Stafford Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 Started shooting USPSA 2 months ago and competed in four local club matches. LIked it much better than the 2 IDPA matches and the 2 GSSF Indoor matches I had done previously. I immediately started thinking about pistols, ammo, baseplates, belts, etc... Then started thinking about which class to stick with, Limited or go to Production. And I’ve now realized that I need to just wait. I am going to shoot competition maybe once per month for fun. I’ll stick with Limited Minor and not purchase a belt, or another pistol anytime soon. Why? Because the investment in dollars will overreach the amount of time I’m willing to invest in competition preparation. I like shooting USPSA, but I’m not willing to invest in the amount of dry fire or range practice needed to improve a lot. I would like to improve some, but as of right now, I’m ok with being a D class shooter who will eventually get to C class. I just can’t see investing in another pistol, or a belt/rig, and the ammo if I know I’m not going to dry fire more and shoot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampleworks Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 If you're not using some type of a proper belt made for carrying a holster, whether you plan to shoot once a month or 8 times makes everything else irrelevant. A proper belt, whether a reinforced leather one made for a holster, CR Speed (or any kind of 2 piece velcro design), or one of the "Instructors" belts is as important as your choice of footwear. Unpopular opinion: The vast majority of people who shoot don't pickup their gun outside of shooting a course of fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 You have determined your level of participation. That is just fine. Go out and have fun, there are many people that are doing the same thing. Just don't beat yourself up when you don't do so well. Let time determine if you want more out of the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 Nothing wrong with this at all. I actually respect this a lot, your being honest with yourself as to your level of participation. like someone mentioned above, I would however seriously look into getting a proper belt set-up. Unless what your shooting with now is semi-decent. I see a lot of people spend big dollars on gear, and never train or practice and always have the same results match after match, then complain when they aren't doing so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 10 minutes ago, B21 said: I would look into getting a proper belt set-up. Unless what your shooting with now is semi-decent. Should be able to buy a belt for $30 - 40. Not a big investment. REally should have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stafford Posted September 12, 2019 Author Share Posted September 12, 2019 I agree a belt can be had for $40, but then a doh holster and attachments, etc.... In any event, I can see spending the money on equipment, pistols and ammo. But I just don’t have the drive to dry fire more than 5 minutes once a week, and shoot at paper targets for 100 rounds at the range more than once per week to prepare. Repeatedly practicing draws, mag loads, moving and thinking about possible stages... I just don’t have the desire to do it at home to prepare. I know that if I really, really wanted it, I would do all of those things regularly and try to find extra time to practice them some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalaikanui Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 ^^^What Zombywoof said.... Just come out, make friends and have fun; everybody isn't a master shooter. Focus on making each match your personal best, in time you will acquire knowledge and talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 @Stafford good move. I see so many guys who have been around for 8 years and are still casual C-class guys. But they’ve put $6,000 into a Limited gun with 6-12 tuned mags and a full belt rig. (Or they buy a new gun and gear twice per season.) They could be having 100% of the fun they’re having now with a Glock 17 in Limited Minor. Realizing that on the front end is a well-examined decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 S, I have a couple of friends who started just like you. Clip on holster and mag pouches. They now both have two piece belts, holster and mag pouches. It make a huge difference, even if you are not going to practice draws and dry fire. It is also safer. I shoot with a friend who is never, ever going to make it out of D Class. He doesn't care one whit. He has fun and enjoys the company. Do the same. Shoot whatever Division you have the equipment for. Limited is more fun than Production and requires fewer mags. There is no rule that says you have to put extended base pads on Limited mags to increase capacity. Shoot what you have. Stage plan around your capacity. You can add goodies in the future if you decide to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBurgess Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 17 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: @Stafford good move. I see so many guys who have been around for 8 years and are still casual C-class guys. But they’ve put $6,000 into a Limited gun with 6-12 tuned mags and a full belt rig. (Or they buy a new gun and gear twice per season.) They could be having 100% of the fun they’re having now with a Glock 17 in Limited Minor. Realizing that on the front end is a well-examined decision. that all depends, For many people part of the fun of the game is buying and using "nice" guns and gear. Lucky thing for the High end gun builder out there, because if they only sold guns to shooters that were actually going to benefit form shooting "better" guns there would only be enough work for one guy, probably part time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 (edited) 23 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: @Stafford good move. I see so many guys who have been around for 8 years and are still casual C-class guys. But they’ve put $6,000 into a Limited gun with 6-12 tuned mags and a full belt rig. (Or they buy a new gun and gear twice per season.) They could be having 100% of the fun they’re having now with a Glock 17 in Limited Minor. Realizing that on the front end is a well-examined decision. Maybe I'm weird, but it's WAY more fun for me to play with fancy toys than with cheap toys, and it keeps guys like Eddie Garcia and Adam at Atlas from having to work at a gas station. OTOH, I don't need to post on the internet about my lack of desire to excel at something, so perhaps I just don't understand. Edited September 14, 2019 by motosapiens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, motosapiens said: OTOH, I don't need to post on the internet about my lack of desire to excel at something, so perhaps I just don't understand. I always saw the most appeal in beating the shiny-expensive-toy guys with a $500 POS. Admittedly, I skipped the step about putting in the practice to break into M class, so I am hardly leading by example here. But I really enjoy watching guys like Vogel stomp the Akai/Atlas division, or seeing Nils clean up in Carry Optics with a $400 Canik. Perhaps that’s why I lean the way that I do. Edited September 14, 2019 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 I'll echo what others have said in regards to a decent belt. You need a good belt and holster. Scan the classifieds for deals. No need to buy another gun/gear. Shoot what you have Other than that, Just go out and have fun. Just don't expect to burn down the stages. You are going to get out what you put in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 18 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: But I really enjoy watching guys like Vogel stomp the Akai/Atlas division, or seeing Nils clean up in Carry Optics with a $400 Canik. when nils came out here he got beat by a teenage kid who just started CO and who had a catastrophic gun failure during the match.... but I get what you mean. At the end of the day it's all about performance. But I have a job, so I like to buy nice toys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 Shoot whatever you want as much or as little as you want. Maybe you’ll decide to buy some better gear, maybe not. I started with a Glock 17 20+ years ago. I have all the specialized toys like Open guns, Limited guns, the “hot” Production setup etc. The last match I shot was with a plain old Glock 34. The last time I did dedicated dry fire practice was in the 90’s. If I shot 100 rounds a week I’d probably be doing a lot better, but I have worn my USPSA rig to the range for practice in a very long time. Still have fun at the matches though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unibrain Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 On 9/14/2019 at 5:26 PM, Chuck Anderson said: Still have fun at the matches though. And you still kick butt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Still have fun at the matches though. And you still kick buttMeh, he's okay I guess [emoji23] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoMiE Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 21 minutes ago, Gooldylocks said: Meh, he's okay I guess Someday you will have to take ibuprofen just like the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intheshaw1 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 You don't have to go crazy with a belt rig. I picked up a bargain bin Glock holster and double mag pouch setup from a LGS for about 25 in total. Bought a nice DAA belt to throw it on as a stiff belt makes all the difference. Since then, I just kept my eyes open for great deals on used gear. One of the reasons why I shoot Glock is there is just a ton of gear on the new and used market for a good price. I even just picked up a ton of Glock mags at the last GSSF match the club had. LE trade ins that look brand new for 10 each. The sport only has to be as expensive as you decide to make it. Now 3 gun, that's a different story.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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