Joint USPSA/Single Stack Society Title Draws 238 Competitors

Barry, Ill., –With dozens of national, international, and world titles under his belt, it’s no wonder practical pistol shooters the world over refer to Rob Leatham as “Robbie.”

Always a speed demon since his early days as an enduro motorcycle rider, Leatham made his name shooting a “single-stack” 1911 pistol in United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) matches in the 1980s and early 1990s. The original single-stack 1911 design Leatham so loved (named for its single-column magazine that holds 8 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition) has since been replaced by high-capacity versions of the same gun. However, fans love the original 1911 so much that USPSA created a division just for them. It’s only fitting that Leatham, backed by single-stack 1911 manufacturer Springfield Armory, should become USPSA’s first “1911 Single Stack” champion.

Leatham put in a commanding performance at Barry, Illinois’ PASA Park shooting facility, badly out-distancing all comers except for Para-Ordnance’s Todd Jarrett, who managed to shoot 96.22% of Leatham’s score. Leatham’s next-closest rival, David Sevigny, trailed at just 89.24%.

If shooting has an “extreme” sport, practical shooting is it. Shooters move, negotiate obstacles, run, speed-reload, and drive their guns through each of several short courses (called stages) as fast as their skills will allow. This match was also accuracy-intensive according to USPSA’s executive director Dave Thomas. “If you didn’t bring your sight picture and trigger control, you were in trouble,” he says.

Competitors shot outdoors, in all weather, competing against the clock to create the highest points-per-second score possible on each stage. If they missed, or shot inaccurately, points got deducted, lowering their all-important points-per-second score.

This year’s Single Stack National Championship came together as a joint venture between USPSA and Richard Heinie’s Single Stack Classic – a well-known match that focused on using the original “single stack” 1911 pistol.

Go to http://www.uspsa.org for additional press releases, photographs, and contact information.

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