As his turn to shoot approached, 24-year-old Christian Sailer calmly checked his equipment and coated his hands in powdered chalk until it appeared he was wearing white gloves. When asked if it made a difference, Christian confidently replied, “I think it does.” All high-level shooters have a routine and shot process that contributes to their success. Christian’s helped him claim the 2024 Vortex Optics USPSA Open National Championship as well as a world title.
This recent win cemented Christian’s spot on the Men’s Open team for the 2025 IPSC World Shoot in South Africa where he plans to defend his current world title. “We have a team comprised of myself, Sgt. Aaron Eddins (USAMU), Bryan Jones and John Vleiger,” Christian stated. “It is a great honor to fly our nation’s flag and wear our colors to represent the U.S. on the largest stage in our sport.”
Unsurprisingly, Christian’s greatest accomplishment in shooting to date is winning the 2022 IPSC World Championship in Pattaya, Thailand. The World Shoot is the biggest match in the sport and is held every four years. “It was a moment I dreamt about since I was little, and it was surreal standing atop the podium draped behind an American Flag hearing our National Anthem play,” Christian recalled. “The match was 30 stages over five days — a true test of all skills to determine who would be world champion.”
Christian, like many top-level shooters, started out shooting a BB gun with his grandfather. No one in his family shoots on a regular basis or competes — his original interest stemmed from movies like The Patriot. Christian took his first range safety course at age 10, shot his first match at 13, and his first regional match at 16. Growing up in Bellevue, Washington, Christian explained he was fortunate to connect with local shooters. He frequented Bellevue Gun Club once a month, then weekly, before beginning to travel to USPSA competitions. He shot steel with the Renton Junior Club team and joined a group of local competitors who trained together under the name Down Zero.
“Through their mentorship, I started placing well at these matches, increased my practice, built a fundamental base and launched from there,” Christian said. He progressed from a Walther P22 to a Walther PPQ, GLOCK 34, and to a 2011 race pistol. Christian’s discipline of choice is USPSA, the American region of IPSC.
Nowadays, Christian primarily competes in the Open Division with an EMG Custom .38SC Open Pistol. “This division is the F1 race division of our sport,” Christian explained, before detailing his competition setup. “[My pistol] is equipped with a Tevo Sports ThumbLock and Mount, topped with a Vortex Defender XL 5moa. The compensator mitigates the recoil from my 124-grain Everglades JHP bullet traveling at roughly 1,400 FPS (Custom loaded on a Dillon RL 1100 automated with a DA 3000) and has a magwell that assists with lightning fast reloads. The whole gun is designed for speed and accuracy.”
Christian thrives on competition and loves training for large matches. “I work on my various skills and layer in the complexity to prepare myself for whatever the competition throws my way,” he said. Marksmanship in general has taught him hard work and what it means to set a goal and work towards it. “Your work ethic, attitude and mentality are what will help you persevere,” he said. He also suggests seeking out educated advice from top shooters and the internet.
“I started dreaming of the World Shoot since I started competing,” Christian said. “I saw my heroes travel across the world every four years to compete in the biggest gathering of practical shooting competitions and win on TV.” Now Christian sits at the top of that field, proving that with hard work and dedication, you can do anything.
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