So you want to be a gunfighter!

Recently I had to opportunity to share thoughts on this sport with a aspiring gunfighter by text message.  This topic being too voluminous for text I will share by blog.

Over the last two years I have competed in 30 to 40 events, club, State, Territorial, National, and World.  What I have observed is that the average CFDA shooter has gunfighter rating of between .80 to .95. If a shooter has a rating of 1.0 or above for an event he or she is in the top 25% of the CFDA.  Gunfighters that make it into the Magnificent 7 generally will be those with a gunfighter rating of 1.2 or better.  Normally there is only a handful shooting this well, maybe 5% of the shooters.

Gunfighter rating is a shooter's speed index, 1 minus his normal quickness, plus his accuracy index, his average shooting percentage.  For example  a shooter with a quickness of .35 will have a speed index of .65 and if he is shooting at 30% accuracy his gunfighter rating will be .95.

It really does not matter how you get above 1.0 and to 1.2.  A .6 shooter hitting at 80% for a rating of 1.2 is competitive with a .4 shooter hitting at 60% for a rating for 1.2.  Granted speed matters, but not as much of you think when you get to the real gunfight, the Magnificent Seven. That is why that .6 shooter was able to put down all those black badges at Nationals.  When you get to the real fight, where all the shooter are 1.2 shooters, then the deciding factor is mental toughness.

Speed is glamorous, but accuracy is deadly.  The .35 shooter hitting 30% may think he is good, but really he is just a little above average. Get to 1.0 and you will start to be in the top 25% of shoots.  Get to 1.2 and you will win most club shoots and make the Magnificent Seven of major shoots.

Those of us who compete against each other know the gunfighter rating of our opponents. We know who is the .5 shooter hitting 60% and who is a .4 shooter hitting only 40%.  This ain't hard to figure out and over the long haul the .5 shooter is going to do consistently better than the .4 shooter.  Now if that .4 shooter can move his accuracy to 50%, then he is at 1.1 same as the .5 shooter and they will probably split their matches throughout the year.

What is your gunfighter rating?  Where do you want to be for 2018?