The annual Practical Police Combat Shooting, Atlantic Canadian Championships (PPC) was held Sunday September 26, 2021at the Nova Scotia Rifle Association (NSRA) Facility in Halifax.
The PPC Atlantics is the final event of the summer shooting season
Top pistoliers from all disciplines in Atlantic Canada, as well as law enforcement, come vying for the immortalization of having their name engraved on the huge trophy.
As always, The Metro Rifle & Pistol Club (MRPC) sent a team of exceptional talent to keep the mainland Teams in check…:-) and we did! New Brunswick and PEI sent teams and competitors trying to do the same! This year was a particularly tough shoot as there was continuous heavy rain and gusts with winds over 40km/hrs. The match that started as a test of shooting ability soon became a grueling endurance test. As the temperature plummeted in that crucible so did many competitors; but not the Metro Rifle and Pistol Competition Team! We did not let our club down! The Metro “A team” took it in stride fighting furiously for the top position! Towards the end of the match, ankle deep in freezing rain, soaked to the core, two teams were at the pinnacle!
It teetered back and forth between Metro and the NSRA Team during the last event. With a huge number of local competitors to choose from and the home team advantage NSRA narrowly squeaked by to take the Gold.
The Metro Rifle and Pistol Club are now Proud Silver Medalists
PEI’s team took the Bronze Medals for third place. The Bullet Box, a new indoor range in Sydney, NS fielded a Cape Breton team as well placing a close fourth, narrowly missing a Bronze finish. I expect to see a much better result next year after a year’s training. Also of Note, another Cape Breton Team, “Sugarloaf” centered in Margaree took fifth place in the team division. With two of their shooters under 16 I’m expecting a much stronger finish from them in future years. Three of the top five teams in Atlantic Canada are from Cape Breton which speaks immensely to the quality of the shooters on our island.
As expected, on an individual basis Metro shooters dominated as well….
No surprise there! First and Second place in the expert classification was taken by Terry Eldridge (1402/1500) and Joe McHoll (1328/1500). Terry is now a member of the “1400’s” club; a score above this number classifies you as a Master, a ‘Black Belt’ of PPC! Way to go Terry! How Joe managed to move so quickly through the ranks with only 5 years’ experience speaks to his tenacity and raw talent. I have a feeling Joe will be attaining the top shot in the match in the not too distant future. Lars Kummer, no slouch with his CZ, took a strong 6th position (1277/1500). His brother Sven (1123/1500), after multiple malfunctions placing him back in the rankings farther than perhaps he out to have been, took 9th place. First time competitor Trysten MacPhee (1070/1500) comfortably landed in the top 10 in Atlantic Canada. Good Job! Ryan Ledrew, the new guy on the MRPC Team, beat out droves of other competitors and almost all of Law Enforcement placing 5th in the Marksman category with a total score of 1192/1500. Great work Ryan!
Metro President Mike Kelly (1463/1500) was no slouch either, taking the Masters Category by storm and the Trophy back to Cape Breton shattering the previous PPC record (which Mike set in 2020) by 30 points.
A great weekend was had by all participants and big thanks to Bob Selig that puts on the match every year. Thank Bob and especially his wife that makes the burgers for the match the best homemade cookies ever!
See you all on the range!