What is PPC?

History of PPC

Police Pistol Combat grew out of police handgun training in the 1930s. Early FBI practical pistol courses introduced timed shooting, silhouette targets, barricades, and different shooting positions to make training more relevant to police work.

PPC expanded through the 1960s–1980s, initially centered on .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers. By 1978, roughly 900 officers competed at the national championships. Semi-automatic pistol events later joined the program as police equipment changed.

Today, courses continue to test these skills at different distances and within defined time limits, using standing, kneeling, sitting and prone positions, as well as barricades. The club’s PPC discipline uses centre-fire pistols and revolvers.

Our course of fire

At BRRC, we typically run PPC 600 (600 points) and Service (480 points) matches. We typically run these two match types together during the same range session at the same time. Depending on the specific match, shooters take part in timed stages at 3, 7, 15 and 25 yards, with a mix of standing, kneeling and barricade-supported shooting. The PPC 600 course of fire also includes sitting and prone positions.

The stages bring together several challenges: shorter timed strings, changes in position, and shooting from either side of a barricade using the left and right hands. Some stages are shot standing without support, including a strong-hand-only stage in the Service course.

It is a combination of precision, consistency and working within the allotted time. Every stage is directed by the person calling the line, with eye and hearing protection required and firearms checked clear between the appropriate stages.

Shooters must have a valid holster certification from either a PPC certified club, an Ontario IPSC Black Badge, be a member of a security company with a valid ATC or be an active or retired peace officer in order to shoot PPC at Range Burlington.

Progress you can see

League members can sign in to review weekly results, their match history, personal highs, year-by-year averages and recent score trends.

Interested in taking part?

BRRC lists PPC as open to holster-qualified members. Contact the league to discuss your experience and the qualification steps that apply to you.