Shooters? Are YOU ready?!
Shooters? Ready?! Timers? Ready?! Guns on the rail..... These commands were heard far and wide at the Western Cape Shooting Union on the 5th and 6th of April 2014. The occasion? The Pin Shooting Association of Western Province hosted its annual Western Province Open Championships – a successful and exciting event for all Pin Shooters and spectators.
Pin shooting originated in the U.S.A and was the brainchild of Richard Davis of Second Chance body Armour fame. This informal and spectator friendly sport is offered as an alternative to practical pistol. It has since become a popular sport amongst South Africans, with clubs located in Natal, Limpopo,
Gauteng and Western Province under the governing body the South African Pin Shooting Federation.
Pin shooting is relatively inexpensive, fast, visually exciting and basically simple. The objective is to shoot bowling pins off a table at a distance of 7.6 meters. This sounds quite easy, but as with every sport there is a catch, because the 1.6Kg pins must be driven right off the back of the table. Pin shooting offers instant visual satisfaction to the spectator and shooter alike. Action is fast and furious and as a relatively inexpensive shooting sport, it should appeal to all shooters.
Why bowling pins?
The first pin shoot recognized as such was conducted by Richard Davis who demonstrated the effectiveness of his company’s bullet proof vests by shooting himself with a large caliber handgun while wearing his vest then using the gun to shoot 5 bowling pins off a table. As you can guess this demonstration for his Second Chance bullet proof vests has proven very effective. Why has shooting bowling pins taken off to the extent it has? Because it's fun! Bowling pins are a dynamic target, if you hit them off centre they tend to fall down instead of being knocked off the table. Once they're lying down they tend to spin instead of falling off the table. These factors make the simple statement of "clear the table of 5 pins" more challenging than it sounds.
The South African Pin Shooting Federation (SAPSF) currently has a growing membership base of around 400 members, about 70 of which belong to the Pin Shooting Association of Western Province (PSAWP). PSAWP recently moved its range from the Cape Town Pistol Club to the Western Cape Shooting Union near Atlantis in order to accommodate more members/shooters on the line and to get more exposure to the mainstream shooting community that frequents the many ranges located at the WCSU site.
The Western Province Open Championships 2014 proved to be a great success with a total attendance of 40 shooters – all of whom walked away with a prize and a medal. GI Combat Supplies was a sponsor of the WP Championships and helped make many a shooter happy with prizes such as Hi-Viz sights, Clothing items and various accessories!
The two days of intense shooting in scorching weather conditions were tough but was enjoyed thoroughly by all involved, with an astounding display of camaraderie and spirit throughout the Championships. And what better way to end an occasion such as this than with prizes to make every shooter happy?
The over–all winners of the WP Championships were:
1st Place Carl Tsai
2nd Place William Colombo
3rd Place Rodney Davids
4th Place Lawrence Colombo
5th Place Sebastian Scheidereiter.
Well done to these speedy competitors!
Fastest times on the core events were as follows:
9 Pin Tip Over (9 Pins on one-tier tables): William Colombo 4.87 Seconds
Stock Gun (5 Pins on two-tier tables): Carl Tsai 4.40 Seconds
Pin Gun (5 Pins on two-tier tables): Rodney Davids 4.17 Seconds
Stock Revolver (8 Pins with a forced reload on two-tier tables): Lawrence Colombo 12.07 Seconds
Pin Revolver (8 Pins on two-tier tables): Carl Tsai 7.11 Seconds
The elective (None Core optional) events were: .22 Rifle Manual Action, .22 Rifle Self-loading, .22 Smith, Shotgun Manual Action, Shotgun Self-Loading and Self-Loading Rifle.
The basic kit for a beginner Pin Shooter would include (but not limited to):
• Eye and ear protection
• Firearms (A suggested list of which you can receive from any provincial Pin Shooting club. At League Shoot level beginners may choose not to compete in all of the core events should they not own sufficient firearms for all the events).
• Ammunition (At your standard League shoot* you will be shooting three tables per event, as a beginner one can work with a minimum of three shots per pin depending on the skill level of the shooter)
• The SAPSF rule book, which can be found online at www.sapinshooting.com or at your nearest provincial club
• R 150.00 for the entry fee per League Shoot
• R 150.00 for the entry fee per League Shoot
The Age Categories for Pin Shooting are as follows:
a. Pee-Wee Category ≤13 years old
b. Junior Category 14 to 18 years old
c. Open Category 19 to 49 years old
d. Senior Category 50 to 59 years old
e. Veteran Category 60 years old and above
To arrange an introduction to Pin Shooting feel free to contact your nearest Provincial Club or affiliate – we look forward to welcoming YOU!
Information on the rules and suggested firearms as well as contact details for the various provincial clubs and affiliates for Pin Shooting can be found on the Pin Shooting website: www.sapinshooting.com.
- Written by Aziza de Villiers
Click here for more photos of the event.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on 021 555 3858 or info@gicombatsupplies.co.za with any questions or queries.
At your service,
The GICS Team
Email. info@gicombatsupplies.co.za
Website. www.gicombatsupplies.co.za
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