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USPSA has no restriction for going "muzzle high". Do that at TCGC and you will be DQ'ed on the spot by the club's RSO that oversees the action bays where the USPSA matches take place. TCGC has a "no muzzle over the berm" rule that is strictly unforced do to the close proximity to residential and commercial property.
Excellent advice and example of why you should read and follow the match rules AND the host club rules.
 
Thinking back to my days as a new action pistol shooter (and believe me that is not easy... I started in about 1982 and my USPSA member number was in the low 4000's I think) the most often violated range/match rules were muzzle direction, finger in the trigger guard during the load-and-make-ready or the draw stroke, and finger on the trigger during movement. Like spookshack said, if the club has a below-the-berm rule, think about how you do a mag change on the fly. If you rotate your wrist to see the mag well, your muzzle can easily rise above the berm. That hand on the shoulder that lets you know to stop shooting and pack everything up makes you want to find a hole and crawl into it. But it has the intended effect of making a lasting impression! You and your ego will recover from it and nobody will mention it at the next match.

Definitely not trying to scare or discourage you, but rather just offering a heads up. As so many have said, the best way to NOT screw up is to go SLOW. And every now and then you will win a stage and even sometimes a match by slowing down and making every shot an A.

At one match early in my USPSA days when I was either a D or C class shooter, every stage was a speed stage which started with wide open targets but then had one or more "gotcha's" where if you didn't slow down, you were either going to miss or hit a no-shoot. Every flippin stage was designed to trip up the Master class guys. Which is exactly what happened. I shot much slower than the A and Master class guys but also shot uncharacteristically well and didn't drop a single point or incur any penalties. I ended up winning the match and believe me there were some good shooters who gritted their teeth when they announced the results. So as others have said, shoot slow and all A's and I promise you will not be at the bottom of the standings list (which, if you have any sense at all, you won't even look at. All it does is make you want to shoot faster. Ask me how I know. :))
 
Every flippin stage was designed to trip up the Master class guys.
We had one guy nicknamed "Rocket". Whenever he shot a stage, his shooting sounded like a machine gun. This guy had a sponsor and shot about 1000rds per week to practice. He would game out a stage beforehand (a practice not allowed in IDPA) and his shooting was done by timing a sweep across the targets. The result was often a spectacular score on time, not as much on A hits, but when he screwed up a stage and his timing was off, it was spectacular in the opposite direction.

The best shooter I ever saw was an old Grand Master. He was about 70 or 80yrs old, and no longer blazing fast, but incredibly accurate.

BTW, I HATE blind swinging targets at 25yds that emerge and disappear again behind a no shoot. LOL
 
Just make sure you have a OWB holster, a few mag pouches, at least 3 mags and at least 200 rounds of ammo.

After that, simply do what the RO tells you to do. Follow instructions. That's it. Don't worry about "how well" you shoot. No one actually cares except you. Follow the safety rules as if they are the 10 commandments. Have fun and welcome to your new life long addiction.
 
Update on the match… I had a blast! Thanks everybody for your input and @Sjaggard for mentoring. I'll definitely be back for more.
Had some issues on the last stage with the trigger not resetting but was able to clear malfunctions/issues and not be DQ!! That's a win! Overall 29th of 53 shooters. Some pretty good runs. A clean stage with 100% accuracy and close to some really good shooters in time. Overall pretty happy but ready for some training and looking forward to the next!
 
It sounds like you are a competent and capable shooter. Was there anything about the match that was unexpected? Did you experience the match jitters? Aside from your pistol issues, did your match gear perform adequately for you?
 
Update on the match… I had a blast! Thanks everybody for your input and @Sjaggard for mentoring. I'll definitely be back for more.
Had some issues on the last stage with the trigger not resetting but was able to clear malfunctions/issues and not be DQ!! That's a win! Overall 29th of 53 shooters. Some pretty good runs. A clean stage with 100% accuracy and close to some really good shooters in time. Overall pretty happy but ready for some training and looking forward to the next!
Sure any time-great job!
 
@spookshack I'll say yes, I would be able to shoot without the input here but it would most likely be a much less enjoyable experience. The advice to take it slow, carry an extra mag in my pocket to load and make ready without touching those on my belt and also, the amount of ammo to take, etc…
I wouldn't say I experienced anything "unexpected" but I can tell shooting "under pressure" is a whole different monster. No match jitters but some usual anxiety pre competition.
As for my gear, I didn't have any, to be honest. I had a leather belt that I use daily, a couple of mag holders and an OWB and even though it's not ideal, it served me well.
 
Go with the intent to get experience, learn, and have fun and you'll likely have a great time. Asking the RSO for anything to be aware of is a good place to start.

When I saw newcomers have serious trouble was when they showed up with the thought process that was far more serious than it should of been for the amount of experience they had competing.
 
I'm glad you had a great time! My goals when going are to have a great time, not get DQ'd/be safe and to learn something. I didn't start competition shooting until I was in my early 60's and I wish I had started much earlier. I am never going to be anywhere near as fast at moving or shooting as the younger "kids" but that doesn't matter. I hear DRRC puts on a great PP match but unfortunately I can't go as I have a different match at a different range that same day. But maybe some day I'll make it out there....
 
Some shooters forget about the P.

As in Practical.
Thats what I always thought about the Open-class shooters with their highly modified completely impractical race guns and uppity schmuck attitudes with zero sense of humor. That's what took the fun out of it for me.
 
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Thanks what I always thought about the Open-class shooters with their highly modified completely impractical race guns and uppity schmuck attitudes with zero sense of humor. That's what took the fun out of it for me.
They can be a pain in the keisster! Never bothered me during a match, but when they closed the local USPSA club and a bunch of them came over to IDPA they took over, changed everything, and ruined that for me.
 
Glad you had a great first match. Careful, it's addictive!
Two things to keep in mind as you progress...
1) Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
2) You can't miss fast enough to catch up!
 

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