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Just Joined Idpa...


Nemo

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Expect people shooting carry appropriate guns and gear, probably from concealment. Short stages, 18 rounds rounds max. Distances will probably be mostly short. Use of cover required where available. No USPSA/IPSC style speedloads. It's a lot of fun, though to really excel - as in any sport - requires learning the rules. See if you can team up with an experienced shooter who can kind of guide you through the process, give you tips on how to shoot the stages, etc. Personally I love helping newbies. Most experienced shooters do. And most importantly, remember to have fun!

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You'll have a good time. Trigger time is always better than sitting in front of the tube any day of the week. The COF briefings will be more specific than "shoot them as you see them".

You will need to understand "slicing the pie" and things like "tactical order", but you will have fun. Remember the down zero on the body is NOT center of mass it is higher and you will do great. The variety is always good for me. After shooting more USPSA I do forget to use cover and need a gentle cover command sometimes, but shooting is shooting and match pressure can't be duplicated dry firing (at least I haven't been able to do that yet) so I like IDPA in that most of the matches in my area are on Sats and on Suns we shoot USPSA in this area.

Have fun and tell us how it went for you.

Rick

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Shot my first IDPA match last Saturday… I wanted to take out that nice 1911 Rich put together for me so I shot in CDP. The gun was flawless; I could’ve performed better, MUCH BETTER!

Since as of today I’m not rigged to reload 45ACP I was worried I wasn’t going to have enough ammo for the match, so went out to Dick’s and bought 2 boxes of Ultramax reloads (150 rounds/ea). The ammo turned out to be not a problem; the 300 rounds were more than an overkill. Actually I could’ve gathered the required ammo by vacuuming the carpets of my car… ;)

The local rule is to have newbies shoot in the novice squad and there’s where I landed. SCARY!!! :o Couple of people with ZERO shooting knowledge… A lady shot to confetti a box of pasters that was on top of a prop table when rounds were not supposed to go anywhere near that table. I think she was shooting with her eyes closed. I tried to help but she needed more than between stages quick pointers.

I could’ve lived without the “If this was a real gunfight…” or “In the real world this is what you would do…” but hey, that’s how they play the game so I just listened and remained with my mouth closed. Made a lot of IPSC induced mistakes but because it was my first time out I didn’t get penalized with all of them.

Bottom line, it was trigger time and safety issue apart, I had fun. Next time I get to squad myself with people I know and it’ll be better. I’ll be back.

p.s. Finished 1st CDP

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Glad that the shooting was fun for you. Like you said there are people of all levels at these shoots and everyone has to start somewhere (speaking of the shooter who shot the box of pasters - not you). Glad that you finished well.

Like I said, sometimes I don't slice the pie the way that they would or use cover the same as they do, but I do enjoy the trigger time. Glad that you did too.

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  • 1 month later...
Remember the down zero on the body is NOT center of mass it is higher

Can you fill me in a little?

You will need to understand "slicing the pie" and things like "tactical order"

Also how good do you have to be to join IDPA, and where can I find more about matches in my area? How much does it cost (or better yet how much ammo would be the minimum per month with which to practice)? One more - What time of year do they shoot - I'm a college student (unless I could shoot on weekends down in Greenville, SC)? I've only been shooting handguns for about 1 year now.

Any info would be great - I'm lost!!! ;)

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Remember the down zero on the body is NOT center of mass it is higher

Can you fill me in a little?

IDPA_Target.gif

In IDPA, you don't count up points on a target. Rather, you try to hit the "zero down" zones. Hits outside of those (or complete misses) count against you. As in golf, the guy with the lowest score wins.

You can download the entire rulebook here: http://www.idpa.com/rule_info.htm

Also how good do you have to be to join IDPA, and where can I find more about matches in my area?  How much does it cost (or better yet how much ammo would be the minimum per month with which to practice)?  One more - What time of year do they shoot - I'm a college student (unless I could shoot on weekends down in Greenville, SC)?  I've only been shooting handguns for about 1 year now.

Any info would be great - I'm lost!!! ;)

You should be good enough that you know the basics of handgun safety, and can safely draw and reholster a gun. If you don't worry about your score, you can learn a lot and improve at your own pace.

Most IDPA clubs don't charge a lot. Members of our range pay $12 to shoot a monthly match, non-members pay $17. You also need to join the national IDPA, which costs $35 a year.

As someone mentioned, IDPA stages are limited to a maximum of 18 rounds required. Our monthly matches are 6 stages, so a hundred rounds give or take works. You could check with clubs in your area and ask how many stages they generally shoot.

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JP, one thing about IDPA is that the have a REQUIRED ATTENDANCE safety meeting before EVERY shoot. They go over the high points of the safety rules every time. Many clubs will also put on what are known as "new shooter clinics". These will go over the rules and give you some limited exposure to range time as well. These are a great way to get introduced to IDPA.

To get better at the game it is like anything else in life, you get back out of it what you put into it. Yes, there are those that are naturally talented but for each one of those guys there are a hundred of us that just have to grind it out to get better. If you only shoot the matches and don't practice you will get one thing out of the experience. If you dry fire once a week and shoot live fire once a week and then a match on the weekend that is another level. The shooters at the top of the game dry fire for literally hours a day and shoot live fire multiple times per week and a couple of matches on the weekend. They are at a different level.

It is one thing to throw rounds down range, it is another to practice the right technique. I highly recomend Brian Enos book which you can buy very reasonably here: http://www.brianenos.com/store/books.html and Matt Burkett's series of DVDs here: http://www.burkettvideo.com/

There are few things that are better than investing in ammo and the above two I would consider better investments than ammo. Good luck with your training.

Rick

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I just joined as well. I really enjoy the style of shooting and the people have been great. I've been shooting Action Pistol Steel for a while at a local club and I wanted to branch out to, IDPA fit the bill well.

BE's book is a must have, great read and it helped alot.

Dennis

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I am going back out to IDPA when I get home.

Looking forward to seeing some of the old guys, and how things have changed and matured in the last few years. We're coming into the cool, wonderful shooting season in Florida and I can't wait!!!

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