Shot my first match 2 weekends ago and my 2nd yesterday.   I'm hooked.  Kinda pissed at myself for putting it off.  So much damn fun.  



Made some much better shots the 2nd go around.  "A" hits doubled from first match and still had the same speed.  

Got plenty of things to work on, but hope to improve a little every time out.  


Pretty pumped that a local club is putting on practice nights every other Thursday, starting next week.

Exactly how I felt.

Thinking of shooting my first in May.

What gun and class did you shoot?  To say I'm intimidated is an understatement, even though I've shot in other comps before.

I was also but honestly everyone was friendly and I had a blast. My recommendations (Two cents as a newbie still):

1. Have fun and just compete against yourself. Do not stress about classification or shit like that at first. It will come.
2. Watch and talk. Watch the others going through a stage. Talk with them and they can explain why they do what they do. Keep in mind though walkthroughs sometimes differ depending on class. A limited shooter might not need to plan out mag reloads if not mandatory and the stage is 20 rounds or less etc.

I shoot Production and Limited/Minor with my Glock 19.4. the L/M is when I get tired of magazine changes.

Shoot whatever you have. It will fit something, though it may not be optimal.

To shoot production, make sure you have a 9mm and at least 5 mags on your belt, 5+1 would be better.

If you're short on mags, just shoot limited minor (or major if you have a 40cal) 3 mags in a modern hi cap gun will get you through almost any stage....unless your missing a lot on steel.

If it's a 1911 shoot SS, but like production, 5+1 mags.

Production, LTD, and SS are where you see most new shooters in this sport.

Hell, do the ARF way......do both. Limited AND Production.


I just picked up an SP-01 for Production, but with 18 and 19 round mags, I *could* run both Limited and Prod on the same match.

Throw in PCC and you can run the stages 3 times.

Now I just have to find a good PCC....thinking scorpion for the win.

5 on the belt!?!?  Gonna need some more mag holders.

Have a bone stock G26 and just picked up a barely used G34 because it was a steal.

I started shooting production with just 2 on belt and one in pocket to load when told to "Make Ready". That was 31 rounds (mags are 10 rounds for production). For most stages I was fine for anything over 31 I needed to pull from back pocket. For most classifiers you would be fine with just a single on the belt (and one on the gun). Shooting Limited/Minor the 2 on the belt would be fine since even with G19 mags that was 46 rounds for me. More than enough for most stages.

The easy answer is shoot the 34 in limited. It will be minor but you will have more bullets. This way you can focus on the thinking part of the game, which is the hard part anyway.

I'm shooting my Glock 19 in production for now.  I'm in a restricted mag state, so really my only options are Production and Limited 10.

I have 4 mag holders in the belt, one in the pocket to make ready (actually I have another mag with a single round as well, to start with 11 rounds.  HUGE help having that extra round to keep from slide lock on serveral stages so far).


Being nervous is fine.  Just take a breath after you "make ready" and have some fun.  
It's a nice little rush and one hell of a fun day.  
You'll meet some likeminded guys (and ladies), most of whom are very willing to help you out and answer questions.

I'm also upset that it took me so long to find USPSA. I've been shooting 2-3 local matches a month to help make up for it. 

Since I'm a cheap ass and the most competition is in Limited I bought an M&P 40 Pro. Put in an Apex trigger kit, SSS magwell, and Taran Tactical basepads and I actually like it. It's my first striker fired gun. I was a big DA/SA and SAO guy before. 

With 5 mags with basepads (2 came with the gun), gun with parts, and a belt/holster/mag pouches I'm at $1200 or so. Maybe a bit more. Not bad to get into the sport with decent gear and able to be competitive locally. 

ETA: Anyone who is nervous about trying it shouldn't be. It won't take long to figure out who will be more than happy to help you with everything. Most guys will. I can only think of a few guys I see that won't. Probably 20-25 that will. Show up with a gun, belt, holster, and mags and tell the RO it's your first match. It won't be your last.