If you’re shooting in Washington, watch your e-mail. Wade’s Eastside will soon announce a pistol-caliber-carbine-only event. The first match of its type, this pilot will feature supplied carbines from the Wades inventory, used on ASI stages from earlier in the evening. Please note the carbine match will be IN ADDITION to the normal pistol events held at Wade’s, only starting later in the evening.

“I’m excited about this new chapter in our history at Wade’s,” says ASI President Robin Taylor. “I think the opportunity for growth, particularly among the Wade’s clientele, is just huge.”

tonkawa-facebook-imageThe Smithheisler brothers will again make an effort to “save Sue” at the Dough Creek range in Tonkawa, Okla., December 17-18. Their “Shoot-n-Scoot” will include four stages from the ASI course collection. Interestingly, if the weather turns sour, the match will be shot INDOORS on Dough Creek’s new LASR range. Flyer available here: shoot-n-scoot-event-flyer-12-17-2016

During the Nov. 26 match at Norpoint Shooting Center, one of the shooters (Todd Epps) experienced a “squib load” and was (thankfully) stopped in time by range officer Robin Taylor. A “squib load” describes what happens when the gunpowder is accidentally left out of a cartridge. The primer fires, creating a noticeable “pop,” but with no powder to push it, the bullet stays lodged in the barrel. Trouble arises if the shooter clears the malfunctioning cartridge and fires another shot.

The overpressure created by firing a “live” round in a blocked barrel is usually enough to bulge the barrel (at best) and can blow pieces of the barrel and slide in all directions (at worst). Damage to the pistol is certain, and injury to the operator (or bystanders) is likely. Taylor heard that distinctive “pop” and shouted “stop” but Epps didn’t hear him clearly — until Taylor grabbed his shoulders, narrowly stopping him from firing again.

tonkawa-facebook-imageASI has come to Oklahoma, with brothers Jim and Mike Smithheisler leading the charge. The brothers will field their first match in Tonkawa on Oct. 15 and 16. They’ve invited a handful of local shooters to experience their first-of-its-kind match, but if you’d like to join in, contact Jim at (580) 761-3896 or Mike at (405) 641-3796 for all the particulars. The Smithheislers hail from the cowboy action community, but they don’t stop there. Jim recently became a certified Concealed Carry instructor, which fits well with the kind of courses we use here at ASI. Jim submitted a course modification or two, adding some spice to his stages. They’re running their first match Oct. 15-16, but if you can’t make that one, the next is scheduled for Nov. 19. When you shoot with them, remember to “save Sue!”

 

ASI hatLooking for a hat? Why not show your ASI pride with the new ASI ball cap? They come in ASI’s signature Navy blue, and have a mesh back to help keep you cool on a hot day. You’ll find matching ASI T-shirts as well in the company store (link above).

logbook coverThe 2016/2017 Member Logbook dropped into the mail to all members this weekend (Oct. 1), following up on the electronic version made available in the September ASI Member newsletter. The Logbook includes a step-by-step look at HOW to shoot ASI well, what the courses look like, and a place to record your scores for several of the more-common courses.match operations cover

Similarly, the ASI Match Operations Guide started shipping to registered club contacts in late September, and is available to anyone looking for guidance on how to run an ASI club. The Guide includes sections dedicated to officiating, economics, scoring, match set-up, and more.

Blue Press cvr sep2015The September issue of Dillon’s “Blue Press” has a great article on ASI by gunwriter Duane Thomas. If you shoot at Wade’s Eastside, odds are you’ve bumped into him.

Thanks to his article, we’re getting swamped with requests for information and guidance on how to start up an ASI program — people from 20 states have e-mailed us already!

If you’re looking at our site for the first time, welcome! We’re eager to talk to you about how we can bring the success of ASI to your local area. Trainer Al Wylie is in Arizona right now responding to clubs that contacted us. If all goes well, we’ll be sending Al to visit a club near you!

Kneeling blast
Starting on your knees (on carpeting) changed your point of view!

With 65 shooters plus staff, family, and friends, the 2016 “ASI Hand Sized Handgun Championship” broke records in Washington. “You guys are doing a great thing here,” said Russ Bates. “I had a great time, and I’ll be back.”

As a senior with physical limitations ASI’s relaxed, enjoyable style fits Bates perfectly. Others, like overall match winner Malcolm McIver and Match Director Rick Breneman got a chance to shoot their pocket pistols in a serious way.

Breneman designed the match with a 5-shot pistol in mind, and several people brought them. Brian Hallaq (who runs the ASI program at Norpoint Indoor Range) brought a modern 5-shot, .38 Special snubbie. “It’s rough shooting that double-action trigger, especially one-handed,” he laughed. His skills and the moon clips on his late-model S&W made quick work of required reloads.

Stage after stage showed Breneman’s ideas – ideas that often “just can’t be done” in other sports.

Brian Hallaq moving
Brian Hallaq moving into position with his .38 snubbie.

On one stage, shooters fired two rounds from a supplied AR-15 in 9mm before switching to their pistol. Later they shot stationary steel targets (Steel Challenge style). Props were common – everything from plastic guns, to poker tables, to shooting from inside a real car!

As we said earlier, Malcolm McIver won the overall title in the “Non-ASI” group. Washington’s Regional Coordinator Marcin Pawlina topped the ASI competitors, with Blake Gruger topping the group for Non-Conforming Handguns.

Amid smiles and laughter as shooters waited for their scores, a prize raffle gave away two $50 Taylor Freelance, LLC gift certificates, along with ASI memberships, T-shirts, and more.

Breneman tells us the ASI Hand Sized Handgun Championship will return to Renton Fish & Game club July 29, 2017.

Scores are available on the forum now.

IMG_0360 web
ASI co-founder Sandy Wylie leads the production crew at Interlake.

logo11_ISA_small

Interlake Sporting Association (near Redmond, Wash.) is “back in business” for practical shooting. After a decade-long lull, Interlake will hold its first event June 4!

Registration starts at 9, with the shooter safety briefing at 9:30. All shooting will happen outdoors, so plan accordingly.

Interlake’s program has none other than ASI co-founder Sandy Wylie as its leader, helped by volunteers from Interlake and ASI-certified range officers from Renton Fish & Game. Expect four stages of fire June 4, pulled from ASI’s course library.

For directions and other club details, look up Interlake on-line at https://interlakesporting.com/ , or e-mail Sandy directly at “sandy (at) asi-usa.org”.

ASI’s founders remember well the days when Interlake was the “model shooting club” in the Northwest. We’re honored Interlake chose ASI’s controlled approach to practical shooting as the model that best fit its needs.

ASI’s Robin Taylor and Sandy Wylie sit down with the Power Factor Show’s Rick Brenneman to talk about ASI. The Power Factor Show caters to competitive shooters, so the interview includes a lot of the thinking and history behind ASI, along with discussions of how it differs from existing shooting sports.

Load More