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CHAPTER 8: The Course of Fire
8.1

Handgun Ready Conditions

The ready condition for handguns will normally be as stated below. However, in the event that a competitor fails to
load the chamber when permitted by the written stage briefing, whether inadvertently or intentionally, the Range
Officer must not take any action, as the competitor is always responsible for the handling of the handgun.
8.1.1

Not applicable.

8.1.2

Self-loading Pistols:
8.1.2.1
8.1.2.2

"Double action" – Chamber loaded, hammer fully down or decocked.

8.1.2.3

"Selective action" – Chamber loaded hammer fully down or decocked, or chamber loaded,
hammer cocked with external safety applied.

8.1.2.4

For all self-loading pistols, the term "external safety" means the primary visible safety lever on the
handgun (e.g. the thumb safety on a "1911" genre handgun). In the event of doubt, the Range
Master is the final authority on this matter.

8.1.2.5

8.1.3

"Single action" – Chamber loaded, hammer cocked, with external safety applied.

If a handgun has a decocking lever, that alone must be used to decock the handgun, without
touching the trigger. If a handgun does not have a decocking lever, the hammer must be safely
and manually lowered all the way forward (i.e. not just to a "half-cock notch" or to another similar
intermediary position).

If a course of fire requires that a self-loading pistol be prepared with an empty chamber, the slide must be
fully forward and the hammer, if fitted, must be fully down or decocked.
8.1.3.1

When a written stage briefing requires that a competitor’s firearm and/or allied equipment be
placed on a table or another surface prior to the Start Signal, they must be placed as stipulated in
the written stage briefing. Apart from components normally affixed to them (e.g. a thumb rest,
thumb safety, racking or cocking handle, base pad etc.), other items must not be used to artificially
elevate them (also see Rule 5.1.8).

8.1.4

Unless complying with a Division requirement (see Appendix D), a competitor must not be restricted on the
number of projectiles to be loaded or reloaded in a handgun. Written stage briefings may only stipulate when
the firearm is to be loaded or when mandatory reloads are required, when permitted under Rule 1.1.5.2.

8.1.5

In respect of handguns used at IPSC matches, the following definitions apply:
8.1.5.1

8.1.5.2

"Double Action" means activation of the trigger causes more than a single action to occur (i.e. the
hammer or striker rises or retracts, then falls).

8.1.5.3

8.2

"Single Action" means activation of the trigger causes a single action to occur (i.e. the hammer or
striker falls).

"Selective Action" means that the handgun can be operated in either "Single Action" or "Double
Action" modes.

Competitor Ready Condition

This designates when, under the direct command of a Range Officer:
8.2.1

The handgun is prepared as specified in the written stage briefing, and is in compliance with the requirements
of the relevant Division.

8.2.2

The competitor assumes the start position as specified in the written stage briefing. Unless otherwise
specified, the competitor must stand erect, facing downrange, with arms hanging naturally by the sides (see
Appendix E2). A competitor who attempts or completes a course of fire where an incorrect start position was
used may be required by a Range Officer to reshoot the course of fire.

IPSC Action Air Rules, January 2012 Edition

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