True carry rig in USPSA, that sucked

[RJH]

After seeing the "what do you carry vs compete" with thread i decided to use my actual carry gun and rig in a USPSA match to see how it would work out, the answer was bad, very bad HAHA.  I generally shoot limited with an XDM in 40 and am about a %70 B class shooter.  My rig in limited is nothing fancy, a DOH type holster and a couple of pouches so I didn't think swapping to my carry rig would be much of a difference, but I was wrong.  My carry gun is an XDM 3.8 compact in 40, and i used my OWB kydex holster and all draws and reloads were made from under the cover of an untucked shirt, just like I carry, no IDPA gamer shirt or jacket .  The only thing that was not like I carry was that I downloaded to 10 rounds to get some reloading reps in.  

 

So, what was the cost in score you might be wondering?  Well, there were 2 guys that i generally shoot very similar scores with, and they both beat me by ~%25 in the overalls.   So the cost in scores was HUGE.  It was a fun, frustrating, and learning  experiment and I am likely to do it about once a year or so, but I wont be making a habit of it.  It was interesting how much of a pain drawing under a shirt was under a timer, when practicing at the house it never seems to be an issue.  So if one day your mental faculties are running low, grab your true carry rig and head to a match, I kinda recommend it HAHA

[MemphisMechanic]

I did this once with a baby 7+1 singlestack Walther PPS, reloading to 8rd mags because that is the way I carry it.

 

Had to shoot Limited to make the Appendix holster legal. I plan to do this often, it’s really educational to take the competition belt off.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2019 by MemphisMechanic

[Thomas H]

2 hours ago, RJH said:

After seeing the "what do you carry vs compete" with thread i decided to use my actual carry gun and rig in a USPSA match to see how it would work out, the answer was bad, very bad HAHA.  I generally shoot limited with an XDM in 40 and am about a %70 B class shooter.  My rig in limited is nothing fancy, a DOH type holster and a couple of pouches so I didn't think swapping to my carry rig would be much of a difference, but I was wrong.  My carry gun is an XDM 3.8 compact in 40, and i used my OWB kydex holster and all draws and reloads were made from under the cover of an untucked shirt, just like I carry, no IDPA gamer shirt or jacket .  The only thing that was not like I carry was that I downloaded to 10 rounds to get some reloading reps in.  

 

So, what was the cost in score you might be wondering?  Well, there were 2 guys that i generally shoot very similar scores with, and they both beat me by ~%25 in the overalls.   So the cost in scores was HUGE.  It was a fun, frustrating, and learning  experiment and I am likely to do it about once a year or so, but I wont be making a habit of it.  It was interesting how much of a pain drawing under a shirt was under a timer, when practicing at the house it never seems to be an issue.  So if one day your mental faculties are running low, grab your true carry rig and head to a match, I kinda recommend it HAHA

 

How much time did all the extra reloads add, compared to normal?

 

[RJH]

33 minutes ago, Thomas H said:

 

How much time did all the extra reloads add, compared to normal?

 

 

Hard to say for sure, i generally hit reloads pretty good, and did pretty decent yesterday, but reloading from concealment  an the compact grip slowed me down some.  I was about 20 seconds slower than the guys i generally shoot around over 5 fairly short stages.  My draws were painfully slow too.  My hits were pretty good and i know i was taking a little more time with sight picture than normal too. I didn't look at the timer for actual reload times, but I think over the course of the match the extra reloads, reloads from concealment, and drawing from concealment make 20 seconds seem about right.  I know that is not a great answer, but it is my best guess.

[zzt]

I shoot Limited and Open.  I drew an XD-4" 9mm from a prize table and had the gunsmith who was sending it to my FFL put a match trigger kit in it.  I figured I'd try Production with it.  NOPE!  That thing recoils and the muzzle jump it amazingly high with factory 115 and 124.  I shot one outlaw steel match with it and decided to stick with my full size metal guns.

[IVC]

Did you shoot Limited or Production? The caliber would suggest Limited, but the capacity and reloading suggest Production. Your rig not only affected how fast you could reload, but also how often you would have to do it, which affected overall strategy. 

 

If I were to shoot such a rig, the draw speed would be the least of my concern. You normally have a few steps to your first position anyways, so a fraction of a second per stage, if that, should be negligible. The most difference would come from modifying strategy and slow reloads if you couldn't get them on the move. 

[RJH]

32 minutes ago, IVC said:

Did you shoot Limited or Production? The caliber would suggest Limited, but the capacity and reloading suggest Production. Your rig not only affected how fast you could reload, but also how often you would have to do it, which affected overall strategy. 

 

If I were to shoot such a rig, the draw speed would be the least of my concern. You normally have a few steps to your first position anyways, so a fraction of a second per stage, if that, should be negligible. The most difference would come from modifying strategy and slow reloads if you couldn't get them on the move. 

I shot l10, wanted my points.  Basically every stage was draw and shoot, just the way they were this time, so the draw was a factor especially getting the shirt out of the way when you are not used to it. Relatively slow reloads were definitely an issue, when shooting ss (i am A class in that) reloads were never an issue, but a short grip and also reloading from under a shirt makes a marked difference. Like i said, none of this was gamer gear, it was 100 percent how I carry, i was surprised at the difference it made. I suggest trying if you never have

[HCH]

I think I’d rather die behind the chemical shed before I shot another match from concealment.