Pia Clerté is a Swedish national four-time IPSC winner who has also gained several victories in international competitions (including South African Championship and French Championship). In the second part of exclusive interview with zbrojnice.com, Pia talks more about her personal relationship to firearms.
Rozhovor v češtině si můžete přečíst zde: Zbraně & Pia Clerté, čtyřnásobná mistryně Švédska v dynamické střelbě
Zbrojnice.com is a Czech language web that deals with practical, legal, cultural and social issues of civilian firearms ownership. This interview was conducted in English and thus you can read it also in original language version below.
First part of the interview:
Pia, when was your first experience with firearms? What was your relationship to firearms before you became a professional sport shooter?
I took my IPSC license in 2014. I had been to the range maybe five times before the course and was very much a beginner. I started competing in handgun immediately after the course and in 2016 I started to shoot rifle. Later that same year I won the Swedish Championship and I am the current Swedish Champion in IPSC Rifle, Shotgun and Minirifle. I had no relationship whatsoever with firearms before taking the IPSC license.
I suppose you must have quite a few firearms. Are there any guns you are particularly fond of?
I cannot confirm nor infirm that information. 😉 My favorite is my AR15 painted in the Swedish yellow and blue colors just before the World Championship Rifle in Russia.
How often do you shoot? Do you practice shooting sports other than IPSC?
I shoot as often as I can. Unfortunately, during winter berms are often frozen thus closed. However, in season I shoot almost every day. I do not currently shoot anything other than IPSC; but I have been considering picking up PRS.
Is there any particular secret to your training?
I would say as a famous Swedish World Cup alpine ski racer Ingemar Stenmark once said : the more I train the more luck I have. Practice, practice, practice.
What would you recommend as a good beginning to someone interested in practical shooting competitions?
Just go for it. The amazing thing with shooting is that everybody can do it. Age or gender are no issues, women, men, juniors and seniors, we all compete together and have fun together. And do not be afraid to be a beginner, we all started one day.
Could you please describe your favorite firearm? How did you choose it, what are its main advantages and drawbacks?
My AR15 is custom build for me, with among other things a Proof barrel to make it less front heavy (easier for a woman to run with), a Elftmann trigger which helps with the double taps, a Swarovski Z8i 1-8 which allows for accuracy on the longer ranges, an Aimpoint H2 red dot for the smooth far-near target transitions and some other features that make it a smooth running racemachine. The only drawback of it is that it is so much fun to shoot that you use all the ammo!
Thank you very much for the interview. Any final words towards Czech gun owners’ community?
We admire the Czech resistance against the EU and really hope the decision regarding the EU Firearms Directive in the EU court is favorable to the Czech Republic! See you in Znojmo!
Firearms & …
- Jim Smith, Delta Force operator from the first „Black Hawk Down“
- Vítor Teixeira, Portuguese sport-shooter, police instructor and a court expert on firearms
- Firearms & Mike Lindsay, expert on British firearms legislation
- Pia Clerté, four-time Swedish national IPSC champion
- Hans Deutsch, bavarian reservist, self-defense instructor and sportshooter
- Tomasz W. Stępień, president of Firearms United Network
- Callum Long-Collins, English gun rights activist
