Michael Angel breaks new ground for Australia in prestigious US shooting event 

By Sam Talbot 
 

For the first time, an Australian shooter has earned a place in the President’s Hundred, a celebrated honour in US pistol shooting reserved for the top 100 competitors in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) President’s Pistol Match. SSAA Queensland member Michael Angel achieved the milestone while competing in the United States as part of a four-person Australian team. 

But according to Michael, the historic result almost didn’t happen. 

“I hadn’t planned on shooting the match at all,” he says. “I didn’t have the right pistol or ammo to compete. That was until a fellow competitor from America saw me shoot with a borrowed .45ACP and said, ‘Anyone who shoots the .45 that well has to shoot the President’s Match. Here’s my gun and all the ammo you need.’” 

That generous offer came from Chris Chism, a US shooter who had been impressed by Michael’s earlier performance in the NRA Precision Pistol Nationals. The pistol in question – a Springfield 1911 chambered in .45ACP – would prove to be the ticket to a result no Australian has ever achieved before. 

The match is similar to SSAA Target Pistol and considered quite challenging. Competitors must use an open-sighted service pistol, with cartridges no smaller than 9mm and no larger than .45ACP. The course of fire includes two slow-fire strings of 10 shots in 10 minutes at 50 yards, then two timed and two rapid-fire strings at 25 yards – all one-handed. 

The top 100 places of the match are awarded the coveted ‘President’s Hundred’, and when the scores were tallied, Michael’s 343-4x was enough to earn him 91st place and his spot in the President’s Hundred. His total score, Slow-fire: 164-1, Timed-fire: 95-1, Rapid-fire: 84-2. 

“It felt so good,” he says. “To be fair, most Aussies hadn’t really looked at this match as something we could be competitive in. And to shoot a score like that with a borrowed gun – it was a huge surprise. 

“Everyone wants to be in the President’s Hundred. There are military teams, police teams, state teams, industry-sponsored teams and civilians all trying to get into the President’s Hundred. You don’t realise how big a deal it is in the USA until you see it taking pride of place on the left sleeve of military uniforms and of how much everyone wants to be on that list,” said Michael. 

Michael travelled to the US alongside three other SSAA team members, including SSAA National and SSAA Queensland Target Pistol Discipline Chair Susan Summers. She played a key role in organising accommodation and logistics. 

“She’s our unofficial team mum,” Michael laughs. “She keeps things running smoothly and picks the best places to stay.” 

Michael says there was a lot of camaraderie and support throughout the experience. The Australian team was warmly welcomed by US clubs and competitors, especially the Southern Indiana Rifle and Pistol Club, which loaned pistols and pre-loaded ammunition to the team. Michael says their generosity made the whole trip possible, and names Ron Bekebrede and Steve Smith among the key people who helped. 

Socialising with members from the Southern Indiana Rifle and Pistol Club.

He also thanked the SSAA for supporting the team’s travel and acknowledged both the National Rifle Association and Civilian Marksmanship Program for extending an invitation to compete in their respective national matches. 

“The US competitors were incredible,” Michael says. “As soon as they heard the accent or saw the Aussie team shirts, they wanted to chat. They’d lend you their own gear without hesitation – and then shake your hand when you beat them with it.” 

That’s what happened during the President’s Pistol Match. Despite using the borrowed pistol, Michael held his nerve through slow, timed and rapid- fire stages. A tricky string in the rapid-fire nearly cost him, but he refocused for the final five shots and managed to stay on target. 

“You can’t get those five back,” he remembers thinking. “So, I just focused on the next five – and that was enough.” 

The President’s Pistol Match is taken very seriously by Americans. Many are involved with police and the military and earning a place in the President’s Hundred is considered an enormous achievement. 

“During the match, the competitors immediately around me were a Canadian, two US Coast Guards, a Michigan State Police Officer, a civilian from New York State and a fellow Aussie from Bundaberg. It is as much a social event as a shooting event. It just helps if you are shooting well, then your light-hearted sledging of the competition carries a little bit better. You meet great people and learn so much.” 

For Michael, the path to high-level shooting began about ten years ago in Clermont, Queensland. He’d noticed a state-level Target Pistol match being held locally and decided to give it a try. After realising he already had a lot of the required equipment and learning from supportive competitors, he was hooked. Since then, he’s competed in five SSAA disciplines at local, state and national levels, and represented Australia internationally in two of them. 

Clearly, he is no stranger to shooting, and while he’s also no stranger to the CMP format since our Target Pistol discipline is closely based on the same rules used by the NRA and CMP, he’d never competed with a .45ACP before. 

“It’s a calibre perfectly suited to this kind of shooting,” he says. “But I wouldn’t be able to use that same pistol in Queensland under local laws, which is frustrating.” 

That discrepancy is part of why no Australian had previously broken into the President’s Hundred. But for Michael, a combination of practice, support and timing made it possible, and he’s still buzzing from the result. 

Just a day after flying back to Australia, he was already packing again – this time to compete at the SSAA Queensland State Target Pistol Championships in Bundaberg with one of his daughters. 

“Family and work come first,” he says. “But if I can make the 2027 team to go back to the US, I’ll give it everything. I’d love to go for the Distinguished badge next.” 

The President’s Hundred is an award not only for pistol, but also for rifle. So, is Michael keen to go for the double and win a place in the rifle version of the President’s Match as well? 

“I gave it a go on our second-last day with a borrowed M1 Garand,” he laughs. “Let’s just say pistol is definitely my forte.” 

Breakout: What is the President’s Pistol Match? 

The President’s Pistol Match is held annually in the United States as part of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) National Matches. Open to both military and civilian competitors, the match is shot with open-sighted service pistols across a 40-round course of fire. The top 100 competitors earn a place in the ‘President’s Hundred’ – an honour recognised across US military and shooting communities. 

Breakout: Presidents Pistol Match Course of fire: 

40 shots total. All one-handed: 

Stage	Distance	Type of fire	Position	Number of shots	Time Limit	Scoring
First	50 yds	Slow	Standing	2 series of 10 shots	10 min per series	After each series
Second	25 yds	Timed	Standing	2 series of 5 shots	20 sec per series	After 10 shots
Third	25 yds	Rapid	Standing	2 series of 5 shots	20 sec per series	After 10 shots