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Bullseye Anyone?


RJH

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I've shot USPSA for several years, some 3 gun here and there, but just recently started shooting bullseye matches and am really enjoying them. I've started shooting Garand, Service rifle, and Match rifle in high power, and CMP M&P matches in pistol. I'm fixing to start doing some NRA Conventional pistol matches. So does anyone else here shoot any of this? It's way harder and more fun than I ever thought it would be.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've shot bullseye a few times. It's tough and I'm terrible with the 45. My 22 scores are meh (250 for the 30 shot course of fire). Been shooting service rifle off and on for about 10 years now. Almost have my expert card in that. I'm decent at offhand and rapid fire but slow prone at 600yards kills me every time

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Its really interesting, guys who are very good shots in USPSA, don't always transfer over to being great shots in the bullseye matches. I know its a different game but how much different is surprising.

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I started in bullseye and then silhouette and then USPSA when there was only one class. In my opinion, doing it that way makes you slower in USPSA as you are accustomed to shooting for accuracy only and then try too hard for that in the "combat" type matches.

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I could see and have seen that happen. I took a guy I met shooting bullseye to a USPSA match and while he had no problem hitting targets he was slow. It was his first match though. Like I said though, on the other hand I've got a few friends I shoot USPSA with to shoot some bullseye, and their results were not great at first either (myself included). That said I still have a long way to go, as I am a relative newcomer to all the bullseye events.

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  • 4 months later...

My late wife got me started shooting bullseye back around 2002 and I did that up until about 2008. Funny thing is my best scores were always on the faster rapid or timed fire parts. I was shooting a POS S&W 22S and routinely getting 525-560 out of 600 all the time with my higher 90's always being in the rapid fire relays. I rightly assumed that was a message from the beyond that I should switch to action shooting, so I did. I have shot an occasional bullseye session since then but up until about a year ago I just played at it. The member of our club who is a President's 100 at Camp Perry help me setup my backup Buckmark for bullseye and what do you know the first time out with it in slow fire I scored 97-3x with it. Anyway I still think bullseye is like watching paint dry. But at least I know I can shoot it if I choose to. Not really into the CMP things. Not into shooting obsolete firearms. Might not mind going to Camp Perry and shooting the Rimfire Tactical and Rimfire sporter matches.

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  • 7 months later...

can you actively participate in bullseye just shooting 22? I too have shot uspsa and more recently have been shooting a lot of steel challenge. I wouldnt mind shooting some bullseye with my rimfire guns but am not interested in going all out with centerfire guns. I think I understand that in a full 2700 match you shoot rimfire, centerfire, and 45. My question is whether or not there are sanctioned events shooting just 22 OR you can attend a full event and just shoot rimfire? Interested to learn a little more about what options there are for only shooting rimfire, thanks!

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I have been shooting IPSC since 1993 and bullseye since 1999. I enjoy both in different ways. I also have been shooting high power. Currently I am still shooting all 3 along with steel challenge with a .22 rifle and PCC.

For ksf141's question about .22 shooting. A lot of leagues exist that are more focused on .22. For the larger matches there are the 2700s that you mentioned and also 1800's that have .22 and centerfire. The ones I have seen recently will let you shoot .22 all the way through.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know this thread is several weeks old, but I'll respond anyway. We have a very active IDPA and 3 gun match attendance here locally but also have an excellent bullseye outdoor range. A little over two years ago, we started up the local monthly bullseye matches again, after being dormant for years. We have had pretty good participation, and hope to encourage some more local shooters to try it.

We shoot a 900 rimfire match followed by a 900 centerfire match, which makes for a full Saturday morning at the range. We lost some people when we started shooting 50 yards slow fire instead of 25 yard slow fire. 50 yard single hand is just difficult to do for average hobby shooters.

We've had a few IDPA and 3-gun shooters try it and like it, surprisingly. I like bullseye a bunch, simply because you are either shooting or scoring without a lot of dead time. Plus, I'm older and like the stand and shoot format just fine. Plus I like shooting with red dot sights.

We are doing our best to bring in some younger shooters. I will be teaching an introductory bullseye class myself later in the year when we have a little more daylight to work with during the week.

Joe

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Our club runs the 900 course twice a month from April through Sept in mid-week (Thurs evenings) and has quite a few shooter involved. The interest seems to be mostly retired military & "older" people, but it gives them something where they can still participate in shooting activities! At least they don't have to stand around for 3-4 hours for 2 minutes of shooting time! :goof:

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I'm trying to break into Bullseye as I find the time. When I was coming up as a pistol shooter, my father-in-law always had me shooting at 30, 40, 50...100 yards offhand with pistols. I never fired a pistol at less than probably 20 yards for 6-8 years, no bullshit. I spent years doing slow fire shooting on small targets...one of the reasons I gravitated towards NRA Action Pistol so much. After a while I started doing it one handed slow-fire, until I could keep them generally all on a 4" dot at 50 with a red-dotted pistol. I think I'm ready for BE. I honestly have no clue what the talent level is at the local matches, but I plan to shoot the President's Cup at Perry this year.

One thing that so often gets blurred on this forum is what a "good shooter" is. In my humble opinion, it isn't just about USPSA (I'm guessing 90% plus on here), it's about hitting tiny far away targets and up close large targets, fast or slow. A well-rounded shooter can be blazingly fast and accurate up close, but also tip over Bianchi plates at 50-75 yards offhand without much fuss. This is why I want to try BE, to become more well-rounded. Doesn't Enos have a famous quote about this? ...something about "I know Master-level USPSA shooters that couldn't hit a Bianchi plate at 25 yards". Don't be that guy, branch out. Be fast. Be slow. Be ragged-edge accurate. And have FUN.

All the shooting sports...NRA-AP, Bullseye, USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, F-Class, Benchrest, Service Rifle, Highpower, PPC, 3-gun, Silhouette, etc...even trap/skeet...they all teach you something that will help you in the other disciplines.

Edited by RippinSVT
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  • 6 months later...

I am also interested in starting to shoot Bullseye. Camp Perry and making the President's 100 would be the end goals. Anybody have any input on the pistols to make this happen. I've been reading about it, but always looking for good ideas. Right now I'm looking at some of the options on the .22: S&W 41, Volquartsen Scorpion, Ruger 22/45, or a Marvel conversion. Then for the 1911, maybe a range officer, or if I can find a deal for something used and ready to go.

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Biggest reason I switched to action event shooting was the odd fact that my best strings in BE were almost invariably all during the Rapid Fire relays. Even when I was starting out the first times I managed to start hitting in the 90's was in rapid fire. Eventually timed fire caught up and I could occasionally shoot slow fire in the low 90's also (560-570 out of 600 was my usual before I switched). We have a President's 100 winner in that club and although I don't shoot BE at all we have a Family Day 4 discipline match that requires a single string of BE. So last year just for that I had him help me setup one of my Browning Buckmarks and point out a couple of things. With no warmup I shot a 97-3x in freestyle, mainly slower fire for my one string.

As for what pistol that depends. I always recommend using whatever you have (that 565 average was done with a bone stock S&W 22S with a cheap Simmons red dot). If not how serious do you want it? A really serious BE competition gun would set you back about $2k-$2.5k for say a Pardini SP in .22LR (or a Benelli. You can also get it in a 2 caliber conversion with .22LR and .32 so you can shoot centerfire. The change takes about 1 minute at most. Pardini also makes custom bullseye 1911 target guns. For any serious 1911 setup for BE you need much tighter tolerances, I think, than any other type of competition (never shot BE outside of the .22 match). Most are shot with reworked 1911 with rails on top shooting slide mounted Ultradot Matchdot red dot sights. But I am no expert having only shot the .22 part but the top shooters in my club generally shoot Pardinis or Benellis. Only people who use American guns in my club are ones who have been using them for a long time and those starting out.

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  • 1 year later...

Bullseye is great fun, and some of the skills are transferrable.   You'll certainly get over any fear of small, distant targets!

 

I believe that if you want to be at the top of your game, any game, you need to focus on that game only.   When I was shooting free and air pistol seriously, that was all I shot, because anything else formed nothing but bad habits.   I'm largely retired from that, and am  having a blast cross training for different events now and happily accepting the modest reduction in scores that comes from dabbling in many events.    I'm a better shot overall for it, just less of a specialist.

 

What I enjoy most about bullseye or the international events is that for nearly all of the time invested, you are on the line and shooting.   I love the action events, but all of the standing around waiting to actually shoot drives me nuts.

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I was looking at getting into bullseye recently, then I talked to someone of the people and I was like nevermind... Too many assholes lol. It's like no one wants to hear you speak unless you are a master or distinguished... But f*#k me, I only shot 380's in the Marine Corps... 7 or so points off the base record. I like three gun and USPSA, I have yet to got to a match that someone wouldn't loan someone else their own gun or whatever someone needed to get through a match if they had problems. Going on one specific forum, I wondered why a well known gunsmith I know refuses to post there. It's like going on the doodie project, but these dudes are dead serious.

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  • 2 months later...

only a few shot bulls eye in our club when i started some years ago.

Most of them are gone now. I enjoyed the hell out of practicing with

them. NO shoots close anymore. Its great fun if you can hook up with

some shooters 

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  • 1 year later...

I started shooting Bullseye in the mid 70s. It takes 100 percent concentration for 270 rounds. Our club folded in the early 80s I ended my Bullseye career shooting a Clark Longslide a Kart .22. It definitely helps your accuracy. I had some success in pistol silhouette when it first started  because it is an accuracy competition after all. I didn’t start Uspsa and three gun until I was 48. I have always found it hard not to try for that perfect sight picture. It was hard to overcome and I’m still trying. I think going from uspsa to Bullseye would be an easier transition than Bullseye to uspsa. But your going to have to dry fire 1000’s of times. Aim at a white wall or the TV.  Break the shot without moving the gun. Luckily I’m still married.

 

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  • 10 months later...

USPSA shooters are often told to start their practice sessions by "shooting groups". If the purpose of shooting is to hit your target ... well, you know the rest.

 

Try Bullseye! And Highpower! Accuracy is the foundation of ALL shooting and the traditional games are all about accuracy. Wyatt Earp agreed about accuracy but I doubt he shot BE. 😉 Those games aren't for everybody and instant gratification is rarely found. It depends entirely on what you're hoping to find/discover/develop.

 

Best,

 

Mark

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On 11/22/2017 at 10:45 AM, 10X said:

 

 

I believe that if you want to be at the top of your game, any game, you need to focus on that game only.   When I was shooting free and air pistol seriously, that was all I shot, because anything else formed nothing but bad habits.   I'm largely retired from that, and am  having a blast cross training for different events now and happily accepting the modest reduction in scores that comes from dabbling in many events.    I'm a better shot overall for it, just less of a specialist.

 

 

This is golden, since it's also where I am in my shooting career. Getting my mind to accept some unavoidable issues of aging is difficult. I still want to win!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Back in the 90s, we had a 'new shooter' lady show up.   She'd shot a lot of bullseye but no USPSA.  I tell nervous new shooters that's the only shooter who's first match anyone else ever remembers.

 

Every single shot was an alpha.

 

 

 

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