Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Members of the Air Force Action Shooting Team pose for a portrait in between stages of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. Members of the Air Force team finished 4th and 12th out of 63 competitors in the Open Division, and 18th, 28th, 55th and 81st out of 166 competitors in the Tactical Division.

The Air Force Action Shooting Team competed in the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship April 20 to 22 in Boulder City, Nev.

The event provided participants an opportunity to sharpen individual skills and build relationships within communities.

“The multigun competition is a rifle, pistol and shotgun course in which teams will be shooting 14 stages over three days,” Master Sgt. Mark Ziebart, section chief assigned to the 27th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., said prior to the competition.

Each stage was uniquely challenging, said Ziebart.  Teams began on rifle-and-shotgun targets, firing from 10 yards away to 360 yards while moving and reloading. From this mobile stage the team moved on to the next, in which the competitor stayed stationary and cycled through a pistol, rifle and shotgun, hitting multiple targets at varying distances in the shortest amount of time possible.

Members of the team used these stages to test individual skills and use the experience to benefit their own professions.

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Maj. Nick Siesser, pilot assigned to the 5th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, shoots a rifle during a stage of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. The Air Force team is comprised of members from multiple bases from across the country.

“Being a combat arms instructor, this adds a certain level of credibility in my job,” said Staff Sgt. Nicolas Fralick, combat arms instructor assigned to the 3rd Detachment of the Security Forces Center at Desert Defender Regional Training Center at Fort Bliss, Texas. “If people have questions about something that I am trying to teach them, I can relate it to something I did here and call on different scenarios I’ve been put through. It’s a chance for me to test myself, and see improvement in a metric that most people don’t get to see outside of the sport.”

The team uses the sport in order to not only gain personal experience but strengthen alliances within the surrounding communities.

“Participating in events such as this enables us to talk with people,” said Ziebart. “A stage can be shot in around 40 seconds, but we’re going to be out on the range for six hours.”

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Master Sgt. Eric Crostley Shoots a rifle while moving during a stage of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. Competitors attempt to move as quickly as possible through stages and are judged on overall time and accuracy.

The sport gives Airmen the opportunity to interact with people while on the range, said Ziebart. Others ask about our normal Air Force jobs, and it’s enjoyable to talk and share those stories, he said.

“If we can show the Air Force in a positive light, if we’re out here resetting stages, then we want to make sure that were the hardest working ones on this range,” said Fralick. “Doing the work and being an ambassador for the Air Force becomes more important than the shooting.”

In the Multigun National Championship, members of the Air Force team finished 4th and 12th out of 63 competitors in the Open Division, and 18th, 28th, 55th and 81st out of 166 competitors in the Tactical Division.   
 

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Members of the Air Force Action Shooting Team talk in between stages of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. The team participated in 14 stages over three days which varied from shooting rifles, pistols and shotguns.

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Capt. Andrew Durkee shoots a rifle during a stage of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. Various stages of the competition tested multiple skills of each competitor.

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

First Lt. Casey Ryan, assigned to the 55th Security Forces Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., reloads a shotgun while moving during the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. The team serves an integral role in representing the Air Force during interactions throughout the competition.

Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum

Master Sgt. Mark Ziebart, section chief assigned to the 27th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., shoots a pistol during a stage of the United States Practical Shooting Association’s Multigun National Championship in Boulder City, Nev., April 21, 2018. The team serves an integral role in representing the Air Force during interactions throughout the competition.