This excellent write up was by a competitive shooter and pawn shop owner that goes by “Flimflam” as to why he likes conventional shooting.

I’d be curious to know if you’ve ever been to Perry. Further, I’d be curious to know if you’ve completed their Small Arms Firing Course at the National Matches. I can understand why Perry might not be for everyone. I suppose it isn’t. However, I’d not throw the baby out with the bath water.

After some study years ago about the origins of the bullseye target, and why it is used, I came to the conclusion – for myself, anyway – that it is a pretty good system used to teach basic marksmanship. It is a good thing to focus on a small bullseye, while trying to perfect sight alignment, trigger control, numb fingers from a tight sling, sweat from the heat, and fatigue. It is a LOT harder than it looks.

While on my institution’s pistol team years ago, I was required to shoot in bullseye competition, as well as my chosen style: PPC. I hated bullseye, until I started competing. Much to my surprise, my group size in combat began to shrink as my bullseye scores increased. Imagine that. That started me on my road to an informal research into target types, and the everasking, “why?” The Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, was set up, yes, to increase our readiness as a nation to defend ourselves in time of war. Until the latter half of the past century, when politicians decided that we shouldn’t win our wars, it worked rather well. There is nothing wrong with the Perry competitions. If you want to play gymnastics with a rifle, then go check out 3 Gun, USPSA and other groups that sponsor practical competitions. Have fun. Get involved. If change is what you desire, then try to affect change.

My own experience at Perry, has been nothing but a great time. Thousands of shooters from everywhere, each there for a common goal – to compete, and improve one’s skill level. I’d venture to say you have never been on a 600-1000 yard range, and competed. Yup, we even know what range it is, and still can’t ‘clean’ the target. I’d wager you can’t either. Again, it’s a LOT harder than it seems. You probably don’t do very well on the 200, and 300 rapid fire, and offhand courses as well. I don’t recall seeing your name in the American Rifleman’s list of winners at Perry, either. As far as equipment goes, you can compete very well with a standard AR-15/M1-A, M1-Garand, and have a great time. You don’t need a 20lb “match” rifle to go.

The John C.Garand Match was set up for just that reason. Not everyone can afford match rifles.

I can’t speak for you, but I absolutely WOULD NOT want to stand in front of ANYONE with a rifle, that was even a “place” winner at Perry. If you would rather shoot on the run, at moving targets, or any other scenario you could think up – again, have fun. Coming on this group, and bad mouthing Perry and the other type of matches, just because YOU don’t like that kind of shooting, is being, in my opinion, irresponsible as a firearm owner. Nothing much gets accomplished by attacking other people’s hobbies. After reading your post, I see that you don’t like Olympic shooting, Perry, Cowboy matches, combat/falling plate matches, air gun matches, and disagree with certain classes of firearms that are allowed in certain matches at Perry and High Power Rifle matches.

Wow. That kinda narrows down what is left and available to you to compete in. By the by, Perry does host matches where you actually get to play “army”. You can run to a “foxhole”, and shoot your “assault weapon”, at various unknown ranges at pop up targets, that are only viewed for a few seconds. If that is your idea of realism, then there ya go. Join the Friends of Camp Perry and they’ll let you know when they are competing :-)

I sincerely hope you find an area that will make you happy, but somehow, I sadly doubt it. Thousands of firearm lovers yearly, have a great time at the matches where you turn your nose up. Why can’t you?