Hurt competes in shooting in Italy

Red Oak’s Dwaine Hurt was recently given a rare opportunity.
Hurst was one of the members of the United States International Muzzle Loading Team which competed at the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Confederation World Championship from Aug. 25 to 31 at Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy.
Hurt was top five in .45 caliber Reproduction Flintlock competition, and 10th place in Japanese Matchlock .40 caliber reproduction. Muzzleloading shooting, Hurt said, is different from other typical forms of target shooting.
“It’s a type of precision-shooting event, like your Olympic-style competition. You’re shooting at small targets that are harder to hit. You’re lining up and making a slow, deliberate fire trying to get to the center of a difficult target as opposed to the more popular style of target shooting in the U.S. which is speed games. The targets are bigger and you’re trying to see how fast you can take them down,” Hurt said. “Modern guns with ammunition can be loaded fast and they go off every time. With muzzle loaders, they don’t go off every time and you have to get things just right to get things to fire as fast as possible. If it’s even 100th of a second slow in ignition, called a hang-fire, you can find yourself off of the target.”
Hurt said the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Confederation started in the 1970s.
“There was a history of black powder shooting, and in the 1970s, the people behind the organization decided to form a world organization and championship of people all competing with the same rules. The targets are taken from the Olympics, we used the Olympic 50 meter and 25 meter targets. The center of the ball is where you score the hit. The outside edge is 6, and then it moves inwardly to 10,” advised Hurt. “The very center of the target is used to determine tiebreakers. Essentially, you’re trying to hit a golf ball at either 25 or 50 meters with one hand while firing antiquated firearm technology.”
Hurt said he’s had a fascination with target shooting from a young age, and he’s been shooting for more than 40 years.
“I have some buddies that competed in the Olympics. The best I ever did in the United States was third place with a .22 caliber single shot pistol with a 50-meter target. While I came in third, I was behind two multiple Olympians. One got the bronze medal in Beijing, so I was pleased to finish that high.”
Hurt said he became further involved when he joined a pistol and rifle club when he was attending Iowa State University.
“I joined the club and met some friends that are still friends today. We shot at the National Championships at Camp Prairie, Ohio; Fort Benning, Ga.; and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. There’s only a small group of people that compete in the international competition, due to the fact that you have to take your time and try to make every shot go into the middle. It’s almost like you’re problem solving, in a way,” stated Hurt.
In addition to shooting in Italy, Hurt said he went to Manassas, Va. last year to shoot a zone match.
“The world is broken up into zones. The United States with Canada, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia is the Pacific Zone. They used to travel, but now they shoot in their individual countries and submit results so the travel part is eliminated. I hold the Pacific Zone record for underhammer shooting. I have a .36 caliber with a rifle barrel and an underhammer that I used for that. Unfortunately, when I went to Italy, I just didn’t shoot it as well,” Hurt said.
Hurt has been a member of the United States International Muzzle Loading Team for only around two years. The U.S. team has around 30 members with varying shooting styles and weapons. He described the process for becoming a member.
“You shoot practice targets and submit them to the pistol captain and the overall team captain. If you shoot a certain average score, they pay for your fees to participate, and reimburse for some of the trip. My target shooting was well above the average,”
Hurt described the difference between target shooting with a normal pistol versus muzzle loaders.
“You shoot single-shot guns or revolvers. There are matches using original revolvers, and a match with a reproduction. Basically, the competition is broken down into original guns or reproductions. Reproductions are easier to find and maintain because you can easily get parts for them, rather than having to have handmade parts for an original gun,” commented Hurt.
Hurt said he competed in seven different matches with five different pistols, using one original revolver.
“I have an 1865 Rogers & Spencer revolver in a .44 caliber. It was made for the Civil War but was never issued due to the Civil War ending before they were released. There were only a little more than 5,000 made. I managed to get mine fairly reasonably because the condition is less than some of the nicer models. But even then, it shoots remarkably well considering it’s not in the best of shape, and it’s incredibly accurate. This gun is probably capable of hitting the best part of the target every time if the shooter is accurate.”
For his fifth place finish, Hurt fired a replica early to mid-1800s Flintlock dueling pistol, not unlike the ones used in the infamous Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr duel. Much like the Rogers & Spencer, Hurt said the flintlock can hit the target’s center ring every time if used accurately. He’s also made some modifications of his own.
“I made a reproduction of an original trigger for my Japanese Matchlock. I carved a wax model and I cast it. I also made a modification to my Flintlock to bend the trigger back to make it easier to fire,”
Hurt had nothing but praise for the shooter who scored first place in his Flintlock competition.
“The winner of the match is a world record holder named Stefan Ernst. He’s from Slovakia. He won the match with a total score of 94, but has shot a 97 at the world championship. In his own hometown matches, he has shot 100,” Hurt said.
Hurt said he managed to score a 94 in practice, which would have netted him a higher ranking if he’d shot it in Italy, but shooting in competition is far different than home practice.
“I think there were about 500 shooters altogether, including pistols, shotguns and rifles, and we were competing at a location that is just south of Verona, Italy. “I had some trouble with my Rogers & Spencer. I didn’t find out there was an issue until I was on the line. Somehow within the 5,000 mile plane ride something happened, and I didn’t diagnose it until I was actually competing,” Hurt explained. “My other revolver had some trigger problems too. I had them packed as well as I think I could, but they didn’t quite cooperate.”
The weather also played a factor in everyone shooting as opposed to other places he’s shot in.
“The scores were a little low. It was really hot and kind of windy and very dry. I think it was in the 90s pretty much every day that we were shooting. We were shooting in kind of an old gravel pit, but everyone shoots in the same conditions.”
While there were some issues, Hurt said he was able to learn a lot from the experience.
“I learned a lot about what went wrong that I have to correct if I compete again. In two years, the international competition is in Austria. I hoping I can make that. And then if I compete again, in another two years, it’ll be south of Paris where they just shot the Olympics. It’s a beautiful shooting range, and I’d love to compete there.”
While his highest finish was fifth place, Hurt said it was an honor to be one of the few members of team USA to finish that highly among 70 total participants.
“I competed against shooters from Australia, Brazil, and all of the European countries. The German shooters were definitely the ones to beat. In one competition, the German shooters finished in first place through sixth place. We heard the German National Anthem a lot,” advised Hurt. “They’re all good shooters, and they have a huge team and are well-sponsored. I was happy with my finish. A lot of the competitors have shot at the range before, whereas it was my first time there. We never shot to the north, only the south, east, and west. I felt very capable going in, and I feel like if I could do it again, I’d get on the first through third place podium. I made some corrections but I just didn’t correct it fast enough. Fifth place for the first time going I’m pleased with.”
The matches are 13 shot matches, and the bottom three scores are thrown away.
“It gives you an opportunity for sighting, or if you have a malfunction on one of your guns. That can ruin anyone’s score, so by throwing three away it allows you  to get a feel for your target. I made a shot with the Flintlock that felt good, but scored a six. I held higher and shot an 8, then went even higher and hit nine and 10.
Hurt said the trip was a very exciting experience for him to partake in.
“This was the first international trip. We went to the Roman Coliseum in Verona, and there were all sorts of buildings that had an old castle-type feeling, which was very interesting. We flew from Omaha to Chicago to New Jersey to Milan, and rented a car for a two hour drive to Verona. It was interesting to try different foods. They’ve got horsemeat, guinea fowl, and all kinds of weird critters you can eat. The pizzas were good. They had a lot of different ways they made pizza, and there was spaghetti with prawns and mussels. They also kind of shy away from the garlic, which was a surprise,” Hurt advised. “I got in a little travel, a little culture, some travel experience and some food experience.”
In the interim, Hurt said he’ll continue his regular target practicing locally and out of state.
“I practice all the time, as my neighbors will attest. We live north of town in the country, and I shoot almost every day. Part of my goal was to join the shooting range at Anderson Conservation Area for a different shooting set-up so I could get some uneasy shooting situations. I’m also a member of a club in Nebraska. I planned to use both those ranges ahead of my Italy trip but my year ended before I could get any of it done,” stated Hurt.
Hurt said anyone with questions about this type of shooting can contact him at the Goldsmith Gallery at 623-4407.