what are USPSA & IPSC? IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) is an international organization which sets forth rules by which matches are shot ... USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) is the U.S. association within IPSC which may expand upon the rules set forth by IPSC

how do I join IPSC? you can't actually join IPSC ... directly ... but by joining USPSA, you are a member of IPSC, as well

are there restrictions to join USPSA? simply that, by the laws which govern any state in which you might shoot, or that of your residence, that you may legally possess a handgun

what do I get by joining USPSA? most matches will have one course called a classifier, as a USPSA member, your score for each classifier will be kept in a database and your most recent scores will be used to determine your classification, by which, you can gauge your proficiency against others ... you also get a bi-monthly magazine ... also, some larger matches require USPSA membership to shoot

what are the USPSA classifications? until you accumulate at least four classifier scores, you will be classified "U" (unclassified) ... from there it goes "D", "C", "B", "A", "master", & "grand-master" ... most will shoot for years before making "B" class ... if ever

is it expensive to shoot USPSA matches? expensive is a relative term ... this varies greatly by division ... to be competitive in the open division requires at least over $2,500 just for the gun ... however, for the production division, most guns cost under $600, and not much more than another $100 for belt, holster, and mag-holders ... ammo, is where it can get expensive ... not many years ago, you could buy a 100rd package of Winchester U.S.A. 9mm FMJ from Wal-Mart for $11 ... lately, that's been closer to $20 ... most courses are under 32rd, and most weeknight matches are only 3 courses (one being a classifier, which is usually closer to 12rd) ... figuring 100rd for weeknight matches, and 150rd for weekend matches, and let's say 10 of the former, and 5 of the latter, in one year's time, you could spend over $300 on ammo ... if you'd like to practice, you could easily double that ... beyond that, match fees are rarely more than $25 to shoot a weekend match ... closer to $15 for weeknight matches

most of the video I've seen shows competitors wearing fancy jerseys and moving very fast ... where can I go to prepare for my first match? those videos are of the top shooters in the country ... most matches are not like that at all ... most folks wear whatever they'd wear if they were playing with their kids in the backyard ... and where you might see a top shooter breaking into a sprint from one group of targets to another, most others will simply walk quickly ... some even slowly ... so long as you're familiar with your gun, and can keep 40rd of 50rd on a paper-plate at 15ft, and you have an appropriate belt, holster, and mag-holders, you're ready for your first match (although, it's preferrable if you can give the USPSA rulebook a good once-through prior to showing up your first time)

what would be an appropriate belt, holster, and mag-holders? the USPSA rulebook is the best source to answer this ... first and foremost, the holster and mag-holders must be worn on a belt which must pass through the belt-loops of your pants ... and no cross-draw holsters or any holster canted such that the muzzle is pointing more than 36in from your feet ... otherwise, most leather carry-holster are perfect for single-stack and production divisions ... Uncle Mike's Kydex (not nylon) are very inexpensive holsters and mag-holders that work good ... Safariland and Rescomp have velcro over/under belts that are less expensive than most leather belts, and are perfect for every division ... don't forget, as courses can reach 32rd, and you'll probably reload while the old mag still has rounds in it, you'll need more than a couple magazines ... at least 5, for single-stack, production, and ltd-10 ... or at least several moon-clips for revolver division

do I need shoes with cleats? when you first start shooting USPSA matches, you should make a point to move very slowly ... should you choose, at some point, to move more quickly, shoes with a more aggressive tread, to the extent they keep you from falling down, with a loaded gun in your hand, would be preferrable ... I would say cleats are unnecessary, but then I have no desire to move quite that fast

do I need to take a class, or is there any other requirement to shooting USPSA? USPSA clubs are independent entities which produce matches at their host range ... some ranges or clubs may have requirements such as a hunter's safety certificate for those under 18yr-old ... some clubs do require you attend a special orientation which they offer one day a year ... OGC simply asks that you show up early to any weeknight match and ask around until you find someone to go over orientation with you

what is the safe area? the orientation will answer many of these questions, but the safe area is possibly the most important thing to understand ... it's the one place at the range that you are allowed to have your pistol out of a case or holster, except when you are directed by an RO to do so (when it's your turn to shoot) ... what makes the safe area safe, is that no ammo is allowed ... keep ammo out of the safe area, keep your pistol pointed in a safe direction, and never allow your pistol out of a case or holster anywhere else, and you'll have very little else to worry about

where can I load my mags? not in the safe area ... anywhere else is absolutely fine ... please keep in mind, in Minnesota (unless the law has changed, again), unless you have a permit to carry which is valid in Minnesota (or possibly in any other state you go to shoot in), you may not legally be allowed to transport mags containing any ammo in any motor-vehicle (as well, your pistol likely must be empty, in an appropriate case, and positioned in your vehicle as far away from the driver as possible, or in the trunk, if you've got one) ... without going into a long diatribe, this is simply one example of why, regardless of your interest in actually carrying a gun, you should endeavor to vote the pro-gun ticket (and join the NRA) anytime you can ... there's no shortage of well-intentioned folks out there who are willing to pass any kind of law they think might make it the least bit more difficult for a criminal to use a gun ... what they fail to understand is, criminals never obey the law (in fact, that's sort of the definition of a criminal) ... as such, should you choose to own a gun, or you fear you might somehow otherwise come into contact with a gun, while such laws were never intended to put you in jail, most cops aren't free to make that sort of assessment, on their own ... at which, at the least, you'll need the services of an exceptional attorney ... regardless, for this simple reason alone, many competitive shooters acquire a permit to carry

how do I register to shoot a USPSA match? larger matches (usually well over six courses of fire) may require pre-registration ... otherwise, upon arriving to a match, simply locate the registration desk, print your name, your division, your USPSA# (if you have one), pay the match fee, collect your scoresheets, and copy your name and shooter# (not your USPSA#, but the number next to your name in the order you signed-up) to each of your scoresheets

what's a squad? as any match will likely have at least two or more courses, it would not make sense to have everyone wait to shoot one course before anyone shoots another ... so, after you register for a match, you may find a squad sign-up sheet ... otherwise, you may be assigned a squad ... a squad is nothing more than the group of people you will shoot with for the entire match ... one squad will start on one course, and another squad will start on another course ... once an entire squad has shot a course, they will move on to the next course ... at each course, scoresheets will be collected, shuffled, and a shooting-order will be read ... it's generally undesirable to be among the first in the shooting-order, but if you're new, ask to be bumped down so you have a chance to see how the course might best be shot

how are USPSA matches scored? by each course description, each target will have a maximum number of points which can be scored ... for most courses, this will be 2 hits for 5 points each for a total of 10 points per target ... if a course has a dozen such targets, the total points for the course would be 120 ... if Fred scored 110 points in 20 seconds he'd have a hit-factor of 5.5 pts/sec ... if Barney scored 115 points in 22 seconds, he'd have a hit-factor of 5.227 pts/sec ... if these were the top two shooters, in their division, on that course, Fred would be declared 100% and be awarded 100% of the total 120 points available (as such, he'd get 120 points) for this course ... and as Barney has a hit-factor of 5.227, his percentage would be based on the top (5.5), so his percentage is 95% ... at which, he'd be awarded 114 points for this course ... should both shooters subsequently shoot another course which has 16 targets, for a total of 160 points, and Barney scores 155 points in 34 seconds, and Fred scores 160 points in 37 seconds, Barney would be awarded 100%, being 160 points, and Fred would be awarded 94%, being 150 points ... for both courses combined, Fred has a total of 270 points, and Barney has a total of 274 points ... however, should someone else come along and shoot either course with an even higher hit-factor, he'd then set a new 100%, and Fred and Barney's scores would change as a result ... in fact, should the new top hit-factor on the 160 point course become, let's say, 7.5 pts/sec, then Fred's percentage would be 57.7% for 92 points and Barney's percentage would be 60.8% for 97 points ... so then, Fred's total would be 212 points and Barney's total would be 211 points ... as such, nothing definite can be reliably determined until all scores have been compiled ... this also explains why, should you happen to see combined overall results for all divisions, one competitor might place higher than another, than within their division, alone (while not nearly the same thing, if you really want to compare two sets of scores, you could simply multiply each shooter's points by each shooter's hit-factor, for each course, and then simply add them up for all courses so scored and the one with the higher result, is most likely ahead)

is accuracy or speed more important? your score will be your total points (accuracy) divided by your time (speed) ... so they're equally important ... however, until you're getting nearly all A's time and again, you should be slowing down at least until you're getting mostly A's ... otherwise, you'll find that simply "going faster" will only makes things worse ... your score, your chances of DQ, and the general safety of others ... once you get to where, now and then, you're getting nearly all A's, that's a good indicator that you might want to speed things up a tad

when should I make up a miss? a miss is typically worth -10pts (two perfect hits) ... about the only time you should even consider not making it up, is when another attempt is likely to miss as well (target's far away), or if you're already moving/reloading ... ideally, you'll already know which groups of targets you can afford to take extra shots at (if the course is "Virginia Count", extra shots are -10pts/ea) ... when firing at such a target, if you think you missed (before the bullet gets to the target), simply let another one go right away ... otherwise, don't give it another thought ... and move on ... if your miss is actually a hit on a no-shoot target, that's actually costing you -10pts for the miss, -10pts for the no-shoot hit, and 5pts you'd otherwise have with an A hit ... in that case, one more good hit could get you back 15pts (10pts for the miss plus 5pts for an A hit) ... however, if the scoring area is particularly small and close to a no-shoot target, you run the risk of adding another -10pts for an additional no-shoot hit (at which, you might prefer to simply cut your losses, and move on)