Practical shooting is when an individual shoots rapidly at a target with accuracy using a handgun, shotgun, or rifle. For this experience, the shooter is given a field course of multiple obstacles, called "stages". The shots required vary from many to just several depending on the target.
The scoring designed for practical shooting measures how quickly the shooter is able to complete each stage. Points are taken off for each shot that is thought to be inaccurate.
Practical shooting was first discovered after handguns were used for self-defense purposes.
The group of people who discovered practical shooting were made up of police officers, military officials, and other private shooters. They designed numerous techniques, training courses, and equipment to evolve the act of practical shooting. At first, they designed practical shooting for their own entertainment. However, after they made the shooting method official, it quickly became the default method of shooting for police and military officials.
The first competitions with practical shooting was the quick draw shooting competitions of the 1950s. Television westerns were a very popular choice, which mirrored the popularity of the shooting technique. However, shooters quickly became bored with the same scenery after time had passed. Competitions then moved on to involve multiple targets that were spaced out over a vast field. The targets moved and often the shooter was not aware what the target would be until they were on the course.
The first practical shooting organization was formed in 1976. Several people who were interested in practical shooting met in Columbia, Missouri and formed the International Practical Shooting Confederation. The next club to be formed was the United States Practical Shooting Association. The group was organized in 1984, as a US Region of the IPSC. Years after the IPSC was formed, several members and founders became frustrated with the modern requirements for competitions. The new requirements involved higher quality equipment that had been modified.
In turn, the members and several founders formed the International Defensive Pistol Association in 1996. Their goal was to return the history of pistol shooting
back to the way practical shooting once was. For the UK region, the UKPSA was organized to help promote and finalize the rules for practical shooting in the area. The association has become very popular, despite the Firearms Amendment Act in 1997. Handguns were banned all over the region, however, avid shooters did not let this stop them from enjoying their hobby.
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