Irish Practical Shooting Association - IPSA

IPSC shooting in Ireland

What is IPSC?
IPSC matches involve the application of IPSC 3 fundamentals, power, speed and accuracy. These fundamentals are reflected in the skill required to shoot a full-bore handgun (9mm or above) accurately and quickly through courses of fire and scenarios that challenges your mind, your body, and your hardware as you explore the limits of the man-machine combination. The only restrictions on course designers pertain to safety and standardized targets; beyond that, the sky's the limit! IPSC shooting matches are diverse. Multiple targets, moving targets, partial targets, knock-down steel targets, penalty targets that cover or obscure "shoot" targets, barricades, openings, ports - all these and other props are mixed together by course designers to create constantly changing courses of fire which challenge the competitor to shoot and think! As IPSC shooting is freestyle, you provide the solution to the shooting problem, and both your score (points) and speed (time) are factored.

Shooting a handgun fast is not really difficult. Take any beginner to the range, give him some basic training and some ammo and he will be able to shoot 2-3 rounds per second easily. Shooting accurately is not all that difficult either. Some coaching & practice and you’re there! Shooting a handgun fast and accurately is a skill that IPSC shooters spend years trying to perfect. Speed and accuracy are conflicting requirements and that is the challenge that possibly makes IPSC shooting the best competitive shooting sport there is.

IPSC rules state that no stage should ever be the same, from one competition to the next, and diversity is encouraged to keep the sport from becoming too formalised or standardised. Typically, athletes do not know in advance what to expect from any given match. A match is made up of many stages. A stage is a separately timed and scored component of a match. Matches can be as small as 6 stages and up to 30 for a large international match with up to 1000 competitors.

Athletes may enter any one of five pistol divisions depending on the style of firearms used. In Ireland the most popular divisions are Production (non-customised semi auto 9mm DA/SA pistols. Click here for list of approved production division guns) and Standard (customised single action semi auto 40 S&W pistols). The other 3 divisions are Open (semi auto pistols with compensators, large magazines & electronic sights), Modified (similar to Standard division but with electronic sights) and revolver.

Competition Licence & Safety
To compete in any IPSA sanctioned match you must have a licenced firearm suitable for the discipline you intend to compete in and a Competition Licence.
A competition licence is issued by the IPSA to a competitor who has demonstrated that he/she is competent to use a sporting firearm in an IPSC shooting competition. To get a licence you have to take a Competition Licence course and compete in an IPSA sanctioned match without incident, the course is held over two days. Day one concentrates on the theory, rules and what you need to know to compete in an IPSC match. Day two is all about the shooting. Under R.O. commands you are put through practical exercises where you will shoot about 300 rounds of ammunition. In the afternoon a test of both your competency and ability to compete safely in a match environment takes place.

IPSC will teach you to shoot, safely and accurately. As your skill develops you will be able to do this quicker.
Firearm safety is ultimately a matter of personal responsibility and self control, two key qualities stressed in IPSC Shooting. The shooter is always responsible for his or her actions and safe gun handling. The basic principles of safe gun handling are expressed in the IPSC Shooting Code of Ethics --
I will treat every firearm as a loaded one
I will never point a firearm at anything I am not willing to destroy
I will be sure of my target and what is behind it before firing
I will keep my finger off the trigger until my sights are on my intended target

Violations of this Code of Ethics, as defined in the IPSC Shooting Rule Book, are considered severe safety violations, and will lead to disqualification from matches. IPSC shooting is SAFETY IN ACTION: SAFETY is the watchword of the entire IPSA training program! Trained & experienced IPSC shooters instinctively practice safe gun handling, and they demand the same of others

Range Officer
From the initial command “Load and make ready” to the finish of the stage the Range Officer (R.O.) is tasked with one job only- the maintenance of safety on his stage. The IPSA R.O. is a very unique individual, he or she has volunteered their own time to attend formal class lectures, they have studied and developed a in depth appreciation of a 375 page R.O.’s manual, they have served an apprenticeship involving travel to various matches throughout Europe. They are totally dedicated to their sport and to the safety of the competitors.

A flavour of what a pistol IPSC competitor experiences during a stage in a match
So, you have your competition licence and you have built up enough brownie points to escape form lawnmower duties for a match. You have registered online, have packed your range bag with all the necessary items. You arrive at the range, lots of people in the safety area, putting on rigs, checking guns. You sign in and get your squad number, and try to drown all the butterflies in your stomach with coffee and gallons of water. You hear the banter and laughter from the rest of the competitors. Your squad is called and this is it your first stage in a competitive match. Thankfully it is a short 9 round stage with just 4 paper targets and one steel plate. You need to steady up on the steel and see the front sight, then come back to the paper, you remember your competition licence course front sight, press the trigger and follow through. The R.O. calls your name, as you walk up to he quickly checks that your are entered in the right division, that your equipment position complies with the rules. You close your eyes and visualize the way you intend to shoot the stage. You tell yourself over & over again “smooth is fast, watch the front sight.” The R.O. issues the command “load and make ready.” You draw your gun, insert your magazine, rack the slide, apply the safety catch & re-holster. You assume the start position with your hands relaxed by your sides. The R.O. says “are you ready?” You stay focused on your game plan. The R.O. lifts the timer close to your head; he says “standby” and then what seems like an eternity you hear the beep from the shot timer. You draw and shoot, it seems so slow, but you knock the steel and quickly index your gun to the paper targets. You are fixed on the front sight, 9 shots later it’s all over. “If finished unload and show clear” says the R.O. You unload & show him the clear chamber & magazine well. Following the “if clear hammer down and holster” command you reholster your pistol. The R.O. calls the range clear and your time 6.7 seconds with 7 Alphas and two Charlie’s. A great start to the match and you realize that you are hooked. You are now part of the IPSC family. This is just a flavour of what IPSC is all about!

The above describes a typically stage for a handgun. IPSC shooting also takes place with rifles (typically semi auto centre fire) and shotguns (pump or semi auto). IPSA are planning on introducing practical shotgun shooting soon as well as sending some athletes abroad to compete in IPSC rifle shooting.

Equipment needed
To compete in an IPSC match you will need to have:
A serviceable and safe handgun, minimum calibre 9mm. All of the critical safeties (slide safety, safety catches, half cock notch, disconnector, hammer block, etc.) on your handgun must be functional. If your gun is fitted with a trigger shoe or extension, it may not protrude beyond the outer dimensions of the trigger guard. The handgun must be of the correct specification for the division you wish to shoot in.
A safe holster on a belt; the muzzle of the handgun must point downwards to the ground within three feet of you when standing naturally relaxed, the trigger must be covered, and the belt upon which the holster and allied equipment are carried must be secured at waist level.
Magazines or speed loaders (2 or 3 is plenty to start with), and carriers for it.
Ear and eye protection. Shooting glasses must be industrial safety glasses or genuine shooting glasses; most sunglasses lack the strength needed to afford adequate protection.
Correct footwear for the range. Take into account whether you will be shooting indoors or outdoors and the conditions underfoot.

Perhaps you’d like to come look at a match & talk to some of the competitors about the sport before you decide to take it any further and sign up for a Competition Licence course. Please contact any of the committee members who will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.