River Bend Gun Club

River Bend Gun Club and River Bend Practical Shooters host the 2008 Georgia State Championships! Click here for more information.

River Bend Practical Shooters is a sanctioned member club of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) which is the national governing body for the United States division of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC). New for 2008, USPSA has produced their own set of rules independent of, yet fully supported by the IPSC. All matches held by River Bend Practical Shooters will follow these USPSA rules unless specifically noted. The USPSA website has links to applications forms for joining the USPSA organization and although it's not required to shoot with us, it is highly recommended as the benefits to the sport and to yourself as a shooter are well worth the modest yearly fee.

USPSA is a shooting sport combining Accuracy, Power, and Speed. Shooting for points is weighed against shooting quickly, while giving a scoring advantage to those shooting heavier recoiling handguns. Targets consist of standardized cardboard silhouettes and various metal reactive targets that fall when hit. A match is broken down into smaller stages that range from a few rounds to over 30 rounds for a longer field course. USPSA shooting is unique in its promotion of freestyle solving of a shooting problem. When presented with a stage layout, shooters are told the basic guidelines and are left to solve the shooting problem themselves; coming up with the best solution to shoot the stage quickly and efficiently in your head balances the mental with the physical ability. You have to think and be creative to excel, and that is really the spark that ignites this sport.

Equipment is not that complex. We first start with eye and ear protection which is mandatory for everyone on the range. There is no exception for those watching or shooting as safety is always our number one concern above everything else. You'll need a handgun held in a holster that resides on the belt and securely covers the entire trigger guard. Add to that a good 3 to 6 magazines or speed loaders with belt mounted magazine pouches and you are about ready to go. A typical range day will require a minimum of 175 rounds but we suggest bringing 250-300 to give plenty of padding in case you have to re-shoot a stage or in case we get particularly devious and really up the round count for a particular match.

Our matches attract everyone from first time competitors to National and World Champions on a regular basis. We feel it's one of the great strengths of our club that we draw on such a diverse group of talent. We are all competing against each other, but we are all there to have fun and help each other out too. At the end of the day it's a great bunch of friends sharing the beautiful outdoors at a wonderful facility, doing what we all enjoy... RUNNIN' 'n GUNNIN'!!

If you have never participated in a sport like this, we understand it might be intimidating with all the divisions, fancy equipment, and moving targets. We all felt like that in the beginning. If you'd like to come to a match and observe what we do, you'll be surprised what you can learn and be delighted at how helpful everyone is about answering any questions you may have. But know that next month we'll be looking forward to seeing you there with your equipment ready to share a great day at the range with the rest of us. Remember the basic safety equipment rules are always in place so if you decided to observe a match, make sure to remember your eye and ear protection. Matches typically run from 10:00 to about 2:30. We even have a hot dog stand at most of the matches for a lunch option.

Match Schedule

Matches are held on the Fourth Saturday of each month. Please reference here for any changes to that schedule in the future.

Check the weather at the River Bend Gun Club Range for this weekend's match.

Range Set-up: We set up the match on the morning of the shoot before everyone gets there. You can imagine this is a daunting task for those volunteering their time to help make your shoot an enjoyable one. The key word here is volunteers. We all pitch in to help run the match whether it's through something as simple as helping to paste the targets between shooters in your squad or as involved as Stage Design, Match Direction, or being a Safety or Range Officer. We begin the course set-up at 8:00am on the day of the match and we always welcome help. Staying afterwards for tear down will garner you much praise and devotion as well so thank you in advance for the assistance. As a show of appreciation to those making the effort to come early and help set-up the match, they will receive a ticket redeemable for a $5 discount on their match entry fee for a future match.

Match Registration: Look for the line leading into the house on the top of the range hill to find the registration desk. Registration runs from 9:00am-10:00am where you will need to pay your match entry fee and indicate which division you will be shooting that day and whether you will be shooting "major" or "minor" power factor. You will receive a score sheet packet and a shooter number that corresponds to your line number on the registration sheet. Place your shooter number at the top, and your name at the bottom of each of your stage score sheets. Lastly you will need to sign-up for a squad. There will typically be a sheet with the squad numbers listed on it. Just add your name to one of the open squads and remember your squad number. It will determine your starting stage for the match.

New USPSA Shooters: All shooters that have never participated in a USPSA match are required to attend a Safety Briefing conducted by one of the senior Range Officers before you will be allowed to shoot the match. We ask that you arrive no later than 9:00am to be able to register and be available in time for the safety briefing. The briefing typically takes between 15 and 20 minutes and covers the measures by which we keep our sport safe. Understand that this briefing isn't going to teach you the rules of shooting USPSA but will get you safe enough to shoot your first stages and make it through your first match. You will typically be paired up with a more experienced shooter in your squad that will show you the ropes and help answer any questions you may have. The Range Officer running you through a stage will also offer their assistance to ensure you have a safe and fun experience.

Shooter's Meeting: Next will be a shooters meeting where the Match Director will give any final instructions particular to that day's match He will typically list the starting shooting bays for each squad. Did you remember your squad number? After the shooter's meeting, you will be released into your squads and go to your starting bay to shoot your first stage of the match.

Match Fees

We try to offer a fair match fee for all involved and especially encourage juniors and law enforcement officers with discounted match fees.

$20 Standard Match Fee
$15 River Bend Practical Shooters or River Bend Gun Club Member (must show current id card)
$25 Couple (both are RBPS or RBGC Members with a current id card)
$30 Couple (one is a RBPS or RBGC Member with a current id card)
$35 Family (three or more are RBGC or RBGC Members with a current id card)
$40 Family (two members and one or more non-members)
$45 Family (one member and two or more non-members)
$50 Family (no members)
$15 Law Enforcement Officers with current id
$Free Juniors (16 or under) when accompanied by a Competing Adult

Match Results

All match scores are published on the USPSA website with our club code (GA23).. Match results are also available by email to those that wish it. Be sure to include your email address on the sign-up sheet the day of the match. Once you start receiving your emailed results there is no longer a need to give us your address, as we have already added it to the list for distribution.

USPSA Divisions and Gear Requirements | USPSA Scoring and Penalties