Message from RACL Rick Lund
From RACL Rick Lund: This is a reminder for many of you, and news to the remainder of everyone who sends in questions to HQ and their AC’s about whether their gun is legal for IDPA. Figuring this out for you is not really the job of headquarters since the specifications of the divisions are detailed in the rulebook.
There is one exception to this: Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP).
What happened is in early 2017, after our new rulebook went into effect, manufacturers began turning out new guns and components that over time, have become stock items on service guns and questions started pouring in. Examples of these are lightened slides, heavier barrels, and weighted grips.
Recognizing that technology and new manufacturing improvements are showing us new products and firearms every year that enhance off-the-shelf inventories for specific uses such as concealed carry. And because we accept these new guns into our sport where appropriate as Stock Service Pistols, it would only be a matter of time that the help desk would be receiving calls about mix and match guns for our other divisions.
We also said to ourselves that we were not going to issue a new rulebook or addendums every time something new hit the market and the IDPA equipment check at matches.
So we came up with a short-term solution until such time that the BOD and HQ decide to conduct a review of the rules for our sport.
We announced that the test criteria for Enhanced Service Pistol would be: EDC-Fit the Box-Make Weight. The gun must still comply with 8.1.7.D addressing magazine releases. This policy supersedes the inspection criteria detailed in the rulebook for ESP. This way it is easier for everyone that wants to use any firearm that might otherwise be excluded using our rules.
Stock Service Pistol means Stock. If there are any visible differences from an SKU on the manufacturers’ website, the gun will not be allowed to compete in this division.
The same principle applies to Custom Defensive Pistol. If you find a .45 that has a heavy barrel without a bushing or lightened slides that you want to compete with, enter the gun into ESP.
Back-Up Gun (BUG), Compact Carry Pistol and Carry Optics have the same allowances as ESP with different size and weight restrictions. These are all published on our website, in our current rules and appendices.
If you are really stuck, your AC or IPOC have the ability to get you a correct answer.
See you on the range.
Rick
