Getting It Back

In 2013 I started shooting competitive Bullseye (National Rifle Association Precision Pistol) again after a decade of inactivity. Deployments and kids had taken up the time I needed for practice and shooting matches. Reluctantly, I had to leave the U. S. Army Reserve Competitive Marksmanship Program, which had picked up the tab for my guns, ammo, and shooting tours. I’d always intended to return to Bullseye, but my absence was longer than anticipated.

Due to not using my shooting skills for several years, I had to re-learn what I thought I "knew" and re-develop muscle memory and fundamentals. First priority was to figure out what my new goals upon my return would be. I already had pretty much accomplished what I wanted to, so I had to focus on different possibilities. I was also older than during my Both are 1911s that were tuned by AMU gunsmith Justin Mc Millan in Texas. The older 1911A1 National Match (bottom) is used as a backup gun.

Top is a .22 Marvel conversion, which is very popular now. Bottom is a .45 wad gun, used in both the Center Fire and .45 phases of the 2700 course. Shooting the same type of gun keeps things simple and makes it easier to transition from the .22 phase to the CF and .45 matches. Both wear Ultra Dot optics. peak years of competing. I realized that I might never be the pistolero I once was; this was supposed to be a pleasant return to a sport I loved, not an exercise in frustration.

So I dialed back on what was attainable and went for what I knew I could accomplish. I ended up concentrating on Civilian Marksmanship Program Service Pistol, plus getting NRA Revolver and CMP .22 Pistol Distinguished. A practice regimen was developed, and my second competitive shooting career was launched. The USARCMP graciously allowed me to return and shoot with the Service Pistol team, as long as my scores were at the level expected.

It took some work, but I was able to generate scores the team needed my first year back. I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be, but I was on my way and shot with the Team my last two years in the Reserve. Bob decided to go back to the 1911 for CMP Service Pistol after retirement from the Army Reserve Service Pistol Team. Something I had to deal with almost immediately was equipment. Most of my gear had been turned in when I left the team years ago.

Guns were still available for issue, but I needed to test them for accuracy and reliability. This can be very time consuming, depending on the gun(s) you’re working with. I also had my own guns, but they needed quite a bit of attention (more on that later). Ammo had changed since I’d left, both the type of ammo allowed and the brand we were issuing. I had to tailor the guns to the loads used, instead of the other way around.

I don’t reload, so I needed to be sure my guns shot well and reliably with the issued factory stuff. Luckily, I had no problems accuracy-wise with the new Atlanta Arms .45 semi-wadcutter load, which proved to be more than adequate in both my personal pistols and the issued guns I received. The CMP no longer required 230 grain .45 ball ammo for Service Pistol events anymore, so logistics and testing was easier

A good pistol to start with, having excellent sights and usually a decent trigger out of the box. It needs a tight bushing, rear lock-up work, slide-to-frame fitting, and sometimes a trigger job to be Camp Perry-competitive, though. Top gun was built by Justin Mc Millan. Bottom pistol is Bob’s old USAR-issued M9, tuned by Tony Kidd years ago. Both pistols are excellent shooters, grouping under 1.5" at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest.

The downside to an M9 is the expense, if you’re a civilian. as both my semi-wadcutter .45 and .45 Service Pistol could now be used with the same 185 grain jacketed SWC at about 780 fps. A simple recoil spring change and I was back in business with the new, lighter load. I also caught a big break when being re-issued my Team handguns. I ended up signing for the same 9mm Beretta M9 that I had turned in before leaving the team.

This particular pistol was a jewel that shot into an inch at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest and had a superb roll trigger. It had originally been built by Tony Kidd when he was working for the Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning. This one, built by Tony Kidd, shoots into an inch or so at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest. Ugly, but a shooting machine. Unfortunately, Tony isn’t building match pistols anymore. A good revolver will have a 6" barrel, smooth action, and a post front sight.

Bob favors plain Pachmayr grips for comfort. Tony, who now concentrates on building custom Ruger .22 rifles in Texas, is one of only a handful of gunsmiths that can accurize an M9 properly, getting them to consistently shoot under 1.5" groups from machine rest at 50 yards. I decided to use an M9 for the Service Pistol instead of a 1911 for the remainder of my military shooting career. The transition from 1911 to M9 was not a problem; I actually enjoyed shooting the 9mm more than the .45.

The Atlanta Arms 9mm match ball load (115 grain) we used was developed and loaded for the AMU guns and shot well in several 9mms I fired. The 9mm definitely helped my transition back into the competitive game. Superb accuracy and reduced recoil is a good thing. .22 Pistols In NRA Precision Pistol, a standard 2700 aggregate of 270 rounds requires a .22 pistol for a third (90 shots) of the match.

When I started shooting for the military back in the late 1970s, the preferred .22s were the Smith & Wesson 41 and the High Standard 106/107 Military. Both are excellent, accurate pistols and are still seen on the line at major matches today. There are better guns though; shooters will use whatever gives them an edge. After using a model 41 S&W for many years I borrowed a Hammerli 208 and noticed a jump in my .22 scores.

It took some time (about half a shooting season) to get used to the Hammerli two-stage trigger pull, but I noticed a steady climb in my .22 scores as my shooting career progressed. The only downside to the Hammerli 208 is that they’re now discontinued. If you find one, it’ll cost you. Most folks that own one tend to hang onto them. Because I had returned my Hammerli 208 when I retired, I used my old M41 S&W .22 when I got back into the game in 2013.

My gun needed trigger and reliability work before I started shooting semi-decent scores again, and that downtime cost me good .22 scores most of the first season I competed. Not really a bad thing though, because I learned a great deal about M41s and .22s in general and how they function. Patience is a good thing to have because nothing comes easy in bullseye. A key problem in many .22 pistols (especially the M41) is extractor tension.

A worn extractor and/or spring are the culprits, causing the M41 trapped brass syndrome. Fitting anew extractor and spring will usually cure the problem. If you’re shooting a

lot, check the extractor and change the spring every other year. Chambers need to be clean and lightly oiled (a touch of oil on the top round of the loaded magazine before insertion will work). Dirty magazines are also a universal issue; your magazines should be fitted to the individual gun, marked, and cleaned regularly. High Standard .22 pistols are very magazine-sensitive; newly purchased magazines need to be adjusted to the particular pistol.

In trouble-shooting a problem .22 pistol, always start with a thorough magazine strip and clean. Putting a dot sight (electronic red dot) is easy on the 41 and High Standard. The older guns need to be drilled and tapped. The easiest solution for the M41 is to buy anew barrel that’s set up for a dot sight. Clark makes a nice one, ready for optics.

Anew barrel, drilled and tapped, is also available from the new High Standard Company in 22 with one side of the thumbrest shelf cut down, making it more comfortable to shoot left-handed (the author is a lefty). Modifications like this are common; personalizing your equipment is far more important than looks. Barrel is a cut-down S&W factory 7" with a Walther sleeve installed as an accuracy upgrade and a rail for ared dot electronic sight. Houston, Texas.

I had a custom barrel made for my gun by an Army National Guard armorer years ago that worked nicely. It was a cutdown 7" S&W factory barrel that had been sleeved and a rail attached for optics. Shooting a Hammerli or Pardini doesn’t guarantee winning scores, but it helps. The downside to an expensive Euro pistol is finding someone who can work on it.

My best advice, based on past experience, is to wait until the CMP Nationals at Camp Perry or the NRA Nationals at Camp Atterbury and have one of the military team armorers fix it. It’ll be free for competitors and done right. The manufacturer may or may not understand your problem or what you want in adjusting your trigger (try explaining what a roll trigger is to a factory service rep over the phone). Be careful who you let near your expensive, exotic pistol.

Also, most of the European guns can be set up with a factory scope mount. The Hammerli is a good one espe- Far 22 Distinguished match is fun to shoot and a challenge. Iron sights are mandated, along with a low-ready starting position in the sustained fire stages. There are a lot of good .22 shooters out there, so it’s very competitive. The author used his old M41 with a 7" barrel.

This one was installed by Smith & Wesson years ago on Bob’s .38. cially, as you don’t need to remove the mount if you want to use your iron sights. Another option that isn’t really expensive and has good factory service is having a .22 built on a 1911 frame. I tried this and it works well. Several top-tier shooters like Jim Henderson on the AMU team have used .22 conversion units. Most experienced 1911 gunsmiths can set one up and will understand the mechanics of tuning the trigger for Bullseye.

Both Marvel and Nelson have good track records for service and are usually available at the big matches to fix and adjust customer guns. I had former AMU gunsmith Justin Mc Millan build a Marvel conversion on a Caspian frame; it worked and shot well. The advantage to a .22 conversion is the grip and trigger reset feels the same as a 1911. Some shooters adjust the .22 trigger to the same weight as their .45 to keep things as close as possible from gun to gun. Not a bad idea.

I set my Marvel .22 at 3 pounds, which is pretty close to the mandated 3.5 pound trigger weight of a .45. Keeping it simple should always be your goal. Both Marvel and Nelson conversions can be purchased set up for either iron sights or optics. Shooting optics is the way to go if you want to win, unless you’re shooting a match that dictates iron sights, such as CMP .22 Distin-

22 conversion on a Caspian steel 1911 frame by Justin Mc Millan. A cheaper alternative to a European .22 pistol that is still very competitive. Top is a High Standard Victor; bottom is a heavy-barreled S&W 41. Somewhat outdated, both pistols are still excellent choices, unless you’re looking to win Olympic gold or Camp Perry. guished. It also levels the playing field for older shooters and makes them competitive with the younger crowd.

Lots of choices out there, but I like Ultra Dot products; it’s what I’m used to after many years of use. Parts and service are available from Ultra Dot; they’re at the National Matches every year to sell and service their sights. Centerfire Pistols Two-thirds of a 2700 (180 rounds) is fired with a centerfire pistol. NRA rules mandate a minimum .32 caliber cartridge for Center Fire along with a .45, both 90 rounds in a standard 2700 aggregate.

Most shooters use a .45 pistol for both as it’s easier logistically with only one pistol to learn instead of two. These matches Thumb is high; pistol is gripped firmly, but not too tightly. Best analogy would be a firm handshake between friends. are usually three events total (.22, Center Fire, and .45) and makes for along day; kind of like a marathon with handguns. Let’s talk about the .45. Like most shooters, I use one for both the CF and .45 phases.

I’ve had more than a couple dozen 1911s accurized for me, both by the Army and several civilian gunsmiths. Some shot better than others, but I learned something about accuracy and reliability from all of them. Accurizing a 1911 is settled science. It’s been done by dozens of gunsmiths since the 1930s with varying degrees of success. Something that’s not mentioned often when talking about pistol accuracy is the ammo. Ammunition, like the guns being used, has evolved and improved since early in the last century.

It was actually quite bad in the early days of competitive shooting. During the post-WWI years at Camp Perry, shooters were issued war-surplus .45 GI ball ammo that was corrosive. Target ammo (lighter bullets at slower velocity) was in its infancy. Jacketed semi-wadcutter (185 grain) ammo started appearing in the late 1940s to early ‘50s loaded by Winchester and Remington. Velocity was a little less (760-780 fps) than issue ball ammo, resulting in less recoil.

The big ammo companies concentrated on loading more accurate target ammo. The result was superb match accuracy from ammo that was never intended to be anywhere but on a battlefield. Coupled with improved weapons, shooters started setting records yearly at the big matches. After playing with an AMUbuilt .45, I decided to use a 1911 accurized by Larry Leutenegger on my second go-around. It shot the best in my testing with the Atlanta Arms ammo and my issued pistol was relegated to back-up status.

Before using the Leutenegger gun, I machine rested it at 50 yards, getting 10-shot groups of about 2". Not the best but still competitive. It should be noted that the Kart barrel in the pistol had in excess of 5,000 rounds through it by then… not bad for a possibly "shot out" barrel. I had intended to rebarrel it eventually but never got around to it because it shot well in the matches I fired. I’m a big believer in not fixing something that isn’t broken.

Check your extractor for wear and tension if you’ve been away from shooting for awhile. Same goes for the firing pin spring and stop. Replace the spring as they’re cheap and it’s easy. Stops should fit snugly (not tightly) and have a slight bevel on the bottom. This aids in functioning; most NRA Open Division .45s (wad guns) are right on the edge of reliability, so every little bit helps.

A big part of the expense in tightening the slide to frame tolerances of an M9. Barrel is machined to fit perfectly, without any movement, into the front of the Beretta slide. Too tight and the slide can crack or cause malfunctions; too loose and accuracy suffers. My .45 Leutenegger pistol was still tight but a few things needed to be done. I had Justin Mc Millan check the tolerances on my bushing and the slide-to-frame fit.

Slideto-frame tolerance should be about 0.002, which is snug but leaves enough room for a build-up of oil and residue. Bushing and barrel should be very tight (0.001). If your muzzle has any evidence of damage or wear, a recut muzzle crown of 11 degrees will definitely decrease your group size. If you need to replace the barrel, KKM is the way to go. Both the Army and Marine teams use them. Replacing a barrel can be a major undertaking; if The slide ejection port has been slightly relieved for enhanced reliability.

Rear sight is a Bo Mar, still considered the best rear sight in building a Service Pistol. you think you need anew barrel, do it before the season starts. Start checking your barrel regularly after 5,000 rounds of jacketed ammo. Keep a journal of each gun with the number of rounds fired and the lot numbers used. Check your trigger weight (3.5 pounds for a .45 wad gun) and make sure there’s no hammer follow. A good trigger job is an easy task for a good ‘smith, and it’s not a major expense.

A good armorer will have a jig for doing a precise cut on the sear and hammer hooks. Perfect, full contact between the sear and hammer is needed for a safe, creepfree trigger pull. CMP Service Pistol My favorite event has always been shooting Service Pistol. To me, it’s getting back to the basics of pistol marksmanship with a heavier trigger (minimum 4.0 pounds), no optics allowed, and no thumbrest target grips. It’s basically the same gun a competitor would have shot in the 1920s or ‘30s.

It’s a different and more difficult challenge. A Service Pistol match is usually short: a 30 shot National Match Course and it’s over. Some places, especially Camp Perry and the new CMP Travel Games, will also have the 40 shot President’s Pistol Course. Both are fun to shoot and make for a quick day at the range. For the 2013 and 2014 seasons I shot an issued, accurized M9 and loved it. One of my lesser goals was to make the President’s Hundred cut at Camp Perry using an M9.

I had no problems shooting a qualifying President’s Hundred score both years, even making the top ten, and doing very well in the National Trophy Team match with the Beretta. It’s an easy gun to like. The M9 now holds all the national Service Pistol records. The downside to an M9 (at least for civilian shooters) is the expense. A reworked M9 will cost in excess of $2000, not counting the cost of the pistol itself. Lots of work needs to

It not only verifies build quality but also barrel accuracy. be done to make the Beretta competitive. Steel inserts are added to the frame rails, as well as adding an oversized barrel. Front and rear barrel lock-up is critical; once done, the barrel shouldn’t be removed from the slide. Trigger jobs (4.0 pounds) are more difficult than on a 1911; CMP rules state that the double action pull must work, though it’s never used in a match. That complicates doing a safe, repeatable, match-grade trigger pull.

For all that expense you get a su- Ammo used was Federal commercial 230 grain match ball, not used anymore in competition. A softer recoiling load is approved now, such as 185 grain SWC. Many civilians use light-recoiling lead loads with a 200 grain SWC bullet at 750 fps. 22 shooter can buy is either Eley Tenex or RWS R50 with a very slight edge in accuracy usually going to Eley. Both loads are totally reliable and will easily stay well within the X-ring at 50 yards.

Expensive, but worth it. perbly accurate pistol at 50 yards that’s also a joy to shoot in 25 yard rapid-fire strings. After retiring from the Team in 2014 I went back to the 1911 for Service Pistol matches. Both my 1911s needed work; my main gun got anew barrel (KKM), bushing and a refit. My back-up gun (an older GI National Match pistol) got a complete trigger job, including new hammer and sear pins. Both pistols will hold 2" groups from a machine rest at 50 yards.

Revolvers Wheelguns are making a modest comeback in Bullseye. They’re fun and cheap to shoot and many competitors have a revolver or two that can be used. The NRA sponsors the Harry Reeves Match, a revolver-only National Match Course. They run a Distinguished Revolver program shot on the National Match Course with "leg" points accumulated like the Excellence-in-Competition programs. 158 grain round-nosed ball or SWC lead is mandated for this one, which makes it interesting.

Best gun would be a 6" S&W K38 (M14 series) or a .357 Combat Magnum (M19). Both can easily be found on the used-gun market. Usually some minor trigger work will get you in the game and make you competitive. I shoot the timed and rapid fire stages double-action. It can be done, with practice. It’s all about trigger control. The CMP is planning their own revolver events during their National Matches at Camp Perry. Details are evolving as of this writing, but it’s safe to guess it’ll be a National Match Course.

Shooting a revolver in Bullseye is mucho fun and easy to get started in. Final Thoughts Going back into competitive shooting was more difficult than I imagined; it was very much worth it, though. I was again shooting alongside people I knew and admired from years ago while proving to myself I wasn’t a "has been" quite yet. Shooters tend to mature later than other athletes; if you work out for upper body strength and monitor your vision, you can be competitive well into your 70s and beyond.

Check and tune your guns regularly, lift weights, keep track of your vision, and you’ll be a mortal threat to the youngsters when you step up to the line. Precision shooting can be an enjoyable lifetime passion. AG