Hecho en Mexico

silhouette shooterYup, the sport of silhouette shooting (siluetas metalicas) began in Mexico.  The sport began in the early 1900’s primarily with rifles shooting at distant staked live animals.  Wagering matches were held at fiestas, and Pancho Villa held matches to improve the marksmanship of his troops who used saddle carbines and military rifles.  By the 1960’s when the sport migrated across the Rio Grande, the Mexicans had developed a set of rules that allowed matches to be shot consistently at various locations.  They had discontinued the use of live animals, and substituted metal cut-out targets sometime in the 1950’s.  The targets are steel silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams.  The Mexicans standardized the sport, and developed the size of the various silhouette targets, the types and size of target stands for the targets, the shooting distances for various targets, and defined the qualifying shooting equipment to be used.  These rules remain pretty much the same today, and have been adopted by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA).  Today, both organizations sanction and hold matches across the United Stated for almost all types of firearms and air guns. 

Here at PSC, we have two silhouette matches each month.  Range 1 - On the third Saturday of each month on Range 1, we have a dual sanctioned, NRA and IHMSA, match with pistols and lever action chicken bank rifles.  Both pistols and rifles shoot courses of fire for 22LR, pistol cartridge, and rifle cartridge firearms.  Depending on the course of fire, pistols and rifles shoot targets at 25 yards, 40 meters, 50 meters, 75 meters, 100 meters for 3/8 scale and  1/2 scale targets, and 50 yards, 100 yards, 150 yard, and 200 yards for full-size targets.  Entry fees are $6.00 per 40 round course of fire.  There is a course of fire for about any firearm you have in your safe.  Range 3 - On the fourth Saturday of each month on Range 3, we have an NRA sanctioned Smallbore Rimfire (22LR) Rife Silhouette match.  1/5 size targets are set at 40, 60, 77, and 100 meters.

silhouette shooter Although men outnumber women at the matches, they don’t out-shoot them.  We have state, national, and international women champions shooting with us.  Plus, we have both young and old and men and women who are still learning how to shoot.  So, don’t think you would be somehow embarrassed by entering a match.  There are plenty of folks at each match who are more than willing to help you get started.  As they say, “Don’t knock it if you ain’t tried it.”.

Interested?  Contact the Match Director or just show-up at a match.

Third Saturday - Lever Action and Pistol Silhouette:  Randy Parker, 713.906.7674,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fourth Saturday - Smallbore Rimfire Rifle Silhouette:  Pat Steiger, 713.408.0664, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.