IPSC - IPSC Shooting, IPSC Accessories, IPSC Equipment

Int. Helmut Schwaiger Trophy 2008

Greetings all,

I've been driving the 1100 km to Vienna to attend this match for the past 5 yeas, and I can say I am never disappointed! This indoor range, offers today one of the best matches in Europe. No small feat when you consider the limitation an indoor range creates for stage designers and match organizers.

This year, the trophy match was more difficult than in previous years, but it was a welcome challenge. The stages always offers some really long shots, but this year, added to that, were a bunch of low ports, and some really mean swingers. It was not easy, and I think practically all competitors left Vienna with a few misses, or more than a few. I got away with just one, and had to consider myself lucky?

The stages were truly excellent, offering an assortment of new ideas: on one speed shoot, you had the choice of shooting though some soft cover windows, lined with "mosty transparent" plastic, which reflected the back light in a rather wicked way, making it harder than one would expect to sight through it. There were windows available without the plastic, but they were further apart and knee high - which offered an option and therefore some tactical interest as well. A nice touch.

On another stage, in the final position, one had to shoot into a small room, through a tiny port - while holding on a light switch with the weak hand. If you choose not the turn on the light, you would be shooting into a totally dark chamber. There was a swinger in there, which was hard to hit it full light, let alone in the dark! And that strong hand only swinger was a really tough target, as it was visible only in a very small, and rather asymmetrical part of it's ark , making it very tricky to judge, and although it was close, my first 2 shots, I knew, were not on paper. After 4 shots I had an A and a D, and was better off than most. It was a deceptively difficult target.

Range three always offers up one of the more interesting stages of the Trophy, and this year it was excellent, incorporating 3 motorized turning targets and another tough partially covered swinger to shoot. The shooter had to retrieve his pistol out of a case, doing so set the activation of the turning targets to motion. Then, while moving across the range to the left, the shooter had to find the right sequence in which to shoot the 3 turning targets without waiting on any - if you got the sequence wrong - full seconds ticked away, as you were forced to wait for the next appearance of the targets. This was one of those stages in which you had to have a well thought out plan - and stick to that plan methodically! I love such stages, as they require more control and thought.

It was a good Opening to the 2008 season for the STI Euro team: Gregory Midgly shot an excellent match with his new STI Edge to win the Standard Division by a commanding 14%. I shot well, and mostly error free to win Open by almost 20%. So we walked away with the very large, very impressive travel trophies of the match.

The justly earned reputation of this match attracts many competitors and the match is usually filled to capacity. This year, over 250 shooters from 18 nationals were there to compete, including a large, and always jolly group of shooters from Ireland.

If you are looking for a match to start off your season next year - I recommend this one! Its always a little cold in the underground ranges, but hey - at least you don't have to worry about getting wet when shooting outdoors in early March,

We are just about to arrive back in Hollnad, before turning around in 3 days to drive back to Nurnburg and the IWA show. If you are coming - be sure to stop by the Double-Alpha Academy booth and say hi.