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I went to see a local IPSC match in Chonburi, about 100 km south east of Bangkok, and accidentally walked in on the second day of a 2-day 3-gun charity match. It was called the Queen's Cup and was held on an Army base and sanctioned and supported by the government. Kinda like the Bay Bridge Charity Classic in Richmond, but with the endorsement of the Queen. They had 15 stages, 5 each for rifle, shotgun, and pistols, and there were about 120 shooters from all over Thailand. There were clubs from Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bira near Pattaya, and other parts of Thailand I don't know about. It was quite impressive since some of the shooters were on the Thai national shooting team and will represent the country at the world shoot. There was one grand master, judging from his jersey, was shooting for CZ in their Thailand team. I felt like a guppy in a tank with sharks.
The rifle and shotgun stages were interesting. They were both loaded with steel targets, poppers, and swingers, but only one paper target. The rifle stages were shot with .22 lr guns since Thai firearms laws limit civilian rifle ownership to .22 lr. As for shotguns, there was one shooter with a Saiga with massive magazines, but I think the magazines were unreliable since the Saiga kept jamming and the shooter's friends were laughing behind the shooting line every time he had to drop a magazine to clear a jam. There was one petite woman who must have weighed less than 100 lbs who shot the entire shotgun course with a manual shotgun, which is pretty impressive in this heat.
At the awards ceremony the trophies were presented indirectly. An Army colonel placed the trophy on a table holding a display of the royal family, then the competitor would come up to the table, bow to the queen, then pick up the trophy. The trophy had an inscription of the royal family so it's considered official, like a service badge in the armed forces in the US would be considered official.
If you ever come out to Thailand, I would highly recommend dropping by a local match and experience their hospitality. The Thai people are very friendly and welcoming, even if you don't speak any Thai. If you have weight allowance left in your checked luggage, I would suggest bringing along 500 rounds of 9mm. The ITAR regulations allow you to export up to 1000 rds of ammo out of the US without an export license, but the airlines allow up to 11 lbs. 500 rounds of 115 gr FMJ 9mm is about 11 lbs if you keep them in the cardboard boxes. The ammo everyone shoots here at the matches is 135 gr lead round nose 9mm because that's what is available from the munitions factory that supplies the military. The cost is also higher, since it costs about 55 cents per round when they place a large order, while in the US we can buy 1000 rds mail order or at the gun shows for about $120.
some pictures:
The rifle and shotgun stages were interesting. They were both loaded with steel targets, poppers, and swingers, but only one paper target. The rifle stages were shot with .22 lr guns since Thai firearms laws limit civilian rifle ownership to .22 lr. As for shotguns, there was one shooter with a Saiga with massive magazines, but I think the magazines were unreliable since the Saiga kept jamming and the shooter's friends were laughing behind the shooting line every time he had to drop a magazine to clear a jam. There was one petite woman who must have weighed less than 100 lbs who shot the entire shotgun course with a manual shotgun, which is pretty impressive in this heat.
At the awards ceremony the trophies were presented indirectly. An Army colonel placed the trophy on a table holding a display of the royal family, then the competitor would come up to the table, bow to the queen, then pick up the trophy. The trophy had an inscription of the royal family so it's considered official, like a service badge in the armed forces in the US would be considered official.
If you ever come out to Thailand, I would highly recommend dropping by a local match and experience their hospitality. The Thai people are very friendly and welcoming, even if you don't speak any Thai. If you have weight allowance left in your checked luggage, I would suggest bringing along 500 rounds of 9mm. The ITAR regulations allow you to export up to 1000 rds of ammo out of the US without an export license, but the airlines allow up to 11 lbs. 500 rounds of 115 gr FMJ 9mm is about 11 lbs if you keep them in the cardboard boxes. The ammo everyone shoots here at the matches is 135 gr lead round nose 9mm because that's what is available from the munitions factory that supplies the military. The cost is also higher, since it costs about 55 cents per round when they place a large order, while in the US we can buy 1000 rds mail order or at the gun shows for about $120.
some pictures:
Another sponsor of the match was a club called Uncle Ray gun club and was told that the club president is starting IDPA shooting in Thailand. His club was sanctioned last year and IDPA is still in its infancy in Thailand, but as more people shoot IDPA, I think it'll become as popular as in other countries.
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