Getting Started in NRA Action Pistol

by
posted on September 1, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
fullsizerender.jpg (1)

Are you interested in getting involved in Action Shooting? The NRA offers a free downloadable guide that will help give you a better understanding of NRA Action Pistol, as well as the Bianchi Cup National Action Pistol Championship.

NRA Action Pistol is a dynamic discipline within the shooting sports. It is a combination of speed and accuracy, weighing more on the accuracy aspect, although speed still plays a major factor in shooting a good score. All shots are fired static (no moving while firing) from a set distance, and all the courses of fire are run on par times where all shots must be fired within the set par time. This combination is what makes NRA Action Pistol such a fun, challenging and exciting discipline.

The guide features chapters on the sport itself, courses of fire, equipment and ammunition, targets, classification and how to find competitions near you. The equipment section may be especially helpful to newcomers in Action Pistol, highlighting the fact that if you are a novice shooter you do not need a lot of specialized, high price equipment to compete. It also outlines the three divisions, including the popular production division which is intended for competitors to use an “out-of-the-box” pistol.

Drawing a pistol from the holster and firing six rounds in five seconds into a scoring area the size of a paper plate can be very challenging. The confidence gained in your marksmanship from shooting NRA Action Pistol will be noticed when shooting other popular Action Pistol shooting disciplines offered around the country such as USPSA, IDPA, ICORE and PPC.

Keep practicing, and you might be on the firing line at the MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup!

 

Latest

2026 Grandamerican ATA 1A
2026 Grandamerican ATA 1A

ATA Grand American Returns to Sparta With a Full Event Lineup

The Amateur Trapshooting Association’s 127th Grand American runs July 29 through August 8 in Sparta, Illinois, with a tribute to the late Lynn Gipson.

Team Winchester and Team White Flyer Stack the Podium at 2026 World English

Team Winchester and Team White Flyer shooters earned multiple podiums at the 2026 World English Sporting Clays Championship.

From Milestones to Movement: Inside USPSA’s 2026 Blueprint

Alan Turner outlines USPSA’s 2026 priorities: club recruitment rewards, mobile app upgrades, junior memberships and championship planning.

Derrick Mein Secures Silver at ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Kazakhstan

Team Federal’s Mein took silver at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty after Turkey’s Tolga Tuncer set a world record to take gold.

USPSA Limited 10: The Same Foundation, One New Option

USPSA Limited 10 now allows optics, but doesn’t require them. Same scoring, same equipment rules, same division. One change, one new pathway.

Brandon Green: A Champion Among NRA Members

The U.S. National Rifle Team head coach climbed from 30th place to break a 156-year American drought on Bisley’s most prestigious title.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.