Operating out of the Sydney International Shooting Centre (SISC), the Illawarra Pistol Club (IPC) proudly welcomes all pistol enthusiasts to the venue, offering a variety of disciplines for members to participate in.
The Illawarra Pistol Club has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1955. Following the club’s founding, eleven years later (1966) the club was approved for building on ICIA NZ property, better known as Dunmore Quarry. Although the range closed in 2015, the club continued its activities by relocating to the Sydney International Shooting Centre (SISC), which remains its primary shooting location to date.
Whether you’re an experienced shooter looking to compete, or a complete beginner eager to learn, the Illawarra Pistol Club warmly invites you to join their community.
The Illawarra Pistol Club currently operates out of three different locations:
The SISC is approximately 50 minutes west of Sydney CBD and offers superior facilities across 80 hectares of semi-rural bushland. It is also the primary venue that the club utilises for shooting.
The SHRSC at Hill Top is a show of the NSW Government’s longstanding commitment to the sport of shooting, and the complex features three main shooting ranges; 50m, 500m, and 800m.
Located in Albion Park Rail, Schuetzenklub Illawarra is a German Air Rifle Club and features 22 individual 10 metre galleries. The club shoots every Wednesday night. Contact us for more information.
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) matches are all shot with the shooter in the standing position and using only one hand to fire the pistol. Some of the ISSF events are competed in right up to an Olympic level.
The 25M Pistol match is formerly known as Sport Pistol and is match that is internationally shot by women and juniors. However, in Australia (and including at IPC) this match is shot by men, women and juniors alike. The match is shot using .22" calibre pistols and has a precision fire stage as well as a rapid fire stage, each of which consist of 30 shots.
The precision stage is shot at a stationary target and there are 6 series each of which gives the shooter 5 minutes to place 5 shots on the target. In the rapid fire stage a turning target is used and it is also consists of 5 series of 5 shots however, for each shot the target only turns and faces the shooter for 3 seconds.
Centrefire matches have the same course of fire as 25M Pistol except it allows for the use of centrefire pistols with a calibre of .30"-0.38". Internationally this match is generally only shot by men however, in Australia and at IPC women are more than welcome to participate.
Rapid Fire matches consist of 60 shots broken up into 12 series of 5 shots. During each series the shooter has 5 targets and they need to place one shot on each target within the time limit of 4, 6 or 8 seconds depending on which series of the match is being shot.
The Standard Pistol match is a 60 shot match that is broken up into 12 stages that each contain 5 shots. The first four stages give the competitor 150 seconds to complete the stage. The next four stages are 20 seconds in duration and the final four stages are only 10 seconds.
Formerly known as Free Pistol, the 50M Pistol match is shot using single-shot .22 calibre pistols. There are 60 shots fired in this match at a distance of 50m.
Service Pistol is a match that is shot with 9mm semi-automatics or .38/.357 revolvers where shooters start with their pistol holstered at the commencement of each series. In this match 90 shots are fired from distances of 7 to 50 yards with the shooter having to fire from the prone, kneeling and standing positions.
Service Pistol Unrestricted matches have the same course of fire as a Service Pistol match except pistols can use calibres between .32-.38 and holsters are not used at the beginning of each series.
WA1500 is a match that is shot with .35-.38 calibre semi-automatics or .32-.38 calibre revolvers. In this match 150 shots are fired from distances of 7 to 50 yards with the shooter having to fire from the prone, kneeling and standing positions. The shooter starts each series in the match with their pistol holstered.
Black powder matches are conducted by IPC with .36-.68 calibre black powder pistols permitted for use. Matches shot at the club are; International, Slow-fire, 25m, 50m
Air Pistol is conducted by IPC at the SISC on club days.
Illawarra Pistol Club ranges are also authorised for the use of .22lr rimfire rifles with standard velocity ammunition.Field rifle matches are conducted at the club and the club can endorse your application for Class A on your firearms license. The Illawarra Branch of the SSAA also conduct matches IPC's facilities.
If you are interested in participating in the sport of pistol shooting but aren't exactly sure if it is for you, don't worry we can arrange for you to come down to the range and try it out. In NSW unlicensed persons are allowed to try out shooting so long as they complete a "P650 form" and meet the criteria set by the NSW Police Force - Firearms Registry.
Please refer to the link below for the "P650 form" which can be filled out either at home or at the range (suitable photo ID must also be brought with you to the range).
For more information and to organize a time to visit the club and try out pistol shooting please contact the club secretary.
The first step to take in joining a pistol club and gaining your Probationary Pistol License (PPL) license is to contact the NSW Police Force's Firearms Registry (FAR) and have them send out the license application forms. This process can be carried out by either phoning the registry on or completing their online form.
In order to join IPC you will need to complete an application form and attend a committee meeting to have your application for membership endorsed. The form and associated membership fee structure and information can be downloaded from the following links. Upon completion please contact the Club Secretary to find out when the next committee meeting will be held.
Once endorsed by the committee, you will then need to undertake a Pistol Safe Handling course at IPC and a certificate will be issued upon completion. This certificate will then be sent with your completed license application form to the NSW FAR for processing. There is a minimum 28 day cooling off period, so including time for postage it takes approximately six weeks to receive approval from the FAR. If successfully approved you will then need to attend a RMS Registry or Service NSW centre to pay the license fee and have your PPL issued.
During the first six months of your PPL you will then be required to undertaken training in the safe usage of pistols and the rules of the various matches that are shot at IPC and participate in at least three club matches. After successful completion of the training in the first six months you will be issued with a certificate and be eligible to apply to the FAR to purchase your first pistols.
In the second six months of your PPL you will be restricted to having two pistols. Towards the end of this period the FAR will send through the application forms for your full Cat H firearms license and it is important that this is completed and received by the FAR before your PPL reaches its expiry date. The mandatory 28-day cooling off period applies again, after which you will receive the notice to attend a RMS Registry or Service NSW centre to pay the license fee and have your Cat H license issued.
Please feel free to contact Illawarra Pistol Club by completing the contact form. A member of the club will get back to your as soon as possible.