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responsibility for any opinions expressed here.

SUB 4 SECOND EL PREZ!


This seems to be a big deal to some people; to be able to shoot the El Presidente
in the fastest time possible.  I have heard claims over the last few years of people
who say they can shoot the course in four seconds or less clean.  I even have a list
of "qualifying" times for IPSC ranking and the Grandmaster time is 4.75 seconds or 
less, completely "clean" meaning, no points down, all twelve shots in the "A" zone.

The funny thing is, though, I've never seen any one actually do this, nor have I seen
any documented evidence (other than hearsay) that it has ever happened.  A look at the
scores from the 2002 IDPA Nationals should give some indication this is true.  Stage
two of the nationals that year was a "Gunsite legal" El Prez.  The fastest times on
this stage were an 8.81, turned in by none other than the infamous Rob Leatham (CDP),
an 8.53 by Tom Yost (ESP), and a 9.11 by relative new-comer David Sevigny (SSP).  As
a side note, I would have exactly tied Leatham, except I blew a shot and had a miss.  
My time was 11.31 with 5 points down.  It doesn't matter; I just had to put that in
there to make myself feel good.

The previous year, after the nationals were over, a couple of big-name shooters put
on a display to try and prove it could actually be done in four seconds or less, but
neither one was able to do it.  Rob Leatham smoked it at 4.5 (approximately) seconds
and the other shooter (I think it was Ernie Langdon) smoked it at 5.5 seconds shooting
from concleament.  The hook here is, both shooters had to go for shots "anywhere on
the target" to get that fast, and there was a miss or two, anyway.

The original time for a "Gunsite legal" El Prez was a standard of 10 seconds or less
to be considered a good shooter, and apparently that still holds today.  Of all 320
shooters at the 2002 IDPA Nationals, only about a dozen or so shot it in under 10.

In a article in American Handgunner, 2003 July/August, regarding this exact same
issue, Ken Hackathorn calls the four second El Presidente a "unicorn".  It's often 
talked about, often discussed, but seldom, if ever, actually seen.

For the record, I am discussing here an actual, real, non-altered El Presidente at
the correct distances, using the correct equipment.  If you can do something El 
Prez-ish in under four seconds, great, but that's not what I am talking about.  
The "real" El Prez is three targets at ten meters (not yards), three meters (not 
yards) apart.  The shooter starts facing away (back to targets) with a concealment 
garment on, turns, engages each target with two shots, reloads, and reengages each
target with two shots again.

Robert V. Robinson
My Experience and Training: