Well, the organization of the Swiss army was, and is, kinda special. They have a compulsory military service, where the soldier gets a basic training first, and is then sent home with gun and ammunition. This way they keep a standing, well armed, army, without spending too much on additional resources. In order to keep the men trained, the army fully supports sports shooting, target practice, with the army guns and even supplied ammunition to do so.
Retired army personnel were allowed to purchase/keep their guns after service ended.
So yes, it is logical that the army ammunition was popular and that service guns were used in competitions. Pistol competition distances are 25 meters and 50 meters. The sights are set for 50. One of the reasons the SIG P210 is so good, is that it had to compete with the Swiss army luger, and that wasn't easy to accomplish. In fact, many Swiss old school shooters preferred their Lugers over the P210, and later pistols.
An added bonus of a well-armed and trained civilian population: Low crime rates in Switzerland.
|