November 5, 2022 Saturday at the Movies: Silhouette shooting Showcase. It’s fun to make steel silhouettes. Many people find the “instant gratification,” of tearing down steel more enjoyable than shooting paper. This website was actually created because the founder enjoyed shooting 600-yard steel silhouette matches at Southern California. That lead him to building a 6mmBR rifle and starting 6mmBR.com which evolved to become AccurateShooter.com.Today’s video showcase covers a variety of metallic silhouette shooting disciplines. There are two main silhouette shooting styles, the centerfire and smallbore. These can be shot from a standing location. Eric Mietenkorte is one of the top silhouette shooters in the world. He shows you how to shoot silhouette standing. We also show varmint silhouette matches from prone and from the bench. The 600-yard silhouette matches of the Editor were shot initially from prone (F class style), then later from a seat on a bench. Both formats were enjoyable. We also have a cool video from New Zealand that shows handgun silhouette matches at a beautiful, verdant range in Kiwi Country. Handgun shooters use a prone, foot-forward prone position. This makes it fun and challenging to shoot metallic silhouettes. The sound of steel clattering and the metal silhouette tipping over is “instant gratification”.
Photo taken at the 2022 Spindeltop Smallbore Silhouette Champion, Golden Triangle Gun Club in Beaumont, TX.
Silhouette shooting was introduced to the United States from Mexico in 1960. It is believed that the sport originated in Pancho Villa’s 1914 shooting contests. The sport quickly spread throughout Mexico after the Mexican Revolution. Siluetas Metalicas uses steel silhouettes that look like game animals. There are chickens at the front, followed by rows of turkeys, pigs, and rams. Because “Siluetas Metalicas” was originally a Mexican sport it is not uncommon to hear the targets called Gallina (chicken), Javelina (“pig”), Guajalote (“turkey”) and Borrego (“ram”). These animals are shot at different distances depending on the discipline, but they are always placed in the same order. Click HERE to view the NRA Rifle Silhouette Guidelines.
Photo from 2022 Spindeltop Smallbore Silhouette Championship.Silhouette Champion Shares His SkillsIn this next video, silhouette champion Eric Mietenkorte talks about proper hold: “Consistency is key! You should have a consistent, solid stance that allows you to aim naturally. Don’t adjust your feet if you don’t want to touch the target. Also, don’t rotate or twist your body with your torso muscles. Erich explains his aim method as “Pick a spot on target and shoot for it.” Don’t hesitate to take the shot if you are on target. It’s easy for a great shot to become a bad one. Follow through and keep the trigger pulled back. Have fun! “[embedded material] See other videos on The Rifle Silhouette Channel. Beautiful Rosebud Silhouette Range in Alberta Canada. This video was made at the Rosebud Silhouette and Benchrest Clubs in Alberta, Canada. This video teaches you how to use both the smallbore Metallic Silhouette rifle and centerfire (High Power) disciplines. It also demonstrates equipment and matches. As you can see, these challenging and fun sports can be shot all year. Texas Varmint Benchrest Silhouette These matches are a lot of fun and we have been to them on the West Coast. This sport combines the accuracy of benchrest competition with fun of destroying critter targets. These silhouettes are smaller than standard silhouettes and can be hit at 300 yards or more. John Scoutten, host of this episode, competes with his 6.5 Creedmoor PRS gun. At 385 meters, 1-MOA Coyotes presented plenty of challenge for him. The majority of shooters at this Texas match use premium front rests and benchrest-grade rifles. A similar Varmint Silhouette bench/prone matches is held monthly at Pala Range in Southern California. Bench shooters and prone shooters compete side by side. At each of five yardages, ten steel “critter” targets are set: 200m – Field Mice (“pikas”); 300m – Crows; 385m- Ground Squirrels. 500m Jack Rabbits. 600 yards – Prairie Dogs. Competitors shoot 50 targets at five different distances, with 10 each, alternately. You might start at 500m, then go 200m next, then 600 yards, etc. — The target distances are mixed to increase the challenge. Competitors are allowed to take 16 shots at distances between 30 and 60 yards. The timer stops when the shooter has successfully knocked down their final target. This event is fun to shoot and even more fun to watch live as the results are revealed within seconds of each relay start. New Zealand Handgun Metallic Silhouette New Zealand is one the most beautiful islands in the world, so it’s a perfect place for a silhouette match. This video shows a silhouette match of handguns with targets at different distances. The competitors sat in a special position on the ground with their handguns (mostly revolvers), aligned on one side of their legs. Silhouette Shooting Scoring MethodsThis video is from the Metallic Silhouette Shooters Society. It explains the basics of rimfire and centerfire silhouette matches. The video then explains how silhouette matches are scored using the shooting strings. Although the system is binary (knock down vs. hit), there are details such as when a plate hits but doesn’t drop. CLICK HERE to view a second MSSS video which explains how you can start silhouette shooting and lists all the equipment that you will need. Similar Posts
