Back when I competed in Bullseye matches

[S.B.]

I preferred the High Standard, model 52-2 and a Clark long slide custom .45ACP(Giles was another good one) but, things have changed considerably over the years. Now Herretts is no longer making the grip I preferred back then and I haven't seen a Pachmayr pistol box in decades?
Just what are shooter choices now?
Steve

 

[Patrick L]

I recently returned to Bullseye. Everyone laughed at my Gun Ho pistol box. I finally conceded, now carry things in a range bag. Easier on my back, which is also 20 years older!

 

[H Richard]

It's a shame Bullseye is disappearing, it is the foundation from which all accuracy shooting was developed.

 

[Golddollar]

I recently returned to Bullseye. Everyone laughed at my Gun Ho pistol box. I finally conceded, now carry things in a range bag. Easier on my back, which is also 20 years older!

I carried that big, black pistol box for years too. But now I'm older and sometimes walk with a cane. At my one club the bullseye range is up metal stairs from the parking lot. Last year and the beginning of this year other members of the club have generously carried that big box up and down the stairs to help me out, but some of them are older than me. And there are times when I'm at the range alone. So like you, I decided to go with a range bag and at a gun show in Frederick, MD I got to examine and buy the range bag that I'm now using which now allows me to put the bag cross body to carry my guns up the stairs again and balance it off in the other side hand with a bag that holds my shells and accourterments, and walk up and down the stairs with my cane if I have to.

But don't toss out those big pistol boxes. Think of them as being the "mothership" for a match that will carry not only your guns but also your cleaning supplies and tools. If I plan to go to a match that has both rimfire and centerfire components, I can carry all the pistols in the big black box to transport in the trunk of the car. At the match, I take out the main and backup guns for the first component and put them in the range bag. When that component is done, I can go back to the car, put the guns in the range bag back in the big black box, and pull out the guns for the next match component and put them in the range bag. Change out the shells from the balancing bag with the appropriate shells from your ammunition carrier (or start with the shells for the whole match in the balancing bag) and I'm all set for the next match component, even if I have to use my cane.

The range bag will probably extend my bullseye shooting competition for a lot of years.

 

[tndrfttom]

I preferred the High Standard, model 52-2 and a Clark long slide custom .45ACP(Giles was another good one) but, things have changed considerably over the years. Now Herretts is no longer making the grip I preferred back then and I haven't seen a Pachmayr pistol box in decades?
Just what are shooter choices now?
Steve

For range gun boxes check ebay. There are usually 4-5 on there. You could also look at the Bullseye-L forum for a variety of Bullseye-related things shooters are buying/selling.

Also, keep in mind that the older boxes like Pachmayr were not built to carry pistols with optical sights. If you shoot with a pistol with a red dot you need to look for a newer box that will accommodate pistols with a dot sight on top,

 

[Imissedagain]

It's a shame Bullseye is disappearing, it is the foundation from which all accuracy shooting was developed.

It seems that shooting/moving action games are abundant.
Perhaps a modern Bullseye training competition might be fun.

1. All guns must have removable grips/stocks and both hands on gun.
2. Ten rounds of 380 ACP fired at 50 yards into a 12"x12" paper target. ROs count the hits.
3. 460/500 scoped Smiths fire ten rounds and try to hit the 380's holes.

Lotsa possibilities to add to Bullseye shooting.
As the Colonel said to me in '68.... shoot 500 everyday, in your 1911, and you'll get the hang of it in a year.

 

[SS336]

I’m in my mid 70’s and still trying to post a good score.
My Gun-Ho pistol box holds my Hammerli with an optic sight. But the box and gear are getting heavier every year. Was thinking of one of those wheeled luggage carts. The pistol box is built for bullseye shooting and very convenient.
When I can’t carry it I might hang it up.

 

[jimmyj]

I have a five gun pistol box in my closet, gathering dust, from my "Bullseye Days"

 

[rockquarry]

It's refreshing to see there are still Bullseye shooters- shooters that have a sincere interest in proper technique and shooting skills rather than a gunfighter mentality.

 

[DWalt]

I still have my gun box, haven't used it in many years. I shot Bullseye from the late-60s to the mid-80s, always used a Colt Match Woodsman, a K-38, and an accurized M1911 (done by a local Smith who was pretty good). In the winter, the club shot .22 at 50' at an indoor range in the basement below the local firehouse. For awhile I used a Stoeger Luger for that. It did a better job than you'd expect. I have often wondered if anyone is still shooting Bullseye. You don't hear much about it these days, just the "combat" type matches which don't interest me much, but I did shoot IDPA for several years.

 

[Greyman50]

Still have my “ old wooden box” covered in all sorts of decals. Most of the time I use one of the small hand trucks as if shooting 45’s thing weighs a ton with 3-4 boxes of ammo. Young guys that run the range commented they had only seen 1 before, I just laughed. Box will hold 5 pistols, maybe 3 revolvers with the empty chamber/ bore indicators, always use them.

 

[Golddollar]

It's refreshing to see there are still Bullseye shooters- shooters that have a sincere interest in proper technique and shooting skills rather than a gunfighter mentality.

Happily here in the mid-Atlantic there is still some activity in bullseye shooting. Sometimes it just takes 1 person in a club willing to ramrod it to make it possible. At my club in Maryland, we have a lady who is the Assistant Chief Range Officer for the bullseye matches. From May through October, she runs the Wednesday night .22 league. It has a fairly steady participation and since I retired I was very happy to be able to participate. On weekends she runs the club 1800 bullseye matches that 90 rounds of .22 rimfire and 90 rounds centerfire pistol.

In September, the Harrisburg Hunters & Anglers Association sponsors a big regional bullseye pistol match and it draws participants from all over the mid-Atlantic states. I have been participating in that match from the 1990s and see a lot of the same folks returning every year.

 

[Marlin57M]

I have the good fortune to compete in a Cental PA based bullseye league. Ten teams with approximately 200 competitors. Participation is down due to pandemic and ammo availability. The aforementioned Harrisburg Hunters & Anglers fields two teams.

I estimate one third of shooters carry the traditional box. I shoot a S&W Model 41 with Rink grips and utilize a range bag.

 

[S.B.]

It seems that shooting/moving action games are abundant.
Perhaps a modern Bullseye training competition might be fun.

1. All guns must have removable grips/stocks and both hands on gun.
2. Ten rounds of 380 ACP fired at 50 yards into a 12"x12" paper target. ROs count the hits.
3. 460/500 scoped Smiths fire ten rounds and try to hit the 380's holes.

Lotsa possibilities to add to Bullseye shooting.
As the Colonel said to me in '68.... shoot 500 everyday, in your 1911, and you'll get the hang of it in a year.

Sorry don't get your point?
Steve

 

[tndrfttom]

In my area (South Florida) we lost or Bullseye ranges and then the Bullseye shooters moved on to different disciplines. When I started BE we had access to two local police ranges which also had civilian clubs associated with them that installed and maintained turning targets for Bullseye matches. One range was 5 min from my house, the other 20 minutes away (and we also shot PPC there). Unfortunately, urban encroachment and some escaped jacketed 9mm bullets conspired against us and the municipalities decided it was cheaper and less risk to have their department's officers use the new county sheriff's firearms training facility. So the BE shooters access disappeared. The next closest range with a Bullseye program was over an hour drive. Consequently, Bullseye matches disappeared from the immediate area. Many of us went off to shoot IPSC and Pin matches. A few of the BE shooters would meet for informal matches at a local commercial indoor range for a couple of years but it just wasn't the same and eventually that petered out.

Several of our Bullseye group also shot Service Rifle too and we were always trying to get youngsters interested in shooting Bullseye or Service Rifle but it was tough recruiting them and keeping them interested. They were at the age where the opposite sex held their interest longer than the shooting sports. The Service Rifle club I shot with is considering shutting down due to the lack of sufficient interest. Years ago we would run two relays at our monthly matches; now 10 shooters is a big turnout.

 

[Krogen]

I shoot Bullseye most every Friday night at one club and monthly (sorta) at another club. I use a Strong Case Bullseye box. Bought it from a forum member. It was covered with stickers, they all fit me to a T. Tall enough to handle scoped pistols.

I shoot a 41 and a Gold Cup with iron sights. Sometimes a 38 Super 1911 for CF. Stock grips.

When I get a wild hair, I switch to guns wearing Ultradots. That doesn’t guarantee better scores, though!

 

[Racer X]

I shoot Bullseye when I can. Currently 50' rimfire with worked-over Rugers. I have a vintage Pacmayer box I found on Craigslist for $90. The vinyl pebbled covering was mint, but is so frail it has a lot of nicks in it from things barely hitting it.

I shoot at our local indoor Sportsman's Club range. I have been blessed with some of the best in the state, and many of them being nationally ranked, being my mentors and coaches.

 

[H Richard]

We will begin our winter Bullseye league in Jan., a 50 ft .22RF Gallery round, 10 rounds each in slow timed and rapid fire. I'm in my (I think) 40th year. I have kept a lof of scores over the years, and it is a little discouraging to look back and see the 290's when now I have trouble breaking 250. Without the red dot it would probably be even worse.

If I could just keep that dot sitting still for 3 seconds while I take up the trigger. My better scores are actually the rapid fire, and I find myself shooting more stages in rapid fire.

 

[OLDSTER]

Model 41 Smith , and Kings Gun Works custom 1911 based on the Norinco import--wish I still had that one

 

[Krogen]

If I could just keep that dot sitting still for 3 seconds while I take up the trigger. My better scores are actually the rapid fire, and I find myself shooting more stages in rapid fire.

This is my issue with red dots! I work so hard to center up that dang dot, that when it's on I rush my trigger squeeze. OK... I jerk the trigger. I found that setting my Matchdot to the biggest dot and the dimmest brightness helps a lot. It's the reason I use iron sights a lot. Of course I can't focus on the front sight without sticking my nose in the air to look through my bifocals. Wearing my computer glasses solves that problem as does a flip down diopter. I just bought a Gehmann iris to see if that would help. So far, no joy with that approach.

My best is usually timed fire. It's a steady, methodical cadence without time to overthink things. Slow fire is my nemesis. We shoot three sequences for a 900 agg. The first sequence is usually the worst. I improve on the second one and fall down on the third sequence. All that goes to pot when we shoot our annual postal match. Just putting those stickers on the back of the targets reduces my scores. I swear, they're lead-repellent stickers!