THE Action Pistol discipline is all about movement and practical shooting, which might be why it’s a consistently growing and popular event.

Competitors take to the course with a semi-automatic pistol chambered for either 9mm Parabellum or .38 Super, or a .357 Magnum revolver.
Action Pistol is a demanding and challenging competition which has had to be modified to suit Australian regulations, but the spirit of the event remains the same as it does overseas.

Firearms for Action Pistol matches are divided into three categories: Open, Metallic Sight and Production.
The Open category is where the finely tuned specialised “race guns” are often found; customised to provide the very best performance and featuring optical sights, stabilisers and more.

As the name suggests, the Metallic Sight category does not allow the use of optical, peep or electronic sights. Compensators, ported barrels and thumb rests are also prohibited in this category. However, custom frame extensions to make shooting from the prone position easier, are permitted.

The third category is Production, which covers all handguns available as standard from the manufacturer and fitted with iron sights.

Action Pistol matches themselves involve several elements, typically a Practical stage with targets at 10, 15, 25 and 50 yards; a Barricade event – which is broadly similar but also features barricades and distances of 10,15,20 and 35 yards– a Moving Target event and a Falling Plates stage.

In Moving Target, the competitor faces a target, which comes from behind cover and travels 60ft in six seconds before again being covered from fire. The competitor engages each target during four stages at 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards within the six-second exposure time.

The Falling Plates event is probably the most recognisable and crowd-pleasing Action Match stage and requires the competitor to engage 6 x 8″diameter metal plate targets in various time-frames from distances of 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards.

Each miss costs the competitor 10 points, and multiple misses can render winning impossible; however, it is not unusual for top competitors to successfully hit all plates, and shoot-offs are becoming more prevalent in high-level matches; the deciding factor for winning comes down to how many hits are in the 10-ring.

Further Information

  • Discipline Chairman:
  • Stuart Fielding
  • Phone:
  • 0438 620 513

Rule Books*

* May be shot Subject to Range Approval. Approved firearms must still comply with Qld State Laws & Regulations.

Action Pistol Events

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