Last October I was invited for the first time to shoot the Rütli Shooting. It is a 50 meters pistol shooting competition with Swiss Ordnance pistols only, for shooting associations, 8 team members 15 shots per shooter.

The Rütli meadow is where the Swiss confederacy was first established

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rütli

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rütlischwur

It was a very nice day, blue skies, a little wind, and a nice outing with friends, although I was a little frustrated to travel 300 miles to shoot 15 rounds only.





Despite its historical significance, it’s a very small unimpressive meadow



There are over 900 shooters. 40 targets are set up, so 5 associations or clubs shoot in each series.



However the ground is far from flat, so the shooting line slopes downwards whereas the targets go upwards

Only the first few targets are level with the shooter, for the rest of us, you’re shooting upwards to your right.



I was on target 32 with my Waffenfabrik Bern Parabellum 06/24 (Swiss Luger) caliber 7.65 mm Parabellum (.30 Luger) made in 1922





I’d say over 90% were using SIG P210, with a few Lugers and a couple more modern SIGs. The Luger is marginally more accurate than the 210 in my hands.





The local kids come and pick up the empty cases



The youngsters are also in charge of paddles and scoring

My scores



Not mine but a similar target. The center is 10 cm in diameter (4 inches), the 4 (2nd circle) is 20 cm



When it’s all done it a big party of music, food drinks and comradeship in addition to the whole scores reading (that takes a while), as well as patriotic speeches etc..

Most shooting clubs fly their flags





And the winner gets a brand new P210 remitted by a Swiss army officer. He shot 68 points out of 75 max.




I almost forgot, they also have the rifle competition a few weeks later. 300 m with ordnance rifles (M or K 11 & 31, Stgw 57 & 90, aka Sig 510 & 550)

This is the shooting line, and the targets are set way up there on the mountain, middle of this picture

Excellent post, thanks.

Looks like a great time.

Great post!

I did reflexively cringe at the spectators flanking the firing line forward of the line.  I have trust issues.

I do love that the European shooting sports have their own thing going.

Scandinavian 300m rifle shooting is another game I wish we had.  It’s a practical military style competition.

When I first started in Law enforcement we shot some pistol at 50 yards.  It went away, at least from the qualification part and rarely shows up as a skills training module.  Yea 50 yards isn’t near as likely but it could.

Nice shooting, at my age I can't even see the damn sights on a Luger anymore without my reading glasses and then I can't see the target!