NSA International Small Bore Silhouette Shooting Match 2024

International Small Bore Silhouette Shooting Match 2024

Dear shooters,

On behalf of the NSA I invite you to our International Small Bore Silhouette shooting Match 2024. 

Further information and the registration form can be found in the attachments. Please make sure you fill out the form digitally as much as possible.

Feel free to send this invitation to other shooters who may be interested, registration closes October 24. 

 See you in Stein, 

 Sincerely, 

Yvo Curfs – match director
Django Goffin, secretary NSA
Wilfried Ramakers – match bureau

Open Nederlands kampioenschap klein kaliber silhouet 2024

 Beste schutters,

 Namens de NSA nodig ik u uit om deel te nemen aan het Open NK Klein Kaliber Silhouetschieten 2024.

 Verdere informatie en het inschrijfformulier vindt u in de bijlagen. Graag het inschrijfformulier zo veel mogelijk digitaal invullen.

 Stuur deze uitnodiging gerust door naar andere schutters die geïnteresseerd kunnen zijn. De inschrijving sluit 24 oktober.

 Tot ziens in Stein,

 met vriendelijke groet,

Yvo Curfs – wedstrijdleider
Django Goffin – secretaris NSA
Wilfried Ramakers - wedstrijdbureau

Compétition internationale de tir sur silhouettes métalliques 2024 en catégorie Petit calibre

 Chers tireurs,

 Au nom de la NSA, je vous invite par la présente, à participer à notre compétition internationale de tir sur silhouettes métalliques 2024 en catégorie Petit calibre.

 Vous trouverez en pièces jointes les informations pratiques ainsi que le formulaire d’inscription. Je vous prie de remplir le formulaire digitalement si possible.

 N’hésitez pas à transmettre cette invitation à d’autres tireurs qui pourraient être intéressés par cette compétition.

 Les inscriptions sont possibles jusqu’au 24 octobre.

 Au plaisir de vous voir à Stein !

 Cordialement,

Yvo Curfs – Organisateur du tournoi
Django Goffin – Secretariat NSA
Wilfried Ramakers – Bureau d’organisation

Internationalen Meisterschaft Kleinkaliber Silhouette 2024

 Lieber Schießsportfreund,

 Namens der NSA lad ich Sie hiermit herzlich zu unseremInternationalen Meisterschaft Kleinkaliber Silhouette 2024 aus.

 Weitere Informationen und das Anmeldeformular sind beigefügt. Bitte füllen sie das Formular möglichst digital aus.

 Leiten Sie diese Einladung gerne weiter an andere Schießsportfreunde welcheebenfalls an Teilnahme interessiert sein könnten.

 Anmeldeschluss ist der 24. Oktober 2024.

 Wir würden uns freuen, Sie zu dem Meisterschaft in Stein begrüßen zu dürfen.

 Mit freundlichem Gruß,

Yvo Curfs – Meisterschaft Führer
Django Goffin – Sekretär NSA
Wilfried Ramakers – Meisterschaft Büro

The sport in a nutshell

Metallic silhouette shooting as a sport, has a rich and interesting history. Initially live farm animals were used as targets, but since around 1948 the targets have been metal silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams, that are set at various distances.

The objective is to knock a target off its stand with a single shot.

Firearms are categorized into five broad categories:

  • Big bore rifle (center fire)
  • Small bore rifle (.22 rimfire)
  • Big bore handgun (center fire)
  • Small bore handgun (.22 rimfire)
  • Field pistol.

Within each firearm category, there are various events, e.g. standing, unlimited (freestyle), revolvers only, etc
A typical event under IMSSU rules consists of 40 shots, 10 shots at each target type.

Small bore handgun (Unlimited event)

Member countries
There are currently 26 member countries. Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Other: Australia, Brazil, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, USA, Zimbabwe.
The history of silhouette shooting

Origins of the sport

The sport of metallic silhouette shooting, or silhuetas metallicas, had its origin around 1914 when the rebel leader and strategist Pancho Villa and his men were raiding villages and ranches in the northern state of Chikupehua, Mexico.

Pancho VillaOn one occasion, having put some distance between themselves and the pursuing Yankee cavalry, the banditos raided a well-stocked ranch in the north where they spent some fourteen days carousing.

Eventually a tequila-induced dispute arose between two of Villa's followers as to who was the better shot. Normally such an argument would have ended in a gunfight. A squad leader, Juan Martinez, decided instead on a shootout using two live steers as targets. The unfortunate animals were tethered to trees at a suitable distant point and the contest began. The contestants were permitted to shoot alternately until one of them succeeded in killing his steer and was judged the winner.

The idea caught on and soon chickens, sheep and goats were literally "roped in" to serve as targets. After the revolution, the Villistas returned to their farms and villas throughout Mexico, taking with them a new sport to be practiced at fiestas in the decades to come.

The practice of shooting at live animal targets continued and was refined with time, using rifles as well as handguns. All hits that drew blood were counted.

The post-WWII era

Shortly after the Second World War, metallic cutout silhouettes began to be substituted for live animals, both for humanitarian as well as practical reasons: there wasn't much chicken left after a direct hit with a high-powered rifle! Even so, the original sport of shooting live animals would continue in the outlying areas until the late 1950's, usually in conjunction with a fiesta.

In 1948, the first match using silhuetas metallicas took place in Mexico City. The gunners still shot turkeys, but metal ones now. The original feathered edition had its neck wrung prior to the contest, after which it was placed on ice and presented to the winner after the match.

The man who really got metallic silhouette shooting started in Mexico was Don Gonzalo Aguilar, who was instrumental in staging the Silhuetas Metallicas Nacionales in Mexico City in 1952, four years after he had organized the first informal shoot. The targets were gallinas (chickens) at 200m, gualotes (turkeys) at 385m and borregos (sheep) at 500m. It was several years before the javelina (pig) target came into use.

By the early '60s the sport was well run and controlled, particularly in the north where Le Liga del Norte (the Northern League) had been formed. Soon many Americans were regularly making the pilgrimage across the Rio Grande to participate in the metallic silhouette shooting competitions and before long, the sport was popularized all over the world.

Acknowledgement: This article can be found on the web in several adaptations. Thank you to the original author, whoever you are.

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    BOOK ON HANDLOADING

    Jean-Pierre Beurtheret's book on handloading, with illustrations by Freddy Drubigny, is now available in English.

    The aim of this book is to explain the subject from a different standpoint than usually found.

    Click on the book cover for the table of contents and a random extract of 13 pages:

    Cartridge Handloading book coverThe book is in A4 format, consists of 368 pages and 660 illustrations, and is available at €49.00 from the Tecmagex or Amazon France websites.

    It contains a brief history of the metallic cartridge and the description of its components (the primer, the case the powder, the bullet) and of the various tools used for handloading.

    The detailed description of advanced handloading procedures and die adjustments departs from the usual specialized literature and will allow the production of ammunition totally adapted to a specific firearm, using the standard reloading table of the powder manufacturers.

    Cartridge conversions, ballistics, security of the shooters and on the range are not forgotten. The last chapter is devoted to a short description of the automatic and semi-automatic firearms operation.