Major, Minor.....What Does it Mean?

As you come to matches, on of the things that you may see on scoresheets is Major and Minor. Since this affects the points that you are scored in the match, you may be confused as to why one gun is scored minor, but a similar is scored major. This rating has to do with the caliber of the weapon. The USPSA has decided to make this distinction in order to even out everyone's chances. For example, if someone is shooting 9mm, they will have a lot less recoil that someone shooting a .45, so in order to compensate for the larger recoil of the .45, they will be scored slightly higher for shots that are outside of the "A" range.

As a simplistic level, all 9mm pistols are considered to have a minor power factor, whereas .40 and .45 pistols will score a major power factor. The only exception to this is in the Production Division, where all pistols will score a minor power factor. However, for those of you that load you own ammunition and want to load light in order to reduce your recoil, be careful, or your .45 could be turned into a minor power factor. We are going to look at why.

In order to calculate the power factor, the USPSA has determined that you need to take the bullet weight and multiply it by the bullet velocity, and then divide that number by 1,000. The resulting number will determine how you are scored. If the power factor is at least 125, but less than 165, you will be scored minor, and 165 or over you will score a major power factor. At major matches, they will often require you to shoot with a chronograph in order to make sure that you are not gaming your ammo. For you 9mm shooters, don't load your ammo too light, because if the power factor in under 125, you will not be scored.

We look forward to seeing you at the range.