The International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) is a shooting sport based on the concept of practical shooting. Accuracy, power and speed are all required to achieve a maximum score.
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Founding and organization
IPSC was founded at a conference held in Columbia, Missouri, in May 1976. Practical shooting enthusiasts from around the world participated, creating a constitution and establishing the rules governing the sport.[1][2] Jeff Cooper served as the first IPSC President.
While IPSC is an international organization, countries have their own organizations under the IPSC umbrella. In the United States, this is the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). In the United Kingdom, this is the United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA).
Major and Minor
Power is a requirement in IPSC competition, along with speed and accuracy. The power of a given cartridge is measured by both bullet weight and velocity. The weight of the bullet fired in grains (7,000 to the pound) is multiplied by the velocity (feet per second) and the total must exceed certain thresholds. A competitor's ammunition is fired, in the competitor's firearm (velocities can vary slightly from one firearm to another) to measure the velocity for scoring. A Major load is one that exceeds the threshold of 165,000 or 170,000 (depending on the division competed in). To shoot Minor, a competitor's ammunition must exceed 125,000. Extra scoring is not given for exceeding the threshold. A competitor declaring Major, but who fails the threshold, has his/her score re-calculated at Minor. A shooter who declares Minor, but fails that threshold, is given a score of zero for the match.
Procedure and Scoring
The typical course of fire is an array of targets, which the competitor must engage with two hits each (Sometimes more.) Also, steel plates that fall when struck can be added to a course of fire, or stage. The shooters time is recorded electronically, by means of a timer that "hears" the sound of the shots. Scoring is relatively simple to explain, but involved to calculate for a match. Known as "Comstock" scoring, the points generate by hits on the targets are totaled. Penalties (if incurred) are subtracted. Then the points total is divided by the time it took the competitor to engage the stage. This calculation, called a "Stage Factor", is essentially the ratio of points per second. The highest Stage factor wins the stage and the full total of Stage Points assigned to it, and lesser scores are awarded Stage Points according to the percentage stage factor they fired, compared to the winner.
The points from shots fired and hits generated vary slightly. A center hit for both Major and Minor is five points. However, lesser scoring rings are not rewarded as much for Minor as for Major. The A-B-C-D rings are scored 5-4-4-2 for Major, and 5-3-3-1 for Minor. A shooter who has declared Minor must either shoot all "A" hits, or shoot faster than one who has declared Major, in order to make up for lesser hits being so punished.
Each competitor then has his/her stage points totaled for all stages of the match, to calculate the match standings. The highest total of points wins the match. Comparing each shooter directly to the performance of the fastest shooter of each stage allows for precise gradation of performance across a match, but requires a computer and software to do in a timely fashion.
Competitive Divisions
In the beginning, IPSC was fired with whatever handguns the competitors chose. After a relatively short period, it became clear that equipment mattered, and equipment divisions were thus designated.
Open Division is the handgun equivalent of top fuel dragsters. The pistols have muzzle brakes, red-dot optical sights, and hi-capacity magazines. Typically chambered in .38 Super (or some variant) or 9mm Parabellum, the magazines can hold up to 29 rounds. They can be loaded to Major or Minor.
Standard Division is limited to pistols .40 caliber or larger in bore size for Major or 9mm or larger for Minor, at the shooters choice. They may not have muzzle brakes, red-dot optics, and the pistol with magazine must fit within the "IPSC box" a set of dimensions that limit overall size.
Modified Division is a combination: like Open guns they can have muzzle brakes, and optics. But like Standard Division pistols they must be .40 or larger in bore size to declare Major, and they must fit within the IPSC box.
Production Division is restricted to 9mm Parabellum pistols, fired at Minor, that must both meet the dimensional restrictions and are unmodified from the manufacturers specifications.
Revolver Division does not permit muzzle brakes, optical sights, or more than six-shot capacity. Competitors can have any caliber .38 Special or larger, and may declare Major.
All Divisions fire the same stages, on the same days, as all other Divisions, in a match. However, when calculating match standings, only Divisional stage scores are compared. Thus, the top shooter in Open on a stage is the measure for all other Open shooters, and likewise for all other Divisions.
World Shoot
Since 1975, IPSC has held the World Shoot, a multi-day match comprising at least 20 separate courses of fire, where the best IPSC shooters from around the world vie for the title of World Champion. The World Shoot is currently held every three years. Previous World Shoot winners:[3]
- Ray Chapman (USA): 1975 World Shoot I Zurich, Switzerland
- Jan Foss (Norway): 1976 World Shoot II Salzburg, Austria
- Dave Westerhout (UK): 1977 World Shoot III Salisbury, Rhodesia
- Jimmy Von Sorgenfrei (South Africa) 1979 World Shoot IV Johannesburg, South Africa
- Ross Seyfried (USA): 1981 World Shoot V Johannesburg, South Africa
- Rob Leatham (USA): 1983 World Shoot VI Virginia, United States
- Rob Leatham (USA): 1986 World Shoot VII Florida, United States
- Rob Leatham (USA): 1988 World Shoot VIII Caracas, Venezuela
- Doug Koenig (USA): 1990 World Shoot IX Adelaide, Australia
- Matt Mclearn (USA): 1993 World Shoot X Bisley, England
- Todd Jarrett (USA): 1996 World Shoot XI Brasilia, Brazil
- Eric Grauffel (France): 1999 World Shoot XII Cebu, Philippines
- Eric Grauffel (France): 2002 World Shoot XIII Pietersburg, South Africa
- Eric Grauffel (France): 2005 World Shoot XIV Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Eric Grauffel (France): 2008 World Shoot XV Bali, Indonesia
See also
References
- ^ Columbia Conference Minutes http://www.uspsa.org/document_library/IPSC%201976%20Columbia%20Conference%20Minutes.pdf
- ^ "What Is IPSC" accessed August 17, 2007 http://ipsc.org/whatipsc.htm
- ^ IPSC Hall of Champions, accessed November 2, 2008 http://www.ipsc.org/hoc.htm
External links
- IPSC—official website
- IPSC Regions
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