Bang Clang! The 2023 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championship is featured on Shooting USA TV this week. The Shooting USA Steel Challenge episode runs August 23, 2023 on the Outdoor Channel. Show times are: Wednesdays, 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific, 8:00 PM Central. After those broadcast times, you can watch the show via Vimeo on Demand for $0.99 per episode.
This past April, the fastest speed shooters in the world showcased their skills at the Steel Challenge Championship at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Complex in Alabama. The Steel Challenge course consists of eight 5-target close-range stages. This discipline has been called “drag racing with guns”. Draw and shoot 5 steel targets with time as your score. The shooter with the lowest overall time wins. This is a very popular event — when registration opened for the 2023 Steel Challenge, more than 700 slots filled in just 12 minutes.
The 2023 Steel Challenge at Talladega was featured this month on the NRA Shooting Sports USA site.
There are multiple pistol and revolver classes, both rimfire and centerfire, iron sights and optics. Increasing in popularity (and speed) are the rimfire rifle and pistol-caliber centerfire rifle classes. There are 13 gun classes in total, the most for any shooting championship. In the centerfire handgun match, the fastest times are posted by competitors using enhanced open guns with compensators and red-dot optics.
Here is a full length Shooting USA Steel Challenge Episode from 2017:
Shooting USA Video covers Course of Fire, Firearms Classes, and Target Layouts (1:20)
Definitely watch the 4-minute video (above) produced by Shooting USA. It explains the classes, shows the stages, and illustrates ALL the different gun classes, pistol AND rifle. You can also see some of the world’s fastest shooters including Jessie Harrison (1:47, 3:44) and Max Michel (3:48). Be amazed by the speed of semi-auto rimfire rifles — five targets hit in under two seconds!
The Steel Challenge was founded in 1981 by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman, in Southern California. The two Mikes wanted an exciting alternative to paper targets and came up with the all-steel format. The Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships have grown to one of the largest professional pistol competitions in America. In 2022, scores of competitors competed at the Talladega Marksmanship Park for glory and cash prizes. The Steel Challenge is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) that consists of eight standardized stages with three types of steel targets: small circle, big circle, and square. Here is a steel challenge layout in Germany.
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Bang Clang! The 2022 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championship is featured on Shooting USA TV this week. The Shooting USA Steel Challenge episode runs June 22, 2022 on the Outdoor Channel. Show times are: Wednesdays, 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific, 8:00 PM Central. After those broadcast times, you can watch the show via Vimeo on Demand for $0.99 per episode.
This past April, the fastest speed shooters in the nation showcased their skills at the Steel Challenge Championship at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Complex in Alabama. The Steel Challenge course consists of multiple 5-target close-range stages. This discipline has been called “drag racing with guns”. Draw and shoot 5 steel targets with time as your score. The shooter with the lowest overall time wins.
There are multiple pistol and revolver classes, both rimfire and centerfire, iron sights and optics. Increasing in popularity (and speed) are the rimfire rifle and pistol-caliber centerfire rifle classes. There are 13 gun classes in total, the most for any shooting championship. In the centerfire handgun match, the fastest times are posted by competitors using enhanced open guns with compensators and red-dot optics.
Here is a full length Shooting USA Steel Challenge Episode from 2017:
Shooting USA Video covers Course of Fire, Firearms Classes, and Target Layouts (1:20)
Definitely watch the 4-minute video (above) produced by Shooting USA. It explains the classes, shows the stages, and illustrates ALL the different gun classes, pistol AND rifle. You can also see some of the world’s fastest shooters including Jessie Harrison (1:47, 3:44) and Max Michel (3:48). Be amazed by the speed of semi-auto rimfire rifles — five targets hit in under two seconds!
Here is Jessie Harrison, the fastest lady pistol shooter on the planet. At the 2022 World Speed Shooting Championship, Jessie won the Ladies High Overall title plus the Steel Master award. Harrison is the first woman to claim the Steel Master award, given to the competitor with the best aggregate score for two centerfire divisions and one rimfire division. Below Jessie celebrates with Taurus team-mate K.C. Eusebio, who took the High Overall title and first place in the Open division. This was K.C.’s ninth World Speed Shooting Title.
The Steel Challenge was founded in 1981 by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman, in Southern California. The two Mikes wanted an exciting alternative to paper targets and came up with the all-steel format. The Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships have grown to one of the largest professional pistol competitions in America. In 2022, scores of competitors competed at the Talladega Marksmanship Park for glory and cash prizes. The Steel Challenge is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) that consists of eight standardized stages with three types of steel targets: small circle, big circle, and square. Here is a steel challenge layout in Germany.
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Bang Clang! The 2021 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championship will be featured on Shooting USA TV tomorrow. The Shooting USA Steel Challenge episode runs September 22, 2021 on the Outdoor Channel. Show times are: Wednesdays, 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific, 8:00 PM Central.
This past April, the fastest speed shooters in the nation showcased their skills at the Steel Challenge Championship at Alabama’s Talladega Marksmanship Complex in Alabama. The Steel Challenge course consists of multiple 5-target close-range stages. This discipline has been called “drag racing with guns”. Draw and shoot 5 steel targets with time as your score. The shooter with the lowest overall time wins.
There are multiple pistol and revolver classes, both rimfire and centerfire, iron sights and optics. Increasing in popularity (and speed) are the rimfire rifle and pistol-caliber centerfire rifle classes. There are 13 gun classes in total, the most for any shooting championship. In the centerfire handgun match, the fastest times are posted by competitors using enhanced open guns with compensators and red-dot optics. This year, KC Eusebio has set out to become the only eight-time World Speed Shooting Champion.
Here is a full length Shooting USA Steel Challenge Episode from 2017:
Shooting USA Video covers Course of Fire, Firearms Classes, and Target Layouts (1:20)
Definitely watch the 4-minute video (above) produced by Shooting USA. It explains the classes, shows the stages, and illustrates ALL the different gun classes, pistol AND rifle. You can also see some of the world’s fastest shooters including Jessie Harrison (1:47, 3:44) and Max Michel (3:48). Be amazed by the speed of semi-auto rimfire rifles — five targets hit in under two seconds!
Here is Jessie Harrison, the fastest lady pistol shooter on the planet. At the 2021 World Speed Shooting Championship, Jessie won the Ladies Overall Open title for the 13th time with a total time of 93.03 seconds. Full Report on SSUSA.org.
The Steel Challenge was founded in 1981 by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman, in Southern California. The two Mikes wanted an exciting alternative to paper targets and came up with the all-steel format. The Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships have grown to one of the largest professional pistol competitions in America. In 2021, scores of competitors competed at the Talladega Marksmanship Park for glory and cash prizes. The Steel Challenge is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) that consists of eight standardized stages with three types of steel targets: small circle, big circle, and square. Here is a steel challenge layout in Germany.
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The fastest speed shooters in the nation showcased their skills at the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championship this past April. Competing at the Talladega Marksmanship Complex in Alabama, dozens of top handgun and rifle shooters took on the Steel Challenge course. This consists of multiple 5-target close-range stages. Speed is king. The shooter with the lowest overall time wins. There are multiple pistol and revolver classes, both rimfire and centerfire. Increasing in popularity (and speed) are the rimfire rifle and pistol-caliber centerfire rifle classes. For both rifle and pistol there are iron sights as well as optics divisions. There are 13 gun classes in total, the most for any shooting championship.
The 2021 Steel Challenge will be featured June 2, 2021 on Shooting USA, broadcast on the Outdoor Channel. The Shooting USA video below covers the classes and course of fire for the Steel Challenge.
Shooting USA Video covers Course of Fire, Firearms Classes, and Target Layouts (1:20)
Definitely watch this 4-minute video produced by Shooting USA. It explains the classes, shows the stages, and illustrates ALL the different gun classes, pistol AND rifle. You can also see some of the world’s fastest shooters including Jessie Harrison (1:47, 3:44) and Max Michel (3:48). And if you want to be amazed by the speed of competitors shooting semi-auto rimfire rifles, watch the rifle run starting at (00:30) — five targets hit in under two seconds!
Here is Jessie Harrison, the fastest lady pistol shooter on the planet. At the 2021 World Speed Shooting Championship, Jessie won the Ladies Overall Open title for the 13th time with a total time of 93.03 seconds. Full Report on SSUSA.org.
Steel Challenge 2021 World Speed Shooting Championship
Practical shooting in all of its forms boils down to speed and accuracy and the one practical shooting sport that tests those two elements exclusively is steel shooting. Shooting USA calls it “drag racing with guns”. Draw and shoot five (5) steel targets with time as your score. With divisions expanded to rimfire rifles and pistol-caliber carbines, the times are now regularly setting new world records.
The Steel Challenge is a test of speed, accuracy and equipment that anyone and everyone can enjoy. By design, even someone who has never seen competitive steel shooting before, can tell a good run from a bad run. The unmistakable sound of five shots and five hits is an instant marker of success. There are eight standardized 5-plate stages, including the “Showdown” stage illustrated below.
Steel shooting has evolved over the years, but the courses of fire remain unchanged. The original concept for the Steel Challenge was designed around centerfire handguns drawn from a holster, starting with the shooter’s wrists above shoulders. Historically, 80 seconds was the time to beat and only a handful of competitors have done it. Since the inception of the low ready divisions, the time to beat has dropped to 60 seconds. That record was finally beaten in 2020. In the centerfire handgun match, the fastest times are posted by competitors using their enhanced open guns, with compensators and red-dot optics.
The competition was founded in 1981 by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman, in Southern California. The two Mikes wanted an exciting alternative to paper targets and came up with the all-steel format. The Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships have grown to one of the largest professional pistol competitions in America. In 2021, scores of competitors competed at the Talladega Marksmanship Park for glory and cash prizes. The Steel Challenge is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) that consists of eight standardized stages with three types of steel targets: small circle, big circle, and square. Here is a steel challenge layout in Germany.
At the 2019 Alabama Steel Challenge State Championship, then 19-year-old Rimfire Rifle Optic Class shooter Chris Barrett set the fastest total time in the 35-year history of Steel Challenge: 59.82 seconds. SEE FULL Story at RangeStore.net.
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The Shooting Wire reports that there are just two days left to take advantage of the early registration discount for the 2011 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships. Competitors must submit Match Applications this Friday, July 15, 2001, to take advantage of the discounted match fee. If you get your application postmarked by Friday then you’ll also be entered in a drawing for a new Ruger Mark III pistol. If you aren’t familiar with the Steel Challenge, held each year in Piru, California, it is one of the top pistol competitions in the world. Check out this video highlighting our friend K.C. Eusebio, who has set fastest times on many of the Steel Challenge Stages.
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K.C. Wins A Tough Match on Home Turf
K.C. Eusebio, who grew up in Southern California, returned to his home turf to capture the Men’s Championship at the 2010 Steel Challenge this weekend in Piru, CA. This was K.C.’s third overall win at the Steel Challenge. Trailing Team Glock’s Dave Sevigny for much of the match, K.C. pulled ahead in the final three stages to capture the Overall title, his third Steel Challenge Championship, with an 80.27 second total time. Right behind was Sevigny at 82.84. That was an impressive performance considering Dave was running a modified Glock against “full-race” 1911 customs, some of which cost $3500 or more. Even more amazing was the legendary Jerry Miculek, who finished third shooting a Smith & Wesson revolver with iron sights. Jerry’s total time was 83.88.
Jessie Abbate Wins 3rd Steel Challenge
In the womens’ Division, new Team Smith & Wesson shooter Jessie Abbate of Georgia won her second consecutive womens’ Steel Challenge Championship, and the third in her career. In addition to winning the overall title, Abbate won the Ladies Steel Master title which represents the best combined score of the Open, Limited, and Rimfire events. Jessie won the Rimfire event on Day 1, having the best time on all but one of the eight stages. After that Jessie was locked in a tough battle with her S&W teammate Julie Golob, who captured the Limited Event on Friday (Day 2). In a video interview with AccurateShooter.com, Abbate confessed to being “off her mental game” on Day 2, but she pulled it all together on Saturday (Day 3), capturing the Ladies Overall and Steel Master titles. Kay Miculek, a seven-time Women’s World Speed Shooting Champion, finished second. Watch the video below for a lengthy interview with Jessie.
Young Guns Rise to the Top
This 2010 Steel Challenge showcased rising young stars. K.C. Eusebio recently left the USAMU to enroll in college. Though he no longer has the time or resources to train and compete as often as he could with the USAMU, K.C.’s skills haven’t declined. A past winner of the Steel Challenge, K.C. was fast on all stages and he even nailed a new world record on the Speed Option stage. K.C. rose to the challenge in this match, outshooting defending Steel Challenge champ Max Michel, who had not lost a match all year. We talked at some length with K.C.’s father, who was happy to have a chance to be with his son again: “K.C. left the Army because he wanted to complete his college education. He’s doing that in Georgia, so we still don’t get to see him that much. But it is great to see K.C. shooting in California again, and winning again.”
NOTE: The video has loud gunshot noise. Turn down your speakers if at work.
Oregon Teen Wins Rimfire Event
Another up-and-comer in the mens’ ranks is 17-year-old Ryan Leonard from Oregon. Ryan took the rimfire title, beating all the older sponsored pros in the process. Ryan finished tenth overall (among all competitors) to win the Junior World Speed Shooting title. Ryan has speed to burn and exceptional accuracy. Ryan actually prefers centerfire handgunning, but he obviously knows how to get the most out of the low-recoil rimfire pistols (Ryan shoots a modified Ruger MKII). When asked for his secret of success, Ryan smiled and said: “Don’t miss — Shoot the best you can, but don’t miss.” Ryan is a gifted student-athlete, currently taking college courses while completing his high school education. We expect Ryan to be a major player in the speed-shooting game in the years ahead. He is skilled, dedicated, and gifted with exceptionally fast reflexes.
From Top Shot to the Steel Challenge
If there was a crowd favorite among all the competitors it might be J.J. Racaza who was one of the strongest competitors on the History Channel’s popular new Top Shot TV show. A blazing fast shooter who exhibited the ability to learn new skills quickly (such as archery and knife-throwing), many viewers favored J.J. to win the whole competition. He was the most consistent performer on the “Blue Team” throughout the show.
J.J. was among the last three competitors on Top Shot, but lost in a shoot-out where the three finalists got to choose their weapons and targets. J.J. told us this involved a great deal of strategy, because each pistol and rifle used on the show had quirks that the competitors had to log into memory: “You needed to know the dope on each gun. One rifle, for example, shot 6″ low at 100 yards, while one of the pistols shot low left. You had to recall those things or you didn’t have a chance.” A true competitor, J.J. was disappointed that he didn’t win the $100K Top Shots prize, but he said that the experience was memorable: “I walked away … empty-handed but I walked with a lot of lessons, and a lot of friends too.”
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K.C. Wins A Tough Match on Home Turf
Jessie Abbate Wins 3rd Steel Challenge
From Top Shot to the Steel Challenge
