The hollow reverberation of gunfire cracks out and echoes throughout the indoor range. First a single shot, then the pace picks up until creating a cacophony. The sounds marked the beginning of the Excellence in Competition pistol shooting contest at the Hill Air Force Base Combat Arms Training and Maintenance complex May 21, 2020.
As part of a series of competitive events to celebrate National Police Week, 150 total force Airmen from Hill signed up to compete for the coveted Elementary Excellence in Competition Pistol Badge and a chance to move to a higher echelon of competitive marksmanship.
“The majority of folks come out just to fire for fun,” said Staff Sgt. Billy Hunt, 75th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor. “Most haven’t fired in a long time or only get to fire when the Air Force tells them they need to qualify. A lot of them are just happy to get some extra range time and free ammo.”
The top 10 percent of shooters in this tournament are awarded an Excellence in Pistol Competition badge that can be permanently worn on service dress for the remainder of an Airman's career, as well as four points towards a Distinguished Pistol Shot badge. The bronze and silver tiers of Excellence in Pistol Competition badges are earned by scoring 10 and 20 points, respectively. Those who accrue 30 points are awarded the aforementioned Distinguished Pistol Shot badge.
“Only members who have no points towards the distinguished badge for the weapon being used in the competition are eligible to receive credit points.” said Hunt, “Competitors that scored in the top 10 percent earned the bronze Excellence in Pistol Competition badge.”
Less than 400 recipients have been awarded the Distinguished Pistol Shot badge since its creation in the 1950’s.
“I figured I would rank in the top 10 but felt that plenty of other shooters would take top five or more.'' said Staff Sgt. Ajay Rivera, 75th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor and Excellence in Pistol Competition top scorer. “Eighty percent of your skill will come from dry-fire drills and training. Keep up on the foundation of your fundamentals because they are perishable skills.”
Those who qualified for the bronze medal in the most recent competition are able to compete for the next tier of medal. Airmen are allowed to compete in no more than four excellence in pistol shooting competitions per year.