I always wanted to join a Pistol club but thought the expense beyond me. In 1996 my then 20 year old son Andrew arrived home one Friday afternoon and stated he had put the down payment on a Springfield 1911 45 calibre semi-auto pistol. I was gob-smacked. He then stated that he was going out to the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA), Ipswich Branch at Ripley the following day to participate in a pistol competition. I was already a member of SSAA – Rifle only.
I thought I better go with him to make sure these guys were decent folk. On arrival I discovered that most of the shooters were of various ages and they welcomed both of us with open arms. I was there to observe, but they offered me the chance to also shoot in the various shoots, .22 Rimfire, Revolver and Semi-automatic pistol shoots that day. I thought hard and quickly and decided to have a go. They gave us the use of their own pistols and revolvers and some ammo.
Talking to them I discovered that some were RAAF personnel, both serving and retired and many other professions. Pool Builders, Plumbers, Mechanics/Technicians, Retirees, and many more. I saw that after each shoot everyone jumped in to pick up spent shells together and there was nothing but cooperation and comradeship going on there, plus a lot of jokes with people getting the mickey taken out of them in a fun sort of way. They all pitched in to keep the events going. So, I signed up as well. Yes, I had to go through the Safety Courses, Holster Courses and other processes and we have been shooting at the pistol range ever since.
Over the years everyone shared information and helped newer shooters into the sport. I also help people through. I am now a Shoot Captain, have been for over ten years, and run the IPSC Competition on the 3rd Saturday night of months February to November. We have a club break-up shoot in December and start again in February the next year. I am a Range Officer for both the Rifle and Pistol Ranges for SSAA. This group helped me deal with the void felt when I retired.
I now own a .357 magnum Smith & Wesson Performance Centre 8 shot Revolver, a Tanfoglio Match Le 9mm Semi- Automatic Pistol, and 2 x Ruger .22 Semi-Automatic pistols all with Red-Dot sights. My son has a Ruger GP100 6 shot Revolver and a Tanfoglio 9mm Semi-Automatic pistol. For those who do not have firearms, the Club have a Glock 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, a few 6 shot Revolvers, and likewise a few .22 Ruger pistols which can be hired for $5 each per competition. I often loan mine to new shooters. Also, I never used ‘Red Dot’ sights on my centrefire Revolver or Pistol until 2 years after I retired as I did not want it to interfere with my work Glock.
At one stage I had a Weapon’s Licensing Exemption to use my work Glock at the range as did other police, but when they restricted us in about 2004 to lower calibres 9mm and .358, I was unable to use the 40 calibre Glock lawfully at the range, even for practise – not a wise decision by the QPS I believed at the time as police without doubt need more than just 2 training sessions a year. Our 76 year old member could put on a good display. He was winning events using his revolver in a semi-automatic shoot against younger members. He put on a display once in front of a Police Training Officer who was gob-smacked. Granted Mick was only about 70 then. Mick had put down all 10 targets before the Officer could fire the first 2 shots. Good training for police.
I load my own ammunition except the .22 Rimfire of course, and I also melt my own hardened lead-alloy and mould my own projectiles for the pistol and revolver, sizing and lubing them with my own concoction so they don’t leave lots of lead in the barrels. Actually, I do my son’s as well, something fathers do of course. This brings the price of shooting right down. Discovering the correct gun powderand load considering bullet weight that provides the best outcome is just as satisfying.
What my son’s announcement in 1996 has done, is to provide something we can do together forever for which I am truly thankful.
There are Club Fees e.g. SSAA Membership Yearly taken from the day of joining, and in June of each year we have a $40 Pistol Club Membership Fee. Range Fee for each visit is $10 members and $15 guests, however you can buy a yearly pass which I do for $140 which allows me to shoot everyday the club is open if I wished. In my IPSC shoot there is a $2.50 fee for each category shot, e.g. Rimfire, Revolver and Auto-Centrefire which pays for targets. Compared to Golf Clubs and other memberships, this is relatively cheap.
I commenced shooting the IPSC competition because it mostly aligned with Police Duties. If you go to this hyperlink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC4sDzNBG00 it will give you some idea of what we do. It is a movement, run or walk, down the field shooting targets as we go. The hyperlink is action at a SSAA Club, not mine.
I remember on one occasion I was completing my police qualifying shoot at Ripley Range and of course you do it in turn. I came back to a group of young female and male officers and said, “Well, I qualified.” One of the young ladies then said, “Yes Sir, but you’re a legend.” I nearly fell over, wasn’t quite sure if she was being kind, or having a go at me. Anyway, I took it in good light and it is a fond memory. Little comments like that remain with you forever.
Now, I must confess that I am not as flash as the guys in the clip above, especially the young fellow. We have 76 year olds who shoot it and yes, people with new knees and hip joints. Only one shooter shoots at a time and you have a time keeper with you. Beginners by law, have a Range Officer or appointed person with them to guide them through. A, B & C grades are run for trophies. I used to be in A Grade, but 2019 saw me get 1 trophy in each grade. When it takes me 34 seconds to run a 26 shot round course, we have young fellas who can do it in 22 seconds. A couple 20 year old brothers and friends now come and they are getting more used to us, and I have nick named them Flash, Flasher & Flashest. Another brother arrived on the scene and I am still trying to come up with a name for him. They thrive on it.
It is my intention to slowly build each shooter up to do any job on the Range in my shoot so that there will be plenty of young people putting their hands up when I can no longer do it. They are keen to learn, some need a shove at first, but then keep volunteering. Most Shoot Captains have one Deputy, I have three to ensure a good safe shoot.
By the way, it is against Club Rules to use any target that is shaped remotely like a human being. It is also illegal to wear more than 1 part of clothing, camouflage shirt or pants to the range.
We run a Junior, Women’s and Men’s Category for the event.
SSAA Membership per year is:
- Adult & Over 18 years with Monthly Magazine $93 ;
- Pensioners get a discount;
- Optional $35 Insurance Premium to cover all firearms wherever;
- Additional family member without magazine $70;
- Junior Member is $27; and
- You have the option of purchasing multiple years of membership with discounts.
https://membership.ssaa.org.au/forms/join
I hope you found this interesting.
