Most people think competitive shooting is simply about who can shoot the fastest.
After spending a Saturday morning with the Crooked Falls Practical Shooters, I learned it’s far more than that.
It’s a sport built on discipline, precision, safety, strategy, and an incredible sense of community.
I was invited by Rick Wolke, Executive Director of the Crooked Falls Practical Shooters, to spend the morning at one of their USPSA matches. The club is part of the Northern Rockies Section of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), joining clubs from Missoula, Hamilton, Kalispell, Deer Lodge and across western Montana.
As I walked onto the range, volunteers were already hard at work.
Targets were being stapled. Fault lines were being bolted into place. Steel activators were being adjusted. Every stage was carefully built before the first shooter ever stepped into the shooting box.
“This one activates the swinger,” one volunteer explained while pointing to a target hidden behind barrels. “The target flips out and ducks back behind the barrel.”
Another target used what they called a clamshell, where one target briefly appears before another immediately rises to cover it.
Watching them build these stages reminded me of solving a puzzle. Every obstacle, every angle and every movement is intentionally designed to challenge competitors.
More Than Just Shooting
Rick spent time explaining how USPSA scoring works.
“It’s all done in hundredths of a second,” he said.
Competitors aren’t simply rewarded for speed. They have to balance speed with accuracy while making strategic decisions about the course.
Some targets were reduced in size to simulate longer distances.
Others featured black-painted sections called hard cover, representing walls or barriers.
“If you hit the black,” Rick explained, “there’s no penalty, but it doesn’t score.”
It represents shooting into cover instead of hitting the target itself.
Throughout every stage, competitors constantly make decisions.
Do you take the longer route for an easier shot?
Or gamble on the harder angle to save time?
As Rick smiled,
“We give you choices.”
Watch this short video of the shooters in action:
Safety Before Competition
If there was one thing that stood out all morning, it wasn’t competition.
It was safety.
Before anyone fired a shot, every competitor gathered for a comprehensive safety briefing.
Rick walked through the fundamentals that every shooter knows by heart.
The famous 180-degree rule.
Keep your muzzle pointed safely downrange.
Finger off the trigger unless actively engaging a target.
If your firearm begins to fall…
“Do not try to catch it.”
Instead, let it hit the ground and allow the Range Officer to safely recover it.
Rick explained that some of the most serious accidents in the sport have happened when people instinctively reached for a falling firearm.
Those simple reminders demonstrated something important.
Speed may win matches.
Safety keeps everyone coming back.
Helping New Shooters Succeed
One of my favorite moments came after the main safety meeting.
Rather than simply sending new shooters onto the course, Rick gathered them for a separate orientation.
He patiently walked through every range command.
“Make ready.”
“Are you ready?”
“Standby.”
The electronic timer beeps.
“If you’re finished, unload and show clear.”
Even small details were explained.
How to stand.
Where your hands belong.
How to safely unload.
When to tape targets.
What the Range Officer expects.
Nobody was rushed.
Nobody was made to feel uncomfortable.
Experienced competitors answered questions, offered advice, and even rearranged the shooting order if someone wanted to watch a few shooters first.
It felt much more like a mentorship program than a competition.
A Community That Travels Together
One thing Rick emphasized was that Crooked Falls isn’t an island.
Shooters regularly travel throughout Montana to support other USPSA clubs.
“We encourage you to travel to the Missoula Club, the Hamilton Club, the Kalispell Club, the Deer Lodge Club,” Rick told competitors.
“It’s a real camaraderie of people.”
That theme kept resurfacing throughout the morning.
People weren’t just competing against each other.
They were helping each other improve.
Veteran shooters coached newcomers.
Everyone helped reset targets between runs.
Volunteers arrived early to build every stage.
Nobody simply showed up to shoot and leave.
Like many successful organizations, everyone contributed.
Competing for Nationals
This particular event was designated as a USPSA Slot Match.
Rick explained that competitors earn points throughout the season by attending matches across the Northern Rockies Section.
Those points can qualify shooters for preferential registration into USPSA National Championships.
For serious competitors, every match matters.
But for many others, the real reward appeared to be spending a Saturday with friends doing something they genuinely enjoy.
My Biggest Takeaway
As someone who spent 25 years in the military, I couldn’t help but appreciate the professionalism behind what I witnessed.
Yes, there was plenty of laughter.
Yes, there was friendly competition.
But beneath all of it was an unwavering commitment to safety, responsibility, and continuous improvement.
Watching volunteers build complex stages, competitors encourage one another, and Range Officers carefully oversee every movement reminded me that this isn’t simply about firearms.
It’s about discipline.
It’s about trust.
It’s about constantly learning and becoming better.
Whether you’re an experienced shooter or someone who’s never stepped onto a range before, the Crooked Falls Practical Shooters have built something that welcomes newcomers while challenging seasoned competitors.
And if you’re just planning to watch?
As one member joked to me,
“That’ll be the most excruciating day… because you’ll keep thinking, ‘I could have done that.'”
After spending the morning with this group…
I think he was probably right.
