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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.
Equipment is not that complex. We first start with eye and ear protection which is mandatory for everyone on the range. There is no exception for those watching or shooting as safety is always our number one concern above everything else. You'll need a handgun held in a holster that resides on the belt and securely covers the entire trigger guard. Add to that a good 3 to 6 magazines or speed loaders with belt mounted magazine pouches and you are about ready to go. A typical range day will require a minimum of 175 rounds but we suggest bringing 250-300 to give plenty of padding in case you have to re-shoot a stage or in case we get particularly devious and really up the round count for a particular match. Our matches attract everyone from first time competitors to National and World Champions on a regular basis. We feel it's one of the great strengths of our club that we draw on such a diverse group of talent. We are all competing against each other, but we are all there to have fun and help each other out too. At the end of the day it's a great bunch of friends sharing the beautiful outdoors at a wonderful facility, doing what we all enjoy... RUNNIN' 'n GUNNIN'!! If you have never participated in a sport like this, we understand it might be intimidating with all the divisions, fancy equipment, and moving targets. We all felt like that in the beginning. If you'd like to come to a match and observe what we do, you'll be surprised what you can learn and be delighted at how helpful everyone is about answering any questions you may have. But know that next month we'll be looking forward to seeing you there with your equipment ready to share a great day at the range with the rest of us. Remember the basic safety equipment rules are always in place so if you decided to observe a match, make sure to remember your eye and ear protection. Matches typically run from 10:00 to about 2:30. We even have a hot dog stand at most of the matches for a lunch option. |
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