IDPA stands for International Defensive Pistol Association, and as a sport is quite simply the use of practical equipment  including full charge service ammunition to solve simulated real world self-defense scenarios. Shooters competing in IDPA events are required to use practical handguns and holsters that are truly suitable for self-defense use. No competition-only equipment is permitted in IDPA matches since the main goal is to test the skill and ability of an individual, not his equipment or gamesmanship. IDPA membership and matches are open to all people who can legally possess a handgun, regardless of occupation, race, sex or religion. IDPA shooters come from all walks of life and include many women, too.

What is Smallbore F-Class?

F-Class is the brain child of the late Canadian riflemen George “Farky” Farquharson, for whom the discipline is named. Farquharson developed the sport in the early 1990s as an outlet for high power shooters, “of a certain age”, who were facing the challenges of diminished eyesight, reflexes, and strength in sling shooting, yet wished to continue competing. 

His idea was to use scopes and bipods to shoot at a smaller target than the sling shooters at long range. F-Class has caught on with multiple segments of the shooting community, and it is growing rapidly as a shooting discipline. This shooting style has now advanced to include rimfire shooting where the .22 Long Rifle cartridge is used, hence the name Smallbore F-Class, which simulates the experience of fullbore F-class by using smaller targets and shorter distances (50-100 yards for smallbore vs 300-1000 yards for fullbore) with the apparent bullseye size for 100 yards being the same as the apparent bullseye size for 1000 yards. This competition is also governed by the NRA Smallbore Rifle Rules and shooters are classified.

Classification is assigned after the first shoot based on the individual’s scores. Classifications are designed to have individuals compete for standing and awards against others of similar shooting ability.

What do I need for equipment?

No elaborate equipment is needed for competition and any rifle chambered for .22LR, with a rifle scope and a bipod mounted will work fine. A shooting mat, or substitute, rounds out the basic equipment that’s needed. 

If you own a .22LR rimfire rifle, you probably already have all the equipment that you need to start. (Rifles with tubular magazines are prohibited however but bolt action and semi-autos are allowed).

What is the course of fire?

The course of fire is the “Dewar” course of fire and its 20 shots at 50 yards and 20 at 100 yards to form an aggregate

Shooting is done from the prone position. Time limit is 20 minutes per Stage.

Everyone is welcome including ladies and young folks. The focus of these events is to bring new shooters into the sport and introduce club members to the joy of shooting a .22LR calibre rifle in competition as well as provide a practice venue for our existing shooters. Our league (CHC, EOSC, and more) now over 109 classified shooters comprising male and female adults as well as several junior shooters.

While aspects of both IPSC and IDPA are followed in club level action shooting at the Cornwall Handgun Club, the emphasis is on safety and participation. Groups are small, and practices are more informal. Shooters will be required to fire at stationary and moving targets, reload, and fire on the move. Black badge holster qualification through an IPSC Ontario training course is recommended but not required. However, participants will need to complete at least a club-level holster training course in order to use a holster at these shoots. Please note that experience and familiarity with your firearm is needed before signing up for a holster training course, and black badge courses are even more intensive.

The Cornwall Handgun Club has regular action shooting activities.

Check our Upcoming Events page for details.

This sport involves shooting with iron sights at stationary paper targets that have very small bullseyes!  At the Cornwall Handgun Club, shooting is done from sitting and standing positions at 15M with .22 calibre pistols (small bore), sometimes centrefire pistols, and occasionally with .22 rifles at 50M. Accuracy is the key, but most participants are using whatever .22 pistol they own and coming out to shoot for fun.

There is a club-level .22 rifle & pistol bullseye match with awards every February, but there are practices and informal meets on a more regular basis.

Check our Upcoming Events page for details.

Go back in history to the wild west...buckle on your six-guns and grab your Winchester! This sport requires a pair of single action revolvers, a leather gunbelt with holsters, a pistol calibre lever action rifle that can hold 10 rounds in the magazine, and a double barrel shotgun. Period costume is also required! Metal targets give a reassuring ring when hit, and the shooting sequence is timed. Each stage is a scenario that can represent an event in history or fiction.

The Cornwall Handgun Club hosts a few CAS matches each year in conjunction with the Ottawa Valley Marauders.

Check our Upcoming Events page for details.