The Steel Challenge is a major pistol match held in California each year that uses all steel targets and is scored on time only. There are 7 of these events, most of which do not change from year to year. There is no limit on the number of shots that may be fired at each plate. After the competitor finishes shooting, the time is recorded. If the competitor has left a plate unhit, a time penalty is assessed.
Some courses require that a particular plate be engaged last.
Plates not hit before the stop plate is hit are counted as misses, and the time stops when the stop plate is hit. Five strings are shot at each event, and the best 4 of 5 times are kept for score. After all 7 events are completed the times from each stage are added. The match winner is the shooter with the fastest total time. He also began holding an annual shooting match, the Second Chance bowling pin shoot.