Bullseye, Free pistol

Bullseye and free pistol the same? This site and all of you and my Father has given me the bug. I’m old and fat and IDPA and that other type just don’t excite me, how do I find the shoots I’m not worried about CMP or NRA matches but once I get some practice I will do those, is there a tutorial on how to set up and run a bullseye match? As my gun club has 12 pistol ranges and I’d like to see if I can get a league started. TYIA!

Free pistol is an international discipline shot at 50m (mostly dead now unfortunately) in which you have a single loading iron sight 22 gun with minimal rules, in which you are 'free' to make the gun fit perfectly to you. This is a highly simplified explanation.

Bullseye on the other hand is more of an umbrella term for a competition format. The simplest course of fire is a National Match Course, 10 shots in ten minutes (typically shot at 50 yards outdoors, but can be shot at 25 on a reduced target). Two strings of 5 shots Timed fire, 20 seconds per string shot at 25 yards. Followed up by Two strings of 5 shots Rapid fire, 10 seconds per string shot at 25 yards. Indoors this course can be shot at 50ft. A NMC is a 300 point aggregate from three targets, many leagues use this format. Other courses of fire exist but I am trying to keep this brief others will likely expand. 

Guns for bullseye can be metallic or optic sights, and various rules different rules apply for specific matches. Calibers from 22lr, 32, 38, 9mm, 45 are common, again with various rules apply. 

A good place to start would be to look at the NRA or CMP rule books:
CMP 2022 Pistol (Possible to have some changes in 2023)
https://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2022PistolRules.pdf

NRA Pistol Rule book (2020 update)
https://competitions.nra.org/media/8365/nra-precision-pistol-rules.pdf

As far as finding matches, best way is to reach out specifically to your geographic area. Facebook has some bullseye groups that are helpful that may have a different crowd than here as well.

Free Pistol?

Umm, hard. Don't know what else to say, just ... HARD...

Teeny tiny target, way the ... out there, iron sights ...

You *can* shoot it with any 22 pistol, just have to single load it. Been there, done that, didn't get the cigar ... can't remember if I used my M-41 or the FWB.

That said, it is actually pretty cool to shoot a real Free Pistol. I've got an old Hammerli 150. It's surprising ... actually rather shocking, how sharp the recoil is. But the sight radius compared to a sport pistol ...

WesG wrote:Free Pistol?

Umm, hard. Don't know what else to say, just ... HARD...

Teeny tiny target, way the ... out there, iron sights ...

You *can* shoot it with any 22 pistol, just have to single load it. Been there, done that, didn't get the cigar ... can't remember if I used my M-41 or the FWB.

That said, it is actually pretty cool to shoot a real Free Pistol. I've got an old Hammerli 150. It's surprising ... actually rather shocking, how sharp the recoil is. But the sight radius compared to a sport pistol ...

I have inherited a hammereli 120

The Hammerli 120 is a good starter gun for Free Pistol - it has a 1911'ish grip angle which is more familiar and comfortable for those who are not used to Euro Air or Free Pistol anatomical grips. I have owned three of them in the past and put a Rink grip on the last one - wish that I had not sold it on now!

The 120 trigger is a bit fiddly to adjust, but good enough once you get it right. There are instructions on the Pilk Guns website. The rear sight has a fixed width notch which might need to be opened up a little for older eyes - use a small safe edge file or stone and take it very slowly!

Enjoy.

MCGC Yearly Match Schedule – Magic City Gun Club

Fort Benning Recreational Shooting Complex (armymwr.com)

And you are two hours from the CMP shooting complex in Talladega, they have a bullseye 101 class in February.

Wow thank you so much, must be suppressed since this stuff does not pop right up.

The ISSF shooting disciplines are pretty rare.  Air Pistol is the most popular.  Free got deleted as an Olympic event (though I still have hopes for its reinstatement), which killed off a lot of the interest.

Having said that, FP is a challenge.  50 meters (or yards, on a reduced target), and the 10-ring is about 1.2 inches in diameter.  It's a match where you shoot a 9 and are happy, a 10 and you're pleased as punch...and will settle for an 8.

The only thing worse is the MLAIC "Malson" match...same target, same 50 meters - but you shoot it with a percussion revolver.

Mike M. wrote:The ISSF shooting disciplines are pretty rare.  Air Pistol is the most popular.  Free got deleted as an Olympic event (though I still have hopes for its reinstatement), which killed off a lot of the interest.

Why was 50m pistol removed from the Olympics?

Time and facility.  The rifle shooters have different facility requirements.  Free is still shot, but generally only in Europe and not many places.  ISSF World Cup men only shoot 22 rapid fire at 25 meters and women shoot 25 m precision, 25 m rapid.  Both sexes shoot 10 m air pistol.  I’d like to see 25 m precision for men return as well.

bushidoshooting wrote:In my opinion, Free Pistol and Air Pistol are great cross-trainers for each other.  For Bullseye, either FP or AP could be an excellent coach to repeatedly remind you the fundamentals of pistol shooting.  Cheers!

Go on the ISSF website and you'll find many (if not most) competitors in 50 meter pistol also compete in 10 meter air pistol.

-m-

I bought an air pistol to shoot at home as practice for my Bullseye shooting. I thought it would be better than just dry firing my pistol. I chose a "match" type of air pistol that would be as close to my bullseye pistol in feel, especially trigger feel.
Thing is I fell in love with shooting air pistol and I now participate in local matches twice a month. So another rabbit hole was born, I order a high end air pistol.
I would love to at least try a Free Pistol some day.

By the way, the air pistol practice did help my bullseye shooting quite a bit.