Greetings all, Just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks vacation in Israel. Time spent with family and friends, and of course, as always, the Israeli Open which was shot over the holidays in Israel.
It is always a pleasure for me to return to Israel, to shoot with friends I grew up with and learned the game of IPSC with. It sometimes seems to me like a time capsule - as I go back and feel no time has passed since the last match I shot there.
April in Israel is a super time to visit, the weather is usually very comfortable and this year was no exception. We had one cold morning with a light drizzle, but for the most part the sun was shining and the temperature a pleasant 25-28 degrees.
This was also my first time competing in Israel with an STI. Although I have a couple of race BUL guns in Israel, I decided to take my current guns and ammo, to make sure I could offer my best performance, and gain a good practice. It was clear sailing in and out through customs with the paperwork in order thanks to the support of the Israeli Shooting Federation.
The stages offered some very athletic sprints. In fact, after the first day I felt like I had had an intense work out in the gym! Most stages were BIG, requiring sprinting to multiple positions and shooting, in many cases well over 20 rounds. In fact, the 14 stages totaled over 300 rounds, which most found very agreeable.
A small stage of interest was the "the bath stage" in which the shooter started sitting in a bath tub, gun placed on table with empty chamber, and both hands wrist deep in a bucket of water. It has been some years since I've seen the water prop used. Can't say I missed it. I am not sure what gun handling skill this drill tests, but it does make for a challenge and some unique interest. Great high speed picture to the right.
The match offered a good mix of speed and accuracy, with plenty of running and gunning mixed in with 25m plus mini poppers and plates. It was not easy by any account. A little more attention to construction and set up could have greatly reduced the arguments during the match, which would have made everyone's life a little easier. But that would be my only criticism. All in all, it was a fine level III.
Few foreign guests competed, but those who did had a blast, enjoying the stages and the shoot-off shot on Friday. The most prominent international shooter was Doni Spencer of Canada, former US Open Ladies champion. She shot clean, to win with a comfortable margin over Yael Dagan, Israel's long time Ladies top gun.
I had a good match, winning by over 20%, although did not really back it up with a good performance in the shoot-off. Oh well, you can't have it all. The final results were:
As always I have my sponsors to thank for their support
STI International
Drummen Custom Guns
Berry's Fmg
Competitive Edge Dynamics (CED)
Rescomp Handgun Technologies
Lapua/Vihtavuori
Aimpoint
Until the next time I wish you all excellent shooting.
Saul Kirsch | Pictures These SUPER match pictures are thanks to Effi First. you can find more of his pictures here. 
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