Defensive Pistol

Defensive Pistol 4-28-18

The Otto Road Shooting Range Defensive Pistol matches are organized and designed to promote

and enhance a shooters ability to safely shoot defensively in realistic courses of fire. While matches

utilize some formatting and rules from other shooting genres it is not IDPA or USPSA.


Matches are held the second Saturday of each month, March through November. Signup for

matches, March, April, May, October and November begins at 8:00 AM, shooting begins 9:00 AM.

Signup for matches June, July, and August begins at 7:00 AM shooting begins 8:00 AM.


Match fee is $20 for one gun $25 for two guns.


All shooting is from a strong side holster designed to securely retain the firearm while moving or a

pistol caliber carbine fired from the shoulder. No magnum ammunition is permitted.  Defensive

matches are not a venue in which to first learn basic gun handling and safety. Regardless of age new

shooters should have basic skills in drawing from a holster, reloading, and firing multiple rounds at

multiple targets.


Courses of fire are usually five or six stages requiring 18 to 30+ rounds of ammunition to complete

each stage. Shooters will fire at multiple paper and steel targets. Stages are timed and may require a

shooter to move safely between targets, firing at times with either strong or weak hand, from behind

cover and around barricades. Shooters must have hearing and eye protection to participate. 


Cold range rules apply. This means that once you enter the fenced in shooting arena your firearm

must be unloaded, holstered with an empty magazine well with the hammer/striker down. Revolvers

must be empty and holstered. Firearms may only be handled and loaded for firing a stage when

under the direct control of a range officer. No firearms may be unholstered or handled at any other

time. Pistol caliber carbines must have a chamber flag inserted when not firing during a stage. 


Firearm Categories:

Production - Single Stack – Revolver – Limited – PCC centerfire - Carry Optic – Open - Rimfire

handgun - PCC rimfire


SHOOTERS DIVISIONS - Men, women, seniors (65 years +) Shooters younger than 18 and having

reached their 13th birthday may participate. The parent or legal guardian of the youthful shooter

must get approval for participation in the match from the match director at least 5 days prior to the

scheduled shoot. Conditions of approval apply, such as experience, maturity, knowledge of firearms

safety and participation or attendance at the match by a parent or legal guardian.