The 2024 USPSA Nationals series ended with the Open and Pistol-Caliber Carbine divisions in a combined match at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Talladega, Alabama, this past October. This was the conclusion of the USPSA Nationals for 2024, which saw two other events held earlier in the year.
The 2024 USPSA Nationals series of matches kicked off with the Carry Optics Nationals held at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, in June. This match was a stand-alone, division-only event recognizing the most popular division in USPSA competition—Carry Optics.
Carry Optics was followed by the 2024 USPSA Handgun Nationals, which featured the classic USPSA divisions: Single Stack, Revolver, L10, Limited and Production, as well as the new Limited Optics division. The 2024 USPSA Handgun Nationals took place in September at the CMP Marksmanship Park.
The remaining Open and Pistol-Caliber Carbine divisions were paired together for this final USPSA National Championship of 2024 as the two fastest and most race-oriented divisions. Open division, with its high-capacity magazines, compensators and optic sights, combined with customized handguns and major scoring, is the “top fuel dragster” of handgun racing. Pistol-Caliber Carbine division (PCC), with its “anything goes” concept, allows competitors to push as hard and fast as they can with a carbine through the stages presented at the USPSA Nationals. Neither division has many restrictions regarding firearm customization.
There are no magazine length or capacity restrictions in the USPSA Pistol-Caliber Carbine division, allowing for as many rounds as you can fit in your magazine. Many competitors run multiple optics on the rails of their PCCs to assist with hard leans and tight shots. Open division competitors, with their highly tuned magazines, can carry as many as 31 rounds. With the available major scoring in Open division, competitors are all about speed, pushing as hard as they can as they make their way through the stages.
A total of 436 competitors hit the action-pistol bays of the CMP Marksmanship Park on October 18-20, 2024. The volunteer staff took on the 18 stages, plus the chronograph, during the two days leading up to the main event. There were 257 competitors in Open division and 179 shooting in Pistol-Caliber Carbine division. The action-pistol bays in Talldega are no stranger to these matches, and competitors familiar with previous events were well-versed in how the bays and stages would be laid out. The range is divided into three zones, and each zone consists of five bays. In each zone, one of the bays had two stages, allowing for a total of 18 stages for the match.
With each zone having six stages, there was a unique opportunity to try something that hadn’t been done—at least recently—and that was to have the total points available for each zone be the same. To achieve this, the round count for each zone was set at 132 rounds. This made each zone worth 660 points. The overall effect on the match meant that there wasn’t one zone where a competitor could pick up more points—they had to be on their game throughout the entire three days of competition.
This concept began to take shape during setup, and stages had targets added to balance the zones. Targets were not just added to increase the round count; as the stages were being set up, opportunities arose to take the original concept and place targets in spots that added risk-versus-reward scenarios. With both divisions having higher capacity, allowing for more rounds to be available, adding a popper or two to encourage shooting from a specific position or to create shooting options made the stages more exciting. The goal during setup was to offer options, present shooting challenges and push competitors out of their comfort zones by allowing them to push their speed. The downside to pushing speed is the increased chance of making costly mistakes, and there were plenty of twists and turns to challenge shooters.
There was a lot of anticipation about who would walk away with the USPSA National Championship titles in Open and Pistol-Caliber Carbine divisions. Max Leograndis has dominated the PCC division since the first USPSA PCC Nationals in 2017. He has stood on the podium all seven times for this division. Going into the match, Leograndis said he hadn’t had the opportunity to train as much because his focus had shifted to running the Practical Competition Shooting League (PCSL). Leograndis is a constant gear tinkerer and had also just switched to a new firearm setup. Christian Sailer has taken home the Open division win in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. However, he had also been shooting other divisions earlier in the year, so could he defend his title against someone like Aaron Eddins of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, who secured the win in 2022 and had only been shooting Open for the year? We were about to find out.
Also on the line for many competitors was the chance to be selected for the 2025 World Shoot teams. This was the final match whose performance would be counted towards the selection process for earning a spot on a division team in these two divisions. This included the category teams as well. There was much riding on the outcome of this match for many competitors.
Over the next three days of shooting, there would be plenty of ups and downs, as competitors worked their way through the shooting challenges presented at the match. The stages were designed to offer options and push competitors’ speed, with some speed bumps built in. Over the three days of competition, ensuring that shooters were mentally and physically prepared was a top priority. One never knows what type of range conditions they will face. In September 2024 at the USPSA Handgun Nationals, rain was a factor. This past October, the early mornings had lower-than-expected temperatures.
Another key factor is that a competitor’s gear must work; there is little room for malfunctions. Even the smallest hiccup at the top level is enough to cost someone valuable points on a stage. With highly customized firearms and specialty-tuned ammunition in Open division, even those competitors who knock on wood and say, “This gun always runs!” can regret those words. The safe tables during the match saw many competitors throughout the three days working on everything from buffer tubes, springs and mag tubes to replacing parts and even optics. Lots of gun swaps to backup guns took place, and many could be heard saying, “I hope this works.”
After the staff cleared the range from their two days of competition, the stages were cleaned up, fault lines repainted, targets replaced and shooting areas raked out to have a clean presentation for the next three days of shooting. Competitors were either on an a.m./p.m./a.m. schedule or p.m./a.m./p.m. schedule, meaning that they would either start Friday morning, followed by Saturday afternoon and finish Sunday morning, or the opposite—Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. Each squad had 12 or 13 competitors who shot the six stages in a zone each day and then moved to the next zone the following day.
With each zone having the same round count and available points, it was exciting to watch each day to see who was sitting on top. Sailer kicked day one off by winning three of the six stages. Leograndis took only two of the six stages on day one. However, just because a competitor may not win a stage doesn’t mean they aren’t leading, as points add up based on each competitor’s percentage of the overall stage winner’s score.
Stage 1 was worth 120 points, and Sailer’s 15.90-second run wasn’t the fastest, but he shot 111 of the available 120 points, taking the stage win over Aaron Eddins, who had a faster run but shot fewer points. Leograndis placed fifth on Stage 1 with a 16.07-second time and 104 of the available points. Chris Barrett’s faster time and higher point total took the stage win, while Josh Froelich had the next fastest time of 15.87 seconds but dropped points, shooting only 100. Brennah Gaston started the match in the Ladies category with a stage win in Open. There was a lot of speculation about the Ladies in PCC, with Lena Miculek competing in this match. The competition was expected to be tight with not only Lena Miculek, but also Justine Williams, Lynda Turnbull, Lanny Barnes, Jessica Doiron and Ashlyn Champagne in the mix. Williams started the match with a win on Stage 1.
Brian Nelson ran Stage 2 in 16.45 seconds with 101 of the available 115 points on this 23-round stage, taking the win over Leograndis, who placed second. Justine Williams took another stage win over her sister Jalise Williams in PCC. This stage had an up-range start with two swingers activated by poppers that required shooters to hit both the front right and left sides of the forward fault line to get all the steel presented. There were several ways to take this stage and to finish it. Sailer grabbed his second stage win on day one with a 16.33-second run over Robin Sebo, who shot more points but was a second-and-a-half slower. Jessie Harrison, who had recently announced that she was expecting, grabbed a win on Stage 2 over Ladies Junior competitor Sasha Danjczek.
Sailer also took the win on Stage 3 over KC Eusebio. Three stages down and three to go, and Sailer was letting everyone know he wasn’t going to give up his title easily. Jessie Harrison, also defending her 2023 Ladies title, took the stage win here as well. Brian Nelson secured another stage win on Stage 3 as well. His 16.32-second run was slower than Leograndis, who posted a 16.19-second time, but he hit 145 of the 155 points available on this 31-round course of fire. This stage featured an “anywhere in the shooting area” start, and competitors approached it in several different ways.
Stage 4 had an activated swinger from one of the four poppers. Leograndis’ first stage win on day one came here—a 40-point speed shoot with two activated targets that required three rounds each, one of which was a disappearing target. This stage was all about timing. KC Eusebio grabbed the win in Open over Shannon Smith. Jalise Williams edged out Lena Miculek on this stage as well.
Stage 5 was the two-string Virginia Count Standards stage for the match that required reloads with strong- and weak-hand/side shooting. There were only four targets, with a required reload after engaging the first two and switching to strong-hand/side on string one and weak-hand/side on string two after the reload. Less than nine-tenths of a second separated the top nine in Open. Bill Drummond’s 9.82-second run with 77 of the available 80 points secured the stage win. Leograndis shot 76 points in 8.34 seconds for his second stage win. Lena Miculek, shooting the SIG FLUX, grabbed her first stage win, while Harrison continued her roll with yet another win in Ladies Open.
The 30-round, 150-point Stage 6 finished out Zone 1. This was another stage that offered competitors many options after they picked up their firearm from the loaded table start position. The bobber was activated by one of the four steel targets. Tom Castro took the stage win here over a familiar handgun shooter, Nils Jonasson, who was competing in PCC at this match. Always one to keep an eye on, Bryan Jones won this stage in Open over JJ Racaza. Thy Ngo grabbed a stage win in Open, and Justine Williams finished day one with a stage win on Stage 6 for the ladies.
Zone 2 started with Stage 7, a large 32-round course of fire that was probably the most difficult in terms of movement and target engagement. There were many ways to tackle this choppy stage, which had several different required shooting positions. Sailer started day two with a stage win over Racaza, as did Leograndis in PCC. Justine Williams also began day two with a stage win over Lynda Turnbull. Morgan Leonhardt, shooting minor in Open, also grabbed a win here.
Stage 8 was another fast-paced stage focused on timing. Two swingers were activated by two of the four poppers set up with just enough transition space between them to throw off a shooter who didn’t connect. Brennah Gaston took this one for the Ladies in Open, and John Vlieger earned his first stage win in Open. Jason Olson shot all 40 points in 3.06 seconds for a win in PCC. Stage 9 shared the bay and was a 16-round stage with a mix of cardboard and steel. This was a fast stage but featured enough hardcover and no-shoots to create challenges. Isaac Hansen posted a 7.99-second time compared to Brian Nelson’s 6.45 seconds, but he shot 78 of the available 80 points for a stage win in PCC. In contrast, Dillon Walker in Open ran it in 6.66 seconds with 70 points shot, compared to Racaza’s 7.48-second run with 75 points, which earned him second place behind Walker. Lanny Barnes, for the Ladies in PCC, ran it in 8.26 seconds for her first stage win.
Stage 10 was modified from the original design to add additional poppers, creating an opportunity for competitors to either engage them moving forward or break them into two groups, depending on how they navigated the right and left sides of the start position. On the right was a port, and on the left were three targets. Downrange was an activated swinger and an array of six poppers to the left through an opening in the vision barriers. There were many different plans seen on this stage. Leograndis earned his first stage win on day two here. In addition, Aaron Eddins took the Open stage.
The 30-round, 150-point Stage 11 began with competitors touching the door that had to be opened to grab their loaded-on-table firearm. From the start, there were multiple targets available, but three were required from the starting position. This left some targets available from other positions. There was a required position at the far back right of the shooting area as well as the far left before moving downrange to finish. John Vlieger’s 17.23-second run took the stage win over Eusebio. Harrison took another stage win in Open Ladies. Castro earned the PCC stage win with a 17.20-second run over Andre DeSautel.
Zone 2 wrapped up with a 23-round, 115-point stage that gave competitors the option of moving forward for closer shots or working across the back from side to side for longer shots. The longer shots were faster, as they required less movement but had a higher chance of dropped points. Shooting 101 of the available points, Leograndis finished the day with a stage win over Froelich. Frank Gao’s 14.72-second run won him the stage over Sailer in Open. Martina Sera earned her first stage win for the Ladies in Open, and Justine Williams added another win, solidifying her lead going into day three in PCC Ladies.
The final day of competition began in Zone 3 with the CM24-08 classifier stage. A 24-round, 120-point stage, it saw Lena Miculek start the day with a win, as did Jennifer Tang in Open. Sailer ran it in 8.36 seconds, shooting 112 points to start day three with a win. As for Leograndis, he ran it in 7.63 seconds for a stage win.
Kyle Litzie, fresh from his 2024 IPSC Rifle World Shoot victory, grabbed a stage win on Stage 14—a 26-round, 130-point stage with a loaded-on-table start. Vlieger edged out Sailer for another stage win in Open, as did Brennah Gaston for the Ladies. Stage 15 saw Frank Gao take another Open stage win. This was also a 26-round, 130-point stage with a seated start and an unloaded firearm on the table. Brian Nelson posted a 14.15-second time, taking another win over Leograndis. Martina Sera earned another stage win in Open Ladies, and Justine Williams was on a roll with another win.
Jessie Harrison took her first stage win on day three at Stage 16 with a 10.84-second run. The 80-point, 16-round stage with an activated swinger was won by Sailer, and Litzie grabbed his second stage win here. Stage 17 was a mix of steel and paper with a required reload between the steel and paper arrays. Leograndis’ 3.98-second run won the stage over Todd Jarrett’s 3.99-second time, with both shooting all alphas. Daniel Feltyberger beat Aaron Eddins for a stage win in Open.
Stage 18 was a 32-round, 160-point stage that finished day three and was the last stage of the match. A challenging stage with choppy transitions and long shots mixed in, it ended with an activated bobber 15 yards downrange. Sailer won this stage and defended his title, taking his fifth USPSA National Championship in Open division. Leograndis finished second on this stage behind Zack Smith but had stacked up enough points throughout the match to walk away as the undisputed USPSA Pistol-Caliber Carbine Champion for the eighth time. Lynda Turnbull won this stage, but Justine Williams crushed the match, taking the Ladies Pistol-Caliber Carbine Championship and finishing 14th overall. The soon-to-be mom, Jessie Harrison, claimed another USPSA Ladies Nationals Championship in Open division.
2024 USPSA OPEN & PCC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
Open
- National Champion: Christian Sailer, 241.16
- 2nd Overall: John Vlieger, 249.70
- 3rd Overall: Aaron Eddins, 255.15
- Ladies National Champion: Jessie Harrison, 306.38 (1439 match points)
- 2nd Ladies: Morgan Leonhardt, 295.19 (1370 match points)
- 3rd Ladies: Martina Šerá, 309.94
- High Law Enforcement: James Ramos, 297.94
- High Military: Aaron Eddins, 255.15
- High Junior: Gian Gumagay, 286.92
- High Senior: Henning Wallgren, 305.53
Pistol-Caliber Carbine
- National Champion: Max Leograndis, 239.00
- 2nd Overall: Brian Nelson, 245.25
- 3rd Overall: Josh Froelich, 245.36
- Ladies National Champion: Justine Williams, 269.01
- 2nd Ladies: Lena Miculek, 293.53
- 3rd Ladies: Lynda Turnbull, 296.65
- High Law Enforcement: Paul Williams, 283.47
- High Senior: Todd Jarrett, 269.09
- High Super Senior: Roger Elder, 344.84
- High Distinguished Senior: Jerry Miculek, 323.87
See the full results of the 2024 USPSA Open and PCC National Championship at the Practiscore website.
To all the competitors who participated in this match, we thank you for your kind words about the match and the staff. No tricks. No gimmicks—just straight-up shooting challenges were put on the ground. From the setup crew to the Range Masters and all the support staff, and especially the Range Officers who worked the stages, this event couldn’t have happened without your support and dedication to the sport we all love.
For many, USPSA and Steel Challenge are a way of life—something shared across the country that goes beyond competition. Friendships have been formed with people who were once strangers on day one but became part of a shared bond by the last shot fired. The match is the match, but the camaraderie that surrounds it is what makes it special for everyone.
ARE YOU READY?
The 2025 USPSA competition calendar is packed with matches across the country. USPSA will kick off with the Factory Gun Nationals featuring Carry Optics, Production, Single Stack and Revolver on June 25-26 for staff/pre-match, followed by three days of competition from June 27-29 at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. USPSA returns to Southern Utah Practical Shooting in Hurricane, Utah, for the Race Gun Nationals. The staff/pre-match will be October 22-23, followed by three days of competition from October 24-26. Additionally, the 2025 USPSA Race Gun Nationals will feature Pistol-Caliber Carbine, Open, Limited Optics, Limited and L10.
The IPSC Nationals for 2025 will be held from August 22-24 at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. The USPSA Multigun Nationals are back at Forest Lake, Minnesota, from July 18-20. Plus, the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championship is scheduled for May 28 to June 1 at the CMP Marksmanship Park in Talladega, Alabama.
Registration information and staff applications can be found on the USPSA website under announcements.
Article from the January/February 2025 issue of USPSA’s magazine.
