It was a cold and rainy December day. One of those days when the sun struggles to penetrate through the clouds and the overcast sky radiates that dull gray intensity. You can’t tell whether it’s 9:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. unless you look at your watch. But other than the excessive mud in the pistol bays from the rain, it was perfect match weather, at least for me. When shooting matches in Texas, one takes any reprieve from the harsh heat, especially during the match season in the summer months. It seems like any time the air is cold and humid, it suspends whatever scents are floating around. That afternoon, the smell consisted of equal parts burnt pistol-powder and spray paint, with some wet earth thrown in for good measure. The scent lingered around the pistol bay. When I stepped up to the shooting box, its strongest pulse greeted my nostrils. I calmly waited for the Range Officer to instruct me to “make ready.”
After adjusting the brightness of my Trijicon SRO’s dot on my Glock G34 Gen 5 and inserting a loaded magazine, I held the gun at low ready. Six steel plates stood before me 11 yards downrange, waiting for their paint to be smudged by 115 grains of lead several times over. Knowing the timer was close to sounding off, I visualized the bright-red, 2½-MOA orb kissing the white of the first steel plate with the understanding that the Glock G34’s bullet would lay it down mere milliseconds afterward.
I was moments away from firing the first round of the day at “Glock The Plates,” one of three officially sanctioned stages found at a GSSF (Glock Sport Shooting Foundation) Outdoor match.
ACTION-PISTOL SERIES FOR GLOCKS, BY GLOCK
The Glock Sport Shooting Foundation dates back to 1991, not long after the first generation of Austrian-made Glock pistols started finding their way into the display cases of gun shops across the United States.
As the name implies, GSSF matches only focus on Glock pistols; however, GSSF caters to every category and style of Glock pistol, not just the most popular models. Anything goes—as long as it is a Glock handgun. GSSF even has a division for sub-capacity models like the Glock G42 chambered in .380 ACP. As one would expect, equipment divisions are stratified by different types of accessories (e.g., slide-mounted reflex sights and other modifications).
GSSF has three main classifications: Master, Amateur and Guardian (for law enforcement, military members, etc.). Master class is for those who have such a rating in another discipline and amateur class for everyone else. Registration for GSSF matches is open to anyone as long as they become a member of the GSSF. Each outdoor event also has a ladies-only side match.
Registering for matches is no more complicated than signing up for a regular USPSA event on Practiscore. In fact, I signed up and became a member to attend the very match I’m writing about. One of the membership perks under GSSF is the yearly discount voucher members receive that can be put towards a blue-label Glock pistol. At outdoor matches, participants also have opportunities to win prizes. This includes new pistols—sometimes by pure luck of the draw after being selected from a random lottery simply by showing up that day.
SHOOTING THE GSSF OUTDOOR MATCH
GSSF runs two types of matches, the Indoor match and the Outdoor match. Their names are self-explanatory and they correspond to indoor or outdoor shooting facilities. I’m writing about the Outdoor match—GSSF’s main event. The Outdoor match itself is simple, consisting of three stages called “Glock’M,” “Five To Glock” and “Glock The Plates.” These include both steel and paper (cardboard) targets and as far as action-pistol stages go, they’re straightforward. Everything is shot from the shooting box, similar to old-school USPSA classifiers and most Steel Challenge stages. Neither sophisticated stage plans nor wild stage movements are required to successfully navigate GSSF Outdoor stages.
Depending on the stage, targets are placed from seven to 25 yards, and the only thing you need to clean these stages is shooting mastery with a Glock pistol. Though simple, outdoor GSSF events can get quite competitive at the highest levels, too.
GSSF paper targets used in the Outdoor match are modeled after the tombstone NRA D-1(T) targets, but the official GSSF targets lack the rounded upper portion and are known as GSSF AC-1 targets. Except for those shooting the sub-compact and sub-capacity divisions, each paper target takes two shots. Steel targets are spray-painted white and require one round for score.
GSSF scoring is simple and based on having the least amount of time. Each failure to make up mikes (misses) adds 10 seconds to the run, which is an immediate death sentence. The center of the AC-1 target is “down 0,” the next immediate outside adds one second and the rest of the paper target adds three seconds. Winning simply requires having the lowest aggregate time.
With the exception of “Glock The Plates,” which is shot four times, the other two stages are shot three times each.
GSSF Outdoor matches are run differently than most USPSA or IDPA events. They’re typically held on a weekend and run both days during business hours/daylight. After registering on the website, you show up, sign in and make your way to the different stages to shoot them. Depending on the facility, there may even be a warm-up bay. In my case, we showed up after lunch in the afternoon.
That rainy December afternoon, I reported to the “Remember the Alamo” Ballistic Challenge 2024 held in Atascosa, Texas. (I couldn’t help but notice that all GSSF Outdoor events get their own title).
With my pair of fifth-generation Glock G34s in hand, I was signed up for the Glock MOS (stock “carry optics”) and the Competition (stock Glocks with a competition heritage, e.g., Glock G34, G35, G17L, etc.). I didn’t do great, ending up ranked 25th in the Competition division with a total score of 117.87 (costly mikes hurt me) out of 35 shooters. Trying to leverage the aid of the red dot, I shot every stage with my iron-sighted Glock G34 first, in order to warm up. The strategy worked, somewhat—my total score for the Glock MOS division was 62.87 and I placed 22nd of 38 shooters.
For me, the best part of attending the event was spending time with friends in a casual match atmosphere.
CRITIQUES & VALUE PROPOSITION
I’m not a serious contender in IPSC or USPSA, but I like to attend the events for fun and for the sake of my writing, too. After a few years of shooting at local fast-paced USPSA contests, I’m comfortable with the match process. However, that wasn’t always the case.
Overcoming the learning curve and internal feelings of intimidation at matches is still within recent memory. Being successful at most action-pistol matches isn’t just about shooting, there’s stage planning and helping the squad keep score, etc. For many it can be a handful and a deterrent to sticking to competitive shooting, even for fun. The overall simplicity of the GSSF Outdoor match goes a long way in this regard. Other than a pistol and some extra magazines, the GSSF Outdoor match doesn’t require much in the way of gear. Holsters are optional and aren’t used at the start of the stage (everything starts from low ready). GSSF rules stipulate that holstered firearms must be carried with the slide open and locked back while in the holster. At my match, I simply bagged and unbagged my pistols in the direction of the Range Officer, Steel Challenge-style. In addition to the minimal gear requirements and simplified format, a chance to win random prizes like free guns doesn’t hurt, either.
My biggest critique about the GSSF Outdoor match is that raw scores are recorded by hand on carbon copy paper. In the age of Practiscore, it feels antiquated, not to mention time-consuming. Having signed up to shoot the three different stages under two divisions, I was always walking around with six different clusters of paper. The carbon copy system also makes score tabulation slower. Participants didn’t get the match results until five days later. That said, the emails and match results on the GSSF website were clear. Also, shooting the match can get pricey. It costs $30 to sign up for each division, but you can sign up for as many as few divisions as you’d like. One upside—the chances of winning random prizes, cash or guns.
After experiencing an GSSF Outdoor match, the event’s simplicity illustrates that it’s more than just a periodic congregation celebrating the ubiquitous Austrian-produced, polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol. With a match format like Steel Challenge and with simple stages shot from a single stationary position, GSSF isn’t overwhelming or complicated, allowing newer or casual shooters a chance to enjoy the match experience.
Most Popular
