The more competitions you can participate the better. I decided to gather all of my competitions reviews in one blog post. Enjoy!

GSSF – Glock Sport Shooting Foundation

I took part in an interesting handgun competition – GSSF (Glock Sport Shooting Foundation). Usually, I don’t shoot handgun matches but this one is very newbie friendly. The price of participation, handgun rent and ammo was very inexpensive.

Shooting Glock-17

Shooting Glock-17

So what is special about GSSF? You don’t need to own a handgun, magazines or equipment (belt, holster, magazine pouches). They are supplied by the organizers. Starting position is also simple, you already holding a handgun in hands. Stages are not difficult, you need to shoot targets from one position without changing magazines.

You need to shoot first stage three times, second stage four times and third stage three times. All time you get are summed up for the final result. It is important to shoot accurately because each inaccurate shot gives you penalty seconds.

Watching Shoot Off

Watching Shoot Off

GSSF 2017 Winners

GSSF 2017 Winners

I was in Civilian Amateur category because I am a very new to handgun and this was my first handgun competition. Two other catergories are Civilian Masters and Guardian (law enforcement).

It was a surprise but I was third out of 35 participants in my category. It was great to receive prize and medal.

So, I recommend this compeition to everyone. It will be interesting even if you don’t shoot handgun often.

Related post: Glock Serial (Barrel) Number Lookup

Ukraine Shotgun Open (IPSC, Level 3) – Win!

I am happy to win one new important practical shotgun competition – Ukraine Shotgun Open. 12 stages (2 slug stages, 1 buckshot and 9 birdshot), 147 shots in total. My Remington 870 modified for Dynamic Shooting Sport worked perfectly!

Photos from Ukraine Shotgun Open:

Remington 870 Vitaly Pedchenko

Remington 870 Vitaly Pedchenko

Ukraine Shotgun Open

Ukraine Shotgun Open

Ukraine Shotgun Open 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open Rio

Ukraine Shotgun Open Rio

Ukraine Shotgun Open Results

Ukraine Shotgun Open Results

Ukraine Shotgun Open Remington 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open Remington 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open Remington 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open Remington 870

Ukraine Shotgun Open 870 IPSC

Ukraine Shotgun Open 870 IPSC

10th Central-European Shotgun Open Match

The 10th Central-European Shotgun Open match was really interesting. It consisted of 24 stages with 250 birdshot rounds, 10 slugs and 10 buckshot. All the stages were challenging, and they tested many skills of the shooters.

There were a total of 324 shooters from all over the world who participated in this match. The atmosphere during the match was warm and friendly.

CESO2019 - Squad 8

CESO2019 – Squad 8

Competitors went through stages from 8 in the morning until about 7 in the evening.

I was able to finish 5th, and our team got the silver rank. A lot of experiences were earned, and many lessons were learned. It was really interesting to compete with the world’s best shooters. That is why we love CESO; it gathers hundreds of top shooters from all over the globe.

Why do we love the Practical Shooting sport? The reason is that IPSC is for everyone! We are all regular people with jobs, trying to balance our lives between family and training. Somehow we find the energy, time and money to spend on our favorite hobby. We train hard to enter great competitions like the CESO, where we get to see old friends again and make new friends and share experiences and gifts with them.

Practical shooting became a huge part of our lives, and I am sure that this part is one of the brightest and most interesting of them all. It brings us some of the happiest, motivational, dramatic, inspirational, emotional, and fantastic moments of our lives.

CESO2019 Starting Position of One of the Stages

CESO2019 Starting Position of One of the Stages

A 2-day competition is equal to weeks of normal life. Six days of the World Shoot are equal to 1 month! We have attended so many events and made so many impressions on our matches.
We meet lots of good people and make new friends from all around the world during these competitions!
It was awesome to meet all of you, my good friends! See you next year! :) Time to rest and prepare for the next shooting season.

Thanks to the organizers and ROs of the CESO2019, it was a great success! As all the shooters say after the match, “I could do it better!” I am sure we’ll have another chance next year!

Official website: http://www.puskaslovesz.hu/

Victory on the first stage of the Ukrainian Shotgun Cup

I have won one of the important matches in Ukraine – the first stage of the Ukrainian Shotgun Cup.

Vitaly Pedchenko, winner, Shotgun Cup Ukraine

Vitaly Pedchenko, winner, Shotgun Cup Ukraine

Videos from stages:

Central-European Shotgun Open 2018

Vitaly Pedchenko on Central European Shotgun Open

Vitaly Pedchenko on Central European Shotgun Open

Silver medal on Central-European Shotgun Open 2018! That was a really big dream for me. Shooters from all over the Europe gather in Hungary to compete and this year I succeeded. My Remington 870 worked perfectly and enabled me to shoot fast during 24 stages.

World Shotgun Championship in just 10 days, so I have some time to train more.

You can read my article about modification for dynamic shooting here:
Remington 870 for Practical Shooting (IPSC, 3-Gun) – Modifications to Improve Reliabliliy, Feeding, Extraction and Ejection

IPSC World Shotgun Championship, 2018, France, Chateauroux

I am in France, Chateauroux at the 3rd IPSC World Shotgun Championship. There will be 5 days of shooting, 30 stages and hundreds of shooters from all over the world. I’ve already met my friends from USA, France, Italy, Finland, Germany and many other countries.

Read more..

First, let me give you a piece of advise. You need to be careful when travelling with guns by airplane. Here is what happened to shotgun barrel of my friend when he travelled back from competition by airplane:

Broken Shotgun Barrel Travelling by Airplane

Broken Shotgun Barrel Travelling by Airplane

Broken Shotgun Barrel Travelling by Airplane

Broken Shotgun Barrel Travelling by Airplane

That is why I packed two of my Remington 870 shotguns to special SKB case which is reliable and lightweight. I was able to put two Remington 870 shotguns there, chokes, spare parts, cleaning kit, gun oil. The case has two locks and you can also use TSA padlock on this case.

You can order SKB case at Brownells: SKB Model 4009 Double Rifle Case

So here is me finally going to the World Shoot:

Going to the Shotgun World Shoot 2018

Going to the Shotgun World Shoot 2018

I needed to register and go through the gun check on the range. Range officers checked that safeties work properly on both shotguns and that they have the upgrades that allowed by the rules. Shotguns of other divisions were required to have the proper length and no ported chokes.

Both of my Remington 870 shotguns were ok and I received my competitor badge and dinner ticket :)

Gun Check Registration World Shoot, 2018

Gun Check Registration World Shoot, 2018

And of course I met a lot of old and new friends on the range:

With my friend, James, on the range

With my friend, James, on the range

Time to see stages, some of them look really interesting. This one is a buckshot stage and it has penalty targets on 25 meters… Pretty challenging for regular buckshot.

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

A lot of interesting design:

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018, Stages

Time for shopping, we bought ammo for the competition, in total we will have about 400 rounds. Today is the last day of registration and opening ceremony.

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018 Shopping

Shotgun World Shoot, 2018 Shopping

I will post more photos and videos soon. Wish me good luck :)

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018 (IPSC)

Just returned from French Shotgun Nationals, 2018. Shotgun competition which was held in Chateauroux. 24 stages, 44 slugs, 29 bucks, 272 of birdshot. I couldn’t get my own Remington 870 so had to shoot with shotgun which I have borrowed from French shooter, Cristophe. Thanks a lot to him for this! That shotgun had some limitations, so I was just 11th out of 40 shooters. But I am coming for the Shotgun World Shoot with my own shotgun, so it will be much easier for me to compete.

Squad #7 with 3 guys from Ukraine, 3 from Sweden and 3 from Finland:

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018 (IPSC)

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018 (IPSC)

The shooting range is huge. It is divided on several shooting zones and you need to drive to them using your car. Each zone had 6 stages to shoot in one day. Each bay had gun rack, chair and wood shed which was very useful during the hot weather, it will also protect shooters from rain.

There were many interesting stages with lots of interesting challenges. That was the first time I saw a mandatory weak hand shooting on one birdshot and one slug stage. I had to shoot prone from weak hand on shotgun stage and it was new experience for me!

Mikael Kaislaranta Shooting Knee

Mikael Kaislaranta Shooting Knee

It was allowed to use red dots in Modified division in IPSC, and some shooters already installed such sights on their shotgun. Here’s Teemu Rintala (Rifle World Champion) shooting his Benelli M2 with Aimpoint Red Dot Sight:

Teemu Rintala, Modified Division, Benelli M2 with Aimpoint Red Dot

Teemu Rintala, Modified Division, Benelli M2 with Aimpoint Red Dot

There were many different start positions on this competitions. I haven’t seen many of them before :)

Starting Position on Shotgun Competition, IPSC

Starting Position on Shotgun Competition, IPSC

Shotgun was in a rack on many stages:

Shotgun standing in a rack

Shotgun standing in a rack

There were a lot of different decorations:

Decorations on the IPSC Shotgun Competition in France

Decorations on the IPSC Shotgun Competition in France

Range Officers didn’t use paper score sheets. There was a tablet on each stage and they entered results using it, then shooter needed to enter PIN code to confirm the result.

That system speeded up everything and made the verification faster.

Range Officer with Tablet

Range Officer with Tablet

Computer and printer to see print and check results

Computer and printer to see print and check results

Each day we had just 6 stages, 3 before the lunch and 3 after the lunch. We had about 2-3 hours. That was nice but I prefer to shoot more stages a day.

Stages were really interesting and different from othe competitions. We had a lot of fun:

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

French Shotgun Nationals, 2018

It was nice to meet old and make new friends. I really like shotgun competitions where I can meet so many good people.

Home Defense Shotgun Competition

And another interesting competition! This time it was a home defense match. That means that you don’t know the exact number of targets and don’t know where they located. It looks closer to real life.

I was happy to get the 1st place on this competition. Remington 870 worked perfectly. There were 2 slug stages, 2 buckshot stages and 1 birdshot stage.

Home Defense Shotgun Competition

Home Defense Shotgun Competition

Usually, I use long barrel and Load-Quad belt for competitions. This was rare competition when I used short barrel and shell caddies.

CESO 2016 – Brutal Edition (Central European Shotgun Open)

Just returned from Hungary. I visit Central European Shotgun Open competition each year since the 2012. The shooting range where this competition is held is near Debrecen. It is fun to compete with shooters from all over the world. Shotgun shooters are very friendly and it is easy to make friends.

It was a pleasure to meet my friends from Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia.

This year I was 6th. Last year I was 11th, so I can see growth :) The competition was really long, 2 days, 30 stages (26 birdshot, 2 slug and 2 buckshot) with 350+ rounds. The experience I earned is priceless. All stages were extremely interesting.

Ukrainian team:

CESO 2016 - Brutal Edition (Central European Shotgun Open)

CESO 2016 – Brutal Edition (Central European Shotgun Open)

Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016, Practical Shooting

As you may know from the About section, I live in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

We had a Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016, Practical shooting shotgun competition recently. I have won it and this victory means a lot to me. I was shooting in a pre-match day (because I worked as Range Officer during the main match) and it was raining for 6 hours and such conditions were very unusual to me. But I did my best and won gold!

This match gathered about 60 competitors from many regions of Ukraine.

Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016

Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016

Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016, Practical Shooting

Kyiv Shotgun Open, 2016, Practical Shooting

Also, I plan to participate in Central-European Shotgun Open this year.

Ukraine Practical Shotgun Shooting Cup 1st Stage, Gold!

Victory on the 1st stage of the Ukraine Practical Shotgun Shooting Cup! The competition was very tough this time. There were a lot of good shooters but I was better :)

Ukraine Practical Shotgun Shooting Cup 1st Stage, Gold!

Ukraine Practical Shotgun Shooting Cup 1st Stage, Gold!

I love practical shooting and each competition is high day for me. We have several big matches in Ukraine this year and I also plan to visit Central European Shotgun Competition in Hungary.

World Shotgun Championship 2012, Hungary, Debrecen

World Shotgun Championship 2012 in Debrecen, Hungary was a fantastic event which gathered more than 400 shooters from around the world. I was happy to be part of this event. This was the 1st World Shotgun Championship and I was there.

My 1000 kilometers trip was easy for me compared to other competitors which came from Thailand, South Africa, USA, Brasil, Argentina etc.

Vitaly in Carpathian Mountains

Vitaly in Carpathian Mountains

30 stages were interesting and challenging. There were a lot of shooting positions, long, medium and short courses of fire. During 5 shooting days you need not only good shooting skills but also good physical condition and mental stability. Every shooter has a stage which wasn’t good enough and it is the moment when mental stability comes in play. If you are strong enough to get up and shoot next stage perfectly – then you can show good result. I’ve seen many skilled shooters which were so upset after a bad stage that they have done a lot of mistakes on the next stage, and then their shooting day was ruined.

Here are photos of the stages of the World Shotgun Championship:

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Windmill

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Windmill

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Tower

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Tower

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Raft

Hungary World Shoot, Stage with Raft

Hungary World Shoot 2012 Stage

Hungary World Shoot 2012 Stage

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Buckshot Stage with Boat

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Buckshot Stage with Boat

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Stage 17

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Stage 17

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Stage 16

Hungary World Shoot 2012, Stage 16

Hungary World Shoot 2012 Stage

Hungary World Shoot 2012 Stage

Competitors came to the World Shotgun Championship 2012 not only to compete but also communicate, make new friends, see different shooting techniques and equipment.

The atmosphere on this match was friendly, I felt like part of the big IPSC family. Participants of this match had a chance to meet legendary Jerry Miculek which has came to this match with his wife Kay and beautiful daughter Lena (which won 2 gold medals: in Lady category and in duel shooting):

Vitaly with Jerry and Lena Miculek

Vitaly with Jerry and Lena Miculek

World Shotgun Championship 2012 in Debrecen, Hungary was very successfull and I am happy that I was there. My shooting was good but result wasn’t the one I expected. I was disqualified just 3 stages till the end – there was slug stage with reduced vertical safety angle (top of the backstop) which I have broken. That was a hard earned experience.

But I was able to compete during all 27 stages and I must say that I am now a completely different shooter. Such competitions help grow your shooting skills dramatically. Especially when you can see how other good competitors shoot, move, load etc.

I plan to participate in more international competitions next year and hope to see people which I met on World Shotgun Championship 2012.

Changing T-shirts is one of the traditions of the Practical Shooting competitions:

Practical Shooting Tradition - Swapping T-shirts

Practical Shooting Tradition - Swapping T-shirts

Vitaly with Thailand Team

Vitaly with Thailand Team

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open, Pre-Match Day

Had 12 stages today, long courses were very interesting. Short courses are pretty simple.
Had several problems on stages, there were some very tricky hidden targets but having a lot of fun :)

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open, First Day of the Match

The 2nd Day of the CESO2014 match is over. I am 14th, not that result that I expected, last year I was 6th. But I really enjoyed the match and had a lot of fun.

Going home, more details soon!

changing_shirts_on_ceso

livio_running_with_shotgun

my_friends

shooting_shotgun

ukrainian_italian_squad

with_luigi_silvestroni

CESO 2014 Central European Shotgun Open, Pre-Match Day

I am in Debrecen, Hungary. I am going to take part in one of the most interesting shotgun matches Central European Shotgun Open 2014. It is a 2-day match with 20 stages.

Today is pre-match day when Range Officers and organizers shoot.

Here are some photos of stages:

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Central European Shotgun Open 2014

Bayern Cup 2013 IPSC Shotgun Competition

I am back from Bayern Cup 2013 (Philippsburg, Germany). This was fantastic match, all 12 stages were interesting and challenging. This time I was 11th out of 52 very strong shooters. I was proud to be in one squad with shooters from Italy. Luigi Silvestroni, one of the best pupm-action shotgun shooters was very kind to share his experience during the match.

Italian and Ukrainian Shooters, Squad #21

Italian and Ukrainian Shooters, Squad #21

Shooting range in Philippsburg is the best I’ve ever seen. It was raining for two days but we were able to shoot in comfortable conditions. All participants received plan, schedule and map of range. Organizers, Range Officers and helpers did a great job, everything was perfect.

Stages were really interesting, Sandra Schuh, stage designer, did a very good job. But I’d like to see buckshot stages next time. Stages with bonus clays were really challenging. Also, I like the idea of clays as targets for slugs.

Range officers were friendly and helpful.

Atmosphere was warm and friendly, I’ve met many friends, ROs and competitors from different countries. I am definitely going to Bayern Cup 2014!

Photo and video were prohibited on the match, that is why I don’t have much to show:

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

With Georg Moskop, Organizer of the Match

With Georg Moskop, Organizer of the Match

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

Bayern Cup 2013

News from Hungary World Shotgun Championship

Vitaly Pedchenko Somewhere in Carpathian Mountains :)

Vitaly Pedchenko Somewhere in Carpathian Mountains :)

Ok, I’m here. After 12 hours on a car and 4 hours on border (it takes some time to cross a border with 2 shotguns and 2000 of rounds :)

The weather during the trip wasn’t good, it was raining all 1000 of kilometers but now the weather is fine and shiny.

I have already registered for the match and checked all 30 stages (5 days of shooting!). The pre-match (when Range Officers go through the stages to be able to work on stages during the main match) is going well. There are many interesting stages. There are stages with all types of ammunition: birdshot, buckshot and slugs. There will be about 400 competitors from all the world. I have met some friends from Russia, Czech Republic, etc.

The match is going to be extremely interesting. Here are just a few photos from the range:

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

Hungary World Shotgun Championship 2012

The main match starts on Monday. More posts from the World Shotgun Championship in Debrecen, Hungary are coming soon!

Related Post:

The Best Remington 870 How-To Videos and Posts

World Shotgun Championship – Opening Ceremony

Opening ceremony was fantastic, there are about 400 shooters from about 35 countries. That is the biggest shotgun competition I’ve ever seen.

Here are some photos:

Finland National Team

Finland National Team

Ukraine National Team

Ukraine National Team

Ukraine National Team

Ukraine National Team

Me and shooter from UK National Team

Me and shooter from UK National Team

UK National Team

UK National Team

Me and Shooters form Thailand National Team

Me and Shooters form Thailand National Team

Sweden National Team

Sweden National Team

Vitaly Pedchenko and Voyno Brothers

Vitaly Pedchenko and Voyno Brothers

Shooters from Ukraine and Poland

Shooters from Ukraine and Poland

Slovenia National Team

Slovenia National Team

Hungary National Team

Hungary National Team

Greece National Team (Specially for Theodore)

Greece National Team (Specially for Theodore)

Today is the first day of the main match. More photos from the World Shotgun Championship are coming soon!

Related Post:
The Best Remington 870 How-To Videos and Posts

First Day of the World Shotgun Championship – Hungary, Debrecen

Today was first day of the competition. Everything was good, stages are very interesting.

I’ve seen lots of shooters from different countries. USPSA National Team was impressive. My sqad will have a free day tomorrow and then we have 4 more days of competition.

Here are some photos for you:

Kay Miculek, USA, Open Division

Kay Miculek, USA, Open Division

Open Division Shooter, USA

Open Division Shooter, USA

Open Division Shooter, USA

Open Division Shooter, USA

Standard Division Shooter, Ukraine

Standard Division Shooter, Ukraine

Standard-Manual Division Shooter, Ukraine

Standard-Manual Division Shooter, Ukraine

Ukrainian Shooter, Standard Division

Ukrainian Shooter, Standard Division

Ukrainian Shooter, Standard Division

Ukrainian Shooter, Standard Division

Finland Shooter, Open Division

Finland Shooter, Open Division

Lena Miculek, USA

Lena Miculek, USA

Lena Miculek, USA

Lena Miculek, USA

Jansen Jones, Noveske Team

Jansen Jones, Noveske Team

Related Post:

The Best Remington 870 How-To Videos and Posts

Second Day of the World Shotgun Championship in Hungary

Today, our squad had a free day and we were able to see how other competitor perform.

Here are photos for you:

Jerry Miculek

Jerry Miculek

Vitaly Pedchenko and National Team Serbia

Vitaly Pedchenko and National Team Serbia

Paolo Zambai, Italy

Paolo Zambai, Italy

Vitaly Pedchenko and Geza Puskas

Vitaly Pedchenko and Geza Puskas

Thai Shooter

Thai Shooter

Swinger Activation

Swinger Activation

Starting Position, Lying On The Bed

Starting Position, Lying On The Bed

Jansen Jones (Noveske) and Vitaly Pedchenko

Jansen Jones (Noveske) and Vitaly Pedchenko

Shooting Through Window

Shooting Through Window

Lena Miculek

Lena Miculek

Third Day of the World Shotgun Championship in Debrecen, Hungary

New photos from the World Shotgun Championship in Debrecen, Hungary:

Ammunition Transportation

Ammunition Transportation

Shooting From The Bridge

Shooting From The Bridge

Shooting From Platform

Shooting From Platform

Gameplan Discussion

Gameplan Discussion

Equipment Check

Equipment Check

British Shooter

British Shooter

Different Shooting Positions

Different Shooting Positions

Related Post:

The Best Remington 870 How-To Videos and Posts

Fourth Day of the World Shotgun Championship in Debrecen, Hungary

Here’s new interesting photo Hungary World Shotgun Championship:

Practical Shooting Tradition - Swapping T-shirts

Practical Shooting Tradition - Swapping T-shirts

This is tradition of the practical shooting competitions – swapping t-shirts. Hans from Netherlands was happy to swap t-shirt with me.

IPSC Shotgun Competition – Benelli Cup 2012

Benelli Cup

Benelli Cup

While shooting competitions in Czech Republic and Hungary are well-known, the neighboring Ukraine was a gap in the IPSC world until recently.

The Benelli Cup is a 2 day, 3rd level shotgun competition that was held in the Ukraine for its 3rd year in a row during 2012. It was organized by Practica, a shooting club, and Feniks Company. The match was held over the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2012, on a “Sniper” shooting range that was conveniently situated near the Kyiv and was reconstructed specially for the competition. The work involved to get this area ready required approximately 1000 of dump trucks worth of dirt to build the retaining earth walls.

Alexey Voyno

Alexey Voyno

The “Sniper” competition area was thoroughly planned, with a hotel and restaurant located nearby, along with 2 secure parking lots, both on the range and near the hotel, enabling participants to be just minutes from the stages at all times. Guests from other countries had a chance to experience some amazing culture, see beautiful sights, and find out about the rich history of Ukraine. The shooting range was located very close (just several kilometers) to the capital, and was located on a recently upgraded route that enabled competitors from Europe to travel easily. The competition area was surrounded by beautiful pinewood, which made the air fresh and protected competitors from the sun. Overall, participants were impressed with the new shooting range and its excellent location and infrastructure.

Portyanko Pavel

Portyanko Pavel

The Benelli Cup consisted of 18 stages including 217 shots (27 slugs, 23 buckshot and 165 birdshot) on 22 shooting bays (including Hot Range and Safety Zones) with distances from 5 to 60 meters (5.5 to 65 feet). There were 9 short, 6 medium and 3 long courses of fire with 12 birdshot, 3 buckshot and 3 slug stages. This year it attracted not only shooters from the Ukraine but well known shooters from Serbia (European champions), Russia (repeat champions), Moldova, and Czech Republic.

Serbia National Team

Serbia National Team

Takho Practica birdshot and slugs specially designed and manufactured in Ukraine for Practical Shooting
were the official ammunition of the match and were offered at discounted prices. Foreign shooters benefited from the rent-free use of the shotguns, which were provided by organizers. This enabled competitors to save time on paper work and cut travel expenses because they didn’t need to pay additional fees for ammunition and shotgun transportation.

The team of range officers was international and included well known and respected IROs: Range Master
Roman Sedy (IPSC Czech Republic Regional Director) and Konstantin Zasukhin from Russia.
The weather was good during the pre-match day, but challenging for competitors on the first actual day of the match; rain made stages more difficult to perform, but shooters accepted the challenge and performed with great enthusiasm.

Open Division Shooter

Open Division Shooter

The Courses of Fire were interesting, challenging, and sometimes deceptive with many different game
plans available; participants really enjoyed them, many giving words of appreciation to the organizers.

The RO party after the end of the 1st day of the match enabled ROs to relax, make new friends, and chat about everything, whether related or not to shooting.

Shoot Off

Shoot Off

Shoot-offs were held on the 2nd day of the match. This was a component that all competitors were waiting for eagerly. Prominent competitors wanted to meet face to face to find out who was the fastest and most accurate shooter of the match. Open, Standard and Standard Manual Divisions shoot-off winners were respectively Igor Jankovich from Serbia, Nikola Mihajlovich from Serbia, and Sergii Streltsov from Ukraine.

Roman Sedy

Roman Sedy

IPSC Open, Standard, and Standard Manual Divisions overall winners were respectively Igor Jankovich
from Serbia, Goran Jankovich from Serbia, and Sergii Streltsov from Ukraine.
Official representatives from Benelli Armi came to support the event and to hand over the President’s
Medals and the main prize of the competition – a Benelli SuperNova Tactical shotgun, provided
by STVOL, the main sponsor of the match.

Benelli Armi Representative

Benelli Armi Representative

Benelli Armi representatives were pleased with the organization of this year’s match and are planning to present new shotguns designed especially for Practical Shooting during the 2013 Benelli Cup.
Overall the Benelli Cup was a huge success in many ways. The shooting range, which was reconstructed specifically for Practical Shooting, is now capable of holding matches of a large size and high complexity. Competitors from the other countries became familiar with the Ukraine and a new and interesting competition. IPSC Ukraine shooters received an incentive to develop their shooting skills and train harder to compete with European champions.

Goran Jankovic

Goran Jankovic

Next year’s match is guaranteed to gather more shooters from all over the world. But most importantly, all competitors enjoyed the Benelli Cup and left smiling. It is difficult to describe the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship that is present during all IPSC matches.

This match enabled shooters to practice and determine their personal level before the main match of the year – the Shotgun World Shoot in Hungary.