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The Masters Handgun Championship
It is a test of the best in Action Pistol, Handgun Silhouette, and 22 Bullseye. Three very different sports, but the winner must Master each shooting discipline to claim the title in the Masters International Shooting Championship. For 20 years, shooters from bullseye, silhouette, and action pistol have gathered in Barry, Illinois to shoot for the title in one of the most demanding handgun tournaments in the world.
The disciplines to master begin with the Precision Event—shooting .22 rimfire at Olympic Biathlon targets set at 25 and 50 meters. Competitors shoot strings of fire at 4-1/2 inch bullseyes at each distance. They then follow that by firing at 1-3/4 inch bullseyes at 25 meters. The Precision Event must be shot off-hand, as in Olympic pistol competition. Scoring is based on target count.
Next is the LongRange event— 3 stages with 5 steel plates set at distances out to 200 meters. The strings of fire are shot both and freestyle and standing. You will see silhouette shooters in the Creedmore position, while unlimited competitors generally shoot prone. All are shooting handguns chambered in rifle cartridges, but with barrels not longer than 15 inches. Even with the power of rifle rounds, the Long Range Event is no easy challenge with a competitor’s score determined by target plates knocked down in each stage of fire.
The third test of skill is the Action Event— Competitors engage 5 targets in 3 strings of fire at each of 3 target arrays. Minimum caliber is .32, but most competitors shoot .38 or 9mm in race guns typically seen in action shooting competition. The Action Event is scored for speed, with penalty seconds added for missing a target.
The overall match winner will be the best combined score for the three events, with each discipline equally weighted in the final calculation to determine the Master of the Handgun sports.
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