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Smith & Wesson Competitive Shooting All aspects of competitive shooting using Smith and Wesson Firearms. Including: IPSC, IDPA, Silhouette, Bullseye.


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Old 07-06-2017, 11:58 PM
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Default Is PPC/1500 still popular?

My introduction to PPC shooting was in 1976 while watching Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force. About that same time the Aussies adopted a variation of the 1500 course of fire as the 90 shot Service Match, which became the first "action" type match to be approved for shooting here in New Zealand.

Today I am the club coordinator for our annual Service Match club champs. My gun is a 6" S&W 686 AFS. I originally thought that PPC was on the decrease in the US, but looking through some of these threads I see a number of PPC related equipment threads.

So just how popular is PPC these days?
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Old 07-07-2017, 05:21 AM
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I don't know how popular it is here nationwide today but I do know it still takes place. My local PD range sponsors PPC/1500 events which are well-attended: Taylor Pistol Club
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Old 07-07-2017, 08:40 AM
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HONESTLY. IT'S DYING . AS WITH ANY SHOOTING SPORT (BULLSEYE AKA NOW KNOWN AS PRECISION PISTOL) THAT IS DIFFICULT . THE INTEREST IS SLIGHT. NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE THE TIME TO GET GOOD AT SOMETHING. INSTANT GRATIFICATION , PEOPLE WANT TO GET GOOD QUICKLY. IT TOOK ME 10 YEARS TO MAKE HIGH MASTER AT PPC . PEOPLE SEEM TO WANT TO STAND AROUND ALL DAY TO SHOOT A QUICK 48 ROUNDS INSTEAD OF SHOOTING ALL DAY A MATCH OF 150 OR 270 ROUNDS. PLUS THE NRA SEEMS TO HAVE LOST INTEREST. THERE ARE FEWER 50YD RANGES AVAILABLE. THE NRA HAS REDUCED TARGETS SO YOU CAN SHOOT A FULL 1500 ON A 25YD RANGE BUT NO CLASSIFICATION FOR IT. ALSO LACK OF SUPPORT FROM AGENCY'S. I RETIRED FROM A VERY LARGE DEPT. I NEVER WAS GIVEN AGENCY SUPPORT. OUR BASEBALL TEAM, FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND BAGPIPES ALL GOT TO GO AROUND THE COUNTRY AND PLAY ON COMPANY TIME. NEVER THE PISTOL TEAM, WE HAD TO USE VACATION OR ELECTIVE TIME. IT COULD BE ANY COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE OR JUST SIMPLY APATHY. JP
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Old 07-07-2017, 10:35 AM
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I started shooting PPC some 12 years ago. Our club then ran a monthly match and we got a great turnout. I'd say 90% shot revolvers. I moved away but went back about 2 years ago to shoot in their PPC match along with my vacation. I was trying to sell my PPC revolver there only to find out that I didn't see ONE revolver, all semi-auto's. No one even wanted to look at it. I had a lot of fun with my old out of date revolver. But I had more fun then those other guys, they just didn't know it. Just seems no one wants to keep the traditional match anymore.

At the club I belong too now I did run a couple of PPC matches and got a good turnout. guys still ask if I'll run another one. Problem is I run 4 rifle matches a month and just don't have the time to do more.

Last edited by Johnrh; 07-07-2017 at 10:39 AM.
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Old 07-07-2017, 06:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnrh View Post
I started shooting PPC some 12 years ago. Our club then ran a monthly match and we got a great turnout. I'd say 90% shot revolvers. I moved away but went back about 2 years ago to shoot in their PPC match along with my vacation. I was trying to sell my PPC revolver there only to find out that I didn't see ONE revolver, all semi-auto's. No one even wanted to look at it. I had a lot of fun with my old out of date revolver. But I had more fun then those other guys, they just didn't know it. Just seems no one wants to keep the traditional match anymore.

At the club I belong too now I did run a couple of PPC matches and got a good turnout. guys still ask if I'll run another one. Problem is I run 4 rifle matches a month and just don't have the time to do more.
I know what you mean about time. These days I concentrate on IPSC mainly but run one Service Match shoot a month and try to get to CAS matches when I can (the problem with attending CAS is that my club shoots it on the 4th Saturday each month and I work a 4 week roster with 2 weekends on and 2 off. The weekends off do not often coincide with the 4th Saturday).

We have the same issue with dwindling support of matches other than IPSC and CAS which seems to be universal in this country.

When I started pistol shooting back in 1991, the days of shooting a UIT/ISSF score above 70 to graduate from probationary to full member and qualify for a pistol license had passed, but new shooters still learnt to shoot on a UIT/ISSF standard/centrefire range for the first 3 months. It taught marksmanship principles and trigger control. Now new shooters start out on IPSC or CAS shooting from the first visit.

My club used to have 12-15 ISSF shooters every Sunday on the main range. Other disciplines shot on the other ranges (we currently have 15 ranges from 15 - 100 meters). Today the coordinator struggles to get 5 shooters for Standard and Centrefire matches for our club champs.

And I know that revolvers are now considered obsolete, but a revolver at 50 yards/meters should still outshoot a semi in most hands. I guess it is that double action trigger pull that puts many off as well as needing to be seen to have the "coolest" gear.
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Old 07-07-2017, 11:00 PM
Protocall_Design Protocall_Design is offline
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I have shot PPC since 1979. Back then, there was only Bullseye and PPC. Most people were shooting PPC then. Soon there was Metallic Silhouette, USPSA, then IDPA, Steel Challenge, NRA Action Pistol, etc. People are more spread out over all the different games, plus only Law Enforcement can still shoot PPC Nationals. There are still civilian PPC shooters in the KC area, but not many are left. It's still a good way to learn how to shoot a handgun.
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:29 AM
Wise_A Wise_A is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PPCSHOOTER View Post
HONESTLY. IT'S DYING . AS WITH ANY SHOOTING SPORT (BULLSEYE AKA NOW KNOWN AS PRECISION PISTOL) THAT IS DIFFICULT.
You do realize that there are still ten times as many classified, active bullseye shooters as there are IDPA shooters, right?
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Old 07-10-2017, 10:54 AM
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Slow, precision shooting has been disappearing for a long time. The young people only seem to want to "spray & pray" type shooting. Big target, close up, shoot lots, but get done quick.

We still have a pretty active (winter) bullseye league, but it's indoor and 22RF only for a 300 point round, and they can come shoot and be gone to the bar within an hour and a half. In the summer can't get anyone to come to a bullseye match, and when I tried to get a 2700 scheduled there was nothing but bitching about taking all day.

Our local police dept lost their range (on leased ground), and now shoot at makeshift farm range. They haven't had a PPC competition in over 10 years. They only shoot training ans Quals.

I really enjoyed PPC back in the 80's & 90's. Shot a state match on out local range (mail in scores) every month. I was Auxiliary, but did win a few.




(Can't read through the glare, it reads: Aux Police, Invitational Shoot, Individual Combat Competition, 1st Place - Expert, July 16-17, 1983.)
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Old 07-10-2017, 11:14 AM
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Slow, precision shooting has been disappearing for a long time. The young people only seem to want to "spray & pray" type shooting. Big target, close up, shoot lots, but get done quick.

We still have a pretty active (winter) bullseye league, but it's indoor and 22RF only for a 300 point round, and they can come shoot and be gone to the bar within an hour and a half. In the summer can't get anyone to come to a bullseye match, and when I tried to get a 2700 scheduled there was nothing but bitching about taking all day.

Our local police dept lost their range (on leased ground), and now shoot at makeshift farm range. They haven't had a PPC competition in over 10 years. They only shoot training ans Quals.

I really enjoyed PPC back in the 80's & 90's. Shot a state match on out local range (mail in scores) every month. I was Auxiliary, but did win a few.



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Old 07-10-2017, 12:58 PM
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I have the same (Herret D-45) grips on my Springfield. The original grips from that gun are on my Nelson .22!

I'd also point out that there are as many old fogies taking up competitive covering fire.
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Old 07-15-2017, 06:38 AM
Hotshot9 Hotshot9 is offline
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I'm new to PPC and have a great time shooting it. Been trying to get my son and some friends to get involved. Heck it even got me to start reloading all my own ammo( now that's another hobby). I shot in the Taylor Match for the second time this year...That's the club mentioned above a few post up .Now that's a big match...close to 500 shooters! We have a winter league at my gun club. Lots of fun for sure!

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Old 09-24-2017, 01:10 PM
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Default Love PPC

Same here, relatively. I got into PPC in 2013. I had been going to the Tactical Police Competition that was held in conjunction with the NPSC in Albuquerque for many years and decided I needed to try it. I love it, just wish I had gotten into it a long time ago. But I think everyone is correct in that young cops/shooters want TPC, IDPA, etc. style run n guns, where you can spray however many rounds you want into a target from 10 yards, as long as a couple are in the scoring area, you're golden. I'm firmly entrenched in Sharpshooter class for both open classifications, Expert for SSA, and Master for SSR (that's what a few good tourney's will get you, jeez!) but I never feel like I'm in competition with anyone but myself and my last match scores. I'm still on my quest to find a good Distinguished revolver/and or load! By the way, how did everyone do? Were there less shooters this year?
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Old 09-24-2017, 01:14 PM
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But, but, I have learned recently that handguns are ineffective beyond 15 yards.

PPC was a waste of time and ammo don't you know....

We use to shoot the PPC course for qualifications. When we were finished it got serious. Then it was 100 yards with the loser buying the beer.
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Old 09-24-2017, 02:25 PM
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I shot PPC for about 15 years as part of my department's officially sanctioned team. We were shooters, department ambassadors, and everyone on the team was a firearms instructor.

Our 'leadership' lost interest in sponsoring us once we adopted semi autos for general issue.

I'm in my 32nd year as a full time cop and 32 years as a firearms instructor. I believe my time shooting PPC made me a much better overall shooter and has helped me become a better instructor. Once you put your PPC gun in a ransom rest with good, match grade ammo, and see what it will do, you have to work really hard to find excuses for not shooting well. PPC taught me sight and trigger work that is still with me when I'm shooting the shoot and scoot stuff.

In fact, I picked up a Model 15 and some speedloaders recently and may start shooting the service matches again just for fun and to see some of my old friends again..........
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Old 09-24-2017, 03:46 PM
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A PPC gun makes a really good NRA Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup) Metallic class gun. Open class with a red dot scope added.
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Old 09-27-2017, 06:44 AM
Hotshot9 Hotshot9 is offline
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Our winter league start next month looking forward to it. I just finished loading 1000 rounds 38 special wad cutters.... and 500 rounds of 9mm for the service part. We shoot every week on Sunday or Monday. such a good time... shooting and fellowship!
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Old 10-22-2017, 09:40 PM
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Back in the late '90s, before my first marriage, I found a club that welcomed civilians for monthly PPC matches (both long and short). Now that I am disabled and possess a CAP, I would like to get back into PPC. I tried the "run and gun" IDPA (and enjoyed it), but being disabled limited my ability to run.

Ideally, I would love to shoot a modified PPC 480, where you engage 2 targets. Where I shot, you could only use DAO or DA/SA pistols, so I couldn't run the course with a Commander, but I could enjoy doing a double re-entry match, using my 439, 686+ 3", and my Mauser HSc.
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