THE Guyana Sport Shooting Federation’s (GSSF) practical pistol section commenced activities for 2017 last Saturday January 21 with the P&P Insurance brokers & consultants-sponsored practical pistol match at the GDF Timehri Range.
The event saw local practical shooters testing their skills in four dynamic stages setup by the GSSF match committee,competing for the top 3 prizes.

Shooters participated in the match, all under the limited division, USPSA rules, with two persons shooting under the “major” category (shooting higher than 9mm calibre). USPSA provides minor and major scoring based on power factor.
In the end,Ryan Mckinnon with 243.74 (minor) took the top spot ahead of Arafat Qualander – 177.38 (major), and Harold Hopkinson – 169.47 (major)
President of the Federation, Vidushi Persaud-Mckinnon,in her opening remarks, welcomed the shooters and encouraged all to follow the strict safety rules set out by the discipline,before introducing the match director,David Dharry.

Members then commenced the afternoon with a shoot-off as a mark of respect to fellow sport shooting colleague,Eon Caesar,who passed away in December 2016.
The match was then declared open. Four stages were set up side by side, and included paper targets, steel plates, and falling steel ‘poppers.’
Targets are divided into the scoring areas A, C and D with minor and major points 5-3-1 and 5-4-2 respectively. Scoring for practical shooting is done by recording the competitor’s time with an electronic device which ‘hears’ the shots and records the time from the audible beep which signals the start,to the sound of the last shot fired.

The targets are then scored and the total score gained is divided by the time recorded for that competitor,the result of which is termed a hit factor. The highest hit factor will win that stage. Ultimately a balance of short times and accurate shooting is required.
Scores were computed shortly after the last shot was fired,by stats officer Pravesh Harry.
P&P Insurance brokers & consultants branded trophies for the overall 1-3 winners in the limited division were presented by Persaud-Mckinnon, as well as by Vikash Panday who represented the sponsors, P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants