Training Tips from the Experts

by
posted on July 3, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2013627125141-xperttrainingtips_f.jpg

7/3/2013

NRA Action Pistol is a challenging sport. Its national championship, the Midway USA & NRA Bianchi Cup, is considered by many professional shooters to be one of the toughest events on the calendar each year due to the extreme accuracy required to win. I’ve been shooting the Cup for five years now, and over that time have collected some advice from the top shooters about the Bianchi Cup.

Accuracy
“Shoot the match with the same quality of sight picture regardless of the distance to the target.” —Dave Sevigny, 2009 Production Champion.

Dave means that unlike other matches where your sight picture will vary based on the distance to the target, at Bianchi Cup it’s important to have a crisp front sight focus picture at all times when you’re shooting an iron sight gun. Letting your focus go hazy will put rounds out of the 10 ring and into the eight ring, or worse yet the five ring of the target. Keep that front sight crystal clear and you’re on the path to success.

Time
“Six seconds is all the time in the world.” – Bruce Piatt, multiple time Bianchi Cup champion.

At the new shooter’s introduction in 2009, Bruce said that to a room of new shooters, myself included. I wrote it down and have remembered it since, because it’s a constant reminder to slow down. At the Bianchi Cup, all the events are fired on a par time, meaning you have a fixed amount of time to fire the number of shots required by the string. Invariably, it’s plenty of time. Too many new shooters rush and fire all their shots, instead of just relaxing, taking their time and only firing when the sights are where they should be.

Nerves
“Just relax and shoot ‘em in the middle.” – Julie Golob, 2012 Midway USA & NRA Bianchi Cup Women’s Champion.

It’s a big match! A national championship, with all the pageantry you’d expect from a match this size. There are social events, a huge awards banquet with a dress code, and just about every major firearm media outlet shows up to cover the match. It is only natural that you would be a little nervous.

But don’t sweat it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the competitive spirit, but that just leads to the jitters. Don’t worry about the jitters, just relax. After all, this is supposed to be fun, right?

That’s really the best part about Bianchi Cup—it’s fun. Yes, you get to challenge your shooting skills on a great match, but you also get to spend four days surrounded by some of the best people in the firearms community. The people who shoot the Bianchi Cup each year are close knit—everyone knows everyone, and yet it’s extremely welcoming of new shooters.

Latest

Taurus GX2
Taurus GX2

Review: Taurus GX2

From cars to cellphones, as a product gets more sophisticated, it usually also gets more expensive. And, as modern handguns get more modular and optic-ready, their prices tend to go up.

Rifleman Q&A: A Garand Puzzlement

"We are a father-and-son NRA member tandem in search of an answer regarding the branding of an M1 Garand rifle. We own an M1 rifle that has markings indicating it was a “lend lease to England,” and it also has a .308 barrel/sleeve."

$160K Raised For HAVA At SIG Sauer Event

SIG Sauer hosted its 9th Annual Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) Charity Golf event early last month and raised more than $160,000 to support disabled veterans.

Scout The Trail To A General Purpose Rifle

The search for a universal longarm—one suitable for both hunting and defensive scenarios—is a trek that involves a bit of doubling back.

Trijicon Releases Green-Dot RMR

For the first time, the Trijicon RMR will now be available with a green aiming dot, providing some benefits to shooters with astigmatism and red-green color blindness.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 15, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.