Wellison

Congratulations on the retirement and welcome to the forums! -Will

If you're short on magazines you can always ask to shoot limited division and then you can load to capacity. Two mags will get you though most stages that way. -Will

You definitely need to give USPSA / IPSC a shot, PBA2 (pun intended). It is action shooting "on your on terms". Except that your shooting positions are more defined by ports that you shoot though. Most of the targets are not going to be visible from the starting position. I know this can be the case in many IDPA stages too but you'll have to shoot a match to see what I'm talking about. Paying close attention during the walk though is crucial to avoid FTE (failure to engage) penalties. I may be oversimplifying the differences but in IDPA you at least just need to remember the path you have to take though the stage because the targets are going to be fairly obvious. In USPSA you not only need to remember the path but also where all the targets are. I saw a few cases of shooters running right past targets because they were too focused on trying to go as fast as they could. More often I saw shooters forgetting about "hidden" targets. In stage 5 of last week's match in Spartanburg I almost forgot a target at the second port. As I approached the port I saw and engaged the three or four obvious targets and then took two quick steps towards the third port when I suddenly remembered that there was one more target off to the left at that second port. I had to slam on the brakes (I need to buy some cleats) and dash back to perforate it two times. USPSA can be more exhilarating than IDPA because you're running more and gunning more. Plus you don't have to worry about procedural penalties which in my opinion severely ding the fun factor for IDPA. But as is mentioned above the two sports emphasize different but complementary aspects of the discipline. -Will

Excellent points Carlos. I hadn't quite figured out why I wasn't ready to give up IDPA. And here you've gone and given me the reasons. Thanks!

Wow! What a beauty! Congratulations.

Dummy rounds don't weigh as much? If your shooting Limited and can get 19 rounds in your mags do the math.At an estimated 5.0 grains of powder a magazine loaded with dummies weighs 95 grains less than a mag filled with the real thing. 95 grains is less than a quarter of ONE ounce! A pittance of weight to give up in order to practice with mags that are real close in weight to the real thing. Load up some dummies and include them in your practice! Pat Pat, the dummy rounds I was speaking of were Snap-Caps. It hadn't occurred to me to load real bullets in an empty case. DOH!! Thanks for all the suggestions. Tonight I think I'll start with the slide back, empty mag in gun, sights on target and "loaded" mag in belt. I also like the idea of breaking the process down into steps as Steel1212 suggested. One thing I need to look at is getting the correct grip after the reload. -Will

I was in squad 4 where I met JFowler. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. I learned a few of the rule differences between IDPA and USPSA. I really enjoyed talking to the older guys. They may not have been the fastest but they hit more A's than anyone else. One fellow told me he'd been shooting action pistol since the late seventies. Wow. There's no question that USPSA/IPSC is more enjoyable than IDPA. IDPA offers a different challenge. I may end up shooting more USPSA matches with a few IDPA ones thrown in. BTW I completely disagree with the notion that IDPA is training for deadly force encounters. It's just a game with rules. -Will

Ah ha. See this is the type of super-technical information I was seeking when I joined this forum. I guess I'll have to shoot one of each again to test this method.

Today in Spartanburg (where I've shot IDPA before) I shot my first (real) USPSA match. The fun-o-meter busted from overload. I think my shooting actually was more accurate because I wasn't having to think about cover, concealment, tactical priority, or tactical sequence. But I'm conflicted. I just renewed my IDPA membership. I don't know if my family or budget can take both sports. Ok. It's off to the USPSA website to download the rule book. This will require some serious study. -Will

Hey guys, Tell me how you practice reloading? I don't want to do it with a loaded mag and dummy rounds don't weigh as much as loaded ones do. One problem with using an empty mag is sometimes the feed lips hang on the mag well (S&W M&P9). The other problem is if you rack the slide it's going to stay open. Should I practice in slow motion first and slowly try it faster? I always re-acquire sight picture after the reload. Today what I tried was with an empty weapon and two mags (I only have two mag carriers) I rack the slide to cock the weapon then insert an empty mag. Holster the weapon. At the signal I draw and dry fire at the target. Then as I reach for the spare mag I drop the empty and rotate the pistol to accept the new mag. I try to move the pistol as little as possible but the faster I go the less successful I am at this. After inserting the new mag I re-acquire sight and dry fire once again. Suggestions? Comments? -Will

Welcome to the forums. Feel free to come up to Spartanburg to shoot the first and/or fourth Saturday. I'm trying out USPSA for the first time this year too.

Thanks for all the input. I've already traded emails with the RO and MD and they agreed with me that the situation never should have been allowed. I'll be meeting with the MD tomorrow night and we'll make a plan for next month. In the meantime (this Saturday) I'll shoot my first real USPSA match in Spartanburg. -Will

I think I'll start practicing this. I need to get my grip higher anyway. -Will

I've heard others describe problems with trying to shoot both IDPA and IPSC. Before now I had never sought out an IPSC match because I thought you had to have one of those super nice, super expensive 2011's. But apparently that's not the case. Right now I'm just looking for opportunities to improve my shooting and have fun. -Will

Thanks for your input. I've emailed the MD and explained what happened. To be clear the pistol was never pointed at me and this was not a USPSA or IPSC or any other affiliated match. It was really an informal match to introduce action shooting to the club and to work out some of the kinks of putting on a larger match. Other than what I've described I witnessed no unsafe behavior by any of the participants. I think it was just an oversight and an inexperienced RO. I know the MD and I'm sure it won't happen again. So let me ask you. What do you think of loaner holsters? I can see the point that a match may not be the optimum place to teach a safe drawing technique. But if you send every new shooter that comes unprepared home ... well that's not very friendly is it? -Will