11/11/2025
DEFENSIVE PISTOL LEAGUE will be starting on December 10th. We will have a match on December 17th as well. We will stop for the holidays until January 7th for the 3rd match. Matches will continue until the end of April.
Hope to see you there.
This is the email that was sent out in case you didn’t get it.
Our Defensive Pistol League (DPL) will get started as usual right after the first of the year - this season will officially start on January 7, 2026.
We also will run a couple of “warm-up” matches in December to help everyone get back into this type of shooting, especially for those who may not have done a lot of shooting over the summer and fall. These will be on Wednesdays – 12/10 and 12/17 starting at 5:30pm. The warm-up matches will be relatively simple stages set up to review some of the basic skills used in defensive shooting, such as basic safety, working to and from a holster, loading, reloading, and unloading safely, trigger discipline and muzzle safety. Just a good way to clear out the cobwebs and get back into the swing of things.
The regular DPL season will run pretty much the same as it has in the past. If you have participated before, you can expect a similar experience. If you are new to this, feel free to reach out to one of the League Directors (me, Mike Slade or Rob Coe – contact info below) and we can answer any questions you might have.
Attached are several documents that we ask everyone to review before getting started again. These are especially important for new shooters, but we encourage everyone to review this information again just to make sure you are refreshed. All the information you should need to participate should be covered in these documents. Specifically, please review the ORC DPL RO Commands and ORC Range Safety Rules to familiarize (or re-familiarize) yourself with the procedures and safety rules specific to this type of shooting. The Info Sheet describes the format and basic process of how we run the league, and the IDPA Scoring document explains in detail how the matches are scored.
This league is open to shooters of all levels. While you will see some shooters who are accomplished and shoot this type of competition regularly throughout the year, you will also see relatively new shooters who are just getting started. We welcome anyone who is new to this sport, but this is NOT a “learn to shoot” experience. While many of us will certainly be happy to offer some guidance and advice to help you improve your results, there will be no formal instruction or training offered. You should be comfortable handling your own firearm and accessories, and you should not bring a firearm to the league that you have never shot before. Safety will be our primary concern, and you will be held to very strict standards when participating in the league. If anyone has any questions about procedures, rules or equipment, please reach out to one of us and we will be happy to help. If you have never shot with us before, please let us know and we will give you a brief safety review the first time you arrive.
NOTE: The range is a COLD RANGE on league night, so there are no loaded fi****ms allowed in the building (range OR club meeting room) unless you are on the firing line and shooting the stage. If you arrive with a loaded firearm, either unload it or secure it in your vehicle prior to entering the club. If you bring a loaded firearm into the club, IMMEDIATELY see one of League Directors and we will take you into the range to safely unload and secure your firearm.
If anyone is new to this sport and wishes to familiarize themselves with what we do here on Wednesday nights, I would suggest that you search YouTube for videos of IDPA, USPSA or other “Action Pistol” events – this will give you a decent idea of what to expect. If anyone has any questions about what equipment is needed, please feel free to reach out to one of us to review what things you should consider purchasing to make this a more enjoyable experience. The biggest cost for this sport is the gun and ammo itself, so a minimal additional expense for appropriate holsters, magazines and magazine carriers is worth making. If you are going to buy anything, you might just check with one of us to make sure that it is the appropriate piece of equipment.
Not everyone will shoot every week, and not everyone will compete to win, so do not feel like you must come every week to participate in the league. We suggest that totally new shooters come at least once to observe and familiarize yourselves to the process before jumping in to shoot.
Again, please ask if you have any questions. Failure to ask a question could become a safety issue, so ask if you are unsure of anything.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
John
