It looks like I am going to try NRA Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup) this year.

If I can find a path through the maze of graduations and weddings this spring, a local club I shot IDPA last year is Hosting the "2022 Sunset Coast Regional NRA Action Pistol Championship". It looks like it will be using the common four matches (stages) that you normally see in the national Bianchi Cup. I have no idea the level of competition at this match so I have no real goals other than to shoot well and have fun. Has anyone here shot NRA Action Pistol before and do you have any comments or advice.

I've been interested in trying it for a few years. I don't know how much i'll be able to shoot or hit matches this year, but since we're within range of hitting the same matches I may try to put this on the schedule at some point. PM the club if you would so I can follow on practicscore, just in case the stars align and I decide to dedicate the time.

If nothing else, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

I've watched youtube videos on it. I've always wanted to try it, looks like fun. Presently 2 gun has my attention.

It’s been a number of years since I shot a “pure Bianchi” match-big sponsor back in the day. I believe it’s gotten pretty specialized like PPC in terms of equipment, but if you’re in for the fun and education-go for it!
I think of it as essentially shooting at an 8” circle under time pressure, and it’s demanding, especially for an iron sight gun.
There are a few rounds out to 50 yards in the old cof, but what I enjoyed was the plate rack. Shots from 10 to 25 yards, and ya hit it-or you didn’t.
If the opportunity presented itself, I’d probably shoot it now with an optic, and prep by doing plenty of dry fire from the holstered position (“wrists above shoulders”). I’d do a fair amount of shooting at 25 yards, on steel plates if available.
It’s shot clean by several folks at the Championship, and those folks are amazing( and maybe not human).
Good shooting!

I shot action pistol at our gun club. If there is one thing I could change it would be to add a carry optics division. As it is if you want to use an optic, you have to shoot open. In action pistol open is, IMO, an equipment game as much as it is a marksmanship game. Most folks shooting open have comped pistols, optic mounts that not only adjust for lead on the moving target event but also for range - a previous poster mentioned some events contain 50-yard stages. This is the target.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...EVzTL._AC_.jpg

The black is the X-ring, the next line out is the 10-ring, the outer line is the 8-ring and all other hits on the target are five points. The X is 4 inches in diameter, the 10 is 8 inches in diameter and the 8 is 12 inches in diameter.

Unlike IDPA, or USPA, there are set time limits, and set round counts - so on the plates you can't fire an extra round to pick up a miss.

At our club Action Pistol is slowly losing members, new shooters are more attracted to USPSA. I get the more fun aspect of USPSA, but both disciplines can build skills for the other, IMO.

Here is a link to the NRA Action Pistol Rule Book: https://competitions.nra.org/documen...n/act-book.pdf

The Bianchi Cup courses of fire are:

The Moving Target Event - page 18 @ para 7.8; also see page 35 @ para 10.24

The Practical Event - page 17 @ para 7.6; also see page 33 @ para 10.22

The Barricade Event - page 18 @ 7.7; also see page 34 @ para 10.23 (note: the modified barricade event found on page 27 @ para 10.15 is not the Bianchi event)

Falling Plate Event - page 18 @ para 7.9; also see page 36 @ para 10.25

I'm not sure if the regionals shoot only the Bianchi events. My club has monthly matches. The only Bianchi Cup events you can be sure of shooting at each match are the mover and the plates.

I have been shooting production, this year I'm switching to metallic sights using a CZ 75 SA.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan Lehr

I shot action pistol at our gun club. If there is one thing I could change it would be to add a carry optics division. As it is if you want to use an optic, you have to shoot open. In action pistol open is, IMO, an equipment game as much as it is a marksmanship game. Most folks shooting open have comped pistols, optic mounts that not only adjust for lead on the moving target event but also for range - a previous poster mentioned some events contain 50-yard stages. This is the target.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...EVzTL._AC_.jpg

The black is the X-ring, the next line out is the 10-ring, the outer line is the 8-ring and all other hits on the target are five points. The X is 4 inches in diameter, the 10 is 8 inches in diameter and the 8 is 12 inches in diameter.

Unlike IDPA, or USPA, there are set time limits, and set round counts - so on the plates you can't fire an extra round to pick up a miss.

At our club Action Pistol is slowly losing members, new shooters are more attracted to USPSA. I get the more fun aspect of USPSA, but both disciplines can build skills for the other, IMO.

Here is a link to the NRA Action Pistol Rule Book: https://competitions.nra.org/documen...n/act-book.pdf

The Bianchi Cup courses of fire are:

The Moving Target Event - page 18 @ para 7.8; also see page 35 @ para 10.24

The Practical Event - page 17 @ para 7.6; also see page 33 @ para 10.22

The Barricade Event - page 18 @ 7.7; also see page 34 @ para 10.23 (note: the modified barricade event found on page 27 @ para 10.15 is not the Bianchi event)

Falling Plate Event - page 18 @ para 7.9; also see page 36 @ para 10.25

I'm not sure if the regionals shoot only the Bianchi events. My club has monthly matches. The only Bianchi Cup events you can be sure of shooting at each match are the mover and the plates.

I have been shooting production, this year I'm switching to metallic sights using a CZ 75 SA.

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ADVICE: I'm 67 years old, so I no longer go prone any place but @ 50 yards. If you are younger you can go prone several distances on the plates, and the practical event, that may be worth some points.

I'm assuming you are not shooting open.

The plates are the primary point getter and point loser, as any plate you don't drop is 10 points down the tubes. I practice 10, 15, and 25 skipping 20. The plates would be my primary focus. You can go prone from 15yards back, as I mentioned earlier, I don't have the time, you might.

If you can access the mover, that would be my next focus, you need to establish leads and practice moving your pistol at the same speed as the target. I have a target with pasters stuck where my front sight should be for each distance - I have my wife run the mover so I can practice tracking and dry presses before using any ammo. I have tried standing slightly bladed to the left as the target approaches from the right and bladed slightly to the right when the target approaches from the left. The idea is that you are unwinding/relaxing as you track and you shoot most of your rounds on that side of the mover on each pass. The guys that I shoot with that shoot 1890+ and go to Bianchi each year do this, I don't think it really helps my scores, but it might yours.

Edit: To calculate leads you take the distance in feet from the target, divided by bullet velocity in FPS, then multiplied by 12 (converting feet to inches), then multiplied by 10 (the mover travels at 10 fps) equals lead in inches.

Example: Using a velocity of 1000 FPS, from the ten-yard station gives us 30 / 1000 = .03 x 12 = .36 x 10 = 3.6

Action pistol barricades are anchored solid and you can use the barricade so long as no part of the pistol rests against the barricade (open pistols generally have wings to brace against the barricades and it's legal for them. Practice getting into the barricade position and decide your hand position - I'm a lefty and I generally open up my grip so the flat part of my knuckles and fingers are against the barricade and my right thumb is also pressing into it. Some folks like to use their support hand around the support side of the barricade, I don't, I use the same grip and cant the pistol - if you do this you need to be consistent on angle and know your holds. My strategy is to practice at 10 yards for all X's, and then practice at 35 yards, don't spend much time in between.

For the Practical Event you want to make sure you can draw, transition to week hand and shoot 3 rounds on each target weak hand only in 8 seconds from 10 yards. Beyond that IMO you need to go prone @ 50 yards for sure and know where your pistol hits.

........

Bill Rogers could go down prone so quickly on the plates, they called him the flying squirrel.

Thanks for all of the info Dan, it should be very helpful. Since my Walther Q5 is by far my most accurate gun I will be shooting open. Not too concerned if I get spanked by open shooters shooting race guns, I just want to put up solid points.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MVS

Thanks for all of the info Dan, it should be very helpful. Since my Walther Q5 is by far my most accurate gun I will be shooting open. Not too concerned if I get spanked by open shooters shooting race guns, I just want to put up solid points.

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I have toyed with shooting open with a dot on my 320 Legion, knowing I'd get spanked in the local matches, but still shooting higher scores.

The last match I shot (last year - we start matches again in March) I decided to use my iron sight GSG 1911-22 in the .22 open class which is the only .22 class our match director sees fit to offer. Well, the dang thing started failing to feed and I don't think I finished a complete string w/o a FTFeed. I had done some gun-plumbing on it adding a Tandemkross accuracy kit and hadn't got to the range to see if things were copacetic before the match. Oh, well, it was a club match, just for fun, but to add insult to injury, a couple weeks later I get an NRA classification card in the mail for Rimfire Open as a marksman.

Nowhere to go but up.