USPSA Shooting

I'm starting this part of the SCAPSA web site to introduce the sport of practical shooting and to expand on what is already available on the intranet. In particular I'm going to stick to the USPSA shooting sport. There is a lot to cover and I'm only getting started so its going to be a little sparse at first but I will be adding more as time goes on. I'm not going to duplicate the information that is already on the net. USPSA has a lot of good information on their web site at www.uspsa.org

A good write up on USPSA can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USPSA

What is the USPSA Practical shooting sport

First of all I have to say its fun. A person can take this sport as serious as they want. Most new people just come to have fun. While others like to compete at the state and national level. This is a social sport. The people that participate in it are friendly and helpful. So if you are new you will find someone to help.

If you are new to the sport I would recommend that you start out at a local club in one of their leagues. Leagues are an informal way to get into this sport. Check out the SCAPSA league.

As with any sport there is some form of measurement. In USPSA a shooter is scored based on their time an accuracy when shooting a course of fire. Don't let the fact that a score is taken scare you. The score is used to let a shooter know how they are doing over time to compare against them self.

United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA)

USPSA is the national level organization for over 400+ clubs in the united states. USPSA is affiliated with IPSC which is the international organizing body of our sport. IPSC stands for International Practical Shooting Confederation.

First lesson

The first lesson in this sport is safety. Guns are dangerous if mishandled thus the first thing we learn is safe gun handling. USPSA and gun ranges have rules that help maintain a safe environment. Safety is the responsibility of the shooter. If you are new to this sport, the first time you attend you may wish to come and just watch. By watching an event you will be able to to see what people are doing and to ask questions. Please show up before the schedule time so you can find a club member to give you an introduction to a range officer. A range officer is someone who knows the sport, and has been certified by the USPSA to officiate at a mach. They will be more then glad to help.

The minimum requirement for this sport, even if you come to watch, is a pair of safety glasses and some type of ear protection being ear plugs or sound dampening ear muffs.

Range Officer

A range officer is someone that has taken the time to learn safety rules and running a shooter and has been certified by the NORI.

Equipment Needed

You don't need fancy equipment to enjoy this sport. The few things besides a pistol and ammo are listed below:

• Hearing protection, either ear muffs or ear plugs are required.
• Eye protection is required. Look into getting shooting glasses since normal eyewear may not always be made of plastic intended to protect from impact.
• Holster USPSA regulations require that the holster cover the trigger guard. No under the shoulder holsters allowed.
• Magazines A couple of extra magazines for course reloads.
• Magazine holders or magazine pouches are nice and don't usually cost much at the local gun stores.

Score Sheet

Check out the online score sheet. Use it to learn how we score or use it to do what if scenarios.