I see you've been to my local USPSA/IDPA club.



OP, go have fun.  Ignore the idiots that say you can't compete without a $3k gun.

Amen and no “you didn’t tilt your shoulder far enough to prove you were slicing the pie the way pie likes to be sliced.”

Then get you a Gen 5 and get out there. Don't waste your time with something that doesn't work for you. You know what to do.

Who actually says that?

I've been shooting USPSA for years and I've never heard anyone say this.  It's always, "start shooting Production with whatever you have to get started."

Single Stack is a blast.

I qualified for the USPSA Single Stack Nationals in Frostproof, FL this year, after shooting SS for 14 months. Can’t wait to go.

Don’t bother with 7rd mags - get yourself a handful of Wilson Combat ETM 8rd mags. USPSA rules are such that no more than 8rds can be required on any given shooting array/position. Even if you Barney load, that’s a max of 8rd in the gun - one miss could mean a standing reload.

Reloading drills are your friend.

Have fun!

IDPA is like a fucking homeowners association but with guns.

No "you can't reload while you're moving. You'd never do that in real life!"

No fat fuck telling you there wasn't enough of your body behind cover when you had about 30lbs less exposed than when he shot.

IDPA makes sense as a concept, but man if they didn't fuck up the execution.

USPSA is a crazy amount of fun, but you only get what you want out of it.  I am hopelessly addicted, and I am traveling to 12 major matches this year including Nationals for my 4th time.  I shoot about 30-40k a year, and dry fire almost daily and live fire once or twice a week.  Dryfire will help you immensely, and will allow you to work on gun handling and learning how to do it at high speed.  Be able to shoot all the stuff accurately and work on your speed to learn how to do it faster and still shoot all the stuff.  If you really get into it, buy Ben Stoeger's books and videos and read them and watch them and then incorporate it into your training, and be self aware while you are training.  Why did you miss?  Was it because your sights/gun were not aligned sufficiently for the target you are shooting?  Was it your trigger press, was your grip crap, etc.

The people I have met in USPSA are some of the best people I have ever met, and most everyone that is at a high level is willing to help out others and help with your development.  Eventually you get to a point that running the gun is subconscious and you just have to focus on stage plans and execution of the stage plan.

To those that say that "it will get you killed in the streets", that is complete horseshit!  As a LEO, USPSA skills have exponentially improved my shooting and the state LE academy has me come out and teach on a regular basis as you will not find better examples of high speed shooting than good USPSA shooters.  I know when I step off the USPSA range that my gamer tactics are not what I would use in a gunfight and adjust accordingly, but I can run the gun faster and more accurately than 95% of my compatriots in LE.  It is just the fundamentals done faster.  There is a reason that SOF and other mil units have brought in the best in USPSA to teach them how to run the gun hard, fast and accurate.  I wish more gun owners and LE would get out and compete and get their egos out of the way.  USPSA will make you a better shooter if you put in the time and practice as it gives you a goal to improve.

As for gear, just look to see what the top guys use and don't try to reinvent the wheel.  Good holster, belt, mag pouches, and guns that meet the requirements of the division you are shooting.  If shooting Singlestack like you mentioned, I would run 8 round mags for Major power factor not 7 as it will be a disadvantage.  Having reliable gear is extremely important so make sure that it runs and don't kid yourself, malfunctions are not acceptable and need to be addressed.

a bottomless pit of $$

I shoot singlestick 9mm and don't see any disadvantage over production. I shoot minor or major depending on the course. I also shoot some matches in N FLA form time to time depending on where you are

I have been shooting pistols most of my life,  a bit over 2 years ago I wanted to get into some competitive shooting.....3 gun (LMAO).

I found a local range that would let me play a bit more than 1 round every 5 fucking minutes.

I was there shooting on my 5 or 6th visit and some dude came up to me and was offering pointers, turns out he is worse than a meth dealer.

About 2 week later, I show up to WATCH a lesson/practice session.
Still hell bent on 3 gun, I knew pistols would be the hardest part, so I joined the fun.

I was not a USPSA member, and my scores that day, reflected that of a wounded sloth with cataracts.

After a couple of this groups practices and a couple of matches, I was hooked.

It is the most fun you can have with pistols, IMHO.

I started out as an Unclassified Limited shooter using an M&P
Then to Carry Optics.
Then to Production as I realized that is the hardest division you could be in.
Did that for about 14 months.  I never got over a C class. Mainly because I was trying to go to fast.  
Anyways, in Dec, I wanted to move to Open for 2019. $5K in CZ Czechmate pistols later, I am now Unclassified, but shooting on an A class level.

Goal is to be Master Class before 2020.

Had my best finish this past weekend. I was 7th behind 2 Grand Masters, 1 Master,  2 A Class and a B class....and I am a "U", as I only have 3 classifiers in Open. I think.

I even beat one of those GMs on a stage.

I say go for it, but prepare for some self discipline, and lots of practice.

You can read my last few months of exploits Here

For those too lazy to click..

Attached File


I am also looking to pick up a sponsor or two, prefferably CZ and Everglades ammo.

IDPA doesn't even make sense as a concept. It is logically flawed and nothing can change that.

It is more like autistic accountants with guns. In a real gunfight they would die full of holes but they could rest easy knowing all their ammo was still accounted for.

This. Nobody says that shit, especially not to newcomers. You could shoot Open with a Lorcin reloading from your pockets and people would applaud you.

Be careful… its a gateway drug to 3 gun.. prepare your wallet

Listen to all the instructions, be safe, let everyone know your a new shooter, be safe, slow down and get good hits, be safe, reset - reset - reset, be safe, have fun.

When I started shooting USPSA in the 1980's I quickly got sucked into the whole thing, shooting a match every week in season and traveling all over the mid-Atlantic region to do so. Eventually getting a couple of full-race guns, and shooting a couple 1000 rounds a month to practice.

I was never better than an A-class shooter, but, in retrospect, realized that I was squadded behind guys like Doug Koenig and Matt McLearn (both of whom were originally sponsored by my gunsmith, Behlert Custom Guns, who I "inherited" from my Dad, who  had Austin Behlert build his bullseye guns.  All of which information makes me really old).

That led to 3-gun (the original Miller 3-gun matches) and then kids and family took priority and I never really got back into it.  Soot a few IDPA matches, but the rules started getting really silly.

Have fun with it and remember that slow hits are better than fast misses.

I have so far resisted that temptation.  Add two more guns, reloading components and dies, belt rig, optics, then you have to practice and get good with them aaand reload ammo.

Christ, when do you find time to eat?

Wednesdays!

Multigun doesn’t have to be expensive...

USPSA matches are fun for sure!  I shot a few matches at my club and then the match director and the club had a falling out and it's gone so I got into IDPA back in December after shooting a few trap leagues.  IDPA is fun too but I think I preferred USPA, the rules for IDPA are gear more toward "real life" (cover garment, slide lock reload ect) but they are both games.

Just be safe and there will be lots of good folks that will answer questions and help out.

Try having a wife who shoots with ya and sponsoring a youth shooter... I have more ammo and gear than most local gun shops. I gave up on reloading a couple years ago, I just cant keep up.  I'm sending someone's kids through college at USA Target Sports

My wife is a complete 3 gun addict, and has developed into a formidable shooter. Its always funny when we get in a squad that gives her the "aww its nice you shoot with your husband" routine, and she ends up smoking most of their times lol

I have the same problem (highlighted in red).  Remove the finger grooves that were apparently made using some Austrian Supermodel's bony ass fingers as a guide.  I do this to all my Gen 3 mid-size Glocks.  There are people out there who do it well, and can add a pattern to it to give some grip back.

Race guns and training scars from playing games.

I still shoot both, not so much because I enjoy the rules of IDPA as much as I do USPSA, but because our local IDPA program is AWESOME. Great group of volunteers that set up fun stages with all sorts of challenging props. If that wasn't the case, I'd probably only do USPSA and multigun.

Welcome to the addiction! A few things to understand and acknowledge up front.

1) You should expect to reload, which is almost another hobby, expense and skill to itself.

2) You currently SUCK at shooting pistols but fear not, shooting USPSA is the best way to improve!

3) You’ll need to put in lots of work to be remotely competitive (even locally). I dryfire most nights for 30 minutes and I’m B class. I would compare B class to Master in IDPA.

4) You will spend a lot of money on reloading, gear and major matches.

5) You’ll waste a lot of time if you don’t get good instruction up front.

That will consist of free podcasts, books and courses. Steve Anderson podcast and books is generally the place for mental game, Ben Stoeger book for dryfire and Charlie Perez (big panda) book for fundamentals.

The Brian Enos forum has plenty advice and reloading knowdge. Be sure to use search function there.

Good luck!

What's funny is that IDPA markets itself as defensive oriented, which is where the whole "don't drop a loaded mag" thing comes from.

I got my ass handed to me in low-light simunition training because of IDPA's reinforcement of flashlight tactics, and with slicing the pie entering a room instead of getting off the X. The instructor loves when gamers come in because they basically all do what I did.

So, how badly did you get beaten when you went to a match?

lol

Gun games like IDPA/USPSA are not about tactics, they're about weapons handling, trigger control, sight acquisitions, shooting speed vs accuracy, shooting while moving, ect.

Too many people make them something they're not, or claim they're something they're not.

With that said, I sure wouldn't want to get in a gunfight with an avid USPSA shooter. Or any avid competitive shooter for that matter.

I’ve been shooting single stack for a decade and the Wilson mags are all I use.

I usually have 5 mags on me for a stage + 1 more to chamber a round before inserting my first magazine.

That’s just something that people tell themselves to feel better when they get taken to the woodshed by a 63 year old C-Class shooter with a bad hip.
Attached File

I found a video of one of the first IDPA matches.

Lmfao

That's one of the best brainlets I've seen.

LOL, that was a classic AAR parody!

It's always good to get out and shoot.  Gun games can be more fun that just putting rounds through the X-ring, but they don't teach tactics and can be a distraction.

I tell everyone to go out an try some gun games.  IDPA, USPSA or whatever floats their boat.  Get at least 10 shooting stages in.  It is a great experience for newer or intermediate shooters.

I think the last IDPA match I shot they required me to open a door, toss a sandbag through the door while standing in front of the open door with 2 threats just inside the room, then shoot both threats.  Total suicide drill

The stages weren't all that bad, and the price for shooting the match was reasonable... but I don't plan on going back to that club.  My biggest peeve is the gamers that think they are training for a gunfight.  They are practicing gun handling, speed and accuracy... but they are on a 1-way range.  It's like spending years hitting a punching bag and thinking you are Muhammad Ali.  Muhammad Ali spend a lot of time on bag work, but needed a lot more than that to be a champion.  You can't learn to fight without Force-on-Force.

You are painting "gamers" with a pretty broad brush, I think you are a bit confused.

Your problem is you went to an IDPA match.

USPSA doesn't try to train you for anything. It is about getting bullets on targets as fast as possible. Nobody gives a fuck about "tactical".

OP you will enjoy it, don't listen to the the haters.  Its a lot of fun, usually a great bunch of people, and you will learn a lot of great gun handling skills, far quicker and better than just about anything else you have done with your handgun.


Limited is fun


But nothing's better than beating the bottom feeders with the round gun.

USPSA is a blast, you will have a lot of fun if you take the safety part seriously and the score not seriously.  Don't let your ego tell you different on either.  Shoot slow, move slow.  Then when you get the safety part down. Shoot slow move fast, then eventually shoot fast move fast.

I shot for many years, the standing around all day finally got to me.  The amount of time and effort it took to make GM wasn't really worth it. Seemed like it was worth it at the time, but now, not so much.   So keep if fun, all my friends are USPSA shooter...great people

I've been doing it for a couple of years now. It's a lot of fun and a good excuse to get out to shoot.

You'll (probably) discover that you have a lot to learn, even in a division that can be as basic as Production or Single Stack. Just focus on getting better with the gear you have.

Misses and hits on No-Shoots will ruin your score, avoid them.
So does going super slooooow....

I actually thought about trying to enter the revolver division too, with my 4.25” S&W 69. But then I remembered that I don’t have any speed loaders and no one makes a holster for it. Maybe I’ll get around to it in the future.

You should... Because hardly anyone shoots REV, everyone likes it when a revolver shooter shows up.

One of my best friends started shooting REV about a year ago and enjoys the hell out of it. He was telling me the other day that it’s more fun because nobody really expects you to be competitive with the Limited or Open guys, so he can just show up, shoot his best and concentrate on having a good time.

That really makes a lot of sense. Sometimes I wish I was less competitive and enjoyed it more.

Do you have any links to places that offer such a service. I feel like I’d like my Gen 3 a lot more if the grooves were gone.

I’ve tried one of those rubber grip wraps that fit between the grooves, but it just doesn’t quite get it there.

USPSA / IPSC is a blast



IDPA is like Dwight Schrute getting spanked at USPSA / IPSC and starting a new game with a lot more "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO...!"

Since I’m often the only wheel gun shooter, I’m finding competitive joy in how many semi shooters I can beat, and trying to catch up to the pack I was shooting with when I was shooting a non retarded gun.

Ha!

“I’m starting my own sport, with hookers and blackjack and vague rules that are strictly enforced.”

“In fact, forget the hookers and blackjack!”

IDPA was founded quite literally as a “fuck you I’ll take my ball and go home” by Bill Wilson to USPSA/IPSC.

Somewhat ironically, the original IDPA rule book was pretty good shit... but ever since the first revision it’s turned more and more stupid.

Go with what you got.
The shooters there will set you straight on gear and sources.
You may find gold in the 2nd. hand market.
Get on over to
BRIAN ENOS FORUM
and start reading

DVC

There are over 100 people on Arfcom that have seen me shoot. Approximately zero would say it anything near inadequate.

That's some pretty sage advice.

Yeah, I know. That’s the joke.

Yep.  I hear it referred to as USPSA "Lite" now and it was better before the 2017 rule change.  Right I am using IDPA for gun handling and basics to get back up to speed after shooting a shotgun league for two years and having my pistol skills deteriorate. Also the squad I shoot on is a good group and not a bunch of FUDDS, most of them do or have shoot USPSA and mutigun in the past.