General
While informal shooting has always been the primary focus of the majority of our Members, PSC rifle, pistol and multi-gun matches draw hundreds of members and non-members together for a few hours of fun, fellowship and competition. While it may sound somewhat contradictory, competitive shooting isn’t solely about competition. In fact, some “competitors” don’t care about competing with anyone other than themselves. Their goal is to improve their skill at arms and have fun with old and new friends in the process.
Some matches attract more serious, competitive-minded shooters while others tend to be a bit more casual. This is discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs. Regardless of the atmosphere of the match, safety is always the primary focus. By “casual,” we mean shooters are more casual about their placement in a match, not that they are casual about firearm safety.
Pistol Matches:
PSC hosts several different types of pistol matches, typically on a monthly basis. In alphabetical order they are:
Outlaw Matches:
These used to be the IDPA matches offered at PSC. Due to numerous and frequent rule changes by IDPA HQ, several clubs started shooting IDPA-like matches and use “Outlaw” in their titles. That’s exactly what we have done at PSC. Outlaw Match rules are IDPA rules, with a few changes to override the more unfounded official IDPA rules.
Over the years, numerous descriptions have been used for this type of shooting. “Combat pistol match,” “Practical Pistol Matches,” “Self-defense Matches,” and the variations go on and on. Outlaw matches offer various realistic scenarios that people may face when their lives are threatened by criminals. The handguns, holsters and magazine carriers used are those that people typically carry for self-defense. So-called race-guns are not allowed in Outlaw Matches.
Outlaw matches use props such as an ATM machine, pickup truck, shopping cart and many others to enhance the realism of each scenario. Most Outlaw matches have seven scenarios per match and last approximately four to five hours on the fourth Saturday of each month.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Outlaw Matches at PSC.
Pistol Plate Matches:
Unlike the Outlaw matches, these matches are not self-defense related. However, like many matches at PSC, they reward accuracy and speed.
With the Plate matches, two plate racks with either 4 (revolver) or 6 (semi-auto) 8” plates are set up along with two steel falling targets called “pepper poppers.” The two competitors try to be the first to knock down all of the 8” plates on their rack, plus their “pepper popper.” All matches are fun, but these matches create somewhat of a carnival atmosphere. It’s easy to make these a family affair.
CLICK HERE for more information about the Pistol Pin & Plate Matches at PSC.
Steel Challenge Match:
Like the Pistol Pin & Plate matches, shooters in the Steel Challenge Matches shoot at various size and shaped steel targets from one position – there’s no movement as with Outlaw and USPSA matches. The targets are placed at various distances, so the variation in distance, size and shape of the targets is challenging, but a lot of fun. The monthly Steel Challenge Match includes six different stages set up in the Pistol Bays, with each stage consisting of five targets.
CLICK HERE for more information about the Steel Challenge Matches at PSC.
USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association):
Like the Outlaw Matches, this is another so-called “action pistol” match that involves a lot of “running-and-gunning.” While Outlaw Matches are self-defense oriented, USPSA Matches are not. The goal is shooting as fast and as accurately as possible without required use of cover and other rules found in Outlaw Matches. USPSA matches are the oldest of the organized “action pistol” matches in the U.S. and they are a lot of fun. A lot of good-natured kidding goes on between Outlaw/IDPA shooters and USPSA shooters, but each has its own place in the firearms community. Come to a USPSA match and see what can be achieved with practice and you too may soon be “running and gunning” with the fastest.
CLICK HERE for more information about the USPSA Matches at PSC.
RIFLE MATCHES
There are several different types of rifles matches offered primarily on a monthly basis. They are the AR-15 Match, rimfire silhouette matches, a 300 yd .22 rimfire match, as well as a .22rimfire precision match. All of these matches are vastly different and all are a great way to have fun while honing your rifle skills.
AR-15 Matches:
As the name implies, the monthly AR-15 Match is a challenging match. This is a “run-and-gun” match that is somewhat like a combination of Outlaw and USPSA matches. It takes place on both a rifle range and some pistol cells. A lot of folks bought black rifles when there was an ongoing effort to ban this the most popular and useful rifle in America. Many of these same folks put them in the gun safe where they have resided since being purchased. The AR Events matches and clinics are a great way to develop a skill at arms, or to hone skills you already possess.
CLICK HERE for more information about the AR Events Matches at PSC.
Long Gong Matches:
As the name describes, Long Gong is a long-range 22LR rifle match shot at 300 yards at 8”, 6” and 4” steel gongs. It has only been around since 2022 but is challenging and fun; and is spreading very quickly across the US and beyond. This match will not only test you and your equipment but will also hone your fundamental shooting skills at an affordable cost in ammo. Being limited to 22LR only, it can also be enjoyed by men, women and children - the whole family. A match consists of five ten-shot stages, 50 rounds total per match. All firing is done from the bench with rifle using only a front and rear support (i.e. bipod or bag front / bag rear). Any type of scoped 22LR rifle can be used. There is a stage time limit – 3 minutes for 10 shots, which in the match shooting world is a relaxed pace.
CLICK HERE for more information about the Long Gong matches at PSC.
Silhouette Matches:
Although Silhouette Matches are being described in the rifle match segment, PSC offers both handgun and rifle silhouette matches. This sport started in Mexico and its popularity has spread all over the globe. The match involves shooting steel animal targets, some of which are covered up by the front sight! It’s amazing to watch pistol shooters hitting steel rams at 200 yards. That’s right, 200 yards! Hitting them is only part of the task – they must be knocked over. This means no mouse-load rifles or handguns folks.
PSC Badge Distribution: The distribution of new PSC “Smart” Badges is almost complete. There are only a few Members who have not picked up their Badges. If you have not yet picked up your Badge, then you can do so by coming to the Club and calling the Range Officer (“RO”) phone at 832-221-2625. The on-duty RO will tell you how to open the gate so you can get your Badge.
Pistol Bay D: The engineering is essentially completed for the ariel baffles for Bay D and work will begin as soon as we get the required city permit. The design seen on Bay E will be duplicated on Bay D as it is the most efficient. That said, Bay F is very popular and even makes it possible to shoot in the rain! Nevertheless, in terms of grass growth and sunlight, the more open format will be used.
No Tailgate-Through-the-Gate: This has been covered in at least two emails and two website articles, but we are still having a problem with Members not using their Badges at the gate to log in. Typically, this happens on one of two ways. The more common problem is a Member following another Member through the gate without “flashing” their Badge at the gate reader. While you don’t have to wait for the gate to close, you still have to stop long enough to hold your Badge up to the reader and get the white round circle confirming the “read.”
The second way this happens is a Member not having their new Badge and trying to enter the old gate code that no longer works. The video shows a number of folks using a code that fails, then they pull away from the gate and follow another Member sometime later. This can’t continue folks. If you don’t have your new Badge, then follow the procedure outlined in the first paragraph. Have a Badge – use a badge.
If you aren’t getting PSC emails, then you are in good company – many Members don’t get some or all Club emails. This has been a growing problem for several years and it is getting exponentially worse. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that we’ve been able to do to alleviate the problem for Members and even Board Members. That said, below are some suggestions that may help.
- Verify that your email address on PSCmembers.com is correct. If not, change it but this does not automatically change it in https://PSCshootingClub.com. That requires a manual upload that occurs about once a month.
- If possible, add this to your email “white list:” *@PSCshootingClub.com. This should let Club email get past your spam filter. While you can mark Club email as “not junk” at the email client level (ex. Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.) white lists are located at the server level. You will have access at that level if you own your own domain name and have your own web host. If you don’t, ask your Internet Service Provider’s (“ISP”) technical support folks if they will do it for you. Some will, some won’t.
- Check the server-level spam folder, if you have access to it.
- List *@PSCshootingClub.com as a trusted email source with your anti-virus/malware service such as Norton, AVG, etc.
Unfortunately, none of these steps are a guarantee that Club email will get to you. I’ve done all of these and I still miss about 25% of the emails that go out. I know this percentage since I’m the guy who sends them for the Club! It’s unlikely to help, but you can also complain to your ISP. We have reason to believe that some Club emails are being blocked even before they get to your server, much less your email in-box. Actually, we have proof of that happening with one ISP, but we aren’t going to mention any names. A complaint has been filed with that major player, but none of us are holding our breath.
Since email is unreliable, it’s important that Members periodically check the Club’s website at https://PSCshootingClub.com for important information. Even if email was not a problem, checking the Club’s website would still be important. Long ago the Board made the commitment not to send a lot of emails to our Members. We all get more than enough spam emails and we don’t want Club messages to get lost in the mix.
So the bottom line is this: try the suggestions above and good luck!!!
Only 13 days left to renew!! Renewal season closes at midnight June 30th.