I hadn’t heard of PCS League until it swung into my local competition shooting scene. Many of the USPSA clubs in the tri-state area have moved to PCS League, or PCSL for short. I had no idea what the heck PCSL was, so I fired up my Google machine and started searching. I’m pretty sure it’s not the Pacific Championship Series. The other PCS League is the Practical Competition Shooting League.
What’s the PCS League?
The PCS League was created by Max Leograndis, a multi-national championship. The idea seems to create a league that revolves around the use of practical guns in competition. The divisions include a two-gun division, as well as handgun and PCC divisions. The League seems to be taking off quite fast, with new shooters enjoying the simplicity of the matches and rules.
I looked through the rules regarding firearms in the PCS League and was surprised by how simple the rules are. There is The Competition Division, which is as close to open as this League gets. We have Practical Irons and Practical Optics, and they are currently working on an Actual Carry Pistol division. The Divisions are refreshingly simple.
Sometimes, reading the USPSA and IDPA divisions gets quite complicated. You can use optics and a light, but you can’t use a magazine that’s a particular length unless it’s the third full moon of the year and it’s the second Tuesday. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but it’s tiresome to try and keep up with the very specific divisions. Remember when IDPA created specific rules to ban the P220 in the CD division after Ernest Langdon cleaned house? Lord forbid a gun outside of a 1911 win.
PCS League provides simple-to-read and simple-to-understand rules for your firearms. It’s easy to understand with a quick and initial read. The focus of these rules seems mostly to keep the guns practical. The whole purpose of the League is to present a competitive league that focuses on practical firearms.
A New Target for a New League
One of the notable changes was the creation of a new target. This new target features your typical A, C, and D zone as well as a K zone. The K zone is the headshot target. If I’m reading the rules right, a shooter can land one K-zone shot and kill the target or two body shots in the A, C, or D zone.
The PCS League isn’t crazy large like the other clubs and seems to be more adaptive and less set in its ways. Remember how long it took some of these older organizations to adopt optics-ready handguns? PCS League seems to be more willing to adapt as long as the change is practical.
I haven’t shot PCS League yet, but the less restrictive nature seems to make it easier to approach than USPSA and similar old-fashioned clubs. PCS League promises to provide a more straightforward competitive environment. Straightforward is good because it has the ability to attract new shooters who are turned off by the more entrenched shooting leagues. It seems like PCS League has the ability to go far!
