Matches Conducted by VAPA.
There are many types of pistol matches conducted by the Victorian Amateur Pistol Association.
Here is a summary of the matches offered and the types of pistols used.

50 METRE (FREE) PISTOL:

One of the oldest matches, the Free Pistol match consists of shooting sixty shots at precision targets, offhand at 50 metres. The 10 ring is 50 mm in diameter. The handguns normally used are long barrelled 0.22 Long Rifle single shots that are exceptionally accurate, and have full wrap around orthopaedic grips, very light set triggers and high precision sights. Scoring well in this match is very difficult if the shooter has not mastered the elements of accurate hand gunning. Almost all clubs have Free Pistol facilities. While presenting the new shooter with a formidable challenge, Free Pistol shooting is an excellent way of learning how to shoot handguns, as there is no time pressure to hurry through the match.

STANDARD PISTOL:

The Standard Pistol match is shot at 25 metres with a 0.22 Long Rifle semi-auto on a standard Precision target with a 50mm 10 ring, in timed series of five shots on turning targets. Four series, each of 150 seconds, four series each of 20 seconds and four series each of 10 seconds are fired for a total of 60 shots. Each series starts with the shooter’s arm at 45 degrees to the horizontal. The handgun used in this event must have a barrel no longer than 150mm and a trigger no lighter than 1000gm. Recoil handling characteristics are important in a Standard Pistol, especially in the 10 seconds series.

The original Standard Pistol match was conceived to allow shooters to have an event to shoot with the standard sporting 0.22 semi-auto’s that were available. Ruger, S&W, High Standard, Browning, Margolin and others make appropriate handguns that fit the original concept and are popular for use at club level. Standard Pistol is a challenge to old and new shooters alike, as a momentary lapse in concentration in the faster series can see many points disappear from the score. The Standard Pistol match combines both precision and rapid fire techniques in its course of fire, and the mixture of both guarantees an interesting match.
CENTRE FIRE:

The Centre Fire match remains one of the most popular events, although it too has been around for a long time. The match consists of two separate 30 shot stages of fire. One is the “Precision” stage shot at 25 metres on a precision target (50 mm 10 ring), with five minutes allowed for each 5 shot series. The other is the “Rapid Fire” stage that is also shot at 25 metres, but on turning targets. One shot is fired with each exposure of the target as it turns toward the shooter for 3 seconds and away for 7 seconds, with the shooter lowering his arm to 45 degrees between each exposure of the target.

Any centrefire calibre from 0.32 to 0.38 can be used in a revolver or semi-auto, with a barrel no longer than 150mm and a trigger pull no lighter than 1360 grams. Many target grade revolvers are available for this match, mainly in 0.38 Special or 0.357 Magnum, although there are some 0.32 calibre revolvers and semi-auto’s available. The heavier trigger pull specified for Centrefire requires firm control of the handgun in both the Precision and Rapid Fire stages, and this coupled with the recoil of the centrefire ammunition makes this quite a difficult event for the new shooter, although one that is universally popular.

25 Metre Pistol Women and Juniors:

These matches are identical to the Centrefire match except that the handguns are 0.22 Long Rifle semi-auto’s that comply with the Standard Pistol specifications. Some manufacturers make special lightweight versions of their Standard Pistols for these matches, among them Walther and Pardini Fiocchi.

AIR PISTOL:

The Air Pistol match is a slow fire match demanding similar levels of precision to Free Pistol except that it is shot at 10 metres on a target with a 12mm Ten-ring. The match consists of 60 shots in the Men’s and Junior Men’s events and 40 shots for Ladies and Junior Ladies. Air pistol is a great teacher of handgun shooting fundamentals, as the highly accurate handguns, with their minimum allowable trigger weight of 500 grams are easy to control and have no recoil. They are also very economical to shoot and are noiseless compared to cartridge firearms.
There are three types of Air Pistol operating systems used on target air arms; spring and piston, pneumatic and gas powered. The spring and piston pistols are best represented by the Feinwerkbau line. All spring and piston pistols have to have some recoil compensating system built in to the mechanism to dampen recoil. The pneumatic air arms have a built in pump that highly compresses air into a pressure chamber, from where it is released with a trigger operated valve. These types of pistols require more cocking effort than the others. The gas operated systems use CO2 or compressed air, and are easy to operate but require a separate gas supply.
All good quality target Air Pistols have adjustable grips, sights and triggers, and are highly refined shooting machines that leave the shooter in no doubt who is at fault if scores are down. Most Air Pistol ranges are indoors, and this offers shooters the advantage of shooting of an evening and getting plenty of low cost practice.

RAPID FIRE:

The rapid fire match is also one of the older matches, but is still very popular. The match is shot on five turning targets, spaced 75cm apart. The match consists of four series of five shots each in 8 seconds, 6 seconds and 4 seconds. The course of fire is in two 30 shot stages of two series in each time sequence. The shooter must wait with the shooting arm at 45 degrees to horizontal until the targets start to turn. Rapid fire handguns are the same as Standard Pistols. When the handgun is raised to the shooting position, it must point and recover from recoil with a minimum of effort, as the shooter has little time to make corrections in the faster time series. Well fitting orthopaedic grips, adjustable triggers and reliable functioning are characteristics of a good Rapid Fire handgun.

BLACK POWDER:

There are two Black Powder matches, the Aggregate Match and the 50 Metre match. Cap and ball revolvers must be used in the Aggregate match, while single shot handguns are permitted in the 50 metre match. The calibre is restricted to 0.46 maximum and projectiles must be round balls or conical pointed bullets. The Aggregate match is identical to the Centrefire match except that it consists of 20 Precision shots at 25 metres on a standard Precision target and 20 shots Rapid Fire on a standard Rapid Fire target. The 50 Metre Match consists of four series of 10 shots, fired in 2 hours on an NRA 50 yard target which has a larger Ten-Ring than the standard 50 metre target. The 50 metre match can be shot with revolvers, but some interesting hybrid single shots have been put together by black powder enthusiasts out of single shot cartridge handguns like the Thompson Contender.
SERVICE PISTOL:

The Service Pistol match was the first of the matches to break away from the conventional one-handed, offhand shooting techniques used in the matches described previously. The course of fire is shot at ranges from 50 yards down to 7 yards and consists of 90 scoring shots. Shooting is done on turning targets and throughout the course of fire shooters are required to shoot prone, sitting, standing from a barricade position with both right and left hand, left and right hand only, and from the “unsighted” position where the handgun must be held below shoulder level. Time sequences are as short as 4 seconds and several series require reloading during the time allowed. As all series are in 6 round sequences, revolvers are equally well suited to the match as semi-auto’s. The Service Pistol match is split into Service Pistol, and Service Pistol Unrestricted categories. The course of fire is identical with the main differences being that the Service Pistol course requires that the match be shot from the holster rather than from the 45 degree “ready” position, and that the ammunition used is of a minimum power determined by multiplying the bullet weight in grains and the velocity in feet per second. This “Power Factor” must be no less than 120,000. Double action revolvers are very popular for this match, as they are highly reliable, and once the double action and speed loading techniques are mastered, give nothing away to the semi-auto’s. Service Pistol shooting combines precision, control, speed and timing and can also be shot with a stock standard handgun that meets Centrefire Pistol specifications.

SERVICE PISTOL 25 YARDS:


Is similar to the Service Pistol Unrestricted match, but is only shot at 25, 10 and 7 yards. Barrels are restricted to 102mm maximum for a revolver and 102mm maximum for a semi-auto. The match was started in Victoria in 1992 and is growing in popularity throughout Australia.

WORLD ASSOCIATION 1500 Match

WA1500 was introduced to Australian Shooting to provide international competition for our Service Pistol shooters.
The 1500 Match is very similar to the Pistol Australia Service Pistol; no accident or coincidence, as these and a number of other ‘service’ type matches around the world share common ancestry.
The match was first shot as a National Competition in 2006 and included in the Australian Championships in 2007. The inaugural World Championships were conducted in Philippsberg, Germany in 2007 where the Australian Team finished in third place.

The match consists of 150 shots, over distances of 50, 25, 10 and seven yards. Shooting is done on turning targets and throughout the course of fire shooters are required to shoot prone, sitting, kneeling, standing from a barricade position with both right and left hand.

Minimum calibre is .35, and in Australia pistols and revolvers compete together. Internationally the match is shot as two different events, WA1500 Pistol and WA1500 Revolver.


INTERNATIONAL 1920 MATCH (ACTION PISTOL):

Action Pistol has been adapted from the Bianchi Cup type matches that are very popular in the USA., it consists of a series of 13 courses of fire, the rules of each of which are defined. Each organised competition consists of a selection of some of these courses, usually three or four. The most popular courses consist of falling plate matches, moving target matches, and a variety of other courses shot on turning targets from a barricade position. All matches are shot from the holster, and optical sighting equipment is permitted, which has seen a boom in the sales of illuminated dot scopes and specialised handgun scopes. Double action revolvers are the most popular because of their reliability and the ease with which they can be fitted with a scope. Ammunition must comply with the 120,000 Power Factor minimum limit. Some of the courses are shot in two main elimination courses on falling plates, and this provides some high pressure competition as well as entertainment for the spectators. Most ranges can handle at least some of the Action Pistol events, and this is one reason for the rapidly growing popularity of this match. It is quite demanding of accuracy in some series, and of speed and co-ordination in others.
PRACTICAL PISTOL:

Practical Pistol shooting originated in the USA and is a freestyle shooting competition with no set
courses of fire. Originally conceived as a training course for combat style shooting without the rules
and regulations of the more formal handgun shooting disciplines. Practical courses are generally
divided into two segments: the standard exercises, where the shooter remains stationary and
engages a number of nominated targets, and the Comstock course, where the shooter moves
around the course and engages nominated targets, some of which may not be visible at the starting
position of the course.

The emphasis in practical shooting is speed, with some matches scored against the clock rather than
over a set time. Rapid reloading and multiple shot capacity make semi-auto’s the preferred handgun
for the match. All shooting is done from the holster, and the most stringent requirements applied in
the match are the operation of the handguns safety and the security of the holster. The courses of fire
are designed on the day to present shooters with a set of shooting conditions that will differ for each
match. There is a power factor requirement on the ammunition used, and outer scoring rings are
scored lower if lower powered loads are used. The 0.45 auto has long been popular for this match,
but in recent times, the 0.38 Super and the various 10mm autos have been making headway.
Recent changes to legislation has banned 0.45 and 10mm handguns, and magazines with a capacity
of more than ten rounds.

WESTERN ACTION:

This competition was approved by the Association in 1995. It has been growing in popularity
throughout Australia as much for it’s social activities as it’s competitive nature. The competition is
run similar to practical inasmuch as the course of fire is designed for the day, and may include
handguns, rifles and shotguns. The competitors are encouraged to dress in costume of the period,
but this is not compulsory. The rules used are those of “The Single Action Shooting Society of
America”.
METALLIC SILHOUETTE:

The introduction of Metallic Silhouette Competition to Australia has allowed local shooters to
compete with the most powerful magnum handguns available, not for the fun of it but because that is
what is needed to effectively shoot the match. The main Metallic Silhouette course is shot at ranges
of 50, 100, 150 and 200 metres on steel targets: chickens at 50 metres, pigs at 100 metres, turkeys
at 150 metres and rams at 200 metres. The cartridges used must have enough power to knock
these targets over, and at 200 metres, the heavy ram targets require full magnum loads to knock
them over. There are four divisions in this event: Standing, Revolver, Production and Unlimited. Like
all forms of competition, specialised hardware has been developed for the match, along with a
number of special cartridges that are essentially rifle cartridges adapted to heavy duty handgun use.
The 0.357 Magnum is the absolute minimum powered pistol cartridge that will work. The 0.357
maximum or 0.41 or 0.44 Magnums are preferred by most revolver shooters. In the single shots
there are several 7mm wildcat cartridges as well as the likes of the 30-30 that provide maximum
knockdown power. Many unlimited pistols use straight 0.308 rifle cartridges. Competitions recently introduced are, 0.22 Rimfire and Field Pistol.