Pistol

Indoor .22 Pistol & Rifle Range

Indoor Pistol begins in November

Indoor pistol consists of a three part 30 shot match fired at fifty feet. We use the National Gallery Course of 10 shots in 10 minutes on a slow fire target; two strings of 5 shots, 20 seconds each, on a timed/rapid fire target; and two strings of 5 shots, 10 seconds each, also on a timed/rapid fire target. Each shot is worth 10 points. A perfect target would be 300.

Although you are welcome to use a revolver such as a Smith and Wesson K-22 Masterpiece or a Ruger Single Six you will be more competitive with an auto-loading pistol. I recommend a Smith and Wesson Model 41 although there is nothing wrong with a Ruger. Browning and Hi-Standard are also popular. Some folks use open sights, other use a red dot optical sight. Both are legal. As far as I’m concerned you can use one or both hands. Bring what you have and try it out. I usually have an array of guns on hand, which can be borrowed for the evening, so feel free to "try before you buy."

We would prefer that you use standard velocity .22 LR ammunition such as CCI Blue Label ($21 for 500) rather than Hyper Velocity because it is more accurate and less noisy.

Last year we spent a lot of time on technique, ammunition selection and sighting in. We will continue to emphasize safety and to that end we will have a designated range officer (either Chris Kuzma, Wayne Aldrich or myself). We always "make the line safe" before venturing forward to repair targets. We clean up after ourselves at the end of the evening by picking up brass and gently sweeping the floor. The basement is heated to the low 60's, so in the dead of winter dress warmly. Unfortunately we are limited to rimfire .22 as the ventilation system is not adequate for centerfire.

We charge $5 per evening to help defray the cost of targets and to help with the heating costs. A typical session starts at 5:30 with time for sighting in or plinking or trying out new ammo or a new gun. If there is interest we shoot a National Gallery Course or two.

We usually go until 8 pm or so, but you may come and go whenever you wish. Last year we ran for 26 weeks. You don't have to be a member of the club to participate, but if you enjoy the sessions and become a regular we hope that you will join the club and participate even more fully in other activities.

If you would like more information about pistol shooting try this website: http://natqa.uas.se/biomek/ref/bullseye_pistol.pdf

 Please come by and give indoor pistol a try. Bring eye and ear protection, a suitable gun, some ammo and a bit of enthusiasm. We hope to see you there.

-Larry Cromwell, Pistol Director