National pistol event at Echuca

The Echuca round of the championships is one of six that will be contested across Victoria in the next three months, the expanded program a result of lockdowns and an inability for competitors to accrue points that are required for Victorian team selection.

Mark Oliver, who is a national team member and Australian champion, is in charge of the events and sponsorship for the club, and said he expected the event would be four times the size of anything ever held at the club.

The round is part of the International Practical Shooting Confederation state championship and is being used as a qualifying round for Victorian team selection.

Echuca Pistol Club has been in operation since 1960, a former member gifting the land on a 100-year lease.

The Echuca location has an edge on its rivals in that it has 180-degree shooting capability on its ranges.

“Most ranges the competitors shoot at will have the target straight in front of them, due to the five-metre high, and wide, earth berms,” he said.

“We have a range with a 180-degree arc. It is immensely popular with competitors.”

Mr Oliver is the current Victorian champion of the classic division, with his STI 1911 pistol.

He is also the Australian over 50s champion and a grand master of the sport, which puts him in the top one per cent of the sport here in Australia.

He is originally from Echuca, but moved to Melbourne and decided he needed a hobby.

The Echuca event will involve several national and state champions, who will operate in several different divisions.

“It is a bit like boxing, there are several different divisions to suit the different types of pistols that competitors are using, so that everyone competes on a level playing field,” he said.

Competitors are given three minutes to look at the course and work out where the targets are.

They can be anywhere from one metre to 60 metres away, hidden behind walls and barrels, or in plain sight.