IPSC question

[Lee]

Well I looked thru the IPSC website, and it answers a whole lotta questions.
Except one.
I am curious, what is a typical range? 10 yds? 7 yds? 25 yds?
All I could find from the web was "up to 50 meters" which is (about) 150 feet.
The IPSC target fits on a 22" x 35" paper, IIRC. So, what are the average distances used??
Any info is appreciated..............Lee

[BarryinIN]

I guess the short answer is what they said: anything up to 50 meters.

I have shot IPSC off and on for 10 years or so, and I can remember two stages having targets anywhere close to 50 meters. I can still remember the complaining too.
Maybe it's done differently in your area, but that's what I've seen here. A long course takes more space and more time to shoot. Often, you can set up two courses within the space of one long range one, and that is what most people prefer.

If I had to estimate:
I would say over 95% is within 25 yards.
I'd say 80% was within 15 yards.

In IDPA, 75% of all shots of a given match must be 15 yards or less. I know you aren't asking about IDPA, but I would say most IPSC matches would meet that rule too.

There is a minumum distance for steel targets due to bounce-back. I know it's 10 yards in IDPA but can't recall what IPSC calls for, but it's close if not the same.

[HeavyMetal]

When I belonged to the old Southwest Combat Pistol League they had a "Match Book" in print that showed the layout of all the IPSC approved match's.

The idea was you could either run a match your self or set up to practise the advertised match of the month, provided you had range and the room on it of course!

I will suggest you check the site again and see if one is offered or contact you local club and see if they have one.

This way you can see a distance layout for each set up.

If it helps, and mind you I'm at least 15 years out of date, it was a rare day the a match was "longer" than 30 yards but I did shot some 50 yard matchs back in the 80's so it happens.o

[BarryinIN]

Expanding on what Heavy Metal said- They still use a Course Book of stages for classification. The place you are shooting at will probably run one classifier stage from the IPSC course book, with the rest of the stages designed by people at the club. Some clubs tell what that classifier stage is by name and number ("CM 03-10 Area Five Standards" for example) before the match. The match director might tell you anyway, even if it isn't the standard practice. Then you can go to the course listings at the USPSA website ( www.uspsa.org then go to "Additional Content in the sidebar) and look it up, and even practice it beforehand.

But that only covers one stage. The rest are probably made up by club members or borrowed from other clubs and won't be online.
An exception would a "classifier match" many clubs hold roughly once a year made up of around five stages that are all from the Course Book. They will often do this before a major match. This lets shooters shoot enough classifiers in one day so they can get classified in a division (Limited, Open, etc) they might never have been classified in before, or had let expire.

[MtGun44]

I have been shooting IPSC since 1981 and there is no real typical range, except that
there are minimums for steel targets (10 yds IIRC) due to splashback. Relatively rarely
does a scenario go under 5 yds, but it does happen occasionally. So, most are 10-25
yds.

Understand that except for the classifiers and some old standards like El Presidente,
no two matches are the same.

Bill

[Lee]

Wow! Many thanks for tthe replies and suggestions. I'll have to go back and look at the sites more closely....Lee

[KYCaster]

Might try a search for Russel Nash. I haven't seen him post for a while but he has a link in his sig line to his USPSA videos.

His videos and those on the USPSA site will give you a good idea what it's all about.

You'll also find a list of local clubs and contact info on the USPSA site.


Jerry

[imashooter2]

Lots and lots of video available on youtube.

Very rare to find a target over 25 yards from the "shooting area." But if you want to do it with a revolver, sometimes you need to be creative about what you shoot from where...

<==========

[ebg3]

IPSC and USPSA are not the same thing. They both have their own rule books with some differences in the rules. With the exception of a few special "Qualifier Matches" we only shoot USPSA in the United States. The USPSA website is (USPSA.net) they have a very informative website with an online rule book and many tips for new shooters.
That said, I'm the Match Director for my local club and I set up and run a monthly USPSA handgun match. A typical field course has ranges of 5-25 yards and the average distance at my club is probably 12 yards.

Eddie

[richbug]

We have the ability t set out o 50 yards on one of our pistol pits, but the ******** and moaning gets pretty loud if we do.

Last month we shot bowling pins from 40, if you missed them from that range you had an opportunity to shoot them from 30, then from 20. There was 5 yard paper between each of the bowling pin positions to get you to go fast, but then you had to slow down and use the sights for the pins.

Anything over 25 yards, you will get complainers. Many times a stage will be set so you can shoot from distance or run closer. Distances at our club range from powder burns to 30 yards on an average match.