CrashDodson Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 (edited) I came from IDPA where I shot ESP. I shot ESP because its the most "gear intensive" class you can shoot in IDPA with regards to modifications and the types of guns you can use. When I left the IDPA world and started shooting USPSA I went straight to limited. I think I shot my ESP gun one time before buying a 2011 limited gun. Now I cant stop looking at open guns. I like the equipment part of shooting as much as the shooting itself. Three gun is about to break me. The go-faster open division in both USPSA and three gun looks like a lot of fun while at the same time looks very expensive. I have no interest in shooting a production type gun. I am especially interested to hear from people that shot division X and then moved to open. Did you stay there? What made you move and why do you like/dislike open vs your other division. I want to try open but am hesitant to spend the money and end up not liking the division. Locally its only older guys that shoot open. Most are shooting limited or production. I have eye dominance issues and thinking open might be "easier" for me in that regard since you dont really have a front sight to focus on (I have never shot or held an open gun). I have only shot rifles with dot's. Do any of you shoot both open and limited? Do you find it hard to go back and forth? Edited May 24, 2016 by CrashDodson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilBunniFuFu Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Division is the equipment aspect. Class is what your skill level is supposed to be. But to answer your question I play in all of the divisions except for revolver. Each has it's own nuances and they all help to round out your shooting. The only hard part from bouncing back and forth is to check your speed between them. Honestly I find open to be very stressful. Every mistake is much more magnified compared to the other divisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashDodson Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 (edited) Division is the equipment aspect. Class is what your skill level is supposed to be. But to answer your question I play in all of the divisions except for revolver. Each has it's own nuances and they all help to round out your shooting. The only hard part from bouncing back and forth is to check your speed between them. Honestly I find open to be very stressful. Every mistake is much more magnified compared to the other divisions. Haha ya....not sure why I had "class" on my mind. It wont let me rename the topic i dont think :/ Edited May 24, 2016 by CrashDodson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Title edited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerburgess Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I have and do play in all the Divisions, I have a cheep GLOCK I built to play in open, as I have a weird thing for cheep guns. Open division can be a different game than the iron sighted divisions, it is so much more about going fast than even limited that it brings a whole different aspect to the game. Did I stay in open? well I have not really stayed in any division because I like guns and want to shoot them all (I have shot every handgun I own in competition, Speed Steel, IDPA or USPSA) Yes Open can be expensive but it can also be a lot of fun, I just like change too much to stay in one division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I'm still a newb, only shooting a few years, and I initially got into shooting sports when I got my ccw, so I still prefer to shoot divisions that are based on carryable or duty type pistols, i.e. production and SS. regarding your eye dominance issues...... i seem to be more or less ambivalent about eye dominance. both eyes are happy to switch off roles, which doesn't surprise me since i've been an athlete all my life doing stuff where peripheral vision is very important (skiing, mtb, volleyball, hockey, soccer, etc...). I solved the problem with a small square of scotch tape on my left lens to block out the sight from that eye. I immediately started shooting better and more consistently. Carry optics might also be worth considering. You can get into that for $400 or less (and a production gun). I may give that a try next year with a springer precision plate, ff3 sight and my cz production gun. I find whatever division I shoot, I get more enjoyment, learn more and progress faster if I stick with that division and don't screw myself up with other guns and other strategies. ymmv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYJ Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I shot Limited exclusively for 3 or 4 years. I recently switched to Single Stack. I like the challenge of reloading more and having to game a stage. With Limited, I would shoot 18 or 19 rounds, reload, and finish. Some stages didn't require a reload. Single Stack, Limited 10, Production, and Revolver require more thinking. Open and Limited, more speed is required. And I have noticed Open shooters are either young and fast or older and losing their eyesight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_striker Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I can't afford Limited or Open.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wav3rhythm Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I showed up at a match 18 months ago with a Glock 19 and they told me I was "production" so I kept doing that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodyAxon Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 All of the heat at my local club shot production when I started and I wanted to be better than those guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DagoRed Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 When I started I was hoping for an excuse to buy another gun. I had a 1911 and was able to borrow mag pouches and use an existing belt. I liked it and figured if I could improve there I would then try anything that didn't have a comp (I hate the noise). I ended up buying more 1911's, and did get a limited gun though I only shot it once. (I love not having to load so often). I still haven't improved in single stack so am sticking w that for now. I'll do limited next and maybe review and carry optics later. Production and limited 10 have no appeal to me now. Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racknrider Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Started in SS with my IDPA gear, got tired of all the reloads and moved to Limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty79 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Production. Least expensive gear and ammo. Easy to make the gun run well. I like stage planning puzzles. I'll try single stack next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Mitch Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I am not sure. Been shooting SS for a month, and dominating my division and most others. There are some Open and Limited folk that I haven't surpassed. I really like doing more reloads, but I also like shooting really fast. This year I am going to Prod Nationals, and I will be switching back to Prod soon, but SS is giving me a huge gun and shooting boner and I don't want it to go away. Single Stack is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Because I do what I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashDodson Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 Because I do what I want. I guess that means you dont shoot idpa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashDodson Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 I'm still a newb, only shooting a few years, and I initially got into shooting sports when I got my ccw, so I still prefer to shoot divisions that are based on carryable or duty type pistols, i.e. production and SS. regarding your eye dominance issues...... i seem to be more or less ambivalent about eye dominance. both eyes are happy to switch off roles, which doesn't surprise me since i've been an athlete all my life doing stuff where peripheral vision is very important (skiing, mtb, volleyball, hockey, soccer, etc...). I solved the problem with a small square of scotch tape on my left lens to block out the sight from that eye. I immediately started shooting better and more consistently. Carry optics might also be worth considering. You can get into that for $400 or less (and a production gun). I may give that a try next year with a springer precision plate, ff3 sight and my cz production gun. I find whatever division I shoot, I get more enjoyment, learn more and progress faster if I stick with that division and don't screw myself up with other guns and other strategies. ymmv. I have been using the tape method for a while. It seems to work. Was hoping to find a solution without blocking my vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbagger123 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Started in IDPA and then went to USPSA . Started in production and shot it for a couple of years. hated reloading all the time. After i tried someone limited gun i was hooked. less reloading and major scoring. shot it for a couple of years . Started with an MP and then went to 2011's. This year i started shooting Open. getting old and vision is going the dot helps a lot. i just put the dot and rip off a couple of rounds. i should have went open a long time ago. had my open gun for about 1 1/2 months and have gone through 5k rounds already in matches and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I am lucky enough to have amazing guns for Open, Limited and Production. Generally I move between them when I inaccurately believe switching divisions will do something magical for me and/or wont require the skills it did the last time I shot it. Seriously though they all offer slightly different experiences and I change based on what I feel like. Generally speaking Open gets around old guy eyesight issues and feels all whiz-bang techno cool high speed, low drag. Limited feels like a man's gun if nobody told him he could only have 10 rounds or less and you feel all superior when you beat your buddies shooting Open. Production is easy on the hands, makes you focus on accuracy and stretches out your low back as you pick up all your mags but will penalize you like a convicted felon if you get sloppy with any part of your game. Is Open fun? Well, yeah it can be a blast but it has its challenges too. That said it is the division I am spending the most time in lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 When I started this game I fell for a Tactical Sport, I pined for a Czechmate, but was too intimidated to roll up to the line with a $3K gun as a newb, so I shot Limited with a TS... and immediately started turning it into an Open gun! Like you I love guns, so three years and dozens later I'm still loving Open. I enjoy tuning DA/SA CZs (http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=191773) so I always have a handful of Production guns in the safe which I seriously consider shooting in a match, but rarely do I had a half dozen Limited guns I never shot, so I finally decided to clear out all my .40 gear in favor of all 9mm, major and minor. Production is different enough from Open to give a break and work on different skills if and when I want time off the dot, it just hasn't happened yet Also, if you use a horizontal Cmores, switching from dot to irons is no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhunter Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) I shoot CO because I like Production but can no longer see my front sight Edited to add: I have ZERO desire to shoot an open gun or reload for one either. Edited May 25, 2016 by zhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark R Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Bad eyesight = Open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I started in Limited, then went to IDPA for a while then back to Limited...all with the same Glock .40S&W. I switched to Production a few years ago for three reasons. 1, I can shoot the same pistol (9mm M&P) as I shoot in 3Gun with just a different set of magazines. 2. I think shooting Production and focusing on points, stage plans and efficiency has made me a better overall shooter. 3. #2 counters the sloppy paper shooting seen in 3Gun and helps for the more precise steel in 3Gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick84pb Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Started shooting SS under the 'shoot what you've got' mentality. I've stuck with it because 1) regearing for a new division isn't really a priority 2) I think shooting major (.45 acp 230grn) in SS helps magnify the areas I need to work on as a shooter and 3) I don't think a new division would be beneficial for anything to me at this point other than yet another reason to buy more guns and gear Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashDodson Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 I started in Limited, then went to IDPA for a while then back to Limited...all with the same Glock .40S&W. I switched to Production a few years ago for three reasons. 1, I can shoot the same pistol (9mm M&P) as I shoot in 3Gun with just a different set of magazines. 2. I think shooting Production and focusing on points, stage plans and efficiency has made me a better overall shooter. 3. #2 counters the sloppy paper shooting seen in 3Gun and helps for the more precise steel in 3Gun.I agree that shooting 3 gun will make you sloppy with the pistol. I'm considering selling my three gun kit and putting all my time and money in uspsa only. I currently have one 2011 limited gun and a 2011 in 9mm for 3gun. I want a backup limited gun but also want to try open. With the cost of steel grips does anyone use the same frame and grip and have multiple uppers/slides? I could use the same frame/grip for a 9mm open and backup 40. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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