Palmetto State Armory spent April 14 - 19 at the CMP Marksmanship Park in Talladega, AL for the annual World Speed Shooting Championship Presented by Palmetto State Armory.
Every year the top Steel Challenge Shooters from around the world gather at CMP Talladega to compete for the top spot and for the right to be called the fastest Steel Challenge shooter in the world.
Palmetto State Armory proudly sponsors the current World Speed Shooting Champion, Grant Kunkel, who runs the Palmetto State Armory PX9 in competitions around the country.
At just 19 years old, Grant smashed multiple world records this year at the World Speed Shoot.
At the 2021 World Speed Shooting Championship, Grant set the fastest speed overall, set a new world record in the Rimfire Rifle Iron Division ( a rifle with iron sights shooting rimfire ammunition) and set new world records on four of the eight stages. He also took top spot in the Rimfire Rifle Optics division.
But…
WHAT IS STEEL CHALLENGE?
Have you ever caught yourself running a drill at the range and then thinking, “That was some John WayneWick level excellency there.”?
Me too.
Recently we took the crew to the Civilian Marksmanship Park in Talladega, AL for the Palmetto State Armory World Speed Shooting Championship where I received a heavy, much needed dose of humility.
It was there that I learned how far from John WayneWick I really am. In fact, it would seem that today’s “John WayneWick” is most likely under the age of 20 and will run circles around anyone who dares to not give credit to the merit of youth.
One of the best parts of witnessing the World Speed Shoot is seeing how young the average competitors really are. The overall winner was 19. And some division winners were even younger.
That provides a lot of hope for the future of the shooting community.
HOW STEEL CHALLENGE WORKS
Steel Challenge consists of eight stages, each with five targets that the shooter must engage. One target is the Stop Target (last target to be shot each time), and the other four targets are open to be shot in any order the shooter chooses. The only thing that really matters is that the shooter engages the Stop Target last.
Missed shots are not penalized but must be made up. You have to put a shot on each target. And a missed shot may cost you extra time if it is, say, a sixth shot fired after all five shots have been put on target correctly. Maybe your “Operator Instinct” takes over, causing you to put an extra shot on the stop plate, that second (sixth) shot stops the timer and adds to your overall time.
At seven of the eight stages the shooter will shoot the stage five times and the slowest time of that stage will be dropped. Assuming the shooter hits each target perfectly, that’s 25 total shots required with only 20 of them counting towards the final time. Twenty shots on seven stages equals 140 shots accurately placed on target.
On one of the eight stages the shooter will run four rounds and the slowest time will be dropped. Assuming the shooter hits each target perfectly, that’s twenty shots total required with only fifteen of them counting towards the final time. This additional fifteen shots on target brings the total number of shots on target to 155.
Each stage consists of five targets, and each stage has a name and a specific way the targets are set up.
The names and setups never change. Roundabout is always setup up the same way, Smoke And Hope is always set up the same way, Outer Limits is always set up the same way...you get the point.
Five targets, in a particular order that is known by heart to the well-versed Steel Challenge shooter. For more specifics on the stages and divisions of Steel Challenge, check out https://scsa.org/rules
THE GUNS OF STEEL CHALLENGE
One more quick item to mention, there are several different categories you can shoot in Steel Challenge:
- Rimfire Rifle
- Rimfire Pistol
- Pistol Caliber Carbine
- Production (guns being shot just as their sold with little or no modifications allowed), Revolver and Single Stack.
Each of these categories allows the shooter to shoot the gun with iron sights or optics. Shooters could shoot Rimfire Optics OR Rimfire Irons and those divisions are their own competitions. But the overall winner is whomever has the fastest time overall. Regardless of whether they used a red dot or not.
Grant set the fastest speed overall, set a new world record in the Rimfire Rifle Iron Division (a rifle with iron sights shooting rimfire ammunition) and set new world records on four of the eight stages at The World Speed Shoot. He also took top spot in the Rimfire Rifle Optics division.
We had the chance to sit down with Grant and talk about how he prepares for a match like the World Speed Shoot.
Grant recorded a World Record breaking speed of 53.97 seconds TOTAL time in the Rimfire Rifle Iron division this year, his closest competitor in that division was six seconds back but still shooting a blistering fast time of 59.77.
- Grant’s Time was 53.97 seconds total. Less than one minute. 155 shots on target in less than one minute.
- Grant put an average of 2.87 shots on target EVERY SECOND while shooting a Rimfire Rifle with Iron sights.
AND he’s transitioning between five separate targets on each stage.
Simply.Incredible.
GRANT KUNKEL INTERVIEW
PSA: How long have you been shooting?
Grant Kunkel: I shot my first gun when I was 4 and started shooting competitively about a month before my 16th birthday. That will be 4 years ago come May.
PSA: What was the first gun you shot?
GK: The first gun that I shot was a little Cricket youth rifle.
PSA: Is that gun still in the family?
GK: Yes.
PSA: When did you decide to focus on Steel Challenge?
GK: From the very first Steel Challenge match that I shot, I decided I wanted to be the World Champion and was going to stay focused on it until I was.
PSA: How do you explain that you shot your iron sight rifle faster than your optic rifle?
GK: One of the hardest things for me to learn was to stay focused while shooting. Shooting my iron sight rifle makes me slow down and focus on the sights.
PSA: Has your accomplishment at the World Speed Shoot sunk in yet?
GK: I shot my winning time Thursday, and I guess it was 2 days later on Saturday when I was shooting my optic rifle that it hit me. Before each stage at every match I shoot, I repeat the same things in my head and one of them this past year was that I am the 2021 World Speed Shooting Champion. When I said that Saturday, before one of the stages, it hit me that I actually am.
PSA: What’s your practice regimen like?
GK: I have a home range that I practice at. For the past 3 years I have shot about 300rd most days, and before matches sometimes twice a day. When getting ready for a major match I could be shooting up to 1,000rd a day. I practice on smaller plates I got from Shoot Steel, so instead of the 12in plate, I use 10 or 8. I change stages about every week and a half.
PSA: You're an avid hunter. Does the competitive shooting spirit carry over into your hunting?
GK: Yes, duck hunting is my favorite, but I have always loved any kind of hunting. I think I killed my first squirrel when I was around 4 with my first gun, and my first deer when I was 6. In a way, my competitive shooting does carry over into my hunting. The challenge is the same to me.
PSA: What advice would you give a shooter considering getting into Steel Challenge?
GK: For shooters that have never competed, steel challenge is a great way to start. Find a club that has a monthly match, go and watch, and talk to the match director. It doesn’t take much to start, a 22 works great.
PSA: Any tips for other shooters looking to improve their competitive abilities?
GK: As Jerry Miculek said “unlock the door at the range and turn off the lights when you leave”. The next biggest would be mental management. Being able to stay focused and shoot all 31 strings perfectly takes a really good mental plan.
PSA: Now that you've set the bar pretty high with a 53.97, what's your next goal in the world of Steel Challenge?
GK: To be better! There is always room for improvement. Is it possible to shoot a 49? I want to find out.