Excellent hand-eye co-ordination and the ability to focus under pressure has helped two east Auckland locals make the New Zealand national team that will compete at the 2025 World Action Pistol Championship.
The event is being held in Hamilton in October and among the people who’ll be there representing this country are Mellons Bay couple William and Marianna, who don’t want their surnames published for privacy reasons.
They’ll take on teams from overseas including from the United States and Australia.
Action Pistol sees a target exposed to each shooter for a short time before being hidden.
Shooters are unable to fire back-up shots, so it requires fast reflexes and steady nerves.
William’s involvement in target shooting began in about 2015 when a friend suggested they try it out.
His friend didn’t follow through but William headed to the Manukau Sporting Rifle Club at Howick Domain.
“They shoot small-bore .22 rifles on a preset set of targets,” he says.
“There are different positions at 25 yards, and I tried that in the beginning.
“I liked it and it was something new. Back in the day when I was 16 or 17 I did some duck shooting, and some skeet, so I’m not new to firearms.”
That led to William applying for a firearms licence and buying his own competition rifle.
But he soon grew bored of rifle target shooting.
“You have one minute for five shots and yes you can put them all in the bullseye, but why do you need one minute? You can do it all in 20 seconds easily.
“Then I looked at the large cutouts on the wall and asked what they are for.
“They said they’re for the pistols, and that’s when the penny dropped that I need to go and see them.
“I joined the Howick Pistol Club. I went through all the mandatory process, which starts with three visits. They look at you and you look at them to see if you are fit for the sport.
“I went through the 12 training sessions and never looked back.”
Marianna’s introduction to pistol target shooting came about through William in 2021.
She also joined Howick Pistol Club and has proven to be a fast learner.
Marianna is the best woman shooter in New Zealand for Action Pistol in the ‘Metallic’ division and the second best in the ‘Open’ division.
Her first Action competition took place in Hamilton and didn’t go according to plan.
“All the members of the club came to me and said, ‘maybe you need to change the gun, try mine’, and ‘your hands are so small, maybe this [another pistol] will be more convenient for you’,” she says.
“The score was embarrassing and disappointing. I said ‘no, I will never again shoot in this competition’.
“But William, he decided to not give up. He suggested I try Speed Steel competition, where you shoot a .22 rifle.
“It’s very light and good for women because it’s a different stance and position so it’s easier for ladies.”
Marianna then got into Speed Steel shooting with a rifle and pistol and that’s where she started thriving.
“I’ve got a very good trainer,” she jokes, meaning William.
“You need to focus and be very careful. It’s about trigger pull, your actions, your thinking, your aiming. Millimetres everywhere.”
Marianna returned to Action Pistol and found she was good at it.
“You’re competing with yourself all the time. We need to do better every time.
“I will be happy if my result is the best result for me.”
The event in Hamilton in October will be the first time William has been part of an international shooting team.
“Once it’s a competition your blood pressure goes sky-high with adrenaline and your hands are shaking,” he says.
“You know you can do it, you’ve done it a million times, but this is the time that counts.
“It’s stressful, but it’s good for self-development. It helps you to overcome stress and adversity and teaches you a lot of things that normally you wouldn’t think about with pistol shooting.
“My personal goal is to do my absolute best so I can contribute to the team score and whatever happens, happens.”
