Thread: So why don't you compete?

I need some feed back on why people don't compete.

I see a lot of people who say they want to become more competent and proficient shooters but they don't take advantage of the various competitions available.

As far s I'm concerned I get a few things out of the matches I attend. The primary is feed back over time on my level of proficiency in the form of my scores against other shooters who are better than I am, and my subjective evaluation of my performance. The other important aspect is the opportunity to watch the shooters who are better than I am and take pointers where ever I can get them.

There are probably many reasons to not want to compete but for the people who say they are serious about improvement I think there are probably only a few. I get the impression that the fear of embarrassment may be one. Another is a failure of the shooting sports to inform the public what is really available and what you can get out of them. The one I find most disturbing is the impression by some that if you are truly a "tactical shooter" it will some how create problems for you. I'm not an "operator" or high speed low drag, but I have meet alot of people who are in real life at matches and they seem to get something out of them with out fear of creating problems for themselves.

Input requested.
Thanks

I have participated in two competitions and enjoyed them both very much. I learned a lot and it showed me I have a lot more strength in some areas than I thought, and where I need to focus more.
The biggest reason I don't participate more is that I am busy with a full time job and a family. I hope things will mellow out in the Spring and allow me to attend more events.
A second factor is that I am not a member at any of the ranges that host the kinds of comps I am interested in. Being on the outside looking in is not ideal... Since I live pretty far from DR or TC, it doesn't make much sense to join.

Originally Posted by speelyei

I have participated in two competitions and enjoyed them both very much. I learned a lot and it showed me I have a lot more strength in some areas than I thought, and where I need to focus more.
The biggest reason I don't participate more is that I am busy with a full time job and a family. I hope things will mellow out in the Spring and allow me to attend more events.
A second factor is that I am not a member at any of the ranges that host the kinds of comps I am interested in. Being on the outside looking in is not ideal... Since I live pretty far from DR or TC, it doesn't make much sense to join.

Thanks for the response.
Please note that no club I know of requires club membership to participate in a match. Just contact the match director and they will tell you how to get in on match day. Hope that helps.

I suck?

I compete in a pistol league. 1 night a week, 6 weeks, 2-3 times a year. It's all I have time for. It keeps me on my toes though.

Anywhere around Salem that holds matches? I've never been, but it might be fun to give it a try. It's hard to find a place and time for shooting, but I try to get out whenever I can.

we've been in progress putting together a practical rifle/tactical carbine competition at CRPC for a while (though progress has completely derailed in the last couple months- we'd originally planned to be up and running by august )... there's a regular Action Pistol shoot up there, that i may get involved in at some point..

my biggest problem with established "competitions" are that they're generally neutered and unrealistic, and will build or reinforce training scars. things like not being able to move with the weapon depressed, 180 planes, fire direction limitations, no loaded/holstered weapons, no firing from the draw, clear/confirm at the end of firing strings, no transitions, no emphasis on proper utilization of cover, restrictions on simple and practical weapon modifications like stippling, etc, etc, etc. bubblegum that noise.

i lead a training group called Pacific Northwest Training and Networking- all of our meets are formatted as competitions. the "prizes" are usually gay crap like hats somebody got for free somewhere, cartridges that malfunctioned someone's gun at the last event, Rockstar energy drinks, etc... the point isn't to win stuff, however.. the point is simply to press yourself to win, period. beat your battle buddies. draw faster, shoot straighter, because you get ridiculed if you don't.

competition, if used appropriately, is a wonderful thing- it just very rarely is. they all become nothing more than "gaming," and gaming ain't training.

Originally Posted by glockguy

I suck?

Huh... that's why I *do* compete. Can't get better unless you practice.

I have done a few PR matches out at tcgc and usually do alright to pretty good. I was thinking about doing IPSC or some type of pistol match just to help hone my pistol shooting, but time and $$ are a major factor. Having a wife with a terrible work schedule plus 2 kids makes it difficult to get to matches with out a crap ton of planning. Plus I have other hobbies that usually take precedence over shooting matches, so that doesn't help. I somewhat enjoy PR, even though I usually only do 2 per year. I just think competition is not for me.

I have learned alot from shooting with others. Any time you are able to share experiences with others is an chance to gain knowledge.

The biggest limiting factors for me are time and money. Like many otheres here, I have a job and family. Spare time and money are hard to come by as much as I would like. My weekends are pretty booked up so I do most of my shooting after work.

Originally Posted by bkb0000

we've been in progress putting together a practical rifle/tactical carbine competition at CRPC for a while (though progress has completely derailed in the last couple months- we'd originally planned to be up and running by august )... there's a regular Action Pistol shoot up there, that i may get involved in at some point..

my biggest problem with established "competitions" are that they're generally neutered and unrealistic, and will build or reinforce training scars. things like not being able to move with the weapon depressed, 180 planes, fire direction limitations, no loaded/holstered weapons, no firing from the draw, clear/confirm at the end of firing strings, no transitions, no emphasis on proper utilization of cover, restrictions on simple and practical weapon modifications like stippling, etc, etc, etc. bubblegum that noise.

i lead a training group called Pacific Northwest Training and Networking- all of our meets are formatted as competitions. the "prizes" are usually gay crap like hats somebody got for free somewhere, cartridges that malfunctioned someone's gun at the last event, Rockstar energy drinks, etc... the point isn't to win stuff, however.. the point is simply to press yourself to win, period. beat your battle buddies. draw faster, shoot straighter, because you get ridiculed if you don't.

competition, if used appropriately, is a wonderful thing- it just very rarely is. they all become nothing more than "gaming," and gaming ain't training.

Originally Posted by jfort

Anywhere around Salem that holds matches? I've never been, but it might be fun to give it a try. It's hard to find a place and time for shooting, but I try to get out whenever I can.

Four Corners rod and gun club in Salem has shoots from time to time that I think are open to the public.

I'd like to compete, but I don't know where to begin. Everything I've found is full of unfamiliar acronyms without corresponding definitions. Where/how do I begin? I live near Salem and work in Portland.

Greg

It just depends on what you want to do. Lange22-250 is an excellent source if you want to shoot @ TVGC. just pm him and he will give you the skinny and the contact info. for whatever discipline you want to shoot. I love volunteering other people.

I would love to compete, especially in something like IDPA. Something about practical scenarios appeals to me. I just don't know of any that are close enough to make it practical for me to get there.

Price of ammo and lack of realistic practice locations.

I have competed in two events, both at the Albany Gun club so it was a bit of a drive but was well worth it. The first was a USPSA (US Practical Shooting Association) event and the other was a recent GSSF (GLock Shooting Sports) sponsored event (I won a free glock of my choice at this event, and no, it was not for shooting skill! )
I have to say that the USPSA even was just a total blast and I was lucky enough to be in a group that had some world class shooters. After a couple stages my nerves were gone and it was just a blast. Learned a ton by watching the top level shooters too.
The GSSF matches (yes, glock only) are great especially for beginners as they dont require movment and you can ease yourself into the competitive environment very nicely.
The costs to enter either of these is very cheap. I highly suggest either of these for anyone who is curious about competition.

I do...when I have the time.

Speed Steel for a relaxed way of practicing the fundamentals of pistol shooting (grip, sight picture, trigger).

Practical Rifle for awkward position 30 to 300 yard shooting under time.

Tactical Match for when I actually have a working shotgun and pistol caliber carbine.

IPSC when I'm feeling masochistic (I suck)

I hear IDPA is starting in January at TCGC....

Time, money, and I don't like competing against race guns with 30 round magazines. I tried IPSC at TCGC in Single Stack and Production Divisions earlier this year, but it soon became demoralizing when I had to calculate when I needed to drop my 8 round 1911 mags in a 25-30 round COF while most Open Division guys with their red dot sighted race guns would just pop, pop, pop away without even a mag change.

So, I tried using a 9mm XDm to benefit from less mag changes, but the 9mm didn't always knock over the steel like the 45's would. That became silly watching the 9mm shooters pop, pop, pop at the steel hearing the ping, ping, ping but without them falling over. Yes, steel should be calibrated, and no doubt it was in the beginning of the match, but it doesn't stay that way.

I would like to try IDPA, because I don't think race guns are allowed, drawing is from concealed using real holsters instead of the race gun cages, and the COF's use about half the ammo, but I'm not aware of IDPA near PDX yet. Unless you reload, shooting regularly at IPSC can be expensive. I'm a practical guy and want to shoot with something I would actually carry.

My schedule also conflicted with many of the early morning matches. I still enjoy using the TCGC action range in the afternoons for practice though.

I'd love to compete in some practical rifle and pistol competitions, but all the ones I can ever find are held on the weekend, and unfortunately due to the nature of my job I work every single weekend. Also...as far as pistols go, I'd only want to participate in stock class matches. Raceguns in "practical" matches make me a little sick, even if there is an "open" class.