RBGC Practical Shooters

River Bend Practical Shooters is a sanctioned member club of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) which is the national governing body for the United States division of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC). New for 2008, USPSA has produced their own set of rules independent of, yet fully supported by the IPSC. All matches held by River Bend Practical Shooters will follow these USPSA rules unless specifically noted. The USPSA website has links to applications forms for joining the USPSA organization and although it's not required to shoot with us, it is highly recommended as the benefits to the sport and to yourself as a shooter are well worth the modest yearly fee.

USPSA is a shooting sport combining Accuracy, Power, and Speed. Shooting for points is weighed against shooting quickly, while giving a scoring advantage to those shooting heavier recoiling handguns. Targets consist of standardized cardboard silhouettes and various metal reactive targets that fall when hit. A match is broken down into smaller stages that range from a few rounds to over 30 rounds for a longer field course. USPSA shooting is unique in its promotion of freestyle solving of a shooting problem. When presented with a stage layout, shooters are told the basic guidelines and are left to solve the shooting problem themselves; coming up with the best solution to shoot the stage quickly and efficiently in your head balances the mental with the physical ability. You have to think and be creative to excel, and that is really the spark that ignites this sport.