Frequently Asked Questions
Check this page for questions asked about our sport, and how we run matches.
Practical shooting attempts to measure the ability to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full power handgun, rifle, and/or shotgun. Those three elements - speed, accuracy and power - form the three sides of the practical shooting triangle. By design, each match will measure a shooter's ability in all three areas.
If shooting has an "extreme" sport, USPSA-sanctioned practical shooting is it. Competitors move, negotiate obstacles, run, speed-reload, and drive their guns through each of several courses of fire (stages) as fast as their skills will allow.
The typical stage will require a shooter to draw his gun from a holster and then move through the stage engaging paper and steel targets. The shooter will have to reload his weapon during the movement through the course. The scoring system measures points scored (minus misses and penalties) divided by the time taken to finish the course of fire. A competitor that has the balance of accurancy and speed will place high in the match.
USPSA offers competitive divisions for most handguns, from revolvers to scope-sighted, recoil-compensated "race guns" developed just for our sport. Each division has six classes for the different skill levels of the competitors. Even though you could be shooting in a squad with individuals in the higher classes you only compete with shooters in your class and skill levels.
Pistol Match - First Sunday of the month. The monthly pistol matches consist of four courses of fire (stages) all shot with a handgun as described above. These four courses of fire are added together for the competitor's score for that days match score. The courses will be from six to forty rounds per stage.
The Three Gun Matches have one stage each for pistol, rifle and shotgun. The total score for these three stages are added together for the match score. Pistol and rifle courses are typically thirty to forty rounds each. The shotgun course is typically from twelve to twenty-five rounds each. Bring some means of carrying enough ammunition to finish the course of fire. There are three divisions for Three Gun with six classes in each division, so the competitor still only competes against those with similar guns and skill levels.
The Steel Match consists of four courses of fire with five static steel targets. At each stage the competitor will draw his gun from a holster and engage the five steel targets as fast as possible. The competitor will run the course five times, and the slowest run will be thrown out and the fastest four runs will be recorded. The total of all runs ( four stages, four runs) will be added up for a total time. The fastest time for each class and division wins. On some occasions, an IPSC-style stage will be used in one of the bays.
Shooting a match at Eastern FAQ USPSA Pistol Divisions Three Gun Divisions