A Thrilling Day at the June 29th Steel Challenge Pistol Competition
- Jason
- Jul 1, 2024
- 7 min read
Have you ever felt the exhilaration of lining up your sights on a target, your heart racing with anticipation as you squeeze the trigger? If not, then let me take you on a journey through the fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping world of the Steel Challenge.
A Day of Action-Packed Competition
I think one of my favorite parts of a competition day is watching the crowds arrive. As I have
stated previously, the volunteers have put countless hours into making these competitions fun for the masses and it all comes to culmination in the hours before the first shots ring. I arrived at 7:15 to find Dan there with another shooter who had driven in from Bennington, Vermont. The weather forecast for the day wasn't promising in the least. We prepared the shooting stages for scattered showers by setting up Easy-Up Tents in various locations and then we waited for the competitors to arrive. And they did. Sixty-one guns came to run the eight stages of steel at CCSSEF. Zero cancelations even with the gloomy forecast. The parking lot filled with vehicles from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut, wagons full with equipment and faces filled with smiles. These folks from all over New England arrived, checked in and formed themselves into small circles of old friends and new. It's wonderful to see the relationships that grow from this community.
Today I volunteered to be one of the Range Officers for the match. I have been competing in action pistol events for almost two years now. I have helped run the timer and tablet hundreds of times but I have never done so without a trusted wingman to assist. In fact, I would say that I am usually the assistant to somebody else's lead. Today, as it happens, I will be a solo RO. So tablet and timer in hand, I proceed to my stage and introduce myself to my squad. I am now the center of attention to seven unfamiliar faces running 11 guns. I don't know any of them and they don't know me. At this time, I do not know that they consist of some very highly classified shooters. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't know I was surrounded by steel challenge greatness. I take a brief moment to introduce myself and toss out my disclaimer.
"Fellas, I've been shooting for two years and helping RO for one year. This is my first time running a squad by myself so any help you can give would be greatly appreciated"
It's hard to admit vulnerability to strangers, but what I got for a response from these shooters was nothing less than what anybody who has ever participated in a shooting event would expect. I got incredible support from valued guests that drove hours to have a good time. Today, I was blessed with extremely talented gentlemen, shooting blazing fast stages and being 100% willing to run a tablet or timer if needed, clarify a judgement, help paint targets and generally keep us rolling through the day, all while laughing and having a great time doing it. To my squad, I thank you!
Are you ready? Stand-by...
My squad consisted of a diversified mixture of pistol caliber carbines, rimfire rifles, carry optics, production pistols and one helluva revolver. These shooters were leagues above my talent level. The lone revolver shooter was an absolute artist with his wheel gun which was barking fire at a pace reserved for spaghetti westerns. Granted, this isn't Gramps revolver. This unbagged beauty is a precision balanced speed demon built for one purpose: STAGE DOMINATION.
Each stage presents a unique challenge, from the lightning-fast "Smoke and Hope" to the precision-focused "Five to Go." Cheshire County Action Pistol is blessed with a facility that can accommodate all eight of the steel challenge stages. The drizzling rain subsided after the first stage and we had a great day for shooting after that. Overcast with a little breeze. Just like Goldy-Locks likes it, not to hot, not to cold. Just right.
Steel Challenge consists of shooting each stage 5 times (except for the Outer Limits Stage which has four strings of shooting). For me, the first stage is certainly a warm up stage. The shooter is in the box and mentally preparing for the task at hand: hit four steel targets and then the stop plate as fast as possible. The worst of the five strings gets tossed out. The best four strings get tallied and that is the shooters score for that stage. My squad consists of Grand Masters and highly classified shooters. These guys aren't warming up on the first stage. These guys know that every shot they fire is an important part of their final score. For them, there is no margin for error. They laugh and joke right up until the moment they are told to "Make Ready" and then their game face turns on. Guns come out and non-firing practice runs are made as if to remind every muscle in their body what it has to do for the next few seconds. The shooter's body tenses up, the timer screams and all of their muscles take off in symphony to transition from the starting position through five targets in sometimes as little as two seconds. That's why they are Grand Masters. Speed and accuracy.
We started on FIVE TO GO, then made our way to the rim fire bay to work on SPEED OPTION. Then it was down the hill to the new Centennial bay for the OUTER LIMITS stage. It is great having these larger format bays to be able to put the larger stages in. Then it was a short uphill walk back to pistol bay one for PENDULUM. We continued the circuit at the top finishing at shortly after 2pm with SMOKE AND HOPE. I think Smoke and Hope is everybody's favorite stage because it is less aiming and more blasting. The larger plates at closer distances make for more pointing than aiming and this results in incredibly quick times. Often under 2 seconds with a skilled shooter and a carbine/rifle. My revolver shooter posted a total four-string sum time of less than ten seconds. Amazing.
Let us know what your favorite Steel Challenge stage is with this survey
What's your favorite Stage?
0%Five to Go
0%Showdown
0%Smoke'n'Hope
0%Outer Limits
The Thrill of Victory In Unconventional Ways.
As the last shot rang out and the final stage came to an end, a sense of accomplishment washed over me. I shot ok today. I was once again plagued with red dot failure. If you have read any of my prior posts, you will certainly remember that this isn't the first time. You have probably formed your own opinions of me shooting unreliable equipment in a competitive fashion. I cannot say that I disagree with you. I am sure that the red dot failure shifted me lower on the final stat sheet than I could have posted, but ultimately for me, I am not ready to take this super seriously yet. Right now, I am just having fun with it. With that in mind, I consider myself very successful.
I will Say, the camaraderie and sportsmanship displayed by my fellow competitors made every moment worth it. Sharing tips and tricks, cheering each other on, and celebrating victories together created a sense of community that transcended the competitive nature of the event.
Reflecting on the Experience
As I packed up my gear and bid farewell to the range, a number of shooters from my squad met me in the parking lot. They shook my hand and exclaimed that I did a great job running the squad. By this point I had almost forgotten that I had confessed my amateur Range Officer status to them so many hours prior. They solidified the statement with telling me that if I hadn't mentioned it, they wouldn't have known. I took this as my greatest accomplishment of the day.
Dan (Match Director) also made it a point to shake my hand and thank me before I sped off. I was appreciative of the gesture and in a terrible rush to get on the road but I knew in the back of my mind it should be the other way around, I should be thanking him. I don't believe this is overlooked by any of the competitors but it may not be stated often enough. A Match Director shouldn't have to be stressed when looking for help to be able to put on a event but that is the unfortunately reality that we live in. Good help is hard to find these days and the good help we have is stretched thin. I am a firm believer in supporting the things in this life that I love. Without support, those things will only become memories. I support the second amendment by exercising my right to bear arms, I support my local gun shop (www.monadnockfirearms.com) because I sincerely appreciate the way they do business, I support MatrixArms.com because they are my local firearms manufacturer. (And now they are friends and competitors). I support Cheshire County Shooting Sports Education Foundation (www.ccssef.org) with my annual membership and by volunteering my time to help put on events like this one. Without little volunteers like myself and huge volunteers like Dan, events like this go away. Without supporting the 2nd amendment and local business's, they go away also.
Next time you are at an event, any event, that is run on the backs of volunteers, thank them. Take a moment, shake their hand and thank them. I cannot explain how much these kind gesture mean. It really makes it all worth it.
If you're looking for an exciting and challenging way to test your shooting skills, surrounded by the kindest, most fun loving people you could ask for, I highly recommend checking out a Steel Challenge event near you. Whether you're a seasoned competitor or a beginner looking to dip your toes into the world of competitive shooting, the Action Pistol community welcomes enthusiasts of all levels with open arms.
If you are interested in joining us, I would suggest reading the following post. It will shed some light on what to expect for your first competition:
The June 29th Steel Challenge Competition was a day filled with heart-pounding action and fierce competition. With each shot fired and each target hit, I found myself falling deeper in love with the Action Pistol shooting sports. So grab your gear, line up your sights, and get ready to take aim at the next challenge that comes your way. Who knows, you might just discover a new passion waiting to be unleashed!
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