What is Steel Challenge?
A Great Format for Beginners to Action Shooting!
The Steel Challenge is a speed shooting competition governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) that consists of eight standardized stages with steel targets in three sizes; small circular, large circular and square targets. Competitors are scored solely by the time it takes them to complete each stage, and the match winner is the competitor with the lowest overall time.
Match Format
There are 8 stages with 5 steel targets on each. Shooters get five runs on each stage. Each competitor shoots each stage five times, with their slowest run dropped, excluding the stage Outer Limits where only four runs are shot and the top three counted. For each run, one hit per target is required, with an unlimited number of rounds. The last target to be shot is known as the "stop plate", which stops the timer. The maximum time permitted for a run is 30 seconds.
What Firearms Can I Use?
You can use centerfire and rimfire handguns that have iron sights, or a red dot mounted to them. Long guns include rimfire rifles (i.e. 22LR) with iron sights or red dots; Pistol-caliber carbines can also be used, usually chambered in 9mm. This is a family friendly environment to start into shooting sports, usually starting with a Ruger 10/22.