Humboldt Rifle and Pistol Clubs Labor Day action match

By: Donovan W. Mann – donovanm@977thebolt

Humboldt, IA – the Humboldt Rifle and Pistol club is hosting an action shoot during Labor Day Weekend.

On Sunday, Sept. 6 the local rifle and pistol association is hosting the event and welcome all who want to come and watch or participate. Board Member Jim Mertz provides some details on the event to KHBT.

The event will occur at the Erickson Outdoor Range in Humboldt. The match will consist of four courses of fire for a total of 75 rounds. No guns should be loaded until a participant is instructed to do so and gun handling is prohibited outside of the designated areas.

Mertz says that each participant will come up to the start line and once they are cleared to go they will be encouraged to be accurate as possible at this own pace. He says that each participant will be given as much time as they need to run the course of fire and “hopefully shoot as well as you can.” Once the last shot has been fired the timer will stop and the judges will ask if the participant is finished. The participant will then unload, “slide down, hammer down and up holster” Mertz says as “standard lingo for a pistol match.” Once clear the shooters score will be tallied.

Mertz says that scoring will take into account both the accuracy of the participant as well as time. “It’s a combination of point divided by time” he says to get the hit factor. Each stage is graded on a curve so the highest hit factor of a stage will get the top value. Each stage is added up to give the participants total value of a match.

He says that participants can be of any age as long as they come with the proper company. Mertz says that anyone who owns a fire arm can join in and participate. If the participant is under the age of 21 they do need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. For example he says that his 15 year old son shoots with him “all the time” and has been an “instrumental part” of setting up the course of fire for this match.

The Humboldt Rifle and Pistol Club Pistol Action Shoot is Sept. 6. Mertz encourages participant and spectators to come out and enjoy the event.