It Only Took 5 Shots

Tales from the Bianchi Cup Part 1

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Bianchi Cup, the Action Pistol National Championships, doesn’t get the flashy attention of other action shooting sports. In my opinion, it’s the hardest of the draw-from-a-holster shooting sports I compete in. With just four courses and a total of 192 shots, it’s a true "stand and deliver” event, and all strings of fire have fixed times. You either keep all your shots in the center and down all the plates, or you don’t.

Comparatively, in Steel and Rimfire Challenge, you get a mulligan string on each stage. In practical shooting, you can develop stage strategies that save you precious seconds. In sports like IPSC, USPSA, and IDPA, most courses allow you to take extra shots if you miss. In Action Pistol, or just “Bianchi” as we typically call it, there are no make-ups and no way to shoot better than an X. Add some cameras into the mix, the pressure is intense.

Shooting the Plate Event with all the cameras at Bianchi Cup. Photo courtesy of the CMP and John Rickards

My 2025 Bianchi Cup kicked off with the Falling Plate Event. Here we shoot two strings of six, 8-inch plates at each yard line - 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. The time limits for these distances are 6, 7, 8, and 9 seconds, respectively. Considered one of the easier events for Open Division competitors, bad shots are still costly. A miss is a 10-point loss compared to 8 and 5-point scoring zones on the paper targets.

Our squad, consisting of all women, was the first to shoot this course of fire in the match. There’s a sort of anticipation and buzz in the air, being among the first competitors to christen the main event. The lighting at 8 am for the Plate Range is also not ideal. At this time of year, the sun is still low enough in the sky that the lowest of hat brims doesn’t help. To add to it, the entire Shooting USA crew was on hand, capturing video of our squad. All these things add to the difficulty. It’s too easy to miss one or more plates. Thankfully, I did what I needed to and downed 48 plates successfully. It was a huge relief before we moved on to the next event, the Practical.

juliegolob

A post shared by @juliegolob

The Practical is the event that I have struggled with the most this year. With three strings of fire at the 10, 15, 25, and 50 yard lines, and one string weak hand only, it’s a demanding course of fire. Throughout my training, I’ve had moments of brilliance among poorer performances. It’s also where I shot the first of just five shots that kept me from shooting the score I hoped for. With two hits in the 5, I ended up with a 470/480, the equivalent of missing a plate. It’s certainly not where I wanted to be halfway through the event.

Here’s the thing. It’s a fact that only a tiny number of competitors shoot a perfect 1920 points at The Cup. According to my research, fewer than 35 people have done it in the 46-year history of the championship. Every action pistol shooter dreams of it, but few shoot the score. This year, decorated champion Bruce Piatt was the only one. It’s easy to feel the gloom that comes from knowing that it will be another long year before you can chase it again. Many competitors relive the negativity of failure during the match, recalling it over and over as they sustain anger and disappointment. I know I certainly have.

This year is different for me. It’s not that there is no pressure to perform. On the contrary, this competition season, I feel even more of it for several reasons. Aside from the hours and rounds down range, I’ve been training my mental game beyond the stamina it takes to shoot every shot as best as I can. More than the minutia of performance in the moment, it’s broader and firmly rooted in faith.

Sure, I was disappointed. I still am. Where some competitors let losses eat away at their concentration and drive, I kept pushing. I want very much to shoot a 1920 score in competition, especially at Bianchi. Giving in to defeat is such a waste. I chose to eke everything out of this year’s match so that in the future, and hopefully sooner than later, I can reach my ultimate goal in this sport.

My next stage in the competition was the Moving Target Event, and it’s often the one that competitors feel the most pressure. Every shot is offhand, and the target moves across an opening of 60 feet in just six seconds. With strings from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yard lines, you must maintain tracking the target, make sure you’ve accounted for target leads, and accept the amount of natural arc of movement, plus that additional and inevitable vibration from the nerves.

Photo courtesy of John Rickards

My 10-yard line went perfectly with all X’s. At the 15-yard line, things opened up a little, but I still shot clean with six 10’s and six X’s. At 20 yards, my nervous energy seemed to amplify. Normally, it’s one of my best yard lines, but one lower left shot and two more just a little high resulted in three 8’s. At 25 yards, I reigned it in, shooting 7 X’s and the rest 10’s. With three shots outside of the 10, it wasn’t my best, but I’m still pleased with it.

Photos of my Mover targets - 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards.

That left the Barricade Event as my final stage. A bad mount on the Barricade, a rough support hand transfer, or taking too much time to let everything settle can seriously affect your score on any string of fire. I knew it was unlikely that I’d be able to claim the Women’s National Title with 16 points down. A fellow competitor would have to shoot a late shot or have a malfunction for that to happen. I’ve been around shooters who’ve wished such things on others, and there’s simply no honor in it.

Instead, I focused on what I needed to do for each string, taking nothing for granted. From a fast draw to a solid mount to gripping tightly and letting my dot settle before a smooth press, I respected every single shot. It paid off. I’ve never shot a perfect Barricade — a 480 with 48x’s… until now. The moment was even more special with my husband there, supporting and cheering for me.

Doesn't get much better than this... Photos of my Barricade Event.

I finished the match with a score of 1904 - 148x, 24th Overall and 4th Place on the Barricade. All it took was five trigger presses to keep me from that coveted perfect 1920 score. Still, I took top/tied scores for every stage among the women except for the Practical Event. It was good enough for two second-place finishes in the Women's and the Military Veteran categories.

I’m so thankful for the talented work by Kyle Wolfe of Wolf Gunworx for keeping my open guns running so well. My custom Smith & Wesson 9mm 1911 with Trjicon MRO HD fed with Federal Ammunition components all ran beautifully in the match. I’m very grateful to all my sponsors, CCW Safe, PHLster, Caldwell, Tipton, and Wheeler, for their support and for the CMP and match staff who work tirelessly to make this event so prestigious.

I still have more to share from Bianchi. Stay tuned!