Tribune/ Debra Reid - Competitive shooter Tanner Larsson, 26, of Reno hones his speed and accuracy in the desert east of Sparks on Tuesday.
Tribune/ Debra Reid - Steel targets are re-painted and re-arranged before each round of shooting.
The shooter is wearing a holster. There are three loaded magazine clips on his left side and a shiny red performance gun on his right.
“Shooter ready?” Tanner Larsson asks in booming voice.
No movement — Johnny Lim is concentrating: knees bent, eyes focused muscles ready to move at lightening speed.
Beep! Lim’s arm reacts. Ting, tink, ting, tink, zing. And it’s over in 2.5 seconds.
Larsson and Lim, along with Dennis Gilman and James Ong, came out to Derby Dam on Wednesday to practice for the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships, which will be held in Piru, Calif. this weekend.
“While the emphasis seems to be on speed, this is really about accuracy,” Gilman said. “I’ve been shooting for about eight years or so, but in this particular sport, I’ve only been shooting about five years. You want to go fast and you feel the pressure to go fast but you have to take your time and be accurate.”
Gilman explained that in the Steel Challenge, shooters will have to complete five rounds of shooting at eight different stages with the four best times being kept and the slowest time thrown out. The eight stages are comprised of five steel plates mounted on posts and placed at measured distances. It does not matter what order the shooter hits the targets in, but they must hit the timer plate last to stop the clock.
“Johnny Lim is one of the world’s best gunsmiths and he builds all our competition guns,” Gilman said of the modified guns used for the speed shooting competition, also explaining that even the bullets they use are different.
“Our loads are reduced in terms of power, the steel that we use comes out the barrel differently,” Gilman added. “We’re not trying to knock anything over in this game, we’re just trying to touch the steel.”
Lim said he has been participating in the sport for about 20 years and that his gun building started as a hobby and grew into a business. He now owns and operates Limcat Custom in Sparks. Lim said he only makes guns for competition purposes and has even built guns for competitors in Italy and other European countries.
“My guns are for sport only,” Lim said. “One of these will cost about $4,800.”
Lim was quick to add that participating in a sport like speed shooting or being a member of the Western Nevada Pistol League or United States Practical Shooting Association reinforces stellar gun safety habits.
“We are very strict about safety,” Lim said.
“You learn gun control and gun safety,” Larsson said, adding that he started shooting when he was 8 years old, but has been involved in the sport for about four years. “It teaches responsibility and raises the maturity, I believe.”
Gilman said that during competition, a shooter can be disqualified for mishandling their gun or receive a point penalty if they do not follow the rules.
“The way that the competition is run, it is taking safety to the n-th degree,” Gilman said.
Gilman explained that the person supervising the stage range will tell the shooter to “make way”; this command allows the shooter to load the gun. The supervisor will then ask the shooter if they are ready, to which the shooter can just stand there or give a signal like a head nod, Gilman said. The shooter will then be told to stand by, and the buzzer will go off one or two seconds later.
After hitting the targets and the stop plate, Gilman said the shooter will be instructed to unload the gun and show that the chamber is clear. They will also be instructed to point the gun at the targets and pull the trigger. Gilman said that if the gun fires a bullet at this time, the shooter will receive a three-point penalty on their time.
After the gun has been cleared, the person supervising the stage will say that the range is clear and safe for people to move around.
Adding a three-point penalty to a shooter’s time makes the sport all that more competitive and the need to keep the range safe a top priority.
Larsson said he joined the sport because it fit with his nature.
“I’m a very, very competitive,” Larsson said. I play almost every sport available. At this level (of shooting) there is a lot of competition. It’s definitely not easy.”
Although it is a competitive sport, all four men agreed that it is very enjoyable and a very friendly sport.
“It’s very addicting,” Larsson said of the fast-paced shooting. “It’s an adrenaline junkie kind of rush.”
“I supposed that’s why people join bowling leagues or race cars,” Ong said. “If you’re a competitive person it’s fun.”
Gilman predicts that Ong will place among the top shooters at this year’s competition.
“Some people are just gifted with the sport,” Gilman said. “James and Tanner are two of those people.”
“I’ve been shooting for 18 years, but it took me a while to find an organized sport,” Ong said. “I used to be a casual shooter.”
Although the men have been ramping up their practice times since April, anything can happen in competition.
Ong explained that the stages go very fast and pointed out that since Lim was shooting a stage called “Smoke and Hope,” four of his sets were under 2.5 seconds. Ong added that competitions can often be won or lost by 1/1,000 of a second.
“In this game, if you’re smooth, that’s where your speed comes from,” Gilman said, adding that practice makes perfect.
Gilman said the Western Nevada Pistol League is always looking for new members and encourages people to join the league on the first Sunday of every month when the league holds a family day at the Washoe County shooting range on Pyramid Highway.
“Some people have the natural aptitude toward shooting,” Larsson said. “Every gun is different, every person is different. You just have to get people out there and shooting so they’re not afraid of it.”
Lim said newcomers are always welcome to join events put on by the Western Nevada Pistol League.
“We need more ladies,” Gilman said. “We are getting more ladies in our regular (U.S. Practical Shooting Association) matches on the first Sunday.”
For more information about the league and for a calendar of events, visit www.wnpl.org. For more information about the U.S. Practical Shooting Association, visit www.uspsa.org. For more information about the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships, visit steelchallenge.com.
This weekend’s events at the Steel Challenge will be broadcast on the Outdoor Channel. Check your TV listing for broadcast times.
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