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NRA Bullseye Championships
NRA Bullseye is a part of the grand American tradition of marksmanship. The site is Camp Perry, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. The camp was established in the early 1900’s, by President Theodore Roosevelt, to train soldiers basic marksmanship skills. 100 years later, Camp Perry is a state of the art training facility operated by the Ohio National Guard, with the largest outdoor rifle and handgun ranges in the world. Every year, since 1907, pistol shooters have brought their .22’s and .45’s to Camp Perry to compete for the National Title.
It is a difficult challenge, facing the ever changing wind and shooting one handed at targets set at 25 and 50 yards. The 800 competitors on the firing line include the best military and civilian marksmen from across the nation.
After years of shooting with iron sights, the competition changed in the mid 1960’s when optic sights were approved for competition. Today you will find that most of the competitors are using the optic sights, but there are a few traditionalists still using iron sights.
The course of fire requires shooting 22 rimfire, centerfire, and specifically requires stages of fire with .45 ACP. In the early years, competitors shot .38 special in revolvers for the centerfire requirement. But in recent years, most competitors shoot .45 for both of the centerfire stages. And a good many use .22 rimfire conversions for their 1911 handguns, to have the same feel and weight throughout the match, no matter what the cartridge.
Our coverage of Bullseye competition includes competitors who have been shooting the nationals for over 40 years. And you’ll meet some new shooters, drawn to the original form of American pistol competition.
Sergeant Joe Harless - Gunsmith
Then you’ll meet the man credited with keeping the Army Marksmanship Unit winning titles. He’s Sergeant Joe Harless, voted the most valuable member of the team, even though he doesn’t compete. Sergeant Harless is the gunsmith who builds accuracy into the Marksmanship Unit’s competition.
 Byron Ferguson - Impossible Shots
Plus Byron Ferguson joins us with his longbow to shoot tiny targets out of the air. Would you believe a baby aspirin?
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