{"id":15623,"date":"2025-02-28T16:22:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T16:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/?p=15623"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:45:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T06:45:35","slug":"uspsa-competition-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/uspsa-competition-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"USPSA Competition Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Writer:\u00a0Kenzie Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The United States Practical Shooting Association competition, commonly called USPSA, is one of the most fun action sports. USPSA promotes safe and fun participation in practical shooting sports. It is one of the largest practical shooting organizations in the US, with over 30,000 active members spread out across more than 400 clubs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before signing up for a local or larger match, ask the shooting range whether you need a membership to USPSA or the range to compete. For most local matches, especially as a first-time shooter, you don\u2019t have to have a member ID number. However, for sanctioned matches, state matches, and others, level 2 or higher,\u00a0 you\u2019ll need to be an official USPSA member with a member number to participate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember, no matter what shooting competition you decide to compete in, it is your responsibility to read the rule book<\/a> before participating. You can find the complete USPSA rule book on their website at USPSA.ORG.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shooting A USPSA Competition<\/b><\/h2>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/SXL_LNhYGI8<\/p>\n

A standard USPSA match consists of multiple stages. USPSA stages focus on accuracy and speed. You can have low round count stages, focused strictly on fundamentals, such as strong hand-only shooting or mandatory reloads. You will also see high round count stages, technical in design to force movement, eye speed, accuracy, and reloading under pressure.\u00a0 The round count is important to know as some divisions only allow for 8 or 10 rounds per magazine or 6 rounds in a cylinder for revolvers vs. other divisions that allow 170mm magazines that typically hold anywhere from 26 to 30 rounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about divisions in USPSA<\/span>. USPSA divisions are first dictated by the type of gun you want to compete with – pistol, revolver, and pistol caliber carbine. Divisions such as Production and Carry Optics have a specific approved gun list on the USPSA website that tell you what guns are legal to use in these divisions. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Divisions are also separated by iron sights vs. optic sights, magazine length limits, and more. There are also two scoring categories that some divisions have based on ammunition – this is called power factor and there is minor and major power factor minimum requirements in USPSA.\u00a0 Competitors are grouped into these divisions to ensure that each participant can compete against their peers with similar guns, optics, and equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major VS Minor Power Factor<\/b><\/h2>\n
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You can compete in a USPSA match using major, or minor power factor, however, be aware of the scoring differences for points.<\/p><\/div>\n

Before I jump into divisions, let\u2019s take a look at major versus minor power factor. Understanding power factor scoring is important because it applies to how the USPSA divisions are scored. Rounds with a power factor score of 165 or higher are considered major, rounds with a power factor score lower than 165 are considered minor. Be aware that a power factor of 125 is the minimum<\/strong> that can be used for competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is power factor determined?\u00a0 A basic formula is used to determine power factor in USPSA scoring based on the power of the round. It works by taking your bullet\u2019s muzzle velocity and multiplying it by the grain weight of the bullet. That number is rounded up to the closest whole number and divided by 1,000 resulting in a 3-digit power factor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scoring A USPSA Match<\/b><\/h3>\n

USPSA cardboard<\/span> targets have three scoring zones, A, C, and D. USPSA scores steel targets as 5 points for both major and minor power factors. Major and minor power factors play a significant role in scoring during USPSA matches. Competing with a major power factor gun gives you the opportunity to score more points in the C and D zones than shooting minor power factor. Each paper target is worth a potential 10 points, which means each stage is worth a set number of maximum points once you combine all the target values.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major Power Factor Scores:<\/strong><\/h4>\n