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Spoke with Paul from IDPA yesterday. What an all around great guy to talk to. It sounds like there is quite a lot I need to work on before entering any sort of competitions. I think I could be ready after maybe 6 months of consistent training. Looking forward to getting there.

TCGC also has a practical pistol match that is very relaxed, slow speed.
If your safe with your draw, holster and muzzle discipline then your good to go for IDPA as well.
^^^THIS

My IDPA club always has beginners. All you need to do is be safe... that's it. If you can shoot straight enough to hit a target, you will get a decent score. One need not worry about shooting fast and accurate enough to place well at first, because IDPA was created more as a fun self defense learning experience, with a little bit of competition thrown in. I'm never going to be in the top shooter category so I don't worry about it, mostly competing against myself and just having fun doing self defense type shooting.

IMO a very competitive guy would be happier at USPSA. But it will cost you more in a specialized handgun and LOTS more ammo. IDPA can be shot with whatever you use for EDC or just whatever you got. Our matches here are typically around 80-120rds. I've competed in both types of clubs/matches.


bb
 
^^^THIS

My IDPA club always has beginners. All you need to do is be safe... that's it. If you can shoot straight enough to hit a target, you will get a decent score. One need not worry about shooting fast and accurate enough to place well at first, because IDPA was created more as a fun self defense learning experience, with a little bit of competition thrown in. I'm never going to be in the top shooter category so I don't worry about it, mostly competing against myself and just having fun doing self defense type shooting.

IMO a very competitive guy would be happier at USPSA. But it will cost you more in a specialized handgun and LOTS more ammo. IDPA can be shot with whatever you use for EDC or just whatever you got. Our matches here are typically around 80-120rds. I've competed in both types of clubs/matches.


bb
I agree with this. I don't go to competitions to win, but to learn, try something new and have fun.

Speed Steel is the least competitive and has low physical and equipment requirements. All you need is a gun (pistol or PCC), and it helps to have 5 mags.

IDPA would be the next low completion level and a bit of movement. Still low equipment requirements. Gun, good holster and a couple mags.

2 gun is a step up from IDPA and usually just adds a PCC. Lots of fun and a good time. Pistol, holster, PCC and mags for each.

USPSA folks get pretty competitive and to compete you need better equipment and lots of training. Not my favorite. Pistol, holster, lots of mags and a gun belt.

3 gun I have seen go both ways on competitiveness. TCGC is low on the competition level and a lot of fun, but you do need more equipment. You can do it pocketing mags, and I did that for several matches, but having a belt and mag pouches helps a lot.

Practicle Rifle at TCGC is pretty easy going and a lot of fun. All you need is a gun and some mags. This is one I like a lot because you cant shoot a rifle (in a rifle caliber) with movement any where else at TCGC, so it gives me practice with things I can't easily do outside of this match.

Also, right now most IDPA and 2 gun matches at TCGC allow for the use of a .22 due to ammogeddon.
 
As a noobie to tcgc speed steel, and with no comparison, can I ask what you dislike about it or prefer at ARPC?
TCGC puts on a nice Speed Steel match and it's a great group of people. I know why Spook doesn't recommend it, and I disagree with him. Each to his own opinion, lol. Go and check it out. They don't use practiscore so you just have to show up by 8:30 to register.
 
TCGC puts on a nice Speed Steel match and it's a great group of people. I know why Spook doesn't recommend it, and I disagree with him. Each to his own opinion, lol. Go and check it out. They don't use practiscore so you just have to show up by 8:30 to register.
Maybe they're heading that direction? I showed up by 8:30 to register, but the scores were done and made available in Practiscore. I'm annoyed with that platform in that it doesn't look like I can link a match result to my own profile…but that seems like a practiscore issue, not a club one.
 
Maybe they're heading that direction? I showed up by 8:30 to register, but the scores were done and made available in Practiscore. I'm annoyed with that platform in that it doesn't look like I can link a match result to my own profile…but that seems like a practiscore issue, not a club one.
I doubt he will ever use practiscore. I've asked about it several times and unfortunately I doubt it's heading that way. It's really not a big deal, but during normal times when the match is really full you have to show up at a ridiculous time to squad everyone together. But now days it's not a problem. Would be much simpler however if he would get with the times and use practiscore.
 
Still time to sign up for speed steel at Albany.

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IMO a very competitive guy would be happier at USPSA. But it will cost you more in a specialized handgun and LOTS more ammo. IDPA can be shot with whatever you use for EDC or just whatever you got. Our matches here are typically around 80-120rds. I've competed in both types of clubs/matches.
I compete in the Unlimited Limited division with my EDC, a SIG P320 in .40 S&W (Major PF) with no trick-out or fancy OSDD holster.
Just the same ol' stuff I wear when I go out for the day. So one can do it on the cheap, too. No fancy race guns if you're just looking for DGU training.
I compete not for competition's sake, but I use the matches as DGU trainings. Quick draws, fast on target, double-taps, movement, and tactical reloads.
Helluva lotta fun, and we're all in good cheer and very helpful to each other.

@beefwithcheese We run USPSA matches every third Sunday at the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility just outside of Benton City.
We use Practiscore to sign up and track scores. C'mon down sometime!

ETA: Corrected an auto(in)correct substitution :rolleyes:
 
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I compete in the Unlimited division
I am unfamiliar with all the new USPSA divisions since the last time I shot with them was 15-20yrs ago. But back then Unlimited was race guns and/or guns with optics. Sooooooobo, why are you in the Unlimited division with and EDC Sig 320 and not one of the other divisions?

If it's DGU training ya want, whyn't come over to IDPA instead of Run and Gun with no cover garment and often standing out in the open? :p ;) :D
 
I am unfamiliar with all the new USPSA divisions since the last time I shot with them was 15-20yrs ago. But back then Unlimited was race guns and/or guns with optics. Sooooooobo, why are you in the Unlimited division with and EDC Sig 320 and not one of the other divisions?
Sorry, autocorrect fail. I actually compete in the Limited division. I like that division cuz I have no restraints upon ammo capacity other than the length of the mags. I can use any of my dozen or so standard 13+1 mags in this division (which are an inch below the maximum mag length), and I get to shoot Major power factor, so I get a few extra points for Charlies and Deltas that the 9mm guys don't get. Also, it prohibits the use of optics, which I don't use for my EDC, but I can have a WML installed, which is how my EDC is carried. So, the Limited division allows me to use my full EDC configuration in a competition, so it best mimics how I would be loaded out in public. Like said, I use USPSA as DGU training, and my competition set-up is exactly what I would have on me in a real DGU. I haven't competed outside the local matches around my area (Level I), but someday I hope to get in a Level II match when I feel I'm good enough to not embarrass myself... :oops:

Before the botched arthroscopic surgery last December, I was consistently shooting in the high 3.8 and low 3.9 hit factors, with the occasional 4+, which is good enough to get an actual USPSA rating. But I haven't done squat since the botched operation 9 months ago, so I expect I'm at a 2 HF or below by now. Shooting accurately and quickly is definitely a perishable skill...
If it's DGU training ya want, whyn't come over to IDPA instead of Run and Gun with no cover garment and often standing out in the open? :p ;) :D
Cuz I'm a bullet sponge! USPSA makes me move off the X more! :s0140:
 
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@sobo Not sure we were calculating "hit factor" back when we kept score on a stone tablet. But I never got past a C class so I was typically pretty mediocre. Also was competing in Limited with a real man's gun... a Para Ordnance P14.45 with 18rd mags. Never would take the penalty for shooting 9mm. If it were a real DGU simulation, there would be no penalty, but it's a game!! :p ;) :D
Cuz I'm a bullet sponge! USPSA makes me move off the X more!
LMAO. You're kidding of course. IDPA moves to cover to the side, forward while shooting, and even backing up. Also sitting at a table, from tying shoes, sleeping on the ground, while carrying groceries, from inside a car, down grocery aisles, you know, completely unrealistic scenarios. But USPSA runs ya around complicated stages as fast as you can, stand in the open, run halfway to the next shooting square, pick up the yellow triangle out of the bucket not the white square, twirl three times, and scream like a chicken!! Well, maybe things have changed somewhat, I saw a lot of screening used at the last USPSA here but just to funnel shooters with no effort to maintain cover.

IMO there is nothing stupider than an El Presidente... they still doing that one??? You remember the USPSA practitioner that got killed because he took on three armed gunmen while standing still at about 5-7 feet??? When the chit hits the fan, people do what they practice.... imma practice my compliance or RunFu!! Or a stealth draw.

Our USPSA club folded during the first ammo shortage. Those super young speedsters came over to IDPA and immediately went to gaming out stages, doing away with cover garments, and forcing it to be a cold range. That's not a DGU simulation either!!

Last USPSA match I shot up in Tri-cities, I had to have a porter to bring the 1200rds of ammo for the 14 stages shot...
 
@sobo Not sure we were calculating "hit factor" back when we kept score on a stone tablet. But I never got past a C class so I was typically pretty mediocre. Also was competing in Limited with a real man's gun... a Para Ordnance P14.45 with 18rd mags. Never would take the penalty for shooting 9mm. If it were a real DGU simulation, there would be no penalty, but it's a game!! :p ;) :D
I keep track of my HF for no other reason than it's the limiting metric that is keeping me out of a solid Level I classification. I bounced around right at the entry level point before the botched operation, sometimes getting that coveted 4.0 or above. But I can't keep it consistently, so I don't have a rating. Doubt I'd be anywhere close to it now, since I can't even run anymore. A quick hobble is as fast as I can go...
LMAO. You're kidding of course. IDPA moves to cover to the side, forward while shooting, and even backing up. Also sitting at a table, from tying shoes, sleeping on the ground, while carrying groceries, from inside a car, down grocery aisles, you know, completely unrealistic scenarios. But USPSA runs ya around complicated stages as fast as you can, stand in the open, run halfway to the next shooting square, pick up the yellow triangle out of the bucket not the white square, twirl three times, and scream like a chicken!! Well, maybe things have changed somewhat, I saw a lot of screening used at the last USPSA here but just to funnel shooters with no effort to maintain cover.
We don't have any of those stupid little games like that. Closest we get to a "game" like what you describe is you have to set your mags on a table(s) within the stage before the start. So you end up having to figure out how to shoot the stage with the mag in your gun, and how to run it so that you are at the mag table(s) when you're out or nearly out to avoid a lot of lost time running back and forth to the mag table. I thought it was kinda cool, but it's a stressful stage when it's present.
IMO there is nothing stupider than an El Presidente... they still doing that one??? You remember the USPSA practitioner that got killed because he took on three armed gunmen while standing still at about 5-7 feet??? When the chit hits the fan, people do what they practice.... imma practice my compliance or RunFu!! Or a stealth draw.
Yeah, the El Presidente is still around. I sucked at it last time. Missed one of the heads entirely... :oops:
Our USPSA club folded during the first ammo shortage. Those super young speedsters came over to IDPA and immediately went to gaming out stages, doing away with cover garments, and forcing it to be a cold range. That's not a DGU simulation either!!
How do you run a USPSA or IDPA match with a cold range? Am I missing something obvious??? o_O
Last USPSA match I shot up in Tri-cities, I had to have a porter to bring the 1200rds of ammo for the 14 stages shot...
We generally run only about 6 stages (one is always a qualifier), with between 120 to 150 points possible per stage (except the qualifier).
So you can get through an entire match for under 200 rds easy.
 
I keep track of my HF for no other reason than it's the limiting metric that is keeping me out of a solid Level I classification. I bounced around right at the entry level point before the botched operation, sometimes getting that coveted 4.0 or above. But I can't keep it consistently, so I don't have a rating. Doubt I'd be anywhere close to it now, since I can't even run anymore. A quick hobble is as fast as I can go...
That's all Greek to me. Not familiar with any Levels. The Classifier used to put people in A/B/C/D and then of course there were the Grand Masters.


Closest we get to a "game" like what you describe is you have to set your mags on a table(s) within the stage before the start. So you end up having to figure out how to shoot the stage with the mag in your gun, and how to run it so that you are at the mag table(s) when you're out or nearly out to avoid a lot of lost time running back and forth to the mag table. I thought it was kinda cool, but it's a stressful stage when it's present.
I'm chuckling. At you, not with you. ;)


Yeah, the El Presidente is still around. I sucked at it last time. Missed one of the heads entirely...
Last year we had an old boy, I'm getting there myself, that would often wave his gun around and gesticulate with it, just shy of breaking the 180. We were doing an El Presidente and he drew w/o turning around... had the entire gallery diving for cover!!! It wasn't his first match DQ for safety, so he was disinvited from ever coming to matches again. Last match a diff old boy on my squad got a match DQ for breaking the 180, but I didn't see what happened. It was during some lateral movement is all I know.


We generally run only about 6 stages (one is always a qualifier), with between 120 to 150 points possible per stage (except the qualifier).
So you can get through an entire match for under 200 rds easy.
We run 6-8 stages with a total shot count of 80-120rds, so yeah, USPSA is not for po folk like me. Glad you like it tho!!
 

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