Tell us a little about yourself

I am from Esslingen, 15km from Stuttgart and have been shooting since my early twenties. I have a technical interest in guns and an ability to pull the trigger at the right time. I’ve won a long list of competitions over the year, including some major ones.

What age were you when you started shooting and who introduced you to the sport?

I began in 1984 at the age of 21, starting off in general by myself and then increasing my interest through time in the army. I started shooting air rifle and small bore rifle in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, where I grew up. After school and studying I moved to Esslingen, near Stuttgart. I then took up pistol shooting because there was too much stuff to carry around during practice and competition for rifle shooting. I shot air pistol and rimfire pistol, but then bought my first Colt M1911 Gold Cup 45ACP in 1989 and a Smith & Wesson Mod 586 revolver in 357 mag.

When did you start shooting competitively and how often do you compete?

I started with local club matches and county championships shortly after getting interested in 1984. I am now a member of three different associations: The Federation of German Marksmen, German Bund Deutscher Sportschützen (BDS), The German Shooting Sport and Archery Federation (DSB) and the German Rifle Association (BDMP). They each offer lots of big bore handgun disciplines such as International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), Bianchi Cup, Police Pistol, Service Pistol, Precision Pistol Competition 1500, Bullseye shooting with big bore silhouette pistol for regular handguns, and 50m ranges.

In all three associations I compete about 17 weekends each year in several championships from state to nationals up to Europeans and worlds.

Why did you choose to specialize in pistols?

I like them because, in my opinion, they are more technical and challenging to control during shooting.

What’s been the most valuable lessons you have learned from shooting?

To be prepared, have goals and see every competition as a great pleasure to take part in.

Do you have any pre-match rituals?

I prepare using checklists, especially before big matches when I use a few guns and a lot of gear. My mindset is to go in absolutely free of doubt about my equipment and to practise beforehand — no matter what.

You used to compete in air pistol matches before moving onto big bore competitions. How difficult was the transition?

It was not difficult because I had learned all the basics of proper trigger work. So the transition was not too hard. I competed in both big bore and air pistol until 2000, but with probably more focus on big bore ­– Bullseye and IPSC. After that I stopped shooting air pistol and added more big bore competitions to my schedule instead. That included the Bianchi Cup, Steel Challenge and many 25m disciplines in the BDS Association, including falling plate, speed, and bullseye.

What is your preferred handgun set-up for big bore matches?

My preferred handgun set up is definitely the 1911/2011 pistol platform. I built my Bianchi metallic and open gun completely by myself. I modified it as much as possible in terms of accuracy, trigger, sights, recoil management and reliability. I use STI parts and KKM barrels. Sights are Aristocrat and Aimpoint. In 2018 I got a new Gunsponsor STP (Sport Target Pistol) in Germany. These excellent pistols are also based on 1911/2011 platform.

What Hornady ammunition do you use for competing?

I hand load most of my handgun calibers. In my 9mm, I use 115gr and 125gr HAP bullets but also American Gunner 115gr XTP cartridges. For my 45ACP, I hand load with 230gr XTP bullets and then for my 357 Mag/ 38 Special, either 158gr or 180gr XTP.

What has been your proudest achievement in shooting?

Most of my proudest achievements have come at the World Action Pistol Championships and Bianchi Cup. In 2006 I was third in the individual metallic class in Blacktown, Australia. In 2012 I was second in the open team category in Philippsburg, Germany. At the same venue a year earlier, I was the best European individual in the open class. And in 2018 I shot a full score of 1920 in our annual spring match in Germany. For all of these achievements I set up a practice plan so that I could fine tune some specific skills.

How long have you been a Hornady sponsored shooter?

Since 2010. I prefer Hornady products because of the high-quality bullets, reloading components and superior ammunition. Every hand-loaded and factory ammo with Hornady components gives me absolute confidence when I step up to the line in competition. The accuracy, consistency and reliability of Hornady products is part of my success. I like the innovative mindset of the company, which provides stunning new products each year.