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The OSU Pistol Club is sending its Pistol Team to the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club for International Practical Shooting Confederation competition.

OSU Pistol Team sets sights on new competition

By: Nick Ngo

Posted: 3/16/07

Members of the Oregon State University Pistol Team will be cleaning their guns and aiming for a good experience Sunday as they compete in a new league.

The Pistol Team is a competitive team made up of members from the OSU Pistol Club. The team will be attending an International Practical Shooting Confederation competition at the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club. Vice President of the OSU Pistol Club Eric Sundholm said this competition is something new for the team.

"It's something we're exploring, but we're not officially involved in it yet," Sundholm said. "It depends on how things go Sunday, then we'll think about steering the club that direction."

The club mainly focuses on "small boar bull's-eye" competition, in which a shooter stands 50 feet away from the target and shoots. The International Practical Shooting Confederation focuses more on what Sundholm refers to as "practical tactical" in which the shooter runs a course in a certain amount of time and shoots at various targets, which is measured by accuracy and power.

Only three out of the nine members of the Pistol Team are competing: senior Will Hoskins, and sophomores Don Bruss and Andy Bebeau.

Hoskins, president of the Pistol Club, refers to the style in the International Practical Shooting Confederation as a newer, exciting sport of shooting and said this Sunday is about understanding the new sport.

"We're just starting out and the best way to learn stuff like that is to get your feet wet," Hoskins said.

If all goes well and the club decides to move in the direction of practical tactical shooting, Sundholm said it would take a couple of years before the transition would be complete. Sundholm said it would take up to $3,000 to provide the club with new equipment. Also, they don't have a course or range to practice the new style of shooting. The closest range is in Albany.

Sundholm said the general purpose of the club is still their first priority. That purpose is to provide a safe place to deal with marksmanship along with spreading knowledge and awareness of gun safety.

Bebeau, range officer in the Pistol Club, is one of the many instructors who teach newcomers how to use a pistol.

"Definitely safety first. I don't care how well you shoot, as long as you're being safe about it and having fun," Bebeau said.

The Pistol Team started in the 1940s. It later went on to win the National Rifle Association Intercollegiate Championships in 1948. It wasn't until around the 1970s that the club was formed.

The club is open to any student or faculty member.

Pistol Club Range Officer Don Bruss joined last year as a freshman and has been competing on the team since then. Bruss was looking for opportunities to practice shooting .22-caliber pistols. Bruss said he's still learning and the sport is fun.

"It's a great sport, it's really a lot of fun," Bruss said. "It's really unique that we can do this on campus, not a lot of schools have this kind of opportunity."

The team competes in the Willamette Valley Pistol League. They travel to compete in regional areas like Vancouver and Eugene.

"There's around eight or 10 teams in the league," Sundholm said. "We're the only university or school in that league."

Sundholm said there are no requirements to be on the team. If a member expresses some interest or dedication toward being on the team then they're on it. The club meets Tuesdays and Sundays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the indoor range south-east corner of the McAlexander Field House. Newcomers have to show up at 6 p.m. for training before they can shoot on the range - training cost $5. For more information contact Sundholm at sundholm@eecs.oregonstate.edu.