New Venue Promises Spectacular Setting and Match
Sold out, expanded, and sold out again, this event promises to be the match of the year for practical pistol shooters. The United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) brings the chase for its “Open,” and “Limited 10,” titles to the Deer Creek Range in Missoula, Mont., next week (June 20-24).
“Demand for invitations is HIGH,” reports USPSA’s Matt Pickhardt, one of the staffers in charge of USPSA’s registration system. Currently slated for 375 competitors, Pickhardt tells us the Open/Limited 10 sold out in April, leaving an extensive waiting list. Currently some 386 names appear on the competitor roster.
And what a roster it is!
America’s Best To Attend:
USPSA split the heavy talent into two “Super Squads” for best television and media coverage — one for each title. On the Open squad you’ll see 2006 Open Champion Chris Tilley defending his first title against the star-studded Army team, led by Max Michel and young speed demon K.C. Eusebio. On the Limited-10 squad, no less than Rob “The Great One” Leatham is expected to run against Glock’s David Sevigny, Emanuel “Manny” Bragg, Taran Butler, and the Army’s formidable Travis Tomasie. Leatham is the favorite, but not by much. Sevigny has beat him several times, and Bragg runs neck and neck with both. For brute talent, this will be one of the biggest, most exciting championship matches of the year.
Watching over them will be seasoned match administrator Troy McManus (of Louisiana) working hand-in-hand with local club president Paul Miner to ensure a first-rate experience for all.The Deer Creek range has grown over the last decade, and much of that growth can be attributed to the Big Sky Practical Shooters Club (one of the many interest groups using the Deer Creek facility). Big Sky welcomed the Area 1 USPSA Championships to Missoula in 2000 and 2005, before stepping up to the big stage this year.
“We’ve been a club for 23 years,” says Miner, “but as far as Nationals go, this is the first jump in the pool for us.”
Size-wise, the Deer Creek range has few peers in the United States, and will offer 18 stages on game day (think of them as small obstacle courses). When you add the enthusiasm of the USPSA competitors at Big Sky (Miner claims a group of about 90) it’s a formidable combination.
“These guys in the Missoula club, every time I’ve been up there they’re really enthusiastic, really hospitable,” says McManus.
The enthusiasm at Missoula reflects USPSA’s growth nationwide. USPSA has been setting membership records steadily for the last two years, and its national pistol matches have been jammed. Last year both of its major pistol events (one in Barry, Ill., and another in Tulsa, Okla.,) were oversold with a lengthy waiting list.
Exciting Format
USPSA offers the action rarely seen in shooting. Shooters draw, negotiate obstacles, and dash through brightly-painted courses of fire as fast as safety and accuracy will let them (see www.hosercam.com). It’s an exciting game that has fascinated combat handgunners since the late Jeff Cooper formalized the rules in the 1970s.
“Open Division” is USPSA’s ‘top-fuel’ event, where shooters will bring the latest in high-technology racing pistols to the line. Red-dot scopes, compensators, and extended magazines are all but required, frequently in concert with racing calibers such as rimless .38 Super, Major 9, or 9mm Super Comp. (USPSA competitors vetted the scopes now in use by American forces in Iraq.) Limited 10 division imposes a ban on all that technology, requiring a shooter to use a conventional service pistol loaded with no more than 10 rounds in the magazine. The guns are still relatively high-tech, but scopes, recoil compensators, and exotic calibers are not allowed.
Specators Welcome
If you’re in the area, you don’t have to wait for the TV specials to come out on cable. Contact the USPSA office and they will direct you to the range. Spectators are welcome. Bring your cameras, just leave the flash attachment at home. Go to www.uspsa-nationals.org/ for additional information.
A Growing Sport
USPSA’s six divisions provide ways for most any defensive handgun owner to participate, regardless of equipment type. Whether they own a single-stack 1911, or box-stock Glock, custom racing pistol or double-action revolver, USPSA has a place for them.
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