StraightSh00ter Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) Hi, After much deliberation I finally got my first handgun (1911 for Single Stack). Obviously I'm interested in practical shooting, but being so new I feel like I should build up some experience before going to a USPSA event. I am comfortable shooting at the range and think I shoot relatively well given my experience. I practice things like moving between targets, or trying to get from the gun on the bench to an accurately fired shot as quick as I can, but I don't have experience with range commands or actually moving with a loaded firearm in my hands. I read the 'first event' sticky but it sounds like the range commands changed or something since it was posted? I was thinking I would do a night or two of plates or steel, and maybe take a 'basic handgun' class although I don't know if I'd be beyond that or not. I signed up for CCW training but might have some work to do before I can get qualified for the license. Any ideas or suggestions? I got some snap caps, maybe I can practice moving around the house with them or something... Thanks for reading. Edited July 18, 2015 by StraightSh00ter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Real simple - go to the range during the next USPSA match, with the gun, ammo, at least five mags and holders, muffs & eye protection, a holster that covers the trigger and keep the handgun in a bag or box. Walk up to the Check In, and tell them you are NEW at this - you can shoot, but never formal competition. They will then tell you EVERYTHING that you need to know about shooting their match. Probably assign someone to shoot with you for the day - make you feel Very Welcome. And, if you remember SAFETY x 3, you will have The Happiest Day of Your Life (except for your honeymoon). Go to uspsa.org for list of matches in Ohio, or drop a note to Sarge here on this Forum - oh, never mind, he'll probably drop YOU a note real soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louu Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) . Edited July 18, 2015 by louu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barebones1 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 welcome, that's about where I am at. showed up at match, ( tomorrow will be my third) learned what the 1st of many things I need to work on to improve. practiced for 6 months of reload drills. watched tons of video. stance, grip , trigger control , sight picture. Slow motion holster to target drills . live fire hundreds of rounds , dry fire drills........ When that buzzer went off, it was like swimming in a soup that also made you stupid. When it was all over, everyone gave me pointers and I had a blast. bottom line is I agree with louu. I would have been farther ahead and had fun shooting matchs the 6 months I spent " getting ready" . Lesson #1 never moved and fired at same time. My current teaching regiment. purchased, blow back style bb 1911 replica. set up targets in yard and learning how to shoot and move art same time. use same pistol to "dry fire around the house while moving and using cover. ( I am currently limited to IDPA ) everything else is 1 hour plus away. let me know how you make out. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Thanks Barebones. Why are you limited to IDPA? I was thinking about getting the BB gun too, but still have more 'real' gear to get first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefight5243 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Welcome and hi from ohio as well. Hi-power has it right both on set up and Sarge! Lol My advise would be to get on YouTube. There are a lot of great resources on there for first matchs and what to expect. Match directors are good about pairing you with an experienced shooter to get an understanding about what is going on and what to do. Show up jump in watch, help paste holes, and ask questions... Everyone is there to help, especially when they know your new. And remember if your not having fun your prob doing something wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Download a copy of the rule book and read it. http://www.uspsa.org/uspsa-rules.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Thanks guys. I wanted to mention that I've traded a few emails with Sarge and had also met him over the winter at an indoor practice session. When the time comes for my first event I will definitely give him a buzz. Edited July 19, 2015 by StraightSh00ter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmiller1 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Basic pointer but necessary. Keep your finger off the trigger & OUT of the trigger guard until youre ready to fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 I am curious about the number of shots fired per target - it seems that most people shoot each target twice, and I see that the maximum amount of required shots is 32. Are people shooting targets twice to ensure high score (64rds total) or would it be more likely there are 16 targets with 2 required hits per target? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawmangr Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 As relatively new myself I say a huge "ditto" to the great advice already given. I was a little "shy" at first, so I went to a USPSA match and just watched. I mentioned it to the folks at the beginning and they suggested which squad to follow and even introduced me to someone who was kind enough to ask if I had any questions and talked through each course of fire with me. It made me feel a lot more comfortable at the first match I actually participated in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I am curious about the number of shots fired per target - it seems that most people shoot each target twice, and I see that the maximum amount of required shots is 32. Are people shooting targets twice to ensure high score (64rds total) or would it be more likely there are 16 targets with 2 required hits per target? paper targets score the best 2 hits with 2 A zone hits being the highest score (10 pts @ 5pts/ A). Steel requires you to knock it down to score (5 pts). 32 rds is the max for a single stage. Read the rulebook at uspsa.org. It explains the entire scoring system along with penalties for doing things you're not supposed to like if you shoot at a target while stepping outside a designed shooting area or hit a 'no-shoot' next to a scoring target, etc ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barebones1 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 IDPA because everything else is at least 1;45 away. my local range sadly, only shoots idpa. up date on the moving and shooting at the same time. shot 3rd match today, practice with the bb pistol in the yard was an immense help. moving and shooting was smooth and felt natural. still shot some 1`s and 3`s, but 100% better than before. was doing better, till I needed 3 per side in a double swinger. So......looks like I will be welding up some kind of swinger for the yard bb range. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefight5243 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 I looked and one of the place I shoot is over an hour from you... Pickaway County Sportsman Inc. It's a nice facility and they have a good turn out, but would be a long drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amokscience Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Practice safe gun handling until it's second nature. Finger off trigger unless aiming at a target. It's harder than it sounds, especially when that buzzer goes off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Jump right in like Hi-Power Jack says, I think you'll be glad you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbultman Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) I looked and one of the place I shoot is over an hour from you... Pickaway County Sportsman Inc. It's a nice facility and they have a good turn out, but would be a long drive.Less than an hour drive he has Miamisburg, Miami rifle pistol and oxford. A hour and a half he has Pickaway county, Wilmore, and Bluegrass sportsmans league.Same thing for me... I sent you a PM OP Edited July 21, 2015 by jbultman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 So, my holster and mag pouch should be here Friday. If they make it in time I will go on Sunday. I will probably go, regardless. My plan would be to just take it easy, be safe, and learn. No need to rush or try to win anything at this point. I will practice drawing from the holster when I get it, that will probably take some getting used to. I picked up the habit of keeping my forefinger out straight when I'm not shooting. I read about that when I signed up to this site 6mos ago. I guess it looks a little strange to some, I've had a few people comment about it when I'm handling a gun off the range. But I guess that's a good thing. I am trying to make my way through the rule book. There is a lot, and much of it seems to be over my head, or my head is under the sand after a long hard day at work... I definitely need to spend a little more time with the sights before Sunday. I was shooting at little targets that were getting lost behind the fat front post, and basically sent myself back to square one. I am on a waiting list (36mos) for Miami. There is an 18mos list for Southern Ohio Game & Wildlife which I really liked shooting at I have some friends who are members there. The clubs to the north of me have waiting lists and require sponsors, which I don't have yet other than at Southern Ohio. It's frustrating because I want to shoot, but it's probably keeping the finances in check. I have started saving my brass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Sarge was kind enough to work with me a little today before setting up for the event tomorrow. We went over the basics and did a couple of little 4-shot practice stages. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to going to my first contest tomorrow. I was probably making a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be, but I just wanted to make sure I knew the rules and would be safe and smart. Thanks Sarge, and everyone else for the advice and encouragement. Hopefully I will get to meet you tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racingjoe27 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I want to thank sarge as well. I'm glad someone was able to take you under their wing and get you started. Starting the sport can be the trickiest part. I got two people hooked this year and that has been more rewarding than any improvements I've made in my shooting. I've got 4 more people that I plan to get hooked when our schedules permit. Then I'll work on earning some "cads" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 (edited) Well that was fun! I made it through the whole thing without a DQ. I had my share of beginner's mistakes but all-in-all I feel really good about it. I really liked the stages that had lots of shooting positions and barriers, where it feels like you're inside a building shooting through doors. It's amazing what happens when you change plans, or what happens after that buzzer sounds. I was all set for this one stage where the whole thing had to be shot from a plank. I was going to fire at 3 arrays from 2 positions to save time. As I was about to make ready, the RO pointed out that I had to start at a different spot than I was planning on. Long story short, my killer plans turned into lost plans and I got 16 no-shoots for not having my feet on the plank. But it was fun and safe and that's what matters. Now I need to figure out if I want to sink a bunch more money into this gun to make it just right, sell it off and get a CZ, or buy the CZ and decide after having both Edited July 26, 2015 by StraightSh00ter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimP42 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Now I need to figure out if I want to sink a bunch more money into this gun to make it just right, sell it off and get a CZ, or buy the CZ and decide after having both Take it easy. Shoot more first. You don't know what you like or need yet. More ammo. More matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightSh00ter Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks, I needed to hear that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbultman Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) Now I need to figure out if I want to sink a bunch more money into this gun to make it just right, sell it off and get a CZ, or buy the CZ and decide after having both Take it easy. Shoot more first. You don't know what you like or need yet. More ammo. More matches.I second that! More ammo more matches...You did good for your first time. But before you think about getting something else, you first work on your sight picture, trigger control, gun handling, reloading, stage planning etc. Edited July 27, 2015 by jbultman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Now I need to figure out if I want to sink a bunch more money into this gun to make it just right, sell it off and get a CZ, or buy the CZ and decide after having both Take it easy. Shoot more first. You don't know what you like or need yet. More ammo. More matches.I second that! More ammo more matches...You did good for your first time. But before you think about getting something else, you first work on your sight picture, trigger control, gun handling, reloading, stage planning etc.With extra focus on all the other "etc".) way way too soon to change anything. You did a great job for your first match! Glad I could help in some small way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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