Racegun
Encyclopedia
A racegun is a type of handgun
, shotgun
, or rifle
that has been modified for accuracy, speed, and reliability. Used primarily in NRA
Action Pistol
(The Bianchi Cup
), USPSA
/IPSC
and similar styles of competition, raceguns are typically based on common guns and modified to function the best within a certain set of rules, such as weight, size, and capacity requirements.
Typical modifications include a match-grade barrel fitted with a recoil compensator, electronic optical sights, match-grade hammer and sear, a tuned trigger, and "skeletonizing" (cutouts to reduce weight.) In addition to the modifications aforementioned, a typical open class semi-automatic racegun specifically tailored for The Bianchi Cup
open division has a "barricade shroud" that completely encircles the slide with "wings" attached to opposing sides, a "moving target scope mount" with a pivoting base adjustable for predetermined lead depending on the bullet's velocity and speed and direction of the moving target, and a form of grip extension that elevates the gun for better line of sight while shooting in the prone position. Depending upon the competition requirement, some raceguns are modified with reduced-weight recoil springs to allow the use of lightly loaded ammunition that is just barely powerful enough to cycle the gun's mechanism, in order to reduce recoil and permit a faster rate of fire. The Steel Challenge
speed shooting championship is such an event, where in its early days a 120 power factor hit was required to activate the stop plate to stop the clock is now no longer necessary so that competitors can go faster than ever before. To prevent this, certain competitions such as IPSC and USPSA require ammunition to meet specific power factors
.
Some organizing bodies in practical shooting
, most notably IDPA
and the production division of The Bianchi Cup
, ban most or all of the modifications that distinguish raceguns from stock firearms, as they feel that such extensive modifications have turned the sport into a technology race rather than a true contest of skill, and thus are no longer "practical," i.e., applicable to real-life self-defense shooting situations. In the case of the Bianchi Cup/NRA Action Pistol, this was also done to increase participation at the grassroots level in order to reduce the equipment cost associated with competing in the open division, which can run upwards of $3500 USD or more on a Bianchi racegun as compared to a $400 to $1000 stock gun. Many believe this new division, plus the newly implemented $100,000 cash prize award to the first production class shooter to break 1900 at the national championship in May, will hopefully increase participation that has seen its decline for the last 2 decades or so. It is the opinion of the experienced individuals involved in the sport that perfect scores of 1920 accompanied with nearly perfect x-counts of the top 1 ~ 2% which were mostly sponsored professional competition shooters and very dedicated Bianchi Cup "specialists" shooting their tricked out open guns have intimidated many top shooters from other disciplines and average Joes and Janes alike to give this match a try, citing the difficulties of obtaining such high standards even with these specialized raceguns.
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, or rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
that has been modified for accuracy, speed, and reliability. Used primarily in NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
Action Pistol
Action shooting
Action shooting is a term that encompasses target shooting events where the shooter's score is based on both the accuracy and elapsed time. Disciplines covered by the term include:*United States Practical Shooting Association...
(The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
), USPSA
USPSA
USPSA may refer to:* United States Practical Shooting Association* United States Power Soccer Association...
/IPSC
International Practical Shooting Confederation
The International Practical Shooting Confederation is a shooting sport based on the concept of practical shooting. Accuracy, power and speed are all required to achieve a maximum score.-Founding and organization:...
and similar styles of competition, raceguns are typically based on common guns and modified to function the best within a certain set of rules, such as weight, size, and capacity requirements.
Typical modifications include a match-grade barrel fitted with a recoil compensator, electronic optical sights, match-grade hammer and sear, a tuned trigger, and "skeletonizing" (cutouts to reduce weight.) In addition to the modifications aforementioned, a typical open class semi-automatic racegun specifically tailored for The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
open division has a "barricade shroud" that completely encircles the slide with "wings" attached to opposing sides, a "moving target scope mount" with a pivoting base adjustable for predetermined lead depending on the bullet's velocity and speed and direction of the moving target, and a form of grip extension that elevates the gun for better line of sight while shooting in the prone position. Depending upon the competition requirement, some raceguns are modified with reduced-weight recoil springs to allow the use of lightly loaded ammunition that is just barely powerful enough to cycle the gun's mechanism, in order to reduce recoil and permit a faster rate of fire. The Steel Challenge
Steel Challenge
The Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship and governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association . The competition was founded by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman. The targets, made of steel, range in size from 10" round plates to 18"x24" square plates...
speed shooting championship is such an event, where in its early days a 120 power factor hit was required to activate the stop plate to stop the clock is now no longer necessary so that competitors can go faster than ever before. To prevent this, certain competitions such as IPSC and USPSA require ammunition to meet specific power factors
Power factor (pistol)
In competitive practical shooting, power factor refers to a ranking system for the momentum of pistol cartridges. The power factor is used in competitions sponsored by IPSC, USPSA, The Bianchi Cup, Steel Challenge, and IDPA.- IPSC/USPSA Power factor :...
.
Some organizing bodies in practical shooting
Practical shooting
Practical shooting is a sport which challenges an individual's ability to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full-power handgun, rifle, or shotgun. To do this, shooters take on obstacle-laden shooting courses called stages, some requiring many shots to complete, and others just a few...
, most notably IDPA
International Defensive Pistol Association
The International Defensive Pistol Association , founded in 1996, is an organization based in Berryville, Arkansas, USA that promotes defensive pistol shooting as a sport, using equipment including full-charge service ammunition to solve simulated "real world" self-defense scenarios...
and the production division of The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
, ban most or all of the modifications that distinguish raceguns from stock firearms, as they feel that such extensive modifications have turned the sport into a technology race rather than a true contest of skill, and thus are no longer "practical," i.e., applicable to real-life self-defense shooting situations. In the case of the Bianchi Cup/NRA Action Pistol, this was also done to increase participation at the grassroots level in order to reduce the equipment cost associated with competing in the open division, which can run upwards of $3500 USD or more on a Bianchi racegun as compared to a $400 to $1000 stock gun. Many believe this new division, plus the newly implemented $100,000 cash prize award to the first production class shooter to break 1900 at the national championship in May, will hopefully increase participation that has seen its decline for the last 2 decades or so. It is the opinion of the experienced individuals involved in the sport that perfect scores of 1920 accompanied with nearly perfect x-counts of the top 1 ~ 2% which were mostly sponsored professional competition shooters and very dedicated Bianchi Cup "specialists" shooting their tricked out open guns have intimidated many top shooters from other disciplines and average Joes and Janes alike to give this match a try, citing the difficulties of obtaining such high standards even with these specialized raceguns.
See also
- USPSAUSPSAUSPSA may refer to:* United States Practical Shooting Association* United States Power Soccer Association...
- IPSCInternational Practical Shooting ConfederationThe International Practical Shooting Confederation is a shooting sport based on the concept of practical shooting. Accuracy, power and speed are all required to achieve a maximum score.-Founding and organization:...
- The Bianchi CupThe Bianchi CupThe Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
- Steel ChallengeSteel ChallengeThe Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship and governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association . The competition was founded by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman. The targets, made of steel, range in size from 10" round plates to 18"x24" square plates...