IDPA Scoring

Posted 12 September 2009

Shooter’s who are new to IDPA shooting, or those who come into it from another shooting sport, sometimes find the scoring system to be confusing at first. We hope to help clear up some of the confusion here.

The scoring system used in IDPA is called Vickers Count, and it is pretty simple once fully understood. There are two ways it is used: Vickers Count allows the shooter to shoot as much as he likes but only scores the best of the required hits, and Limited Vickers specifies the number of shots to be fired and penalizes extra ones. In both instances misses and other penalties are assigned a time value which is applied to the time it took the shooter to shoot the stage. When these are added together it gives the shooter a final score which is recorded as a time value only. With this system a stage shot “clean” would net the shooter a score equal to the time it took him to shoot the stage. If one closely examines an IDPA target it will be seen that scoring areas are bounded by perforated lines and are assigned a “points down” value of 0, 1 or 3. These are the only scoring values on the target, and they are used to evaluate the accuracy of the shooting and to penalize those hits on the target that are not in the highest value areas-the head and the center mass circle.. Hits on the target are assessed a minus number equal to the number in the area in which the hit occurred and they are recorded in this way on the shooter’s score sheet. The Statistician will total these and divide that total by 2 (or multiply by .5 if you prefer) to convert it into a time value equal to seconds. This number is then added to the shooter’s raw time for the stage. Penalties are assigned a time value as well which when totaled are added to the above to give the stage score. Misses are scored as “down”, or minus, 5 points, and it is important to note that one can incur a miss penalty even though his shot hit the target. This anomaly would be encountered when the stage instructions require a hit in the head of the target, and the shot goes low for an example. In this case, there might be the required number of shots on the target, but the one required in the head area would not be there hence it is scored as a miss. IDPA rules require that the highest possible value of each hit be scored in favor of the shooter. Thus, any hit on the target that touches a perforated line is scored at the higher value. Indeed, IDPA rules state that if one must look at a hit very closely to determine this it is automatically scored as the highest value.

Penalties are assigned a time value as well, but these are scored as is without adjustment. In this segment we will only address the Failure to Neutralize penalty (FTN), and we will save the rest for a separate discussion. An FTN is assessed when the hits on the target are not in an area that would neutralize the target. To avoid this penalty, the shooter must have at least one hit on the target in the center circle, the head, or the -1 scoring zone. If two shots only are fired, and both go in the -3 zone, a Failure to Neutralize penalty is assessed; if at least one is in a -0 or -1 zone there is no penalty. This penalty costs the shooter 5 seconds. It is NOT assessed in Limited Vickers stages or when the target appears and then completely disappears during the course of the stage.

Check out the official IDPA rule book for more information, and be safe and have fun!

IDPA Equipment Rules

Posted 08 August 2009

One of many demands made upon the IDPA shooter in shooting an IDPA match is the requirement to use proper equipment which complies with the IDPA rules, and the spirit upon which these rules are founded. Complete information on any aspect of IDPA equipment can be found in the IDPA rule book which is given to each member when he joins IDPA and is also published on the IDPA web site. This Spot Light will review the requirements for auto pistol holsters and magazine carriers which an IDPA shooter is required to use in IDPA competitions.

A suitable holster for IDPA matches must be designed for concealed carry and be suitable for all day continuous wear on a standard belt of no more than 1 3/4 inches in width which must pass through the belt loops of the shooter’s pants. The holster must fully cover the trigger of the firearm, it must position the barrel pointed straight down or to the rear, and it must retain the firearm with enough tension to allow the wearer to complete normal daily tasks without fear of losing it. It may not be cut down in the front more than 1 ¾ inches below the breech face of the pistol, and it may not position the breech face below the centerline of the wearer’s belt. It can have no offset back pieces, or belt slots, which would offset the pistol away from the body or allow light to be seen between the shooter’s belt and the back of the holster. When worn properly an object of ¾ inch thickness cannot be passed between the weapon and the shooter’s body, and the center of the trigger pad will be behind the centerline of the wearer’s body. A female shooter is allowed exceptions to some of the above requirements as discussed in the rule book.

Magazine carriers must be worn on the same 1 3/4 inch belt and current rules limit the number of magazines carried on the belt to two. In addition, the carrier must cover at least 2 inches of the magazine as measured from the top of the cartridge rim down the back of the magazine tube, and it must cover the side of the magazine tube that faces away from the wearer’s body. It must carry the magazine within 10 degrees of vertical, retain the magazine when turned upside down, and be worn in such a way that the forward edge of the magazine is behind the centerline of the wearer’s body.

The fundamental difference between IDPA and the other practical shooting disciplines is that IDPA is geared toward the average armed citizen carrying concealed. It is this difference which makes compliance with these rules particularly important if the spirit of our organization is not to be compromised. A complete description of gear suitable to revolver shooter’s, rules pertaining to the use of police and military duty gear in IDPA competitions, and exceptions for female shooters can be found in the rule book We encourage everyone to examine the rule book frequently, and make every effort to stay in compliance with its contents. Be safe, and have fun!

Raison d'etre

Posted 08 August 2009

Welcome to the CSL-IDPA web site “Spot Light“. In this section we will be bringing you topics concerning IDPA rules and procedures, club news, information about matches, and other items of interest to you as CSL IDPA shooters. As we try to bring our club matches more into line with IDPA rules and procedures, we are hoping that this venue will help all of us stay on track, and help us to stay on the same track. Any question that any of you may have about anything related to our matches, our club, IDPA rules and procedures, or any other topic which would be of interest to all of our shooters is a subject for inclusion in this space. If you would like to see something addressed here please feel free to send us an email or see one of us at the match, and we will include that information here.

Our initial topic is the completed range improvement that we have long awaited, and which you will notice when you attend our next match. On our rifle range we now have a longer back stop with a new L-shaped leg on the downrange right side, and a much improved drainage system. Our entry road, along with the access roads to the pistol bays and the rifle range, has been repaired and graded in such a way that future rain erosion will be better retarded or prevented altogether. The area behind the existing pistol range backstop has had a barrier added to the entry road side which will allow us the capability of using that side for additional range space for matches. The erosion at the base of all existing backstops has been graded back toward the backstops to give us a flatter floor on the range. We believe that these improvements will allow us to run our matches more efficiently, give us additional capabilities, and help eliminate some of the bottlenecks which have sometimes caused our matches to run too long in the past. Some new procedures will be necessary to safely use these new areas, and these will be discussed during the safety briefing before the match.

We hope these improvements will enhance your enjoyment of our matches. Stay safe!