path to distinguished?

[GooseYArd]

I'm wondering if any of you who have earned your Distinguished medal in bullseye could tell me a little about how you got there.

I shoot in a weekly league now and I'm trying to decide when the right time would be to get a ball gun and take a stab at a leg match.

thanks in advance!

[bearandoldman]

I'm wondering if any of you who have earned your Distinguished medal in bullseye could tell me a little about how you got there.

I shoot in a weekly league now and I'm trying to decide when the right time would be to get a ball gun and take a stab at a leg match.

thanks in advance!

Get in contact with Bullseyeon this forum, he is double distiguished and a really nice guy besides that.

[Bullseye]

The best way to work toward Distinguished marksmanship is to practice. Get involved in a local bullseye league and shoot in competition. Hopefully your local range has turning target frames. Register for local NRA Regional matches and compete.

Regular shooting practice will get you ready for the Leg matches. Find a coach who'll help you with your fundamentals. As you compete, you'll recognize the good shooters. Ask them questions and listen carefully to their advice. You'll get plenty of good tips as competition shooters are some of the most helpful people on the planet. We all want to see the sport grow, and good competition makes that happen.

Practice with a 22 caliber pistol as much as you can. Shooting is shooting and you'll get the same benefits from shooting the small caliber pistol as you will from the big bore .45. But you will have to shoot the .45 or 9mm in the EIC match, so you've got to get some practice in with these pistols too.

Leg Pistol Matches are shot a 25 and 50 yards. And you are going to have to practice shooting slow fire at the long line. Shooting 50 yards can be a little daunting at first. But with practice, the long line isn't so intimidating.

Regional and State level matches often have the Excellence in Competition (EIC) matches as part of the match schedule. It is a specially run match were all non-distinguished competitors compete for awards. The rules for the EIC matchs are stringent. You can compete in State matches in any state, it doesn't have to be your own. Many military regional matches also have EIC matches within their competitions and these matches are open to civilian shooters.

Persistence is the key word. You can only shoot in three EIC matches in a year. You are allowed a fourth but that additional match can only be at the National Matches in Camp Perry Ohio. Over time you will accrue enough points to become Distinguished. Enjoy the journey then start training those behind you so they too can follow the path to Distinguished marksmanship.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

R,
Bullseye

[GooseYArd]

thanks bullseye!

I have definitely been practicing my rump off. We shoot a 60 shot match weekly, and I've shot about 15 of those matches and try to practice shooting another couple of nights a week. I also had a chance to spend two days shooting with Brian Zins and Andy Moody recently at a clinic, and that was definitely helpful in getting a shot plan together.

Our league is 22 only, but we are fortunate to have a 50 yard indoor range so I've been working on my slow fire at 50. I'm shooting right at the upper edge of sharpshooter right now, but we don't get reclassified until the end of the year. I'm not sure if I'm going to break expert or not, I've kind of hit a wall at the moment.

Here's what I'm wondering about now- if I lay out a bunch of money for a pair of pistols (have already got the 22 covered) , is somebody shooting as a sharpshooter likely to get totally outclassed at EIC matches? It seems like it might not make any sense for me to start thinking about getting distinguished points until I reach a higher level in my league.

also since I'm shooting a dot all the time right now, I suspect ill probably need a pretty long time working on the ball gun before I'm ready to shoot a match with iron sights. I guess I could try and round up a ball gun now and keep working on it until I make up my mind whether to take a shot at a leg match, then maybe borrow a 45 with a dot for my centerfire gun? Would I have a realistic shot at winning a leg match if I shot iron sights for both the ball and center stages?

Sorry to have so many questions Bullseye!! Thanks as usual!

[Bullseye]

I don't mind answering questions, feel free to ask away.

I have read your blog, (http://www.gooseyard.com/2008/01/bullseye-school.html), and I see that you have plenty of questions on learning how to shoot bullseye pistol successfully.

Having a shot plan and starting a dedicated shooting routine is a great way to record and plot your progress. Competing regularly in matches is another way to improve your skills. Since you live near Quantico, there should be plenty of skilled pistol shooters available to assist you with learning the ropes.

Sooner or later you are going to need a service pistol for shooting in EIC matches. Start looking around and gathering resources to have one built or picking up one on the used market. You'll need to start practicing with one to learn the finer points of recoil and recovery with the bigger bore pistols - essential for success in the sustained fire strings.

You've also got to get some solid practice in with iron sights. You cannot shoot dot sights in EIC matches and you've got to practice proper sight alignment. There is a big difference between dots and irons. The good news, you can get in a lot of quality practice by just practicing your routine and dry-firing. Stance and trigger control are a huge part of successful shooting and you don't have to be knee-deep in brass to work on your technique. Practice with the red dot off of your 22 too.

I cannot overstate how important shooting in competition is to successful marksmanship. Practicing alone isn't the same as when there's dozens of shooters all around you blazing away. A shooter must learn to focus on what he/she is doing and tune out everything else. I've had hot cases land in my collar and burn the crap out of me all while successfully finishing my string. I'm so focused on my technique that I don't even notice until the "Cease Fire" is called. I've seen plenty of folks who do not have that level of intensity, and they're usually the ones who begin firing away when someone else down the line has a early shot. To stay focused, you have to place technique over results. The results happen, they are not directed. Concentrate on the basics and then evaluate afterwards how well you applied them. Soon you'll develop a feel for when the good things happen and you'll be able to mentally rewind your string, then you can analyze the process of basics application. There are only a few elementary steps in the basics of marksmanship but they require 100% of your attention and must be repeated consistently for achieving good results.

I see that you are concerned about shooting the 2700 with three guns. Shoot your centerfire with the 45, this will help you with your technique for the EIC matches. The more trigger time you get with the 45, the better your technique will be with it. If your serious about going distinguished, you'll have to shoot without that dot. Back when I was working on earing my pistol badge, I shot my ball gun for both Centerfire and 45 strings. Fortunately for me, my ball gun also fed wadcutter ammunition well, and that made recoil less taxing on my elbow. My 2700 scores weren't the best but my EIC ones were great.

Out on the line during EIC day, your NRA classification doesn't matter, everybody's equal. They all make mistakes, Master and Marksman alike. You have got to go out and compete in those EIC matches and gain some experience. You are not competing against everyone else, you are competing against yourself. Worry about your performance only after the results are in and posted on the wailing wall, not during the match. If a string goes bad, so what, press on. Concentrate on technique and follow your routine to the letter and you will do well. If that's enough to earn some leg points, then so be it, but you've got to compete to build up that match confidence.

Do you have a shot at winning the match - absolutely! The match winner isn't always the best shot out on the line, its the shooter who applied the techniques the best on that day. But you have to be confident in applying those basics in order to achieve the results you seek. Without confidence, you're on a steep uphill climb toward becoming a distinguished pistol shot.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

[GooseYArd]

ah I think I might be confused about the rules for EIC. Do I understand you correctly that I'd shoot only the ball gun when competing for leg match points? i thought i had to win the whole 2700 to get the leg points. do I just shoot the whole 2700 and they take my 45 score to determine where I place in the EIC rankings, or is it a separate match altogether?

I was actually thinking about the possibility of shooting an M9, since we are fortunate to have David Sams not far from where I live. Could I shoot that as both my centerfire and ball gun?

shooting toward distinguished actually seems like a good goal since I _know_ I am not going to win a 2700 anytime soon.

thanks again for the advice and info. I've dug around on bullseyepistol.com and talked to a lot of people about distinguished but somehow even being fairly savvy with google I still can't seem to get myself straightened out. all my distinguished friends are highpower guys

[Bullseye]

The EIC match is a separate match shot with a service pistol and ball ammo. It is not the 2700. You can shoot the M9 in the EIC match. Here is a link with some more info on EIC pistol matches http://www.stcloudweather.com/gunclub/C ... _match.htm

This link has some of the EIC service pistol rules http://www.stcloudweather.com/gunclub/C ... ements.htm

To become distinguished one has to accrue 30 EIC award points over a lifetime. Winning these points is accomplished in the EIC matches by placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place of all the non-distinguished competitors. The award levels are based on the top 10% of those competitors eligible for award points in the EIC Match. 1st place earns 10 points, 2nd place earns 8 points, and 3rd place earns 6 points. When I went distinguished in pistol I had 36 points - 2 silver and 2 gold medals.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

[GooseYArd]

THANK YOU!!

that is going to make things a lot easier!

I'm thinking now maybe the smartest bet for me would be to switch back to shooting iron sights on my 22. There's little on the line for me in those weekly matches so it's probably about as good a practice as I could hope for. also I'll have something to do while im waiting for a ball gun to arrive.

does it seem like a bad idea to get an M9 for EIC knowing if I shot it as my centerfire gun in a 2700 that I'd have to do it with iron sights? I'm still going to have to get a 45 anyway to shoot 2700s, arent I?

[Bullseye]

You could get a M9 and shoot it in the centerfire portion of a 2700. You would need a 45 for the last part of the 2700, it is 45 only. Most people shoot the 45 for both parts, this way you're not switching guns three times. I'm not sure why you're particular to shooting the M9 for EIC, the 1911 has been the service pistol workhorse of that competition forever.

R,
Bullseye

[GooseYArd]

yep sorry I kind of worded that wrong- what I should have said is that it seems like the M9 is sort of impractical if I'm looking to keep my expenses to a minimum. no special attachment but I saw a nice one recently and it made me wonder if there was a practical advantage to one over the 45. seems like a pretty clear no, all things considered

[Bullseye]

I agree, it is best to first seek out a match grade 1911 service pistol.

R,
Bullseye

[Hardball]

I worked hard on becoming Distinguished from 2000 to 2004. I used a 1963 made Gold Cup for two legs and then a pro built HB 45 for two more. I concentrated on iron sight firing, even in 2700s I often used my iron sight High standard, K38, and hardball gun. Years ago I shot a 38 Colt OMM and a HS Trophy a lot so iron sights are quite familiar to me. I still find irons easier that dots.

Trigger control is your friend. Iron sights on anything are good, but you have to shoot the ball gun a lot. I also suggest an iron sight Marvel type 22 or similar, on a quality built lower.

My ball 45 shot a 1" test group at 50 yds (with Noslers) but I have never fired HB offhand much better than a 9 ring SF group. (Best HB NMC ever was 94, 98, 99) More recently I have a Beretta 92fs, still stock except for an LPA adjustable sight and a trigger smoothing by a Roddy. That gun got me a Silver at the last EIC. And stock as it is, it shoots 9 ring groups from the hand just like the 45.

One more thing, the serious HB shooting helped the regular shooting more than the other way. Since 2004 I have slacked off on HB and my dot sight shooting has gone downhill. Going to get back on the HB effort.

[Georgezilla]

I see that you are concerned about shooting the 2700 with three guns. Shoot your centerfire with the 45, this will help you with your technique for the EIC matches. The more trigger time you get with the 45, the better your technique will be with it. If your serious about going distinguished, you'll have to shoot without that dot. Back when I was working on earing my pistol badge, I shot my ball gun for both Centerfire and 45 strings. Fortunately for me, my ball gun also fed wadcutter ammunition well, and that made recoil less taxing on my elbow. My 2700 scores weren't the best but my EIC ones were great.


Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

Did you use your Leg pistol for the 2700? Or am I misunderstanding your post. I'm curious to know if you shot 2700's with a 4lb pull on your 1911.

Thanks.

[Bullseye]

Yes, I shot my ball gun with the four pound trigger and iron sights at Perry many years back. With a lot of initial pressure on the trigger it doesn't matter how heavy the weight, you can still do well with it.

R,
Bullseye