My First Steel Match With Asymmetric Solutions

Last weekend I shot my first real action shooting competition. In the past, I’ve shot trap and skeet, as well as a relic of the late ’90s and early 2000s bowling pin shooting. However, I’ve never shot anything that really involved moving and shooting or multiple and odd positions. My small town has this weirdly high presence of defense industry companies. One is a company that specializes in training LEO and military trainging called Asymmetric Solutions.

Not only was this my first competitive shoot, but it was also the first time Asymmetric Solutions hosted a competitive shoot. I saw an ad on a local community page and jumped on the opportunity. The sport of choice being Action Steel.

I rushed to sign up when I saw there was a local competition. We don’t have those things in my area and I was free that weekend. The shoot called for either a handgun or a PCC, and I’m currently reviewing a CMMG MkGs, so I grabbed it, my eyes, ears, and a beanie and headed out into the frigid Florida morning. Seriously it was like 42 degrees.

I was also pretty nervous. When you see people like Rob Leatham shoot, you feel small in comparison and while I can hit a target, I was still nervous. I had a little anxiety, but a whole lot of excitement. I wasn’t aiming to win, but just not to embarrass myself.

What Is Action Steel

That’s the question I had. I’m familiar with steel challenge, which is largely stationary. However, action steel was new to me. I gazed upon the internet and learned that Action Steel isn’t really a sanctioned event with a dedicated rulebook. It appeared some time in 2019 and mixed USPSA-style shooting with all steel targets.

The benefits are that it’s a high level of fun, and the sport has a limited reset requirement. Matches move fast without paper to tape up and replace. The ding was also said to be fun to hear, and I don’t disagree. It makes determining misses and hits easy.

Scoring all comes down to who shoots the fastest and hits the targets within the parameters. Some targets require two hits, some require one, and others have to be shot in a certain order or you’re hit with a procedural penalty.

The Event Layout

Asymmetric Solutions has a massive facility and it’s quite nice. Sadly I couldn’t explore things like their shoot house, but I got to see three of their massive 100-yard ranges where we shot our stages. Across these three stages were six total stages. Shooters ran each course once, and their time was recorded.

We were broken down into squads, and each squad went to a different stage. At the stage, we received a briefing on the stage and the expectations, and then we were given five minutes to explore the stage, rehearse, and ask any questions.

The stages included a wide variety of designs, and each tested different skills. One had you shooting through four different ports at different heights. Another required navigating a maze of fake walls made of safety fence and blasting away at targets. One challenged you to run from stage to stage, another to shoot with one hand.

My favorite stages involved trucks. One was shooting from the bed of a seven-ton, and you had to shoot targets in numerical order, with target racks being to the far left and right. Between each numbered target, you had to shoot a center target. It made you think and didn’t give you a smooth transition between numbered targets.

The best stage was called the last stand. You were placed in the turret of a Humvee and had 22 targets to hit. You had to cycle through a variety of white mini IPSCs and gongs before ending the shoot with small red popper targets.

Staff and Organization

My experience with Asymmetric Solutions’ staff was outstanding. They were professional, ensured rigid safety rules were enforced and kept the match moving. Not only that, but between stages, these professional instructors took time with everyone to dole out advice, give examples, and generally try to make everyone a better shooter.

I’m not sure if that’s standard during a competition, but it was a nice bonus. Go to shoot a competition and get a little free training on the house.

Everything was organized and easy to understand. The day moved quickly, and it was a total blast. It very much felt like a no-dumb-questions environment, and the staff was always friendly and informational. All of their instructors are Special Operations veterans who have been there and done that.

From the perspective of a first-time competitive shooter, the event was well-run and a ton of fun. I was somewhat intimidated and unsure how well I’d do, but Asymmetric made the whole thing fun and easy to understand for shooters of all experience levels. There was a safety briefing, as well as a known emergency vehicle and EMTs on standby, just in case. It was all very professional, but also quite fun.

Shooting Fast

Asymmetric Solutions has facilities across the country, with one here in Florida, one in Missouri, and one in New Mexico. While I can’t speak for the future of their competition shoots, I would advise you to get out and try one if there’s a location and event in your area.

I’d advise anyone who enjoys shooting to try some kind of competition. I learned a ton in just one match. Not just the stuff a lot of defensive-minded shooters portray as gamer tactics. Shooting fast and straight applies to tactical shooting just as much as it applies to competition shooting. Being able to move, shoot, and do so under some stress is an invaluable skill. Plus, it’s a helluva lot better than golf.