I’m got the itch to shoot some Blackpowder Bullseye again. I did it many years ago and found it quite fascinating. I recently completed the requirements to earn the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program’s Distinguished Expert’s Award in the Pistol category. I had already earned the Distinguished Experts Award in Bullseye pistol several years ago, and decided to try my hand at becoming a Triple Distinguished Expert through this program. I came close to doing so in their International Air Pistol event but so far I’ve only earned an Expert’s rating with the air gun. Air Pistol is a very tough event.
This program is not to be confused with the Distinguished Rifle and Pistol awards given by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Those awards are far more difficult to achieve and the matches are far and few between.
I’ve got the itch so bad, that last night I bought a mint .44 caliber, Ruger Old Army revolver off of GunBroker.com. The .44 designation is kind of a misnomer because this revolver actually fires a .457 diameter ball.
My next step is to assemble all of the accessories I’m going to require. A one-pound canister of FFFg Goex Blackpowder. Some RWS percussion caps. A box of precision cast round balls. A bag of Wonder Wads, and a tube or two of Bore Butter lube. Let me not forget cleaning supplies. I don’t want my new Ruger rusting shut overnight.
The course of fire for this program is fairly grueling as it is fired one-handed at both 25 and 50 yards on an NRA approved B-17 International pistol target. You fire thirteen rounds per target and count your best ten hits for your score at each distance. You must shoot an aggregate score of both targets and post a 165 or better five times over the course. Believe me this will not be a cakewalk. I’ll let you know how I do as time progresses.
