At the end of May (24-26/05 this year) in Rembertów near Warsaw, XVIII SALWA International Shooting Allround took place. This year it commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. The competition is held for the cup of the Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz and, of course, is under the patronage of the Polish Ministry of National Defense. An important co-organizer of the event is the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade and the Wołomin community. Representatives of our editorial office have also been taking part in the competition for several years now. This year, we supported the 5.11 Tactical Alfa team, and contributed to taking 7th place in the overall team classification out of 70 participating teams.

The event is held periodically and attracted nearly 280 competitors from Poland and other countries. Due to the great interest, it is usually quite difficult to get on the starting list. The teams include many representatives of leading Polish shooting and uniformed services related companies from Poland and abroad. The challenge is not only the competition between the participants, but also the fact shooting is done with weapons provided by the organizers and the participants move according to the assigned schedule of time slots between the ranges. Typically, 12 shots are fired in 3 minutes, of which the 10 best shots are scored. The skill of the participant determines how quickly he/she will be able to determine and make any corrections of shots fired to achieve the best result. People with experience in shooting with various weapons have an advantage, but this includes, among other things: the idea of ​​this competition to select the best of all-round shooters. This year, four-people teams moving according to a specific route had to demonstrate their skill in target shooting in the following competitions:

1. Beryl 7.62x39mm rifle with Delta Optical Hornet 1-6x24 scope at 200m (prone position, 300m rifle target),
2. Heckler&Koch 416 14.5” 5.56x45mm carbine (military version) with MAKstorm 4x30i HD scope at 300m using full-auto firing mode (prone position, 90x90 target),
3. MSBS "Grot" 5.56x45mm carbine at 100 m (prone position, TS-4 target),
4. Canic SF 9x19mm pistol at 25 m (standing position, using two hands, TS-10 "Frenchman" target),
5. Heckler&Koch SFP9 OR MATCH 9x19mm pistol with MAKdot SH 3.5 MOA red dot sight at 25m (standing position, using two hands, TS-cov19 target),
6. Glock 17 Gen5 9x19mm pistol at 25m (standing position, using two hands, TS-4 shield),
7. PCCHeckler&Koch MP5 9x19mm at 50m (standing position, special "terrorist" target),
8. Mossberg 940 smoothbore shotgun at 50m (standing position, "5 circles" special target),
9. SigSauer P322 rimfire pistol at 25m (standing position, using one hand, TS-4 target),
10. Tippmann Arms rimfire rifle at 25m (standing position, special 10 figures target),
11. Grenade throw at 10, 15, 20 and 30 meters.

There was not much time, especially if someone cares about the result and is shooting with an unfamiliar weapon. According to the organizer's information, the weapon was zeroed exactly at the competition range, but whether it is due to different habits when handling a weapon or possible mis-adjustment of the sights of the assigned weapon during the competition, corrections are often required. An observation telescope was not always available, so sportsmanship was also important in some competitions. This year, a change in the organization of shooting on the longest range allowed us to avoid significant delays that had occurred in previous years. Organizationally, the competition ran very smoothly. Before the ending ceremony, when awarding the prizes took place, there was a traditional integration part with catering provided by the sponsor - the Polish National Foundation. As part of the entry fee, the organizer provides almost everything that is important (except for accommodation in a hotel if someone did not intend to sleep in a tent). The competition took place in a relaxed atmosphere, although there was something to fight for, because the best competitors received attractive prizes provided by numerous sponsors of the event. The main sponsor was invariably PGZ Cenzin, providing Sellier&Bellot ammunition and also provided weapons for the competition (Heckler&Koch and Mossberg).

The technical sponsor was an American manufacturer of tactical clothing and equipment 5.11 Tactical, providing commemorative T-shirts and hats for participants, as well as prizes (e.g. backpacks) for those standing on the podium. Prizes for first place - a firearm for the best shooters in each competition were funded by Kaliber, M.K. stores. Szuster, Magnum, Sharg, as well as klub SALWA . The event was also supported by prizes from the Polish manufacturer of high-quality scopes - Delta Optical. Optics were also provided as prizes by Infov, presenting thermal imaging devices from Infiray during the competition.

The best competitor in the general classification was Maciej Mikołajczuk from the Capital Police Headquarters, scoring 728 points, followed by Tomasz Kalinowski from the GWARDIA Zielona Góra club. As a team, the best one was the Capital Police Headquarters, the second place went to the "Beauty and Beasts" team from the GWARDIA Zielona Góra club, with a slightly lower result. The best among women was Magdalena Lach from GWARDIA Zielona Góra.

5.11 Tactical Alfa and Bravo teams

Photos: Paulina Duda and Medard Starzycki