Superior officer competes in Governor's 20 shooting competition
Matt Coleman from Superior, an MCS Corporal for the weigh station in Haugen, took first place in the factory irons category of the Montana Governor's 20 shooting competition in Helena, the first weekend of August. (Photo courtesy Matt Coleman)
On Aug. 8-9, law enforcement officers from various agencies traveled to Helena to compete for a coveted spot on the Governor’s 20. Those who zeroed in and scored high enough make up a list of the top 20 law enforcement pistol shooters in the state. The Governor’s 20 is much more than officers just trying to hit the mark; it’s training, an educational event, and a chance for camaraderie.
The competition has taken place in Montana for nearly 30 years. It is a tradition for law enforcement officers throughout the Big Sky that they look forward to each summer. It consists of a paper match, which challenged officers to shoot with their left and right hands up to the 50-yard line, a steel plate rack shot for time, and scores from each of those are added together for a final score. This year’s competition also included side matches that combined movement and dynamic shooting.
One local shooter, Motor Carrier Services Corporal Matt Coleman, from the Haugan weigh station, took first in the factory irons class. He remarked on his win, “I was pleasantly surprised. There are some guys who have been competing and winning since before I was even born.”
Coleman moved to Superior in 2017, working as a detention officer at the Mineral County jail. Later that year, he began his career as an MCS Officer in the West End. The last year Coleman competed was in 2022; he made it to the top 20. He explained, “MCS puts on an internal competition each year. The winner gets sponsored for the GOV20. I won the sponsorship this year and in 2022.”
“Shooting has been a passion since I was a kid. I shoot thousands of rounds every year,” he continued, “The biggest thing is the camaraderie between fellow officers and ‘gun guys’ across the state. And of course, the sense of pride being one of the top competitors in the state.”
The main event consists of a 90-round paper target match, where competitors are shooting out to 50 yards, using both left and right hands. Then a 48-round steel plate match, which is a timed speed match out to 25 yards.
Coleman described the event, “The scores are then divided between three classes: factory iron sights, factory optics mounted sights, and enhanced (heavily modified). The rest of the event consists of fun side matches and networking with other officers and instructors.”
Each officer shoots with their own issued duty weapon. For Coleman, that is a factory Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm. There is a wide variety of pistols used in the competition, generally, what the officer carries for work. For example, the M&P9 M2.0 is the primary sidearm for Montana Highway Patrol troopers.
Coleman aims to attend the Governor’s 20 every year going forward. He said, “I was ranked 14th in the top 20 this year. I hope to improve at the 50-yard line and do better on the plate match.”
In addition to the pistol competition, the Governor’s 20 also included vendors, industry experts, and educational opportunities. The FBI Ballistic Research Facility led a course on terminal ballistics the day before the competition.
The registration fees and other funds gained from this year’s Governor’s 20 competition aided the Mason Moore Foundation. This organization provides grants to local law enforcement agencies for programs or special equipment that may not be available through the standard government funding process.