion, has won the Steel Challenge World title four times (Limited Division), and has won than 100 Area championships, as well as many other action shooting events. Jarrett is the only USPSA Triple Crown Winner and he holds four USPSA National titles: Open, Limited, Production, and Limited-10. Jarrett revealed in an interview that between 1988 and 2001 he shot about 1.7 million rounds during practice: “I had a gun in my hand for two hours every day for 10 years to develop my skill level”.
In the video below, Todd explains how to get the proper grip on your handgun, and how to employ a proper stance. We’ve watched many videos on pistol shooting. This is one of the best handgun instructional videos we’ve seen. Todd explains, in easy-to-understand terms, the key elements of grip and stance. One very important point he demonstrates is how to align the grip in your hand so that the gun points naturally — something very important when rapid aiming is required. If you watch this video, you’ll learn valuable lessons — whether you shoot competitively or just want to have better control and accuracy when using your handgun defensively.
Recommended Thumbs-Forward Shooting Grip for 1911s
“Shooting semiautomatic pistols using the thumbs-forward method really becomes useful … where speed and accuracy are both needed. By positioning the thumbs-forward along the slide (or slightly off of the slide) you are in essence creating a second sighting device: wherever your shooting thumb is pointing is where the pistol is pointing. This makes it incredibly fast to draw the pistol, get your proper grip, and press forward to the target without needing to hunt around for the front sight.” — Cheaper Than Dirt Blog.
Are you a do-it-yourself kind of guy with a creative eye? Then you’ll love the FREE Target Generator from the folks at ShooterShed.com. This FREE, interactive webpage allows you to design a variety of fun targets, including grids, benchrest-type Score/Group Shooting targets, sight-in targets, and even playing card targets. Choose the paper size and orientation (vertical or horizontal), then select the number of target elements on the page. For example, you could have four (4) bulls or a dozen playing cards. Then click the Style TAB to choose your target style. Use the OPTIONS TAB to overlay a grid on the target, choose squares or diamonds, or include load information blocks. For bullseye targets, you can control the number, color, and spacing (diameter) of the rings. LINK to TARGET GENERATOR.
QWIK TIP: For Super-Quick Target Creation, click the “Target Style” tab, then select a design from the list on the left. Then go to OPTIONS.
Click the TARGET STYLE TAB to select one of many target styles, including NBRSA Benchrest targets and 20+ types of NRA bullseye targets, scaled to distance:
Benchrest
Bullseye
Shapes
NRA High Power
NRA Pistol
NRA Rimfire
Images
Playing Cards
Load Test Blocks
Competitors can create practice targets similar to their match targets. This target features short-range range Benchrest competition-style box/circle aiming points, along with fields for entry of gun/load data:
Creating new targets is fast and easy. No computer graphics skills required! We created this green diamonds grid target in just five minutes using the ShooterShed Target Generator:
The program provides a preview of each target you generate. There are controls to choose border and fill colors. If you like a particular design, save the file, and then print as many targets as you want. Check it out, this program is fun and handy to use. Here are four (4) targets your Editor created just for this article. With a bit of practice, you can be generating your own custom targets in minutes.
About the Creator of the Target Generator
The Target Generator program was created by Rod Brown of Sheridan, Wyoming. Rod tells us: “I build custom rifles… I’ve got a 100-yard range out my back door. I shoot short- and long-range benchrest competitively around the country. I’m a full-time software development consultant and an FFL holder. When I’m not developing custom software for my clients, I’m usually fiddling in the shop, building a custom benchrest rifle, traveling to a match, chambering a barrel, or reloading some ammunition.”
Story tip from Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
Glenn worked up a trim-and-point recipe for this lot of bullets based on group size. Load development is all performed at 1000 yards using the group ladder method. Glenn’s record load ended up being 30.3 grains of H4985 powder with the 103gr bullet seated very far into the rifling with .005″ of neck tension. This gave a velocity of 3030 fps in the 28″ Krieger.
Beyond his competitive accomplishments, Reiter was widely respected for his humility, sportsmanship, and commitment to growing the shooting sports community. His influence extended far beyond the firing line, impacting countless shooters, teammates, and fans across generations. Capstone Precision Group and Team Lapua extend their deepest condolences to Steve’s family, friends, and the entire shooting sports community.
Jessie Harrison’s Will to Win
Match Load — Varget and Nosler Bullets
How to Shoot Standing
5. Know your hold and shoot within it. The best part of my hold is about 4 inches. When I get things rolling, I recognize a still gun within my hold and execute the shot. I train to do this every shot. Close 10s are acceptable. Mid-ring 10s are not. If my hold was 8 inches I would train the same way. Shoot the shot when it is still within the hold, and accept the occasional 9. But don’t accept the shots out of the hold.
