Our friend Taran Butler recorded a major accomplishment at the 2012 USPSA MultiGun Nationals held April 11-15 in Las Vegas, NV. By winning the 2012 Open Class title, Taran became the first person in history to have won all three USPSA MultiGun divisions: Open, Tactical, and Limited. You can only shoot one division per year at the Nationals, so it’s impossible to hold all three class titles simultaneously. But no other USPSA shooters have won all three class titles over the course of their shooting careers. Not even “immotals” Jerry Miculek or Mike Voight, both multi-time Open-Class winners, have captured all three class championships. Before his Open Class win this year, Butler had previously captured the Tactical Division title four times, and he won the Limited Division back in 2003.
Taran observed: “This has now become the biggest achievement in my shooting career, to finally be the first person in history to win all three divisions of the USPSA MultiGun Championships. I owe thanks to God, my sponsors, and awesome friends.”
Watch Taran Butler in Action
The video below shows Taran accepting a trophy for his 2012 USPSA Open Class victory. Then, starting at the 0:46 mark, you can watch Taran run stages at the recent Nationals. You can see Taran used all three guns: pistol, semi-auto carbine, and shotgun.
In Las Vegas, Taran used the same .223 Rem AR Carbine he shoots in Tactical Division — however he added a second optic (for close targets) when running the gun in Open class. This way he can just tilt the rifle to switch magnification levels to suit the target distance. Taran explains: “Here’s the rifle I used to win the 2012 Open Class Nationals. It’s a custom AR that TTI built with parts from Vltor, LaRue, PRI, Surefire, Noveske, Trijicon, and JP. Its called the Taran Tactical Innovations 17″ Signature Series Rifle aka TTI-17SS. The optics I use are the Trijicon TR24R 1-4 power and the RMR. This is by far the fastest optic setup on the planet.”
The pistol Taran used was an Infinity IMM with comp, shooting the standard 9mm Parabellum round. In the shotgun stages in Las Vegas, Taran used a mag-fed shotgun. The shotgun’s huge external magazines (two are sandwiched together) allow long strings with fewer reloads. However, Taran did suffer a major shotgun jam in one stage that cost him 18 seconds (watch video at 4:12 – 4:30). Amazingly, Taran shot a near perfect match after that to win the Open Title.
Overcoming Mistakes — And Staying Calm — Was Key to Victory
According to Taran, the shotgun jam marked a turning point in his match: “To win at this level, you can’t give up when disaster strikes — as it did with my shotgun in Stage 5. But I kept my cool and stayed focused. After that I really shot the match about the best I could and I didn’t try to rush, which can cause more problem. A lot of shooters, when they encounter a big problem, they get discouraged and just give up. Or, they try to shoot really fast to make up time, and then they usually make even bigger mistakes.”
Open Class: “Anything goes” in the Open Class. Rifles may have multiple sighting systems including any kind of optics. Pistols may be fitted with comps, optical sights, and very large extended magazines.
Tactical Class: This is the most popular USPSA MultiGun class currently. Rifles may have ONE (1) optic, plus back-up irons. Pistols are usually tweaked factory guns with upgraded iron sights and triggers. However muzzle brakes, comps, and Red dot or other optics are not allowed on the pistols. Taran says: “The Tactical Division is #1 in attendance. The hardware is similar to what actual operators would use — ARs with a single optic, and normal-looking pistols with conventional sights.”
Limited Class: The Limited Class restricts rifles and pistols to iron sights (or a non-magnified red dot on the rifle only). This class has seen declining participation in recent years.
Shoot, the much-awaited book by Julie Golob, will be released in early 2012, and it can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com. Julie, Captain of the Team Smith & Wesson Shooting Team, is one of the best lady pistol shooters on the planet. Her new book Shoot: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition covers the training programs and match strategies that have enabled Julie to win multiple World and National action pistol championships. One of the most well-rounded competitors on the pro shooting circuit, Julie has won national and world titles in seven different shooting disciplines.
This champion, veteran, wife and mother is also an accomplished author, writing about the shooting sports in shooting publications, newswires, and internet blogs. In February, 2012, Skyhorse Publishing will release Julie’s first book, Shoot: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition. The book serves as both an introduction to firearms and shooting for novices (with an emphasis on safety) and a primer to help experienced shooters improve their skills.
According to the Shooting Wire, “rumor has it (or is it wishful thinking?) that there might be some copies [of Julie’s new book] floating around at SHOT Show [in January]. Either way, be sure to reserve your copy today.”
The 7th NRA World Action Pistol Championships (WAPC) was held October 6-9 in Blacktown, Australia. Chip Lohman, Managing Editor of Shooting Sports USA magazine, covered the event, which was dominated by American shooters.
First Place: Doug Koenig, 1920-188x
Second Place: Carl Bernosky, 1920-181x
Third Place: Bruce Piatt, 1920-177x
Doug Koenig, Carl Bernosky, and Bruce Piatt all shot perfect scores at the Championships, a phenomenal feat, Lohman said. Koenig is shown at left with one of his WAPC prizes. (Photo courtesy SSAA2010.com).
The 2009 U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Nationals were held Sept. 11-19 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club outside Las Vegas, NV. The event drew more than 620 top shooters from across the country and around the world.
Abbate Wins Both Production and Limited Titles
Glock shooter Jessie Abbate won dual national women’s titles at the 2009 USPSA National Handgun Championships. This year Abbate claimed both the Production and Limited division championships. In 2008 she was crowned the Limited and Limited-10 champion.
In the Production division, Abbate took top honors among lady shooters posting a final score of 1097.9378, outpacing runner-up and Julie Goloski-Golob by more than 111 points. Abbate’s score was also good enough to finish 37th overall among all shooters, male and female. In the Limited division, Jessie again put on an impressive display shooting a score of 1050.2892 and finishing over 114 points ahead of Team SVI shooter Lisa Munson, who came in second with 935.3943.
Max Michel Wins Open Division in Tight Race
Just over 11 points separated the top three shooters in the battle for the coveted Open Title at the USPSA National Championships but it was Max Michel who took home the crown.
Heading into the final stages, three ace shooters had a chance to win: Max Michel, K.C. Eusebio, and J.J. Racaza. In the end it was Michel who emerged on top. Max had the best time on 4 of the 16 stages on his way to winning the USPSA Open Title. “Max is one of the top shooters in the sport and a threat to win any match he enters,” observed Michael Voigt, USPSA president. “He faced intense competition this year from both K.C. and J.J. but was able to pull out the win.” Michel’s victory cemented his reputation as one of the top action shooters in the world. His “shooting bio” now includes two World Speed Shooting Championships (2007 and 2005), five USPSA National Championships (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004) and nearly 30 USPSA Area Championships. In May 2009, Max completed his U.S. Army service. Leaving the USAMU team, Max is now Sig Sauer’s Manager of Competitive Shooting Activities. In the video below, created while Michel served with the USAMU, Max explains how to shoot on the move:
The 30th Anniversary NRA National Action Pistol Championship, also known as the NRA Bianchi Cup, will be held in Columbia, Missouri, May 18 to 23, 2009. Over 200 of the world’s top pistoleros will compete at the Green Valley RPC’s Chapman Academy Range. Tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes will be awarded, making the Bianchi Cup one of the richest shooting sports events. The NRA Blog will provide daily updates from the match.
The 2009 event will offer an Open Class, Metallic Division, and (new for 2009) Production Division. The Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The “founding father” was holster maker (and former police officer) John Bianchi. Since its inception, the NRA Bianchi Cup has retained its original, 4-event course of fire:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from one side to another (back and forth) with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.The moving target is shot while moving to the left as well as to the right.
The Bianchi Cup draws shooters from all over the world. In 2008, competitors haled from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. For more info about the Bianchi Cup and Action Pistol events, contact Tom Hughes at bianchicup@nrahq.org or (800) 672-3888, extension 1478. Bianchi Cup revolver photo courtesy J.C. Blauvelt Gunsmith.
The 7th NRA World Action Pistol Championships (WAPC) was held October 6-9 in Blacktown, Australia. Chip Lohman, Managing Editor of Shooting Sports USA magazine, covered the event, which was dominated by American shooters.
Abbate Wins Both Production and Limited Titles
The 30th Anniversary NRA National Action Pistol Championship, also known as the 
