Raw unadulterated speed, probably sums up the Steel Challenge Shooting Association. If you want high-speed shooting the Steel Challenge is your game. The SCSA has clubs across the country that hold matches at the local and regional levels throughout the year culminating in the annual World Speed Shooting Steel Challenge Championship match.

Created in 1981 by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman the World Speed Shooting Steel Challenge Championship event has grown into one of the richest matches in the world distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes to the competitors each year.

Designed to be shooter and spectator friendly the match consists of 8 set stages with such ominous names as “Accelerator“, “5 to Go“, and “Smoke and Hope” and is scored on raw time. You either hit the steel targets or you don’t. Simple, straight forward, easy to understand, hard to do.

Each of the 8 stages consists of only 5 plates. The plates vary in size, placement, and distance to create the different stages. The shooter begins in a shooting box and on the start signal draws from the holster and engages each of the steel plates, one of which is designated a “stop” plate which must be hit last to stop the clock.

The shooter has 5 “runs” on each stage keeping the best 4 times, which are combined to determine the total stage time. The total stage times from each of the 8 stages are then added to determine the shooters match total. The shooter with the lowest match time is the match winner.

For spectators the Steel Challenge format is exciting to watch as the spectators know immediately how the shooter faired. They hear the hits on the steel, or more deafening the misses. The time of the run is displayed on a large timer board and a world record is immediately celebrated.

In 2007 USPSA purchased the SCSA from Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman. Though under USPSA, the SCSA is maintained separately from a membership and club affiliation perspective. Anyone may shoot a SCSA event other than the World Championship event which requires SCSA membership.

Until the 2007 event the 80 second barrier had never been broken. A $30,000 prize was on the line for the 1st shooter to win the event breaking the 80 second barrier. In 2007 the top 3 finishers finally broke through with Max Michel taking the prize money with a World Record time of 79.2 seconds. Max is a member of the Army Marksmanship Unit Action Shooting Team.

In 2008 several new World Records were established including Max Michel setting a new single run time of 1.69 seconds on “Smoke and Hope” and match winner K.C. Eusebio setting a new match record of 79.16 seconds. K.C. along with Max, is a member of the Army Marksmanship Unit Action Shooting Team.

SCSA events aren’t only for the race guns, there are enough divisions and categories to accommodate most everyone including rimfire pistol and even Cowboy Single Action.

Visit the SCSA website or visit the USPSA website for more information.

Click to Subscribe on iTunes Free Click to follow on Twitter Free