Me: "Have you ever watched Free Pistol competition?"
RX: "No."
Me: "It's like getting glue injected into your veins. It's like watching paint dry. It's like they took shooting, and sucked all the fun out. It moves so slowly it makes three-position smallbore look like rugby."
RX: "Still: People with pistols. In England."
According to Olympic tradition (guess that went out a window somewheres), the first gold contested for in the summer games is supposed to be Free Pistol, in honor (definetly out a window) of the Baron who helped re-found the modern Olympics in 1898, who was the pistol champion of Europe. Can't remember his name, an my only intratubes connection is dis ?/#&%?$ android phone.....
ReplyDeleteArchery is like that. The thrill and drama of a bunch of geeks with muscular shoulders, standing perfectly still for long periods of time. Then there's this faint thumping noise, twenty yards away...
ReplyDeleteMarksmanship is only a spectator sport to people who are more likely to be the participants.
Yeah, pistols in Britain; the only time the Brit shooting team actually gets to fire their pistols on British soil, since they're not allowed to have them to practice with there.
ReplyDeleteI admire the skill but they could keep time in this event using carbon dating.
ReplyDeleteGerry
I'm with Tam, They need to make it involve realistic calibre firearms and running around.
ReplyDeleteOr at least make the target shooters have a time limit. 10 shots in 30 secs or something, and everyone firing at once....
I remember reading about non-olympic biathalon ( ski/shoot) where a competitor was talking about "hits" it was funny to realize at that level of competition that that meant "hitting the target at all" not the bullseyes.
Have shot free pistol in college, it's just as boring to compete in as it is to watch.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I will say that there is no finer challenge to pure marksmanship than free pistol.
Yeah! Bring us ODPC -- Olympic Defensive Pistol Competition!
ReplyDeleteMinimum power factor of +p 9mm, complete with moving while shooting, shooting from cover, mag changes, and no-shoot targets mixed in.
While your description is mostly accurate, you neglect the thrill of a trigger that, when caressed with the gentlest of intention, goes "Bang!" Hell, my subconscious doesn't even know when it's gonna break.
ReplyDeleteWhen I take first-timers to the range, the free pistol is the *last* thing we shoot, and I show them how light the trigger is, everyone makes it go "click" (on an empty chamber) the first three "shots" I make them dry-fire and, even then, a good portion of the first shots go into the dirt before the sights come onto the target.
It's a fabulous reinforcement to Rule #3, "Keep your finger *OFF* the trigger till your sights are on the target."
The only way to keep it from being boring (when shooting) is to have a shot plan so meticulous that it keeps your mind engaged until those few seconds of silence "in the aiming area".
... ... Bang!
I like the idea of ODPC, along with Olympic 3-gun, but can we add remote paintball turrets to send paintballs whizzing back at the competitors to make things even more ... challenging?
ReplyDeleteWeren't the no-longer-British going to make them use Lazertag or something? Glad they changed their minds, but, still...
ReplyDeleteThere was talk back in the 90s of IPSC being a non medal demonstration sport in the 2000 Games but alas nothing came from it.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy the ultimate zen of position shooting. I'll run the complete National Match course with the '03 and finish, soaked in sweat, feeling that no time has passed.
ReplyDeleteEverything else fades away around the edges, and there's nothing but the concentration, evening out the pulse and breathing, and the trigger squeeze. Even bolt manipulation is a minor, mostly unnoticed distraction.
Of course I'll make it 8 miles down the road and have to pull over for a nap when the hidden adrenaline jumps out and bites me, but I float for a day or two afterwards.
Not much to look at, but if you really get into it, it's as addictive as hell to do.