The History of Competitive Shooting

Competitive shooting is a sport that people take part in throughout the world. It is something that involves immense skill and concentration along with plenty of practice. But shooting was not always the competitive, popular pastime that it is today. Here is a look at how shooting has changed and evolved through history, making it one of America’s most beloved competitive independent sports.

Historical Competitive Shooting

Through historical literature like Homer’s “Iliad” we learn that the ancient Greeks had an array of different weapons, including the bow and arrow, the spear, and archery. They were known to hold competitive contests in honor of their gods. However, it was not just the ancient Greeks who participated in these contests; the Indians, Celts, Slavs, Germans, and Persians also participated in similar events.

Over the next few centuries, the skill of marksmanship changed and evolved into a social and competitive sport that both peasants and royalty enjoyed. From this, several interesting stories emerged, such as the Swiss archer William Tell, who received praise for shooting an apple off of his son’s head. It is a story that has been retold in many animated children’s cartoons.

Once shooting became an official competitive sport between the 13th and 14th centuries, shooting clubs were formed exclusively for men. During this time, bows and wheel-lock muskets were used. These were shot from a standing position only. It took until the 16th century before guns had barrels and were used in competitive matches. These early matches had the shoot’s aim at colorful painted targets. These matches involved shooting only one shot, winner takes all. Usually, the prizes for these competitions include gold and money. Even though this is when competitive shooting began, these matches were held only on special occasions such as religious holidays or New Year’s Day.

Competitive Shooting in the USA

Competitive shooting did not come to America until 1710 when European gunsmiths in Pennsylvania produced flintlock rifles for protection against the Native Americans but also for hunting food. To ensure their skills were up to scratch, shooters practiced shooting at a mark, usually an “x,” marks the spot or a knot on a tree was used to hone their craft. When it came to competing, “turkey shoots” or “rifle frolics” were the first competitive shooting matches in which the shooter had to shoot one shot from a specified distance at a standing or rest stance, usually 250-330 feet. The prizes for these games were different types of food.

These matches were upgrades around the 1800s when rifles were designed to include more features such as 38-40-inch barrels, target sights, percussion caps, and double-set triggers. These features were similar to European-designed firearms that were also available at that time. With more specialized features, the popularity of competitive shooting vastly increased. In the 1800s in New York, a shooting event saw 600 shooters and over 30,000 spectators enjoying the excellent features these matches could offer.

It wasn’t until 1825 that pigeon trap shooting gained popularity in the US, and from historical records, the first match was recorded in Ohio in 1831. American inventors were the leading creatives in developing the artificial targets needed for trap shooting. The first targets consisted of glass balls with feathers, then this was upgraded to clay targets, which are still used today.

Skeet shooting was developed in the early 1900s in an effort to replicate upland game shooting. Within the early edition of this game, shooters were required to fire in a clockwise motion with shooting stations placed in a circle surrounding them. This was modified sometime later to the half-circle shape that is still used today.

Competitive Shooting on the Global Stage

The first World Shooting Championships were held in 1897, but it wasn’t until 1958 that women’s events were added. Many organizations in America took competitive shooting on the international stage very seriously. The US Revolver Association previously looked after the Olympic pistol teams. In 1935, the National Rifle Association of America took over this responsibility.

The International Shooting Union was established in 1907 when eight nations came together to create the global governing body for international shooting. It is now based in Germany with over 148 member federations.

It wasn’t until 1979 that the US Shooting Team trained together all year round and had access to facilities such as a national coaching staff, a training headquarters in Colorado Springs, and an extensive training program. Before that, shooters trained separately and met once a year at different events. In 1985, the first US Olympic Shooting Centre was built, and more than 23 athletes were training on the national team.

Since 1896, the Olympics have included several competitive shooting games, with the quantity of events changing every time. There were both individual and team events until 1948 when the team events were removed. Participation in these events has steadily risen over the years, with 83 countries shooting competitively in 1992. Now, shooting matches are the third most popular event of any Olympic games.

The American Olympic team has won 44 gold medals and is placed third in the highest of all time for Olympic Medals. Fun fact: for competitive shooting, only thirteen shooters, including Gary Anderson and Alfred Lane, have been awarded two gold medals for individual shooting events.

Many people do not know this, but American shooters have won more gold medals than any other sports category except for running and swimming.

Overall, competitive shooting has undergone massive changes over the centuries, and it is now one of the most beloved sports and hobbies of the American people. If you want to learn more about gunsmithing and competitive shooting, check out MGS Trade School for more information.

Written by: Ryan Clancy, Engineering HQ