WM Pistol League

The Northampton Revolver Club has participated in the Western Mass Pistol league (WMPL) for over forty years. Matches are shot each week during the season at the NRC’s indoor range. The Team has enjoyed a degree of success over the years and has always put sportsmanship and comradery at the forefront.

What Is WMPL:

WMPL is a .22 Bull’s Eye League which is made up of eight teams from Clubs across the Pioneer Valley. The League, which typically starts the first week in October, runs for twenty-one weeks and concludes with a banquet in April, where awards are presented to the top teams and shooters. The Individual Clubs also recognize top shooter accomplishments.

Matches are shot on Monday or Tuesday nights at each Clubs home range. Match scores are submitted to the League Secretary by the end of each week for posting to the participating teams.

The Teams:

Agawam

Hamilton

Holyoke

Ludlow

Nenameseck

Northampton

Smith & Wesson

Swift River

Who can participate:

Any NRC Club member can participate in the matches, no experience is necessary. The Team encourages new shooters and will work with anyone who has an interest. New Shooters will be introduced to the fundamentals of Bull’s Eye shooting and what shooting a “match” involves, before actually having to participate as a Team member. The introduction concept is designed to allow the new shooter to become comfortable with the dynamics of a match, without the pressure of having to actually compete. When the new shooter achieves a level of understanding and is comfortable with match dynamics, they can choose to participate as part of the Team.

Once part of the regular Team, the new shooter is required to pay League dues, which are currently $20.00 per season. Additionally, the Club charges $1.00 per match to cover the cost of the targets.

The Match:

The Match is a .22 Bull’s Eye Match that follows the NRA rules for Bull’s Eye Shooting. The match consists of three targets, each shot with ten rounds, thirty rounds total for the match, 300 points best possible score.

• Target #1 (NRA B2 target) is “slow fire”. Ten shots taken over ten minutes. Best possible score is 100.

• Target # 2 (NRA B3 target) is “timed fire”. Two, five shot strings. Each string is shot in twenty seconds. The shooter has two magazines, each loaded with five rounds each, for this string. Best possible score is 100-10X

• Target #3 (NRA B3 target) is “rapid fire”. Two five shot strings. Each string is shot in ten seconds. The shooter has two magazines, each loaded with five rounds. Best possible score is 100-10X.

Targets are scored by a Team member and then witnessed by a second person on the Team. The tabulated scores are recorded, then submitted to the League for that particular night’s league match.

Equipment:

You will need the following equipment to participate as part of the WMPL team:

• • • • • .22 semi-automatic target pistol – iron sights or red dot optic is acceptable

        • Two magazines minimum, four magazines desirable, (six is optimum)

        • Eye and ear protection

        • .22 target ammunition

        • Optional equipment:

        • Spotting scope

        • Gun box

        • Extra magazines

Typical Competitive Guns:

• • • • • S&W Model 41 (mid-range), $1100 to $1400

        • Ruger Mark II, III, IV (entry level) $400-$600

        • Browning Buckmark (entry level) $400-$500

        • Marvel 1911, .22 conversion (midrange), $1100 to $1400

        • Nelson 1911, .22 conversion (midrange), $1100 to $1400

        • Pardini SP1 (High end) $1500-$2700

        • Walther GSP (High end) $2000

There are many other older fine quality and discontinued models, which can be found used, such as the Colt Woodsman, High Standard (many variations), Hammerli, etc.

The Northampton Revolver Club continues to support the WMPL Team and encourages participation from its members.