Hello

I've done a few matches of IDPA over the last couple of years.  I enjoy IDPA quite a bit and have always found all the competitors, no matter their skill level, to be friendly and helpful.  I'd say I'm just becoming Intermediate in handgun  skills.  I've never considered doing USPSA until I discovered some of the rules there are pretty cool.  I think  my RMR G22 would fit in better at those events.  I also kind of like the free-style tactics up to the shooter.  So my question is this.  Would I be a little over my head skill wise getting into USPSA if I haven't "mastered" IDPA yet? 

USPSA is a faster and less "structured" ( meaning more freestyle) game than IDPA.  Both games are great, but I always had trouble going back and forth between the two.  I always liked USPSA more, but I started in USPSA long before IDPA was conceived.  Personally, I would not try to "master" IDPA before giving USPSA a whirl.  Shoot the game that suits you personally.  
I am starting back into competitive shooting after a three year lay off.  After a lot of consideration, I re-upped my USPSA membership last week.

pretty common to see IDPA masters classify C or B class in USPSA

I also started USPSA-IPSC before IDPA was born.

I struggle with the heavy rules and stupid mag changes in IDPA



you can throw pebbles at a puppy or squirrel and they are smart enough to find cover

you can also pin somebody behind cover and advance up close enough to kill them

...so they whole IDPA cover vs USPSA not using cover is way overblown


IDPA is about following directions-

[RO] "start here, fire two shots on T1 and T2

move here, get behind cover,  and fire on T3, T4, T5, if you knee is exposed i will ding you."

It's like the Walter Schloback RO's are working against you


USPSA is about finding your own way to efficiently win.

[RO] " engage targets are they become visible"

TL DR - USPSA is a lot more fun, a lot less restrictive, requires more mental planning, and a lot more trigger time.




sign up for a local USPSA match . . come out and have fun

you'll need more magazines and belt pouches

I've seen plenty of novice shooters do well in USPSA. It's all about willingness to train and learn. My wife had minimal handgun expierence when she shot her first match. She progressed by leaps and bounds in skill and expierence by shooting it.

Do it.

Nothing in IDPA needs to ever be mastered to shoot USPSA.
If anything you will feel a freedom that will have you thinking you have been a slave to the rules.

Thanks for all the help fellas!  I appreciate it.  One other question....I didn't get an IDPA membership until a few years after actually starting to compete.  Is that cool for USPSA also?

A local club I shoot IDPA at runs USPSA too. I'm going to try it.

no hurry on getting a USPSA membership

Basically it means that they won't process your score on the classifier. Annual memberships are really cheap.

Good luck and welcome to the fun.

IDPA is very club dependent. Some clubs come up with challenging stages and interesting stage designs that give you a lot of freedom to shoot. Other clubs use IDPA stages like choreographing a dance. 

IME, less USPSA clubs are like this, but partly because you don't have to out-think the rules in order to design a challenging stage. 

IDPA has more limitations. 18 round stages, only 6 rounds can be required on the move at a time, you must shoot targets before crossing openings, and you must shoot them in a specific order at that position. 

The new rule changes have made it better, but it's still not an open field of targets. 

I found IDPA to be goobered up with a bunch of goobers.  Some of the guys were nice, but a bunch of them just seemed to be drawn to subjective enforcement of others..... if you know what I mean.

USPSA I found to be very welcoming and open.... a lot faster, and while it has a TON of rules.... they were not "subjective" and many were for fair scoring and safety.

Multigun was better than both of the prior.    Especially when it was old-school outlaw multi-gun, back when we holstered hot pistols mid-stage.  I watch some of my old videos and can't believe some of the things people thought were "ok" back then.  

What are the new IDPA changes ?

Rule Changes for 2017:
Basic list for Shooters:
1. Scoring is changed to 1 second per point down
2. Fault Lines must be used to delineate “cover”
3. Shooters can step on Fault Lines, but not touch anything on the non-cover side
4. SOs do not give “cover” warnings anymore
5. New IDPA Target with 4” circle in head (-0) rest of head (-1)
6. Can reload anywhere, anytime as long as not exposed to un-engaged targets
7. Shooters can re-engage a target from other shooting positions
8. No more Tactical Sequence, only Tactical Priority
9. No more Failure to Neutralize (FTN) penalty
10. New Flagrant Penalty (FP) 10 seconds, requires MD approval
11. If you run dry in the open, can reload and continue engaging

Extended List for Shooters, SOs, MDs & Stage Designers as of 1/15/2017: 
1.2 “Cover” now refers to a position where a shooter can engage targets with a portion of their upper and lower body behind an object such as a wall. (Forget everything you once knew about 100% of lower body and 50% of upper body.)
2.2 Intentionally firing rounds at something other than a target or an activator is a DQ.
2.9 Muzzle safe exclusion zones on doors. DQ is only issues if gun enters the exclusion zone while a hand is touching the door knob or handle.
3.11 Shooters may try out IDPA 3 times before being required to join IDPA.
3.2 Tac Priority only. Tac Sequence not allowed.
3.2.7 May re-engage targets from other shooting positions if not breaking a muzzle safe point.
3.4 Any IDPA legal reload may be done anywhere anytime, stopped or moving as long as you are not exposed to un-engaged targets.
3.5.6 When running the gun empty in the open, reload and continue engaging targets if desired.
3.6 Feet and Fault Sticks only will be used to determine "in cover" instead of called cover based on an invisible line.
4.0 One Second Per Point Down scoring.
4.12 Disappearing target examples removed.
4.12 New head box circle added to the target.
4.3.1 incomplete stage, method B was removed.
5.2 New Flagrant PE for times when the shooter gained more than 3 seconds worth of advantage.
6.6.12 Maximum distance for shooter movement under their own power is now 20 yards.
6.6.2 Maximum head shot distance now 15 yards on standards.
6.6.23 No mandating reloads. Reloads as necessary.
6.6.4 Maximum distance to target on a standard stage is 50 yards.
6.6.5 No memory stages. If you can see a target you can shoot it.
6.6.6 Only one paper target in a stage may have a different number of required rounds than the others.
8.1.2 and 8.2.10 Specialty Divisions (mostly undefined right now, need Match Admin book which will come out soon.)
8.1.4 Bug Revo 5 rounds.
8.2.2 ESP relaxed restrictions, notably full length dust covers allowed, and other stuff.
8.2.4 and 8.2.7 Smaller box for BUG and CCP and weight changes. No more full sized guns with short slides.
8.3.2 Chronograph is now done with the competitor’s firearm only.
9.3 A single semi-auto classifier level applies to all semi-auto divisions. Applies to new classifiers shot after 1/1/2017.

At IDPA.com=>
Rules, there are new, easier, classifier stages, and new time brackets.
Removed: Disappearing targets must not be last target.
Removed: FTN.
Removed: Tac Sequence.
Removed: Receiving more than one FTDR in a match is a DQ.
Removed: Plate Racks not allowed.
There is now an index at the back of the book.

The good:
You can reload anytime you like as long as you are not exposed to targets that have not been engaged.  Still have to retain ammunition in partial magazines/cylinder.

The bad:
They doubled the penalty for points down from .5sec/point to 1.0sec/point

You'll be fine.  Just show up and shoot.

I doubt you'll be going back to IDPA.

I shoot Master class in USPSA & IDPA.  I enjoy shooting both and find it challenging to go from USPSA's "Freestyle" to the more regulated shooting in IDPA.  I think you'll do fine in USPSA and discover that you may prefer one over the other, but let's face it; both are FUN to shoot!

The culture of shooters in most pistol competitions are similar. USPSA shooters at the matches will be just as helpful. USPSA is good for any shooter that has the basic safety and pistol handling skills required to compete in IDPA.

I consider speed steel competitions to be more entry level pistol competition sport due to the lack of movement while shooting. Sports like 3 gun are a move up in skills, where a shooter has to move and handle multiple weapons on a stage.

USPSA is way more fun. Go and you will not look back. :)

IDPA is a yawn-fest.  Try USPSA and never look back!

If you've shot an IDPA match or two and haven't shot yourself or anyone else you're more than qualified for USPSA.  Sometimes there's more movement and the shooter's actions aren't choreographed except for classifiers but the safety rules are nearly identical.

I run USPSA matches and encourage novices to come shoot all the time.  Normally I encourage them to watch the end of one and then I leave a stage up and run them through it a few times to let them try it and vet their gun handling in a non-competitive environment.  With a little coaching everyone does fine and is ready to shoot the next match.

I fail to see how increasing the penalty for less than a perfect head of
R center of mass shot is bad. Isn't the entire point of shooting hitting the target properly?
I myself prefer idpa since the focus between speed and accuracy isn't so lopsided- uspsa is so focused on speed it encourages people to actually sacrifice speed for accuracy which doesn't seem right to me

Ever been to a USPSA match?  The guys that are good are not slinging lead all over the place.

I just shot my first USPSA match this weekend. Actually, it was my first  competetion period. It was a blast and I'm addicted.

If you've shot any type of match before you will be fine. Plus no one remembers a bad stage, they only remember if you are not safe. If you can safely handle a firearm just shoot USPSA already and stop thinking about it. Wish I would have started years ago.

No doubt. Some Open M shooters in my squad. fast as hell and accurate as hell. NO Mikes/No shoots, a small handful of C's maybe, the rest A hits.

Welcome to the addiction!  

Lots of good info.
http://forums.brianenos.com/index.php