I know this will probably offend some people , or even worse destroy their excuse for why, they never attained the level of success shooting PPC that they wanted and others were able to achieve.Im pretty much at the end of my PPC shooting career,gonna take up bullseye ,so I dont really care what some people think. And Mas, yes I know some teams HAVE had financial support, like your recent article in AH said ,but not most, to the extent you would imply.
Ive been shooting PPC for 30 years ,quite a while,the last 20 or so with a fairly successfull team,especially in the 90s LAPD. If I had a dime for every time I heard ,"WELL if my dept gave me everything I would be good too" I could of retired 10 years ago.
Yes, we have a small amount of financial help from our athletic organization,Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club, almost enough to pay our hotel bill an NPSC, but thats it,and always has been.In the early years,every year at tax return time our whole checks would go to buy ammo. Only in the last 10 years or so have we even been allowed to attend NPSC on duty and none of us count on that. We dont ,and have never had a 50 yard line, in the 90s we built a small 2 shooter pit between two hill tops at a wierd angle and really only 49 yrds, to have a place to shoot. I remember once when Clay Tippet saw it he said, "This is really humbling,that this is all you guys have got." And you know what, on weekends you would wait in line to get to shoot there,ask multiple National Champion Stefanie Diaz, So there goes that myth.
I have a score card where Bob Vadaz won the sharpshooter class,so now 10 years or so later he is winning Nationals,ask him how many weekends or late dinners he's had to get in practice. Or Phil Hemphill shooting with a sprinkler on him to be prepared to shoot in the rain. John Pride at the academy at 0430 to get his work out in ,BEFORE work, prior to a Bianchi CUP. There is the real secrets to success. Hell, half the times John showed up for practice, all he got to do was coach the rest of us.
Before I came to LA , I was a cop on a 42 man dept in central Iowa. Guess what, I had my own 10 point 50 yard range ,unlimited dept ammo to shoot and the Chief was so impressed that we wanted a Pistol team the Dept paid for my entry fees and let me go to any matches I wanted ,on duty.Plus I didnt have to drive 45 minutes or pay 300.00 a year to have a place to shoot 50 yards off a barricade stuck into the back of my truck , like now, especially since Im a paid academy professional shooter.So there goes that myth.
All the great shooters I know ,didnt start out that way.They paid their dues (and their money and time off) to become that way. Sure after some success you might be lucky enough to pick up a sponsor,if you have a team member who work his tail of to get it for you ,THANKS Rick, or your agency sees that having a good team has its benefits so they give you some help, but usually it doesnt start out that way.
Concerning the NRA stuff, as far as Im concerned they have turned it into a 6th grade soccer match where everybody getting a trophy or a gun ,whether you won it or were given it by default.One plastic gun still wont buy a case of good ammo,and thats not the secret to getting people to shoot.
The rules committee is off their bonkers ,come on 6" bull barrel distinguished guns,5.7 x whatever ammo ok,give me a break. Ive tried writing letters and such but its just not worth it. We bring new guys to NPSC and they get 60 points taken off for having a little finger ,thats right, finger across the line at 50 yrds,no warning nothing,Gee he really wanted to come back.
The real problem is that PPC is VERY hard to become successful at,and after a young competitor,if they are a good shooter gets to the point(or class) where they stop winning, they quit.Its easier and cheaper to shoot action matches or something else,thats it .We have had many guys who did this.
I still like shooting with the few young guys ,helping them for the time being,and I still believe that no other shooting sport makes a well rounded shooter like PPC,trigger control, all the positions,weakhand shooting and the like.
I was going to write to AH, in respose to the recent retro article about PPC ,but now its off my chest.Hope this doesnt cost me too many friends, but I will still have the cats. Bob Barnes
Ive been shooting PPC for 30 years ,quite a while,the last 20 or so with a fairly successfull team,especially in the 90s LAPD. If I had a dime for every time I heard ,"WELL if my dept gave me everything I would be good too" I could of retired 10 years ago.
Yes, we have a small amount of financial help from our athletic organization,Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club, almost enough to pay our hotel bill an NPSC, but thats it,and always has been.In the early years,every year at tax return time our whole checks would go to buy ammo. Only in the last 10 years or so have we even been allowed to attend NPSC on duty and none of us count on that. We dont ,and have never had a 50 yard line, in the 90s we built a small 2 shooter pit between two hill tops at a wierd angle and really only 49 yrds, to have a place to shoot. I remember once when Clay Tippet saw it he said, "This is really humbling,that this is all you guys have got." And you know what, on weekends you would wait in line to get to shoot there,ask multiple National Champion Stefanie Diaz, So there goes that myth.
I have a score card where Bob Vadaz won the sharpshooter class,so now 10 years or so later he is winning Nationals,ask him how many weekends or late dinners he's had to get in practice. Or Phil Hemphill shooting with a sprinkler on him to be prepared to shoot in the rain. John Pride at the academy at 0430 to get his work out in ,BEFORE work, prior to a Bianchi CUP. There is the real secrets to success. Hell, half the times John showed up for practice, all he got to do was coach the rest of us.
Before I came to LA , I was a cop on a 42 man dept in central Iowa. Guess what, I had my own 10 point 50 yard range ,unlimited dept ammo to shoot and the Chief was so impressed that we wanted a Pistol team the Dept paid for my entry fees and let me go to any matches I wanted ,on duty.Plus I didnt have to drive 45 minutes or pay 300.00 a year to have a place to shoot 50 yards off a barricade stuck into the back of my truck , like now, especially since Im a paid academy professional shooter.So there goes that myth.
All the great shooters I know ,didnt start out that way.They paid their dues (and their money and time off) to become that way. Sure after some success you might be lucky enough to pick up a sponsor,if you have a team member who work his tail of to get it for you ,THANKS Rick, or your agency sees that having a good team has its benefits so they give you some help, but usually it doesnt start out that way.
Concerning the NRA stuff, as far as Im concerned they have turned it into a 6th grade soccer match where everybody getting a trophy or a gun ,whether you won it or were given it by default.One plastic gun still wont buy a case of good ammo,and thats not the secret to getting people to shoot.
The rules committee is off their bonkers ,come on 6" bull barrel distinguished guns,5.7 x whatever ammo ok,give me a break. Ive tried writing letters and such but its just not worth it. We bring new guys to NPSC and they get 60 points taken off for having a little finger ,thats right, finger across the line at 50 yrds,no warning nothing,Gee he really wanted to come back.
The real problem is that PPC is VERY hard to become successful at,and after a young competitor,if they are a good shooter gets to the point(or class) where they stop winning, they quit.Its easier and cheaper to shoot action matches or something else,thats it .We have had many guys who did this.
I still like shooting with the few young guys ,helping them for the time being,and I still believe that no other shooting sport makes a well rounded shooter like PPC,trigger control, all the positions,weakhand shooting and the like.
I was going to write to AH, in respose to the recent retro article about PPC ,but now its off my chest.Hope this doesnt cost me too many friends, but I will still have the cats. Bob Barnes
Last edited:
, good to see some score cards from you too.
