Steel Challenge, USPSA and 3-Gun at Talon Range
We've got some exciting things on the calendar at Talon. We have our monthly Steel match, a special USPSA Classifier match, a USPSA range officer class and a by God 3-Gun match all coming up in the next few months. Read on for all the details!
Steel Match:
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE!
When: Saturday 16th. Stage set up begins at 7:00. Sign up starts at 8:00. Shooters meeting at 9:00, with start of match immediately following. If it looks like we will have heavy / dangerous weather, I will make the go / no-go call as early as possible.
What: The match will consist of six stages--all four of the SPP stages, as well as two of the Steel Challenge stages. Scholastic Pistol / Steel Challenge is an exciting sport where speed is king. All stages consist of only 5 steel targets, at varying distances. Each competitor shoots each stage 5 times, with the worst run discarded. Lowest overall time is the winner. It's a very exciting sport, and it doesn't require a lot of equipment to get started.
Cost: $15 for one gun / division. If you want to shoot a second gun, it will be an additional $5. Anyone under the age of 18 shoots for $10.
You will need the following: A safe handgun chambered in .22lr or larger (semi auto or revolver). Minimum of 3 magazines (although 5 is better). If you plan on competing with a revolver, I strongly encourage you to bring speedloaders (or moon clips), as it is a lot more efficient at the loading table. A bag or case to transport your firearm between stages. Eye and ear protection (wrap around eye protection is highly recommended!). The match will require a minimum of 150 rounds--assuming you don't miss. A holster is not required. The sport has numerous divisions, and you can choose to shoot the match while drawing from a holster, or from 'low ready.' There are divisions for both iron sight guns as well as optical sighted (red dot) guns. We will also allow rimfire rifle (.22LR rimfire only) as a division.
Where: Talon Range. We are located at the interchange of Interstate 10 and US 90 in Midway, FL at the 192 exit (technically the North East corner):
- From I-10, exit at 192 onto US 90 West. If you are coming from the West on I-10, you will make a left turn onto US 90 and proceed under the interstate to a stop light. If you are coming from the East on I-10, you will immediately come to a stoplight. To the West (left) you will see a Flying J truck stop (cheapest gas in the area, BTW), and to the East (right) will be a service road called Commerce Blvd that winds back towards the interstate. Turn onto Commerce Blvd. and drive .5 miles. Talon Range will be on your right hand side. For those of you with GPS, the coordinates are: N 30* 29.425' by W 84* 25.278'. Our address is 550 Commerce Blvd Midway, FL 3234 (Note the city is Midway FL, not Tallahassee). The road leading into our range is nicely maintained, so for all of you Ferrari owners out there, have no fear of making it down to the range.
Instructions: Talon is a COLDRANGE. No bagging or un-bagging of firearms in the parking lot. Safe areas will be provided and clearly marked. Once you make it onto the range property, there will be signs designating parking and the registration / sign up area. For those who have already been shooting steel at Tallahassee Rifle and Pistol Club, we are going to keep sign up as similar as possible. One thing that will change, however; EVERYONE must fill out a Talon Range liability waiver. You can find the waiver here: http://www.talontraininggroup.com/Talon-Range/Talon-Range-Membership-AgreementIt's a little lengthy, but it's thorough, and you only have to do it once...ever (unless we revise it). I will have copies at registration, but I encourage you to print it off and complete it beforehand to speed up the registration process. For TalonRange members who have already completed the waiver and have it on file, you will not need to fill out another one (but it has to be THIS waiver, which was revised 06/17/2013). Eye and ear protection are mandatory for both competitors and spectators. Spectators are welcome.
Our pro shop is fully stocked with cold drinks, snacks, sun screen, bug spray, and most importantly, ammo. We have plenty of 9mm ammo, and there are no purchase restrictions. Also, I will have cold water for purchase on the range itself, so you don't have to trek all the way back to the pro shop to get it.
If you have never participated in a competitive shooting event of any kind and are interested, please don't hesitate to at least come out and watch! There is no reloading on the clock, and very little movement, so it's great for new competitors of all ages. The 'scholastic' in Scholastic Pistol Program means youth! One of the primary goals of the sport is to involve young shooters--they are the future of our sport! If you have a youngster who you think might be interested, please bring them out to at least watch (don't forget about eye and ear protection).
I hope to see you on the range!
John Rasmussen
Director of Competitive Marksmanship, Talon Range
Special USPSA Classifier Match: I'm excited to report that we have a large number of new shooters competing in USPSA out at Talon Range, many of whom have not yet shot enough classifiers to become classified in USPSA. Back in August, due to weather, we had to postpone our yearly classifier match, so many shooters who were looking to get in some good classifiers missed out. Well, here's your chance!
On Saturday November 23rd, we will be hosting a special classifier match at Talon. This will be a small USPSA match consisting of four stages. Less than 100 rounds will be required, and we should be done before noon. All four stages will be classifiers, so if you come out and shoot this match, and already have at least a couple of other classifiers on file, you can get classified in USPSA (if you are not already a USPSA member, and want to get classified, make sure you join USPSA at: www.uspsa.org ).
Match set up will start at 7:00 registration at 8:00and shooters meeting at 9:00. Cost for the classifier match will be $15.
3-GUN: On Saturday January 4th we will have our monthly USPSA match. After the match, I will reconfigure the stages, add in some props and on Sunday January 5th, Talon will hold its first 3-gun match! The match will consist of 6 stages--all stages will require at least 2 guns, and some will require all 3. Many more details will follow as we get closer to the match, but expect rifle targets out to 200 yards. I want to make our first match as welcoming as possible, so expect that all rifle targets will be 'do-able' with a basic 16" carbine and iron sights. That doesn't mean they will be easy, just that you don't need a tricked out rifle and optic to shoot the match.
We will be following USPSA Multi-Gun rules, which can be found here: http://uspsa.org/RifleShotgunMultigu...-2013final.pdf
Stay tuned for more information.
USPSA Range Officer class: I would like to hold a USPSA Range Officer class sometime in January or February. This is a 2 day class put on by the professionals at USPSA National Range Officer Institute. It will help you better understand the sport, will help you be a sharper competitor and stage designer and give you the knowledge necessary to 'RO' at matches. The class will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $70 to $80, and I need a minimum of 20 people to host the class (well, 18, as Carmen and I will both be going). If you would like to attend the class, let me know so I can get a rough count.
As always, e-mail me with any questions or suggestions!
John Rasmussen
Director of Competitive Marksmanship, Talon Range
