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Is idpa really fun?


Loudgp

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There are a LOT more IDPA matches around here than USPSA, so that should tell you something.

easy money for the club? since they don't have to pay the $3 for each shooter?

It's money for the club either way. At least at our club the membership approached the Board to start IDPA, no one has volunteered to start a USPSA group. I can only think of 2 clubs local to me that offer both. There is some crossover but most seem to be in one camp or the other.

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Our club used to have a Wednesday night IDPA match. (Lots of new shooters; come out; shoot 4-5 stages; go home.) The national organization now insists that a shooter MUST join them to shoot more than one match. (Most of the new folks are not interested in going to major IDPA matches.) So...... we now have Action Pistol Night. (Very little BS/FTDR and a lot more shooters!) On the other-hand, USPSA gets $3/shooter whether or not you are a USPSA member. Ranger-6....

That has been an IDPA rule since at least 2005 and I recall from before that.

It is not enforced very much at the club level; the most I have seen was a little nagging, but never anybody turned away. Of course at a sanctioned match, they require member numbers which can be checked.

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I say it this way.... IDPA is Ball Room Dancing and USPSA is Break Dancing. One has moves that are predetermined and the other does not. One you have to think a bit more, the other is let it all hang out and improvise. So....if you like to dance... HAVE FUN.

Garry N

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The USPSA matches in my area require a full day to enjoy and are only offered once a month locally (within an hour drive) to me. I can shoot 12 IDPA matches a month. 9 of those are offered in the evening, so it works with my work schedule.

Been shooting IDPA for about 2 years now and really enjoy it. Your fun factor will be determined more based on your club and their level of creativity and sportsmanship than it will the rulebook.

Edited by v1911
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I would rather shoot USPSA, but IDPA is more convenient. Yes, it's fun, but it's also less flexible. The rules on reloads, shooting from cover, engaging targets in what sequence basically map the course of fire out for you every time. Where it does get fun is shooting 8+1 load out divisions, where most stages are set up for 10+1 round load outs.

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I shoot and enjoy both.

Even though there's usually only one way to shoot an IDPA stage, sometimes there will be an opportunity to use a slightly different plan that will save a ton of time. Not as fun as planning an entire USPSA stage, but still kind of fun.

I like using cover and drawing/reloading from concealment.

The rules around reloading aren't all that complicated, especially now that they got rid of the flat footed reload rule.

The 18 max round count is a huge minus for IDPA, though.

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I think like anything it depends on the people and the stage designer. The idpa crowd whines more than the USPSA shooters about challenging shots. The movement is less in idpa. The round count is limited to 18 per string also.

I got tired of the reloading behind props as it was killing my attempt to beat the autos with a revolver. I was fortunate enough to shoot with GM crossover shooters which offset the self defense crowd which harumped about every gaming thing we ever did.

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I think like anything it depends on the people and the stage designer. The idpa crowd whines more than the USPSA shooters about challenging shots. The movement is less in idpa. The round count is limited to 18 per string also.

I got tired of the reloading behind props as it was killing my attempt to beat the autos with a revolver. I was fortunate enough to shoot with GM crossover shooters which offset the self defense crowd which harumped about every gaming thing we ever did.

Yeah the guys who talk about the streets are a bit of a downer.

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I have never shot a sanctioned IDPA match. The IDPA group in our area shoots on a day/time that I can not make. That said, we have a club that does "defensive pistol" shoots. It is patterned after IDPA, but a little looser on the rules. I have shot that a couple of times and enjoyed it. As others said, they are different games, but both can be very fun. Depends on what you are looking for.

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What I can't understand is why idpa doesn't just go with a realistic magazine capacity for each division? Fifteen rounds is pretty much standard everywhere. If the gun won't hold fifteen...you are taking your chances...XD be darned, life is not fair. Let's see the game get serious about a concealment test and then we'll see the XDM 5, M&P pro, and G34...go back to USPSA. What about a division that has full magazines and shoots from IWB holsters and runs whatever it can actually conceal under real clothes(no vests)? Nothing that prints ridiculously. Whatever you can put under a coat and walk around with unnoticed. If you wouldn't/couldn't realistically leave the house with it...you can't shoot in the street division with it. Until then its a harumping joke that is unrealistic and less fun.

Biggest detractor of idpa: They want the same entry fee as USPSA for less than half the round count.

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Not sure how much a match is in your neck of the woods, but our club charges $10 for members. That doesn't include range fees. If they charged as much for USPSA, I'd look at it as a deal compared to IDPA. But I'm more of a half full kind of guy.

While it would be nice to use the full capacity of our guns, it's no different that the mag capacity USPSA placed on production. Let's be realistic, not all state laws are equal. To have a more even playing field, sacrifices have to be made.

Edited by v1911
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They used to be 10$ and then they went to $15 it may be up to twenty by now. When they all were $10 one was $15 and only gave three stages. $5 a stage! Then they all cited target price increases and went to $15 for some 4-5 stages. I'd pay $20 for 120 rds and five or six stages.

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I prefer IDPA over USPA, but it's purely a personal choice.

The bottom line for me is usually WHO I am shooting WITH.

Some people can make hard work enjoyable and some people could make a day with Kate Upton miserable.

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I don't mean this to sound like raging, but I was surprised to see that match cost was so big a factor.
People have the money to shoot $100 per week in ammo, buy a $1800 gun, spend $200 on accessories, but not $15 for range maintenance and overhead?

In our particular little club's defense ($15 members, $20 visitors for 4 stages every other week), we obviously have the targets, target sticks, maintenance on the props, lead removal from the range, electricity, building/property maintenance, insurance, security, and we are looking at required range upgrades due to impending federal "assistance", plus a host of other things. Setup, takedown, operation of the match, SO's, SO training, design of the courses, are all done by volunteers (I'm one of the little volunteers but not in charge of anything). The only thing we ask people to do is tape between stages. Of course none of that even includes the efforts and resultant costs of trying to keep the anti-second amendment people from trying everything they can to close us down.

I personally think the cost is pretty reasonable.

As far as is it fun? I have nothing to compare it with and I enjoy it a lot.

Edited by robport
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I also prefer IDPA. I like the idea that it's more accuracy-intensive vs a game that's largely speed-based.

With that said, we have a couple of local USPSA-type matches every month. Those are a lot of fun also. There are no vests and no cover calls...just fast shooting!

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Enjoy both along with Steel Challenge. IDPA is the least expensive game to play because of stock gun classes.

Enjoy my Open and Limited guns but also like to play with my 9mm Trojan in ESP. Get a little age and it's an

easier game on an old godger.

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What I can't understand is why idpa doesn't just go with a realistic magazine capacity for each division?

Did you start shooting after 2004 when the AWB expired?

When IDPA was organized, an American Commoner was not allowed to buy a new magazine holding more than ten shots. IDPA built around that law and has stuck with it. Partly to accommodate foreign lands like Canada and California, partly for continuity in rules, procedures, and CoF design.

I shot a small local IPSC match yesterday. Not bad.

If you want to nitpick, why does USPSA not follow the rules of the organization they are allegedly our representative for?

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I also prefer IDPA. I like the idea that it's more accuracy-intensive vs a game that's largely speed-based.

With that said, we have a couple of local USPSA-type matches every month. Those are a lot of fun also. There are no vests and no cover calls...just fast shooting!

I feel like idpa is no more accuracy based than USPSA. There is a giant circle and a big square to shoot at. If I can hit those things at speed I win the match in smashing fashion. I personally think it's nice not to have to hit the A zone in the head twice to get all the points. If you want accuracy based....try ICORE. That's serious when a man can come behind you and shoot the stage half as fast and bury you with being more accurate.

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