World Shoot-off Championship® 2001. A Previously Unheralded Shooter Wins his first "Major" with a Stunning Upset over a Field of Fast Guns - STI/American Handgunner®

American Handgunner, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Dave Anderson

Probably the happiest person at the match was Bud Bond of Colorado. Bud shoots Open Revolver, which means shooting in the same class as Jerry Miculek. During the qualifying stages Miculek won by a huge margin. His 113 points were nearly twice as many as Bond's second place total of 57. But just like the playoffs in other sports, the Sunday finale is another season. In the Open Revolver final, Bond shot superbly to edge out Miculek. Talk about a memory to treasure!

Bud shoots an S&W 686 with a Bushnell HoloSight. A buddy who was a police firearms instructor got him interested in revolvers long ago and he stayed with them. Bond also shoots IPSC and International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) but comes to the shootoff for the opportunity to shoot one-on-one against the best.

A Place For Everyone

The STI/American Handgunner World Shootoff Championship has a place for competitors of every skill level. Shooters are classed according to IPDC, IDPA or PPC classification, known ability at the discretion of the Match Director, or by qualifying in the Winchester Challenge. Novice competitors shouldn't feel intimidated. Follow the rules, handle your firearm safely and you'll be welcomed by organizers and fellow competitors alike.

Forget about speed, forget about what your opponent is doing, and concentrate on firing one shot -- one hit, no mistakes, and you'll be surprised how well you do.

Paul and Kerry Miller have always been open to suggestions to make a good match better. The first match in 1992 had 10 stages in the three-day qualifying rounds. The Sunday grand finale had awards for class winners in Unclassified, A, B, C, D, and Master class, a Ladies' Champion and overall Shootoff Champion.

Competitors said they wanted more shooting and more divisions. In 2001 the number of qualifying stages increased to 15. There are more divisions in which to compete: Open and Stock Class, IDPA, Cowboy, Open and Stock Revolver. There are divisions for Junior, Senior and Super Senior; Active Duty, Veteran and Reserve Military; Full Time and Reserve Law Enforcement; Law Duty Gear; Open and Stock Ladies' division; Handicapped and International.

The Millers are especially pleased that so many shooters come back year after year. Kerry commented, "It's nice to see shooters wearing shirts from early matches, like 1992 and 1993. So many of the competitors have become friends, and they come back to meet other shooters. One said that, "It's like a family reunion except that here you like everybody."

For 2002 the only significant change expected is that hollowpoint ammunition will not be allowed. The Millers hate to impose more regulations but are concerned about bullet jacket splatter off the steel targets. They've found that plain lead and fully jacketed bullets splatter significantly less than hollowpoints.

Few matches have better prize tables than the STI/American Handgunner World Shootoff Championship, and none spread the prizes more equitably. Finish last in D Class and you'll still take home a pretty good prize, not to mention sharing in such benefits as a complimentary steak fry accompanied by frosty cold Budweiser beer, courtesty of the local distributor (after the guns have been put away, of course).