question for all you USPSA shooters...gun type?

[champ198]

ok got a question for the USPSA shooters.
granted im jsut a newb and i am wanting to try my hand at USPSA. now the only gun i have to shoot with right now is my XDm 3.58 in 45 acp. i know this is quite a bit more gun than needed and would get a few more points with it shooting major power factor but thought i would ask you all about it and see what your opinions were on shooting it for USPSA at least to start with.
i know i would have to get mags and holster and mag holsters and so on but was wondering what you all thought of this.

[motosapiens]

Short barrel, low capacity, expensive ammo........ Do you have IDPA matches close to you? The round count is usually lower, and you don't need as many magazines or pouches. You can realistically shoot it with your carry holster (assuming you carry).

Unless you are reloading, you'll spend so much on 45 ammo that it would be worth it in the long term (10-15 matches) to just go buy an xdm in 9mm and a handful of mags and shoot production class.

[GuildSF4]

Take it out and shoot. You may be at a disadvantage in limited due to capacity, however if you are new to this shoot what you have until you outpace the gun or determine you like it enough to spend the money on a different gun.

(9mm ammo is hard to find if you don't reload, 40 and 45 are easier to find, they cost a little more than 9mm.)

[leas327]

There are a lot of guys who started with what they have and had a great time. Your first few matches you should get out and shoot and get a feel for things/ ask questions and not worry about the competition part of it.

Get out and get started and when you get hooked you can figure out your next move as far as new gear.

[kneelingatlas]

I think you should show up to a 'fun steel match' shoot your .45 from the low ready position, and make some friends. Chances are good someone there will have a full setup as a spare they'll loan you for the next USPSA match (they'll probably even supply their reloads if you buy them dinner), that way you could get the full experience with a competitive setup for the little or no investment. From there I assume you'll fall in love with the sport, pick your first division and buy a whole setup just for it. Don't feel like you have to start in Production, if you like shooting Limited guns, start in Limited (or any other division for that matter). If you're just dying to shoot Open, you don't want to have $1,000 tied up in a Production rig you don't want to shoot.

I was too intimidated to start in Open, but now I wish I had. If you ask me, it's the easiest division to become proficient in (few or no reloads, giant mag well when you do reload, awesome trigger, red dot).

[champ198]

i do not have any IDPA matches close to me at all, i wish i did.

i do also reload so that will help i know.

i would like to give USPSA a try and i know the gun i hace isnt the best but for now its all i git to use

[motosapiens]

i do not have any IDPA matches close to me at all, i wish i did.

i do also reload so that will help i know.

i would like to give USPSA a try and i know the gun i hace isnt the best but for now its all i git to use

If you reload, then there's no reason not to give it a try. A local manufacturer of steel target stuff often comes to our uspsa matches with his wife. She shoots some fancy purple limited gun and he shoots his compact carry gun.

[bikerburgess]

Come shoot with it, the gun won't hold you back that much for quite a while, depending on how many mags you have and what capacity they are you can run it as major in Limited or Limited 10, if you have 5 mags I would go L10. I don't know if the small XDM's come with the holster and mag pouch but if so those would be fine to use for a while.

Just come have fun and don't worry about it.

Mike

[ericjhuber]

I shot my Glock 21 (full sized .45) in Production at first when I started out in USPSA to make sure that I liked it before I made any further investment. I got bit by the bug and then made the investment in a Glock 34 Gen 4 with the various accessories do Production long term.

Production is the right fit for me to get started since it's minor scoring and low round counts that force me to learn reloading and be reasonably accurate. I also know very little about 1911 and 2011 pistols so it gives me time to learn more to decide which division I want to do next.

[Hi-Power Jack]

i would like to give USPSA a try and i know the gun i hace isnt the best but for now its all i git to use

I started out 20 years ago with a Browning HP in 9mm, which is NOT the best gun

to start with. After a year, I bought a Colt .45 SS, which WAS The Gun to use.

I hated the .45 - loved the BHP 9mm.

I wish I had stuck with it instead of switching to The Gun (.45).

Go shoot what you have - you'll have a ball.

[ktm300]

So you have a few choices with that gun, Ltd, Ltd 10, or production.

You are at a big disadvantage in Ltd due to round count. The .40 2011's will hold 20+1 so it's one mag change. So L10 or production would be my choice. Both 10 round divisions so you probably need to buy some extra mags and pouches. If you shoot production work up a minor load for the .45. That gun will shoot very well with minor .45 and you should be OK for a while.

In either one go shoot the gun you have, and spend some time looking at the different divisions. For me starting out I would pick production or SS in minor. Both 9mm so the cost is as low as it gets. Lots of reloads and stage planing so you learn that. Minor forces you to shoot A's or suffer low points. All good habits to get in to. Once you shoot that for a while you may just stay or move to Ltd or Open with a solid foundation to build on.

The most important thing is to just go shoot and have fun.

[MGMorden]

The gun isn't realistically optimal for any division, but its legal in a few. My advice would be to take it out and shoot it for a match or two. Figure out if you even like the sport. If you do like it and want to continue, THEN buy a more appropriate gun. If you're on a budget, Production division in particular can be shot with a very minimal investment in equipment.

I shot my first two matches with a Ruger P95 myself. Nothing wrong with that gun, but I quickly decided that I'd rather have a striker fired gun and currently shoot an M&P 9L. 'course I'm at the point now where even though I can't afford it I want a gun to shoot every division

[Dirtychemist]

You will be shooting minor from what I understand because I'm 90% sure they'll put you in production. If you want to, go out and make some of the softest loads you can that function reliably. Truthfully, I'm thinking 600 FPS will give you a recoil close to a 9mm and thats what most of the production guys aim for as well. They shoot 40s so it's a little easier to get them going slower. With a 230 gr bullet 600 FPS gets you 138PF.

I shoot single stack and locally I don't have a lot of shooters but I enjoy shooting it and it's what I planned to start shooting with. The only other gun I'd shoot would be my Sig 229 SA/DA because I have 5 magazines and a holster for it and I'd only need holsters for the mags. I also started this year so I want to get higher in my class before I change. If you're familiar with the XD I'd just go buy the 5.25" gun after you pick a division you like (production, Limited 10 etc.)