There's plenty of competition shooting available in the
UK, both postal and shoulder-to-shoulder, but the
question is, why bother?
There's no requirement to enter competitions if you
don't want to, but by not entering you miss out on a
part of the experience. Competitions give you a chance
to test yourself against your peers, but more
importantly, against yourself. Given some decent
coaching and a modicum of talent it's relatively easy to
put up decent scores on your home range, but in an open
competition when the pressure is on, putting up a decent
score is a whole new ball game. The mental pressure can
be intense, whether you're shooting for the match, or
just fighting to recover a card that's started badly.
But I'm not good enough I hear you say? Well that's not
a problem, because muzzle loading competitions are very
friendly indeed, and organisers welcome anyone who'se
safe and competent. Not everyone can win, so don't feel
you'll be laughed at for shooting badly. Besides, a lot
of people turn up to shoot interesting guns and simply
don't expect to win. In a typical precision competition
which might be won with a 96 or 97, there'll be plenty
of scores in the sixties, seventies and eighties.
Anyway, if you don't enter you'll never know just how
good you are!
So, where do you find these competitions, what do they
consist of and how do you enter them? Simple, click on
the 'Next' link at the bottom of the page to see details
of some of the best matches.
