IPSC for beginners: how to get started in practical shooting in Brazil
How to start IPSC in Brazil: the legal path (Federal Police CR, club, federation and CBTP), practical shooting disciplines, documents and 2026 fees.
To get started in IPSC (practical shooting) in Brazil, the path is: join a shooting club, obtain the sport shooter Registration Certificate (CR) from the Federal Police (Polícia Federal, PF), and become a member of your state federation and of the Brazilian Practical Shooting Confederation (Confederação Brasileira de Tiro Prático, CBTP). Before competing, you train at the club with an instructor and learn the safety rules of the sport. In 2026, the CBTP annual fee covering all championships is R$ 400.00 (Brazilian reais).
Warning: practical shooting involves moving with a loaded gun. Safety comes before speed. This text is for information only and does not replace training with an instructor.
What is IPSC?
IPSC stands for International Practical Shooting Confederation, the international body for practical shooting. In this sport, competitors move through stages with several targets and are scored on a combination of accuracy and time.
In Brazil, the CBTP is the national IPSC body and publishes the competition rules in Portuguese.
What are the IPSC disciplines?
According to the CBTP page with the IPSC rules, there are 2026 competition rules for:
Discipline | Firearm |
|---|---|
Handgun | Handgun (pistol or revolver) |
PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine, "Carabina Calibre Pistola" in Brazil) | Carbine that fires pistol ammunition |
Mini Rifle | Small-caliber carbine |
Shotgun | Shotgun |
Rifle | Rifle or carbine in rifle caliber |
Within each discipline there are divisions, based on the type and features of the firearm, and categories, such as junior, senior and ladies. The CBTP publishes the list of approved guns for the Production divisions and an appendix on the Light division in Brazil.
How to get started in IPSC, step by step
- Choose a shooting club affiliated with your state's practical shooting federation. The CBTP keeps the list of affiliated clubs on its website.
- Take beginner lessons with an instructor at the club, focusing on safety, drawing, reloading and movement.
- Obtain the sport shooter CR from the PF, through Sinarm-CAC (the Federal Police system for CACs). Among other documents, it requires a psychological assessment and proof of technical shooting ability.
- Meet the training frequency requirement. To keep the CR, a shooter needs at least 8 training sessions or competitions per year at a club, per type of firearm (article 22 of Federal Police Normative Instruction IN DG/PF nº 311/2025).
- Join the state federation and then the CBTP.
- Start with local matches and the state championship before the national stages.
For beginner lessons, ask whether the club provides its own guns: article 34, § 2, of Decree 11.615 (Decreto 11.615) allows shooting with the shooting entity's firearm in some situations. To compete regularly, shooters use a gun registered in their own collection.
See the CR and training frequency rules in the Federal Police IN 311.
Which documents does the CBTP ask for?
According to the CBTP shooter membership page, updated on July 6, 2026, the documents are sent as PDFs through the confederation's system:
- CPF (Brazilian taxpayer number) and ID;
- a valid Registration Certificate (CR) or the revalidation filing receipt;
- a statement of membership from the practical shooting federation for the year;
- a statement of membership from the club for the year;
- proof of address;
- court authorization, for athletes aged 14 to 18.
According to the CBTP, reviewing the documents takes up to 48 business hours.
How much does CBTP membership cost in 2026?
Option (CBTP table for 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
Entry to all championships (payment from January 1 to December 31, 2026) | R$ 400.00 |
Flat amount "for full and online", from July 1 to December 31, 2026 | R$ 150.00 |
Online championship only | R$ 200.00 |
Categories such as Super Junior, Grand Junior, Super Senior and Grand Senior | R$ 250.00 |
Extra fee for an inactive registration, charged with the annual fee | R$ 100.00 |
Amounts checked on the CBTP website on October 19, 2026. The annual fee is due on December 31 of each year. The CBTP provides an exemption for para-athletes, with a medical report, outside the CBTP overall ranking. The state federation and the club charge their own fees.
What is "Shooting House" in practical shooting?
On the CBTP website, Shooting House is the name of the confederation's online services system. The athlete membership page requires registering in that system to sign up.
What is the minimum age for practical shooting?
Sport shooting is allowed from age 18, with a CR (article 34 of Decree 11.615/2023). Under the same article, young people over 14 and under 18 may take part on an exceptional basis, with court authorization, psychological fitness, supervision by their legal guardian and only with guns belonging to the shooting entity or to the guardian.
How to take the gun to the club and to competitions
The shooter transports the gun with the transit permit (guia de tráfego, GTE), unloaded and with the ammunition in its own container, only along the route and within the period of the permit. For competitions, the GTE is valid for up to 1 month; for training, up to 6 months (art. 42 of IN 311). See how to issue the transit permit.
Next step
Visit two or three clubs affiliated with your state's practical shooting federation, watch a local match and talk to the instructors about beginner lessons. If you are interested in clay shooting, see Olympic trap: how to get started. To follow Brazilian sport shooting, read about the World Cup in Cairo.
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