As he lowers the XD, he realizes his competitors are still shooting.
He has won his first heat in the morning shoot-off, his first gunfire at his first Pin Match.
It is among the most iconic events in the shooting sports.
Armed with his Springfield Prodigy, Massad Ayoob runs a 9×12 at the 2023 Pin Shoot. Image: Gail Pepin
[Be sure to readMassad Ayoobs Guide to Pin Shooting.]
The Pin Shoot encompasses pistol and revolver, service sidearm and target gun.
Pump shotgun or auto, buck or slugs.
Massad Ayoob’s primary Pin Gun is a Plaxco-compensated Springfield Armory 1911-A1 in .45. Image: Gail Pepin
Pistol caliber carbine or .223, and even events for .22.
Two- and three-person team events.
The serious prizes, of course, are in the shooting.
Competitor Jeff Sourbeer fires his first shot at his first Pin Shoot with his Springfield Armory XD45. Image: Gail Pepin
Dont worry about stories of people waiting too long to shoot.
That was in the distant past.
The first thing you want to do is to spend some time on the website,www.pinshoot.com.
You never know what you may see at a competition. Ned Christiansen wins a Pistol Caliber Carbine shoot-off with customized9mm Sterlinghe won at a previous Pin Shoot. Image: Gail Pepin
Youll see the different pin arrays.
If you dont have a past pin-shooter as a mentor, theyre easy to find once you get there.
The website also has scores posted in each event from 2017 to 2023.
Young folks are well represented at the shoot: meet Valo Christiansen and his girlfriend Kaitlyn Williamson. Image: Gail Pepin
As you go over them, note the names that appear each year.
(Just dont grab them right before or right after theyre scheduled to shoot.)
Youll meet Deb and Pam Higgins, the official historians of the shoot.
The Springfield Armory Pavilion is a gathering place during the Pin Shoot. The company is the primary sponsor of the shoot. Image: Gail Pepin
Youll see Jeff and Kim Chudwin, whom I consider the power couple of AR-15 riflery.
And youll meet a helluva lot of other fine men and women who share your passion.
The area abounds with lakeside cabins and comfortable resort apartments.
Massad Ayoob reconnected with Johnny Robbins, right, who won the shoot overall when he was just 13 years old. Image: Gail Pepin
Many attendees camp out.
It has all the makings of a family vacation.
Bill Wilson made his bones here when he won as a young man; ditto Jerry Miculek.
Men like Jerry Barnhart were already champions when they won here, and their pin-shooting victory proved their versatility.
But sometimes, the winner comes by surprise from nowhere.
The 2024 winner could be … you.
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