International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Pistol Shooting Program

(Precision Shooting and Bullseye Shooting)

The ISSF, founded in 1907, is the world governing body of shooting events at the Olympic Games but also regulates several non-Olympic shooting sport events such as the ISSF World Cup series and ISSF World Championships.  It organizes and provides governance of international pistol, rifle, shotgun, running target and target sprint events.  More information on the ISSF may be found at https://www.issf-sports.org/issf.  The Shooting Federation of Canada (SFC) and BC Target Sports Association (BCTSA) follow the ISSF rules for national and provincial championships.

NSRG offers two ISSF-style sessions per week: 

•      Precision Shooting on Sunday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

•      Bullseye Shooting on Friday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.  

NSRG is the only shooting club south of the Malahat to provide this type of program.

PPC Shooting

In Canada, PPC stands for Precision Pistol Competition (also known as Police Pistol Combat), a shooting sport focused on accuracy from static positions like standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone.  Governed by the Canadian Police Combat Association, the sport is open to both law enforcement and civilians.

Sport Overview

The Course of Fire: Matches simulate real-life law enforcement situations. Shooters engage targets at various distances ranging from 3 to 50 yards (or meters), often switching between left and right hands, or shooting from behind barricades.

Equipment: Competitors use .38 caliber revolvers or center fire semi-automatic pistols (9mm to .45 caliber). Competitors generally wear standard duty or sport holsters.

Skill Focus: While it lacks the dynamic movement of IPSC or defensive scenario-based shooting like IDPA, PPC is considered a highly respected discipline for mastering fundamental marksmanship skills such as trigger control and sight alignment.

PPC matches are hosted by NSRG three times a year on a Sunday, usually in April, June, and September.  Please confirm dates and times with our calendar. For more information contact the coordinator, Stephen Taylor at stephenstay@shaw.ca.

.22 Cal Metallic Silhouette

A set of targets consists of four types of different sized animal shaped steel silhouettes, chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams, five of each kind.  The targets are placed at a distance of 25 yards. One shot is taken at each silhouette; to count as a hit the target must be knocked off its stand. The highest possible score in a round of shooting is 20.  The event is shot either one or two handed and in a standing position; a .22 cal rimfire pistol or revolver is used and may have either open, red dot, or peep sites.  No Olympic, free style, or other special purpose firearms are allowed, this includes barrels over 8 inches in length and compensators.  For more information about Handgun Silhouette please contact Martyn Ward at martyn@Futtocksend.ca.

A reminder that guest shooters need to be signed in by a member and pay the guest fees.

Sunday Precision Shooting evolved from the Victoria Precision Shooting Association, a long running organization that rented space at NSRG until the end of 2023.  It then became a NSRG program.

Sunday Precision Shooting offers one intra-club competition, usually the first Sunday of each month, and three drop-in practice sessions per month. The competitions cycle through various shooting formats each month.

Shooters of all abilities are welcome, from novices to the very experienced and proficient. Long time shooters are available to provide shooting tips and advice on how to improve shooting skills.

Participants in Precision Shooting shoot .22 caliber (5.56 mm) pistol and rifle, as well as centre fire (usually .32 cal, .38 cal, and 9 mm) pistol. While following the spirit and rules of ISSF shooting as closely as possible, some of the shooting protocols have been modified somewhat to fit the conditions at NSRG.

The formats shot by Precision Shooting are:

- 25 metre standard pistol (.22 cal)

- 25 metre centre fire pistol (.32 cal, .38 cal, and 9 mm)

- 25 metre sport pistol (.22 cal)

- 50 metre pistol (previously known as free pistol) (.22 cal)

- 50 metre rifle (standing only) (.22” cal)

Supported rest shooting for pistols and rifles is allowed to encourage seniors and others needing more support to continue with precision shooting.  Supported rest shooting can be used for any of the events, but especially for 50 m pistol.

With the exception of supported rest shooting all pistol shooting is done with one hand from an unsupported standing position and all rifle shooting is done from an unsupported standing position. Unless otherwise specified, all competitions are for firearms using iron sights.

To provide some variety, the Precision Shooting program includes one competition each year at 50 metres for rifles with scopes.

The ISSF pistol and rifle rules may be found on the ISSF site.  These rules are very formal and structured so, to promote fun in shooting, the Precision Shooting program has adopted a more casual friendly approach while still adhering to the basic competition rules and format for each match.

If interested, come out and have a look some Sunday, especially during a competition. The competition schedule is posted on the Precision Shooting bulletin board at the range.

For more information on Precision Shooting contact Ray Johnson at nsrg.precisionshooting@gmail.com.