Daviot Kelly, Staff reporter

Lesgar Murdock, 27, who holds the title of Grand Master in practical pistol shooting, shows off his favourite 9mm pistol. - Kyle Macpherson/Photographer

It's pure irony, we're sure, but wouldn't you guess that one of Jamaica's best shooters has a last name like Murdock. Unlike the villainous character from the MacGyver series (no 'k' in that guy's name), Lesgar 'Speedy' Murdock is a nice guy ... and a great shot. Just back from another tournament, the Area Five Championships held in Michigan, the United States of America, where he finished fourth overall, Flair caught up with him at, where else, the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA) to see him in action and to find out more about him and his sport.

Hooked

"A family friend said that he was going to the range one day. I fired about five rounds and realised that it wasn't hard, so I decided to continue from there," he remembers about how he got started. From that 9mm-glock experience, he was hooked. He joined the JRA a year later and started at the lowest level, D. He worked up to A and has progressed to Grand Master.

In March, Murdock earned the latter title from the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). He achieved the title at a Double Tap Tournament held in Texas (NB: Double tap is a shooting technique in which two shots are fired at the target in quick succession). He shot an overall 95.7 per cent. Any score between 95 and 100 earns you the title. That also made him the top practical pistol shooter in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

"I called the USPSA, that is the governing body for the sport, and asked them if there were any other grand masters in the Caribbean," he explained. After the authorities checked all the competitors from the participating territories, he was the only one.

TITLES

So far, 2007 has been his year in terms of successes. His titles include finishing first overall in the open division in the South Florida Picnic match; the Georgia State Championship Masters title; the USPSA Open Nationals Master class title and the Florida Sectional Championship Master class title.

There are many disciplines in shooting, but Murdock only uses pistols, the open and the limited. The difference is in the gun; the open has air holes and uses a scope, while the limited looks more like a 'regular' gun and only has a front and rear view to help you aim. The limited is harder because there is more recoil (how the gun kicks after a shot). A shooter's score is not determined only from accuracy, but quickness on the trigger. It's the latter reason for his nickname.

"I was at this double-tap match and this guy who was watching said I was fast, so from there, I've been called 'Speedy'," he explained.

Biggest misconception

He jokes that the biggest misconception about the sport is that they use animals for target practice. "People don't know a lot about our sport. They don't know we shoot targets, cardboard and metal. We even have moving targets," he pointed out. For our 'shoot', Murdock brought along some of the cardboard targets with the scoring areas marked out on them. Along with shooting partner Anthony Johnson who has been shooting since 1991, they explained various areas of the sport, including the mathematics that goes into calculating a shooter's score.

MOTIVATION

Lesgar Murdock cleans and changes parts of his 9mm pistol before firing off a few rounds at the shooting range. - Kyle Macpherson/Photographer

Some shoot for the adrenaline, while others do it to relieve stress. But for Murdock, it's simple. "I do it because I love it. I just love it." But while anybody can learn to shoot, you have to be prepared to work.

"You have to be fit. The guy who is now world champion works out three times a week, which I don't," he laughs. "Some stages you have to do a lot of running, like between 20 or 35 yards," he explained. And because the speed in which you finish the course is integral, you have to 'move it'. Ironically, his day job also involves firearms; he is a manager at the Firearm Licensing Authority, dealing with examinations and certification.

He is preparing for the World Shoot Championships in 2011, the grandaddy of practical shooting under the International Practical Shooting Confederation's calendar. That's where the best shooters in the world from over 70 countries participate. It's held every three years. With the Grand Master distinction already in the bag, he is going for the World Champion title next. But apart from his own preparation, he will need something else to make it happen; money.

Needs sponsorship

"I need a new sponsor," he says matter-of-factly. Shooting can be an expensive sport from sourcing the guns and ammunition to entering tournaments. "If you go overseas to shoot, you might have to rent a range to practise and you have to pay for ammunition," he explained. Even the JRA's tournament schedule is partially dependent on the resources at their disposal, especially the ammunition.

All the while he's speaking, he prepares his pistols, checking to make sure even the finest detail is right. Before long, he and Johnson have set up three cardboard targets.

Photographer Kyle MacPherson and I put in our earplugs and wait for impact. Firearm holstered on his hip, Murdock awaits the signal from Johnson. Once the horn-sounding blast is issued, he brings up the open pistol and blasts away; the dust from the hillside behind the targets erupting as the bullets make their final stop, having passed through the cardboard.

I nearly ask him if he wasn't supposed to fire two shots at each target before he stops. That is until I realise I can see the background through the holes he just created. He fired so quickly, I didn't even realise he had indeed got off six shots in total. Man, he is fast