EDELWEISS: That was the Defense Marksmanship Competition 2023

It's been almost a year since the last defense shooting competition was held at EDELWEISS. Therefore, it was time again and at the end of October, the sixth part of the series took place, with EDELWEISS welcoming just over 130 participants. Last year, for the first time, the Sport Rules for International Defense Shooting were developed and applied in collaboration with the ISB. This year, the focus was even more on this, as participants were able to train accordingly. This time there were quite a few stages waiting, where a variety of things were tested. For us, it started in the new hall RSA 2, with two stages. After the timer signal, you had to crawl under three tables to cover behind tires. From there, according to the sport rules, shoot at three targets. Therefore, work from cover. Then holster the weapon and balance on a shaky beam. At the end, you had to shoot at the targets again. In addition to the time, the scrutinizing looks of the instructor were another stress factor. Any mistake in the course was commented on with a loud exclamation of "Procedural error" and resulted in penalty points. If, for example, the table was moved at the beginning of the crawl - Procedural error! Not using cover, or shooting the targets in the wrong order - Procedural error! Stepping off the beam because you lose your balance - Procedural error! And so it went on for many shooters. Keeping your nerves and not giving up was crucial. Once the beam was crossed, you often had to reload. For the next challenge, you had to climb up and shoot one-handed over a barricade. Then you had to shoot from two more covers. Here in the picture is the second-to-last cover of the stage. Here, too, it was always important to avoid peeking too far out of cover, shoot the targets in the correct order, and if a magazine change was necessary, do so while using cover. The finale was a one-handed shot at a free-swinging bottle. Quite challenging to do all this in under 3 minutes, ideally without making procedural errors. The stress level was definitely high. In the room to the right, there was another station, which we unfortunately could not photograph as the shooters entered individually. In the station called Tourniquet, you had to move from one room to another, shooting recognized threats along the way. Then find a tourniquet and correctly treat a puppet. Once again, it was evident that well-considered actions and not jumping to hasty decisions was crucial. Surprises awaited those who fell into tunnel vision. Overall, the EDELWEISS team designed great stations with variation from last year once again. Moving to RSA 1, where two more stations awaited. Here only the first station is shown, in which you start in a car, have to get out, and then shoot at more targets.

This station was a lot of fun, as shooting out of a car is not something you do very often. A highlight was when the photographer Thomas Jantzen took a photo of you while completing the station. Those who wished could have their picture taken and after the competition had the chance to view the photos and purchase high-resolution images. Some very cool action shots were taken!

Once you hit all the visible targets, the timer stopped. Immediately after, the shooter moved on to the next station. There was some time to memorize a face and its features that you did not want to hit in the next room.

Upon the start signal, the shooter entered the room and began working. Inside were corridors, openings, and various targets that needed to be hit. It was important to remember the face that should not be shot at.

After deciding that all necessary targets had been hit, the shooter had to carry a mannequin from the room to a safe area. Moving too quickly could cause targets to be overlooked and result in penalty points.

For us, this concluded the shooting stations, now only the RSA 3 awaited us.

But on the way there, there was another highlight of the event. AMMOTEC Austria Shop had set up their stand and offered some pieces from their range at unbeatable prices on several tables, which unfortunately only applied to on-site purchases. They used to be known as Ruag Ammotec, but now they are 100% part of the Beretta Holding S.A.

AMMOTEC Austria GmbH is a wholesaler from Wiener Neudorf and naturally supplies EDELWEISS. EDELWEISS took the opportunity to connect some free B slots with suitable partners. Anyone who didn't take advantage of this offer was almost at fault. Hopefully, we can look forward to these offers again next year!

Brands such as Beretta, Springfield Armory, Glock of course, Canik, as well as Alpen Arms and a few others were found.

Now back to the competition. RSA 3 is also known as the Kill House. Divided into three stations, the shooter had to move through several rooms.

But easier said than done. Time was running out and each room held various surprises. In addition to target boards that needed to be assessed for danger, there were also human participants who could potentially pose a threat.

Sometimes these disappear quickly behind a wall, other times they quickly emerge from another room. When a weapon is drawn, quick reaction is needed. This raises the adrenaline level directly back up in the first room.

In the second station, one was surprised in a corridor by an actor who was unarmed. Here, due to previous encounters, one should not reflexively shoot. The actors were part of the Wolf Pack, which regularly trains at Edelweiss and now consists of nearly 100 shooters. We find it admirable and very commendable that they sacrifice themselves for the competition!

In the last segment, there was another surprise. An attacker armed with a knife. Here, one had to act in accordance with the sports rules, which challenged many.
Once this was accomplished, the entire RSA 3 was gone through again and any possible errors were briefly pointed out. With that, the competition was over for now and one could finally catch their breath.

If anyone still had a higher pulse, they could relax with some axe throwing, or enjoy the refreshments on site. For us, this was once again a successful and exciting competition organized by Edelweiss. If mistakes were made, it may annoy someone and they will naturally try not to repeat them next time. One gets to know oneself and their abilities a little better and realizes whether they need to train shooting skills, perception, or both.

Finally, here's a video from EDELWEISS themselves.

Find more competitions by EDELWEISS HERE directly on their website. The next one is the Christmas competition on December 16th.

EDELWEISS ADVENTURE on the internet

Thomas Jantzen on the internet

AMMOTEC Austria on the internet