Are you ready: Intro to Shooting Matches

As long as there have been weapons, humans have been competing with them. Javelin throwing for the ancient Greeks, jousting tournaments in medieval Europe, modern pentathlon in the Olympics at the turn of the 20th century, and thousands of shooting matches around the world this year are all part of a human tradition of finding games to play with our weapons for training value, bragging rights, and fun. 

USPSA, PRS, PCSL, NRL, Tactical Games - never before have there been this many shooting matches in the US across this many varied disciplines with this many talented competitors. The opportunity to join in the fun is exciting, but also, perhaps a little intimidating. Though a shooting match is a game, a gun is certainly not a toy, and while the rate of injuries is incredibly low at shooting matches, it can still be an intimidating step to sign-up for a match. 

Hopefully, we can remove some of the unknown from the process with this series. I’ve completed in a little over 200 shooting matches across 12 different disciplines in a dozen states over the last 14 years, and I’m grateful for the experience on a level that is difficult to put into words. 

It’s my goal to help as many people as possible access the value training and life experience that shooting matches provide in a way that is healthy for them and those around them. In this series, we’ll break down the basics of what kinds of matches are out there, what to expect, and how you should conduct yourself at the match. 

Expectations and Goals

Part of having a successful first match is considering beforehand what you hope to get out of the match. Do you want to test your gear or your own marksmanship? See what other people are using for gear? Just go out and have fun? These are great goals for your first match. 

Let’s rule one out up front: One goal you should NOT have for your first match is a placement goal. Unless the match is very, very small, you are not going to win your first match. That’s okay! Accepting this will allow you to focus on being safe and having fun. 

Defining what you want from the experience will also help you pick what kind of match you want to try. If you want to push your fitness and marksmanship under physical stress, the Tactical Games is a good option. Want to see how fast you can run a handgun? USPSA or PCSL are good places to start. Looking to shake down your gear and shoot some fun, themed stages in a chill crowd? The Founder Arms Surveyor series is ideal for that! If you want more detail, we’ll cover what different types of matches are like in more detail later in this series. 

Whatever sort of match you pick, one of your top goals should be safety. By focusing on safe gunhandling, you’ll build good habits and help put your fellow competitors at ease. Making sure that your muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, that your finger is off the trigger when moving, and that you follow the match-specific safety rules - these things should be top of mind for you your first match. 

Locating Matches

Once you know what kind of match you want to shoot, there are a few ways to go about finding one.  

For action shooting matches (USPSA, 2 gun, 3 gun), Minnesota has a google calendar that features most of the local matches during the course of a year. If you have a specific weekend free that you want to find a match for, this can be a great way to see what’s around. This list is updated throughout the year, so you can check back in throughout the year to see what’s been added.  

Most matches of all types will be listed on practiscore. Once you make a practiscore account, you can search and filter results by things like match type, name, and location. The trouble is, practiscore’s UI can be… lackluster and some things, like searching for matches based on what’s available certain weeks can be a challenge. I use practiscore a lot, but I usually use it to find and sign up for specific matches rather than just searching to see what’s out there. 

If there’s a specific series of matches that you want to try, such as Precision Rifle Series, NRL Hunter, or Tactical Games, it can be best to look at the available matches on the series website. But understand that sometimes these matches can be a little bigger and more costly, so they may or may not be a good fit for a first match. When in doubt, reach out to the contant listed for the match and ask! 

You can always find the Founder Arms Surveyor matches listed on our website. There’s even an ammo package. This is an fantastic match to get your feet wet in.

What to bring

The most basic things to bring with you to the match are your gun, eye and ear protection, and ammo. Most matches will have a recommended ammo count listed in the description. For pistol/2gun matches, it’s a good idea to have five mags per gun. For precision rifle matches, a couple of mags will do. 

For all matches, it’s a good idea to have a way to carry the mags on your person during the stage, so bring mag pouches or a battle belt. If you don’t have any of these, consider reaching out to the match director - most people have extra gear and are willing to let newer shooters borrow for the first match. As much as possible - it’s better to borrow rather than buy before your first match because you will more than likely learn some things about what you like and don’t like after your first match. You can take this knowledge and make better purchasing decisions after the match. REMEMBER we aren’t there to try and win the first time we go to a match! 

You’ll probably be outside for most of the day, so make sure you have climate-appropriate clothing. I like to bring a small folding chair - there’s a lot of sitting around and waiting at every type of match. You should also bring water and snacks to keep you alert during the day. If you’re at a match with me, I’ll probably be tossing snacks to you every few hours and reminding you to hydrate. Your vision is one of the first things to be impacted by dehydration, and shooting is a highly visual activity. 

Etiquette 

Eitquette varies a little depending on what type of matches you’re going to, so this is another topic we’ll dig into further later in this series, but there are a few overarching principles that will save you some trouble. 

Most matches run a cold range, which means that you should show up with your gun unloaded and in a case. We’ll get into the specific safety requirements of each match type in more detail later in this series, but when in doubt, err on the side of caution and ask for permission first. Safety infractions can run the gamut from a warning to a DQ (or disqualification) depending upon the match you’re at, so do not be afraid to ask for help. At most matches, 95% of other competitors will actively want to help you when they find out you’re new, and if you run into the 1% odd outlier who isn’t willing to help, ask someone else. 

The exception to this is if someone is “on deck” or “in the hole” (up next to shoot or one down in the order) at a stage. These shooters should be getting ready for their turn to shoot the stage. Everyone has their own pre-stage ritual (again, more on this later in the series), and it’s important to give people space to make sure they have their mindset and gear in order when it’s their turn. 

If you aren’t on deck or in the hole, you should also be looking for ways to help out. This will look different depending on the sport (pasting targets in USPSA, spotting in PRS), but if in doubt, ask how you can help! Most matches are volunteer, so do your part to help the day run well. 

Debrief

At the end of the day, you should write down your key takeaways from the experience. Did you have fun? Accomplish your goals? What was one thing you did well that you want to keep doing? What was one thing that you would improve or change for next time? How did your gear perform? What is something you would like to add to your training before next time? 

The debrief is how you can really make progress in shooting from matches. Resist the urge to sugarcoat your assessment, but also be cautious of being too hard on yourself. Pick a couple things (not too many) to work on for next time and then set goals around these. 

The more you view matches as a way to help yourself improve, rather than worrying about where you are in the standings, the better experience you will have!