MHicks

I'm curious. How many times have you had to start from the draw, hammer down, weakhand only start in the last few years? Even classifiers that have weak hand usually start freestyle then transition to weak hand after a mandatory reload. There may be a classifier that starts weak hand, can't remember though.

It's going to be very rare that your first target on a stage is a single 35 yard target. The first da pull shouldn't be a big deal but you're usually going to have a several target array and can shoot the easier target first if you want to.

I didn't Start USPSA until I was 55-56, turn 71 in a couple of weeks. I just do a lot of chores on our property. Mowing, weed wacker, running a couple more irrigation lines, digging post holes running some new fence, pounding t posts, tree trimming, putting in new drip lines as my wife plants her huge garden. Occasionally stacking hay for our goats and donkey. Going to build a greenhouse before next winter. Things like that but no running or lifting weights. Summer heat in the afternoon makes it harder. I built a nice outdoor shower to cool down working out there.

Although the peak temperatures are in the afternoon where I shoot is routinely 100 degrees + in the summer. I'd get home and plop down after the match, setup, shooting, resetting stages and completer teardown. My wife would kid me about being tired after playing with my friends. After she got a carry license she decided to shoot matches with me to improve her shooting and gun handling. She shot for about a year including getting there early and helping with everything, set up through teardown. After she saw what it took to put on the match, particularly on hot days now she knows how I was pooped out even though she's not shooting matches. She was impressed with the shooters that she saw that were always there early for setup and everything else.

I shoot USPSA primarily. Almost exclusively for 5 or 6 years. A buddy of mine runs a local IDPA match and kept asking me when I was going to come out. For a change of pace I've started shooting his matches again. Shot a lot of IDPA years ago. Now with the changes there are a lot of 18 round stages. I've been shooting LO in USPSA for nearly a year now but will shoot my 1911 at the IDPA matches.

Also your rear start position is usually well into the bay for safety left and right.

Kind of funny. I glanced through their rules and some were about climbing over walls. Things like that. Along with the usual gun divisions and everything else. At first I thought thos was going to be about PCSL? matches.

The last memory stage I shot was reasonable. From 3 positions I could shoot everything without confusion. Some shooters shot more as they were moving laterally. But some memory stages can get ridiculous.

It might be different for new shooters who are initially learning with a dot. Good shooters who have been using irons for 10-20-30 years already know how to align them the sights. If the benefit for them using an optic is improving their grip and trigger control their overall iron sight shooting improves also.

I used to shoot ICORE but havent been for several years. As far as shooting with an optic a discussion I had with a good shooter convinced me to give it a try. He always shot Limited and Singlestack with iron sights of course but he started shooting Carry Optics with a slide mounted optic. Later he noticed that his iron sight shooting had improved and he wished he'd tried an optic years ago. I've been shooting in the provisional Limited Optics, still getting used to it but improving. The first time I shot with iron sights again I could tell I was using target focus more.

People that just shoot pistols seem to really have issues if they have to go prone or shoot a low port. When I say issues I don't mean issues making the shots happen, I just mean they don't like to LOL Some shooters can go prone or shoot from a low port but don't like to do it, but there are some that just physically can't do it. I can go prone but not just pop up if prone was in the middle of a stage.

That's expected in 3 gun. In USPSA when they definitely have two places to shoot a specific target from it's usually to accommodate shooters who have difficulty getting into the shooting position, prone for example. Not to allow an easier shot if you can run up closer. I've seen alternate positions to avoid a Cooper tunnel. Usually the alternate position costs you some time to avoid the problem position.

There can be specialty matches where shooters know that the match has more running, obstacles, climbing then other matches. As for 100yds running, hurdles, many more difficult shooting positions, that's fine at a match thats know for those challenges but I don't expect or want it at a typical level 2 or above USPSA match

I have shot the Schmidt standards several times (starts with 50 yard target with par time). This has been at the Western States Single Stack match. Even as a B shooter it was fun.

I didn't quite watch the whole video but didn't see him go prone. More low ports then I'd like to see. But I turn 71 next month and am portly. I still can squat pretty low unless the port is too low. At level 2s and above I expect to see prone, low ports, maybe a stage with a longer run in it. I don't have a problem going prone if it's the last position. Most Cooper tunnels I've seen weren't too bad. I can still move around but am not fast

I just watched a video of Mason Lane shooting CO at a big match in the Caribbean. Noticed there were a lot of low walls or ports to shoot under.

More power on target is the reason for major pf scoring. But along with that comes more recoil.

Oops. Forgot revolver. Since they allowed the eight shots I haven't seen anyone shooting major

I've never shot open. But leave Open, Limited and SS major/minor.

Welcome, from Nor Cal. Have fun!

I've never used them on a 1911 but I love the feel of the Lok palm swell grips on my CZs. I don't have an issue with standard thickness 1911 grips but am curious how palm swells would feel on them. Those bite grips do look interesting if you like the 2011 feel.

Of course. I also didn't know what I didn't know. It wasn't a back breaking effort to pick up the phone and find out what I needed to know. I think it's a little more important to take that step in a sport that involves firearms compared to some other hobbies. But I do understand that we want to help newcomers.

How many shooters here if you were new and inexperienced with both range and match procedures figure it would be a good idea to just show up and take your chances to shoot a match without making any effort to get some information from range or match representatives? That's not how I went about it.

I'm curious on the bullet weights used. I have mostly shot 45s. For 9mm minor it seemed that a lot of shooters liked the softer feel of 147gr bullets. Shooting LO now and I've been using 135gr coated bullets. Thought they were a compromise without going all the way to the 147s. Have they waned in popularity? It seems I see a lot more shooters using the lighter bullets these days.

I don't know what it would be like to be a new shooter starting with optics never having used iron sights. Until last year I'd never used an ootic on a handgun only scopes on a rifle. I have now been mostly shooting with an optic in LO after 13 years of shooting Limited and SS. For me I certainly did not just start shooting faster or more accurately when I switched to an optic. I'm getting more comfortable with it but it sure hasn't been " this is so much easier then iron sights".