YOUR evolution of buying competition handguns

[sfinney]

USPSA starting @ 1994  -  in chrono order 

 

Limited:

Various over the counter Springfield, Colt, Mitchell etc 1911s .45 with dremmeled on go fast goodies.  10 rnd 140mm  mags.  

Colt 1911 10mm with a .40 barrel.

Para Ordnance P16-40

SVI 2011 - hand built with a 10mm Gold cup top end (.40 barrel).

SVI 40. 2011 with long dust cover, but regular slide (factory build, and at the time 1996 could be bought new for about $1400)

Various 2011s over the years - 5 inch, 6 inch, heavy light. Ended up with a light 5 inch.

Glock 34 Lim minor. Current.

 

Production - 

Glock 17

Beretta 92

Sig P226

Glock 34

CZ 75

Tanfoglio Stock

Glock 34

CZ SP01

Sig P320

Glock 34

Sig P320 X-Five

Glock 34

CZ Shadow II

Glock 34 - Current.

 

Open -

Springfield 

Caspian Hicap

STI

SVI 

STI

Glock 17. Don't shoot Open anymore, but my last was a Glock.

 

Carry optics

Sig P320 X-Five

Glock. Current.

[titandriver]

Dunno how many I've bought since I joined USPSA in 1989 but it has been a LOT!!! 

[kneelingatlas]

When I first got into USPSA I shot a range rental Tactical Sport in 40 and fell in love  First and foremost I loved the trigger; when I was young I shot 25M Rapid Fire Pistol with a Walther OSP 2000 which had a trigger pull weight of 47g (that's 0.1 lbs for you English folk!) so I'm a real trigger snob as you may have gathered from my DA tuning thread: CZ Tuning101 with Professor Atlas. I had seen othershootershooting Open and knew that's where I really wanted to be, but I wasn't yet reloading, the Czechmate had a prece tag nearly three times as much, and lastly I was scared of being a noob stepping up to the line with a $3,000 race gun on my hip and making a fool of myself.

So I bought a Tactical Sport and promply began turning it into an Open gun 

 

Six years and dozens of guns later I've got a nice collection on CZ Open guns:

 

Edited December 5, 2018 by kneelingatlas

[rowdyb]

had a sig 2022 in 9mm for first matches. then glock 34. then sig 220. then glock 21sf. then cz75b. then glock 41. then a dozen sp01 shadows of various. then tac sport, atlas titan, p10c, glock 19, sti edge, sti eagle, sti trojan, 4 shadow 2's....

 

and that's only what i remember. an none of the rifles or shotguns i've shot in various matches.

Edited December 5, 2018 by rowdyb

[RJH]

Started with a ruger p97 then a springfield 1911 in l10, to XDs in production, back to various 1911s major and minor, revolver or two, para 1640,1911s again, now mainly shoot an XDM 5.25 in 40 for limited.  I don't practice anymore and i consistently shoot 65-70% classifiers with it ,which is about as good as i do with anything. I did keep a 1911 though and will probably shoot it a little next year.

[soulbyte]

I'm very new to USPSA and have only been in the sport for six years. After four years I finally became a member.

1st year Singlestack - Rock Island Armory Tactical 45

2nd year Limited - Para P18.9
3rd year Limited - Rock Island Armory Doubestack Tactical 40

4th year I went buy crazy - Springfield Loaded (9mm), Rock Island Armory Doublstack 45, New Frontier Build for PCC x 2, and dumped a bunch of money into my RIA 40 & Para for longslide conversions, then  purchased a bunch of Phoenix Trinitiy 2011frames x3 and para frames x3 for future personal builds (I'm still trying to build).
5th year - I got bit by the CZ bug and purchased a SP01 for Production , loved it so much after spending a small fortune at CGW I bought a used  IPSC Standard used for Limited

Not to mention all the extra gear, rifles for future 3 gun adventures, rimfire guns for steel and all the extra parts... sheesh!!! And I thought building cars was addictive.

Edited December 5, 2018 by soulbyte

[ltdmstr]

On 11/28/2018 at 8:37 AM, rlyons124 said:

2011-I shoot them good but they don't feel great in my hand.  I could get a full custom gun that will probably feel like a glove but I don't want to spend 3-6k on a gun and magazines.  Also concerned with reliability and having to work on it all the time.  I would rather spend more time/money on shooting and ammo.  I feel like I am missing something though, they seam to be the dominating force in most divisions they are used in.  

 

I started shooting Limited with a Colt Combat Commander.  Obviously not the ideal tool for the job, but it's what I had at the time.  Ended up building a custom 1911 with Caspian slide and frame, then moved on to custom SVs when they were selling frames to gunssmiths.  Now using Caspian and Springfield for single stack and PT for 2011.  I did a week long pistolsmithing school with John Nowlin 25+ years ago have built my own guns ever since.  As for the OP's comment re: 2011 reliability and "having to work on it all the time," I disagree 100%.  My 2011s get cleaned after I used them, and other than that, the only thing I ever do to them is replace the recoil spring every couple thousand rounds.  Like any mechanical device, parts can wear out.  But that's after many thousands of rounds.  I have guns with over 30k rounds and still running the original hammer, sear, extractor, etc. and every one is 100% reliable.  

[IVC]

I started shooting USPSA last year after going to a few local steel matches to learn the ropes. 

 

My first gun at the match was a CZ TS in 9mm that had trigger work and sights done by CZ Custom some years ago. It was a very nice (an understatement) range gun for me, so it seemed like a good candidate. After shooting first two matches in Limited minor and learning from the guys on my squad about minor vs. major, I remembered I had a .45 Tanfoglio Limited Elite in my safe, sitting pretty much unused. EAA had a .40 conversion in stock, I ordered it, installed it, changed sights, added magwell and *thumb rest [generic]* and it's been my primary gun since. 

 

For us in CA, options are very limited. We have to work with what's "allowed," or we can shop used guns from other CA residents. This makes the process extremely frustrating and inefficient. 

 

To have a backup, I got a CZ TS in .40. It's one of the few Limited guns we can get new in CA. This is the "old TS," with fixed rear sight, plain black front, plastic trigger, etc. It takes some work to get it to match condition, but it's worth it in the end. 

[Kixx]

I started with a Glock 34 in Production. Eventually, I got bored and switched to a Stock 2. Shot the Stock 2 to M class until I tried out Carry Optics. I fell in love with the dot and capacity so now I’m shooting a 2011 in open this coming season. 

[broadside72]

I just grabbed my 1911 and played in Single Stack major to get started. I went off the assumption that 8 rounds would lead to better stage assessment/planning and a need for more accuracy as a new shooter. 

 

I then moved to Production since the newer rules allow a very non-production gun now. Run a modded CZ SP01. The two extra rounds sometimes matter, sometimes don't. But I benefit from the things I learned about assessing and planning a stage during Single Stack.  

[anbrumm]

First match was a steel challenge match that I shot with my Glock 19. Went on to shoot an IDPA match with the same setup. Decided that I was hooked and bought a Glock 34. Tried out USPSA and kept going with that. Won a custom 2011 at the SNS 400 so started shooting limited and sold the Glock 34. Still have the 2011, but last year picked up a 1911 and started getting it ready for competition. Hoping to shoot that some this year as well.

[Seif26]

Browning Buckmark (Bullseye :)), HK USP > Glock 17 > Glock 34 > 2011

 

I tried USPSA several years ago w/ the USP but it just didn't click with me at the time (not the fault of the USP) then I recently took up 3gun with the G17 which I just had.  The G34 was my first dedicated purchase for competition (TY BE Classifieds!) and I recently picked up a 2011 that I will use next season for the first time.

 

For my skill level and competition desires I could have easily 'tuned' the G34 a bit and been fine.  I lose more time loading a shotgun and missing with my rifle than I could ever make up with a better pistol but once you shoot the 2011 it just feels right.

[HUYTERII]

Well, I also don't know what competition gun to buy but probably it's too early for me to think about competitions now, urge for practice)

[WaynePatrick]

For winter fun I’m looking a the 22 competitions. Going to buy one and have done indoor fun during the winter months.

Im looking at the Walther P22.. lots of cool options available for it. I’m not concerned about the longer barreled pistols available.

The little P22 fits my hand and vision extremely well. I’ll forfiet the extra barrel length for that any day.

 

P80 34 build ready for spring, building a back up right now.

[Adamj]

- Glock 34: I intended to shoot production with it, but only shot steel challenge with it. 

- Atlas Titan: shot one USPSA match and realized limited minor sucks

- Atlas Chaos: (on its way) decided to jump straight into open

[Paul-the new guy]

The firearm you choose for pistol sports has very little to do with your advancement in the sport...  Rarely is one held back by their equipment.  One shooters opinion  ( I started with Glocks and now shoot SV's) 

 

[Boot]

I agree, but feeling comfortable with a gun will lead to improved accuracy and desire to practice. Some guns just “feel right” while others don’t. 

[HesedTech]

I’m a huge advocate of picking one thing to be good at. I chose USPSA.

 

Each sport has its unique features, training and equipment that works, so if you decide to be a 3-gun competitor, IDPA, USPA or whatever find out what works and put your all into those areas. 

 

I went from a CZ TS 9mm, found out about minor points, decided to shoot production, found heavy guns were easier to shoot, tried a couple and ended up with Tanfoglio S2. I think if the CZ Shadow 2 was out at the time I’d gone that route. 

 

In the end remember it’s a sport and all about achieving a level you can participate in. 

[BelRiose]

I started out shooting a SIG P320 in 9mm for Production, bought an M&P 2.0 in .40 for Limited and slowly upgraded it (magwell, Dawson Sights, TT basepads, Apex FSS trigger), sold the P320 and bought a P320 X5 (w/GG PELT), and just made the jump to a 2011 with an 6" STI .40 that should be arriving this week.

 

Other than the odd Glock purist or convert, it seems like most Limited shooters eventually end up in either the 2011 or CZ/Tanfo camp. I find the mag release button on CZ's to be in a very uncomfortable location that forces me to literally change my grip to reload, so I guess I was always destined for the 2011.

[Thaunk]

I started with a Gock 34 in production.  Not realizing limited minor was a thing I jumped to a 2011 for USPSA and 3 gun.  If you’d like to kill two birds with one stone, kind of, get a .40 and run it in both 3 gun and USPSA. You'll lose a couple rounds of capacity but not n ought to matter in 3 gun. You could also go an entirely different route and build a PCC.  In 3 gun it takes the place of a pistol meaning less stuff and PCC in USPSA is amazingly fun.

[BigAm]

I started with IDPA shooting what I had...and finally started to settle on a few things now.

USPSA was a little aimless at the start, but I got it sorted out a little quicker.

 

IDPA

Para USA GI Expert

CZ SP-01 (found out it was illegal at the time)

Sig P229 Dark Elite

Sig P226 SAO

Springfield Range Officer 9mm

Dan Wesson Valor in 45

STI Eagle 5.0 9mm

STI Marauder

CZ P01 Shadowline (current CCP)

Tanfo Lim Pro (current ESP)

 

USPSA

STI Edge 9mm in limited

STI Eagle 5.0 in limited

Tanfo Stock 2 Xtreme in Production

Tanfo Lim Pro for back up in production

 

Figured out limited minor was stupid pretty fast haha

[Anschutz]

Sig 1911 C3 Compact -> G19 -> G17 <-> Smith 627.

 

Started Single Stack, then went production with the Glock, now shooting Limited Minor. Have been delving into Revo because it's a fun challenge. Limited Minor sucks so I am currently looking to possibly sell my Anschutz and get something more suitable (TSO or Edge likely) 

[kalaikanui]

I started shooting with an M&P full size; picked it because it felt right ergonomically in my hands. Shot two matches with it, but was repulsed by having to put an empty mag in it to show clear (pew - CA mag safety). Next bought an XDM 5.25" and thought that was the answer; started moving up the results page but kinda stalled out... All the while listening to others asking "do you have a 1911" and or "why don't you look for a used 2011?" I kept wondering what the buz was regarding these other guns, until one day at a match, my XDM broke. A fellow competitor loaned me his STI Edge and I shot it like I owned it! Needless to say he had a devil of a time getting it back! I've been a "straight pull trigger" vs a "pivot trigger" guy ever since (well, that's not exactly true as I have scratched the Carry Optics itch with a M&P Core). I shoot Limited, and Limited 10 with a 2011, and have them in 9mm and .40 depending on what format I'm competing in.

With respect to the OP; I'll say that although it's been really fun and interesting to acquire and shoot as of these guns, I'd whole heartedly agree that choosing one and practicing to improve your skills is imperative.

[Overscore]

I like reading people's stories in this thread.  Great thread.

 

Years ago when I decided I need to own a gun and was struggling to figure out what to get, a wise friend said, "Just go get a CZ 75B.  You'll like it."  He was correction.  I soon after got into IDPA and shot that in ESP for a few years.  Then one of the clubs I shot at switched over to USPSA, so I started shooting that.  I thought about getting one of those crazy open guns, but quickly dismissed the thought, because I really find it important to shoot what I carry.

 

I did upgrade to a CZ 85 Combat, which is a variation of the 75B with a few little bonuses that help in competition but while still being suitable for carry.  I still shoot that, but also sometimes shoot (and carry) a Remington R1 Limited, which is a double stack 1911 (2011) in .45.  Best of both worlds for USPSA limited, in that I get reasonable mag capacity and major power factor, and I don't have to have 40 caliber in my life.

 

I shot a friend's Shadow 2 in my last match, and it was great, but I'm just not into buying competition-specific pistols.

 

For 3-gun, which I'm really just getting into, I'm still figuring out what I like.  I have a red dot on my 85 Combat now, so that puts me in open if I shoot it.  And then I compliment that with a Standard Manufacturing SKO-12 box-fed shotgun, and an off-the-shelf DPMS AR.  But, next match I'm going to shoot my plain old 75B, same AR, and a CZ 712 Practical, which will put me in the factory division, or whatever it's called.

 

The theme of my story is that I like to have some options on the table and spread my money among guns, instead of dumping it all into one gun that serves just a single purpose.  I like that I can choose my own adventure for each match, and do so with guns that mostly cost less than $1000.

[Mcfoto]

My story isn't long but here goes:

 

Started with an XDm 4.5 9mm in Production. Scored a gently used but tricked out XDm 5.25 in .40 and went to Limited Major. Last year caught the Revolver bug. Started shooting ICORE Classic with a Smith 66. Over the winter got a 627 and started shooting Limited in that sport. Still shooting the .40 in USPSA but considering either getting the stones to shoot wheelie in that discipline or go Carry Optics to combat the "old-guy-eye-itus." Too many divisions for a newb with a short attention span. SQUIRREL!!!