The Centre Fire match remains one of the most popular events, although it too has been around for a long time. The match consists of two separate 30 shot stages of fire. One is the “Precision” stage shot at 25 metres on a precision target (50 mm 10 ring), with five minutes allowed for each 5 shot series. The other is the “Rapid Fire” stage that is also shot at 25 metres, but on turning targets. One shot is fired with each exposure of the target as it turns toward the shooter for 3 seconds and away for 7 seconds, with the shooter lowering his arm to 45 degrees between each exposure of the target.
Any centrefire calibre from 0.32 to 0.38 can be used in a revolver or semi-auto, with a barrel no longer than 150mm and a trigger pull no lighter than 1000 grams. Many target grade revolvers are available for this match, mainly in 0.38 Special or 0.357 Magnum, although there are some 0.32 calibre revolvers and semi-auto’s available. The heavier trigger pull specified for Centrefire requires firm control of the handgun in both the Precision and Rapid Fire stages, and this coupled with the recoil of the centrefire ammunition makes this quite a difficult event for the new shooter, although one that is universally popular.