Every IDPA club hosts a classifier match every six months. The club I belong to is having our in a couple weeks. This time I will be a Safety Officer (SO) for the classifier, so I though it would be a good idea to do a run through of the stages, if for no other reason than to help solidify my understanding of them.
First, the stage setup.
The setup includes 3 targets, and 5 shooting positions. The targets are set up parallel to each other, with 2 yards between them. The leftmost target should have the top of its head at a height of 6 feet. The center target will have the top of its head at 4 feet, and the rightmost target will have the top of its head at 5 feet. The shooting positions should be marked off at 5 yards, 7 yards, and 10 yards from the targets. A 55 gallon drum or barrel should be 15 yards from the targets, and a Bianchi barricade should be at 20 yards. The barricade I have seen at past matches is simply a target stand with multiple targets stapled to it to simulate a wall.
Now with the stage setup, its time for the strings. I have written them out to a table below.
| Stage One | Limited Vickers, 7 yards (6.4 meters) | ||
| String | Position | Instructions | Shots |
| 1 | 1 | Draw and fire two shots to the body and then one to the head on T1. | 3 |
| 2 | 1 | Draw and fire two shots to the body and then one to the head on T2. | 3 |
| 3 | 1 | Draw and fire two shots to the body and then one to the head on T3. | 3 |
| 4 | 1 | Draw and fire two shots at each head T1-T3 in any order. | 6 |
| The Scorekeeper will watch for required head shots that miss the head and hit the body. These hits below the head area must be noted or pasted before shooting String Five. | |||
| 5 | 1 | Start with firearm in the weak hand, pointed down range at a 45 degree down angle, safety may be off, but the trigger finger must be out of the trigger guard. Fire one shot each at T1-T3 in any order, weak hand only. | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | Load exactly 3 rounds in the firearm. Start back to targets, turn, draw, and fire one shot each at T1-T3 in any order, reload from slide lock or empty cylinder and fire one shot each at T1-T3 in any order. | 6 |
| 7 | 1 | Draw and fire two shots each at T1-T3 in any order, strong hand only. | 6 |
| Stage Two | Limited Vickers, 10 yards and 5 yards (9.1 meters and 4.6 meters) | ||
| String | Position | Shots | |
| 1 | 2 | Draw and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in any order while moving forward. All shots must be fired while moving straight toward T2. There is a forward fault line for this string at the 5-yard line. | 6 |
| 2 | 3 | Draw and retreat from targets, fire 2 shots at each T1-T3 in any order while retreating straight backward from T2. All shots must be fired while retreating. | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Load exactly 6 rounds in the firearm. Start back to targets, turn, draw, and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in any order, reload from slide lock or empty cylinder and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in any order. | 12 |
| 4 | 2 | Draw and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in any order, strong hand only. | 6 |
| Stage 3 | Limited Vickers, 20 yards and 15 yards (18.3 meters and 13.7 meters) | ||
| String | Position | Shots | |
| 1 | 4 | Draw and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in Tactical Priority from either side of the barricade using cover, do a Loaded Chamber Reload and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in Tactical Priority from the opposite side of the barricade using cover. | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | Draw and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in Tactical Priority from either side of the barricade using cover, do a loaded Chamber Reload and advance to the barrel, fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in Tactical Priority using low cover shooting around either side of the barrel | 12 |
| 3 | 5 | Draw, Kneel, and fire 2 shots each at T1-T3 in Tactical Priority using low cover shooting around either side of the barrel. | 6 |
I also came across this video (among many many others) on youtube that shows the strings.
Scoring:
According to the IDPA Rulebook, the following calculated times for the classifier will decide your shooting class.
| Times for: | ESP | SSP | CDP | ESR | SSR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master (MA) | 89.00 or less | 91.00 or less | 92.00 or less | 101.00 or less | 102.00 or less |
| Expert (EX) | 89.01 thru 109.00 | 91.01 thru 110.00 | 92.01 thru 111.00 | 101.01 thru 122.00 | 102.01 thru 124.00 |
| Sharpshooter (SS) | 109.01 thru 138.00 | 110.01 thru 140.00 | 111.01 thru 142.00 | 122.01 thru 155.00 | 124.01 thru 158.00 |
| Marksman (MM) | 138.01 thru 190.00 | 140.01 thru 192.00 | 142.01 thru 195.00 | 155.01 thru 212.00 | 158.01 thru 218.00 |
| Novice (NV) | 190.01 or greater | 192.01 or greater | 195.01 or greater | 212.01 or greater | 218.01 or greater |