P320 - Division?

[Woodsparrow]

I've got a P320 with a Wilson carry grip I really like - I put a Sig Romeo 1 Pro on it, basically best optic I could find in-budget at the time. If I wanted to shoot USPSA some time, what else would I need? I don't have a holster/belt, and only have 3 magazines, and they're all 17 rounders.

 

In...probably 2016 I had geared myself up to finally do it - bought a longtime life goal CZ Shadow Orange, 10 magazines, springer precision pads, a belt, a nice competition holster. And all of it's still in the box because life changes. So I'm probably going to pass it along once I get enough comments here (I'm at 36 on a several years old account). Basically just having to condense crap due to moving, and as much as I love my CZ, I've got 500 rounds through it, can't buy ammo, and have negative zero time - at least the Sig I could carry if I wanted to.

 

 

[Racinready300ex]

The 320 is pretty popular set up for CO. You can add mag extensions at some point but starting off you'll be fine with 17's. You can run 140's in CO which hold about 23 rounds with spring and follower. So you'd be looking at a extra 50-60 bucks per mag to upgrade them. 

 

If you're trying to do it on the cheap I'd just get a holster and two mag pouches and call it a day. No reason someone can't be competitive at the local level with a set up like that. 

[Woodsparrow]

Yeah, after I went so hard and did nada, I was looking to ease in this time - get to a point where supplies are limiting not skill, maybe. Is 3 magazines enough? Or do you need 5?

 

Can I start with a cheapo belt, or do I 'really need' to start with a competition belt?

[BillChunn]

16 minutes ago, Woodsparrow said:

Yeah, after I went so hard and did nada, I was looking to ease in this time - get to a point where supplies are limiting not skill, maybe. Is 3 magazines enough? Or do you need 5?

 

Can I start with a cheapo belt, or do I 'really need' to start with a competition belt?

 

3 magazines are fine to start, just make sure you have something in your gun bag to clean the ones that get dropped.  They tend to hit the ground bullets first as that is the heavy part.  Dirt / sand / mud gets into the magazine and can really foul it up.  When that happens, be able to quickly disassemble the magazine, clean it and re-assemble it to be ready for the next stage.

 

There is a ton of equipment out there.  Hold off buying a competition belt until you see what is in use at the range or a match.  People will be more than willing to tell you about their gear and why the selected what they did, just ask.  But don't ask questions when they are the "on deck" shooter who might be mentally going through their stage plan at that moment.

 

BC

[Racinready300ex]

21 minutes ago, Woodsparrow said:

Yeah, after I went so hard and did nada, I was looking to ease in this time - get to a point where supplies are limiting not skill, maybe. Is 3 magazines enough? Or do you need 5?

 

Can I start with a cheapo belt, or do I 'really need' to start with a competition belt?

 

In CO you can fill your mags up, so 3 17's give you 51 rounds and the biggest stage you'll see is 32. So that should be fine. 

 

Good belts are better but I've shot matches with $10 belts from Walmart. Those Walmart belts wont last for ever, but they'll work. And it's not like your gun is all that heavy which will make it easier. 

[Eric802]

27 minutes ago, Woodsparrow said:

Yeah, after I went so hard and did nada, I was looking to ease in this time - get to a point where supplies are limiting not skill, maybe. Is 3 magazines enough? Or do you need 5?

 

Can I start with a cheapo belt, or do I 'really need' to start with a competition belt?

There's the "start with inexpensive stuff in case you end up not enjoying it" theory, and the "buy once cry once" theory. I was on a limited budget when I started (still am) and went with a cheap belt/mag holder set from a company called Krydex on Amazon - it was less than $60 for the belts (inner and outer) and 4 mag carriers.  I've since added a 5th one.  I think it's a Black Scorpion knock-off. It is definitely not the best quality - the belt is not nearly as stiff as the name-brand belts, but it holds my holster just fine and is certainly not holding me back at all.  I'm not necessarily recommending that route, but it's viable.  

 

The first couple matches I shot were actually with a 511 concealed carry belt and USGI surplus mag pouches, so the set-up from Amazon was a significant improvement.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Eric802

[Woodsparrow]

21 minutes ago, BillChunn said:

 

3 magazines are fine to start, just make sure you have something in your gun bag to clean the ones that get dropped.  They tend to hit the ground bullets first as that is the heavy part.  Dirt / sand / mud gets into the magazine and can really foul it up.  When that happens, be able to quickly disassemble the magazine, clean it and re-assemble it to be ready for the next stage.

 

There is a ton of equipment out there.  Hold off buying a competition belt until you see what is in use at the range or a match.  People will be more than willing to tell you about their gear and why the selected what they did, just ask.  But don't ask questions when they are the "on deck" shooter who might be mentally going through their stage plan at that moment.

 

BC

 

So here we're just talking pull the base plate, get the dirt out, maybe a little oil to prevent rust, then re-assemble? So something like a CLP or Clenzoil wipe?

 

I never leave the house for a range-day without at least a couple tools for the given firearms I'm taking, so I should be good there. Too many 'well we drove an hour out to Maypearl and lost one screw so guess we're not shooting today at all'. things.

[Woodsparrow]

23 minutes ago, Racinready300ex said:

 

In CO you can fill your mags up, so 3 17's give you 51 rounds and the biggest stage you'll see is 32. So that should be fine. 

 

Good belts are better but I've shot matches with $10 belts from Walmart. Those Walmart belts wont last for ever, but they'll work. And it's not like your gun is all that heavy which will make it easier. 

 

Yeah, at this point I'm moving from 'real race rig' to 'screw it, can I just show up and try this for once in my life' expectations. I may still buy a couple backup magazines, I prefer to have 5 for anything, just haven't gotten around to it.

[Woodsparrow]

21 minutes ago, Eric802 said:

There's the "start with inexpensive stuff in case you end up not enjoying it" theory, and the "buy once cry once" theory. I was on a limited budget when I started (still am) and went with a cheap belt/mag holder set from a company called Krydex on Amazon - it was less than $60 for the belts (inner and outer) and 4 mag carriers.  I've since added a 5th one.  I think it's a Black Scorpion knock-off. It is definitely not the best quality - the belt is not nearly as stiff as the name-brand belts, but it holds my holster just fine and is certainly not holding me back at all.  I'm not necessarily recommending that route, but it's viable.  

 

The first couple matches I shot were actually with a 511 concealed carry belt and USGI surplus mag pouches, so the set-up from Amazon was a significant improvement.

 

I used to be in the 'buy once, cry once', category, but I've subsequently wasted too much money and time on over-gearing everything, so now I'm in the 'buy cheap, use it till it breaks, then upgrade' camp.

[Racinready300ex]

26 minutes ago, Woodsparrow said:

 

I used to be in the 'buy once, cry once', category, but I've subsequently wasted too much money and time on over-gearing everything, so now I'm in the 'buy cheap, use it till it breaks, then upgrade' camp.

 

I think that's kind of common. Buy a ton of gear and never end up using it because the focus is on the gear. The focus should just be on getting out there and shooting.

 

I know a few guys who do pretty well with just a 320 and three 23 round mags a normal belt with two pouches and a basic kydex holster. Pretty much a IDPA rig less the fishing vest. The only real limitation with that set up is you and the time you're willing to invest in getting good. 

[Woodsparrow]

1 hour ago, Racinready300ex said:

 

I think that's kind of common. Buy a ton of gear and never end up using it because the focus is on the gear. The focus should just be on getting out there and shooting.

 

I know a few guys who do pretty well with just a 320 and three 23 round mags a normal belt with two pouches and a basic kydex holster. Pretty much a IDPA rig less the fishing vest. The only real limitation with that set up is you and the time you're willing to invest in getting good. 

Yeah. I never envisioned the gear helping - it was just stuff I wanted and I figured it wasn't too expensive (at the time I was single, now I'm married and we've got a 7 year old). It was spiffy having a closet full of fun guns, but now I'm like 'I've got 17 minutes between X and Y if I want to practice something it's got to be specific'.

[SGT_Schultz]

8 hours ago, Woodsparrow said:

I've got a P320 with a Wilson carry grip I really like - I put a Sig Romeo 1 Pro on it, basically best optic I could find in-budget at the time. If I wanted to shoot USPSA some time, what else would I need? I don't have a holster/belt, and only have 3 magazines, and they're all 17 rounders.

 

In...probably 2016 I had geared myself up to finally do it - bought a longtime life goal CZ Shadow Orange, 10 magazines, springer precision pads, a belt, a nice competition holster. And all of it's still in the box because life changes. So I'm probably going to pass it along once I get enough comments here (I'm at 36 on a several years old account). Basically just having to condense crap due to moving, and as much as I love my CZ, I've got 500 rounds through it, can't buy ammo, and have negative zero time - at least the Sig I could carry if I wanted to.

 

 

 

Your pistol is perfect to start with in CO.  Just two or three cheapo plastic mag pouches, a stiff pants belt (your ccw belt should do), and a basic plastic holster is all you need.

 

The advice on mags that you got earlier today is spot on.  Just don't add a magwell, they're not allowed in carry optics.

[louu]

This https://uspsa.org/rules

 

And you might as well just go ahead and post a picture in your for sale ad

[BillChunn]

19 hours ago, Woodsparrow said:

So here we're just talking pull the base plate, get the dirt out, maybe a little oil to prevent rust, then re-assemble?

 

One of the things to remember is that the spring has to push all the loaded rounds upward before the slide cycles so a round makes it into the chamber.  Weak, dirty or worn out springs cause jams by not pushing the round up fast enough to be in place before the slide picks it off the magazine.  Rounds will roll or slide against the side of the magazine depending on how much friction is generated as they are pushed upward.

 

There are products out there that do a fantastic job lubricating the inside of the magazines.  Mag Slick (link) is a dry lubrication you spray on the inside of a cleaned magazine (preferable in a "well ventilated area" as the instructions state) that dries to a film.  Wet lubricants tend to trap and hold onto dirt.

 

The second item is a good magazine brush (there are several) that you can use to brush out the dirt and accumulated junk after the loaded magazine hits the ground.  A cleaning patch is wrapped around the tip and then the brush is inserted from the bottom.  The spring and follower are cleaned along with the basepad.  Everything is put back together and you are good to go. 

 

The ability to quickly clean a magazine comes in handy, specifically if you are up first on the next stage.

 

BC

[Woodsparrow]

14 hours ago, SGT_Schultz said:

 

Your pistol is perfect to start with in CO.  Just two or three cheapo plastic mag pouches, a stiff pants belt (your ccw belt should do), and a basic plastic holster is all you need.

 

The advice on mags that you got earlier today is spot on.  Just don't add a magwell, they're not allowed in carry optics.

 

I hadn't planned on it this time, but thanks for the advice, I'll make sure I stay away.

[Woodsparrow]

1 hour ago, BillChunn said:

 

One of the things to remember is that the spring has to push all the loaded rounds upward before the slide cycles so a round makes it into the chamber.  Weak, dirty or worn out springs cause jams by not pushing the round up fast enough to be in place before the slide picks it off the magazine.  Rounds will roll or slide against the side of the magazine depending on how much friction is generated as they are pushed upward.

 

There are products out there that do a fantastic job lubricating the inside of the magazines.  Mag Slick (link) is a dry lubrication you spray on the inside of a cleaned magazine (preferable in a "well ventilated area" as the instructions state) that dries to a film.  Wet lubricants tend to trap and hold onto dirt.

 

The second item is a good magazine brush (there are several) that you can use to brush out the dirt and accumulated junk after the loaded magazine hits the ground.  A cleaning patch is wrapped around the tip and then the brush is inserted from the bottom.  The spring and follower are cleaned along with the basepad.  Everything is put back together and you are good to go. 

 

The ability to quickly clean a magazine comes in handy, specifically if you are up first on the next stage.

 

BC

 Never would have thought of cleaning a mag like that. I'm also used to non-competition situations where it doesn't much matter if you leave it to dry for a few hours.

[SGT_Schultz]

It seems to me that those who are in a habit of tearing down mags and cleaning them after each stage either shoot or used to shoot open or limited pistols with finicky magazines.

 

In my experience, those using duty/service pistols for competition are far less likely to clean mags during a match and less likely to have dirty mag related problems.  Service pistols and their magazines are designed to be more tolerant of such abuse.

 

This year I've shot two major matches in a neighboring state where the soil is very fine and sandy.  In both matches I simply unloaded mags and ran the followers up and down a few inches a couple of times, and wiped the outside on my pants.  Did not have a single malfunction in the 20 stages that made up both matches.

 

The guns were CZ polymer pistols with their OEM magazines.

[Woodsparrow]

3 hours ago, louu said:

This https://uspsa.org/rules

 

And you might as well just go ahead and post a picture in your for sale ad

 

This isn't a FS ad. I'll make one eventually, but didn't want to just come in and crap up the place, since the FAQ says it's a common issue. I only mentioned the CZ to explain where I started - you can see that a lot of people talked about gearing and agreed that I over-geared etc.

 

Mostly I hadn't looked at USPSA in a couple years, and forgot the divisions, or what items I would 'need'. Hell, I joined a couple years ago and just don't post much, my last thread was about trying to make a 1911 from parts in 2020 (which I decided was way above my 'glock' skill level for now).

[Woodsparrow]

1 minute ago, SGT_Schultz said:

It seems to me that those who are in a habit of tearing down mags and cleaning them after each stage either shoot or used to shoot open or limited pistols with finicky magazines.

 

In my experience, those using duty/service pistols for competition are far less likely to clean mags during a match and less likely to have dirty mag related problems.  Service pistols and their magazines are designed to be more tolerant of such abuse.

 

This year I've shot two major matches in a neighboring state where the soil is very fine and sandy.  In both matches I simply unloaded mags and ran the followers up and down a few inches a couple of times, and wiped the outside on my pants.  Did not have a single malfunction in the 20 stages that made up both matches.

 

The guns were CZ polymer pistols with their OEM magazines.

 

So KISS principal? I'm fine with being a lazy bum too

[SGT_Schultz]

34 minutes ago, Woodsparrow said:

 

So KISS principal? I'm fine with being a lazy bum too

Do only what is necessary.

[Woodsparrow]

2 hours ago, SGT_Schultz said:

Do only what is necessary.

 

Ha. Most of the time my guns are an exercise in the opposite. I really like building things, and having a box of parts that becomes a gun is fun, but if you're buying X, might as well by 'performance Y' for 3$ more instead...

 

Which ends up with me making silly guns half the time.

[AR_James]

On 8/2/2021 at 4:36 PM, SGT_Schultz said:

 

Your pistol is perfect to start with in CO.  Just two or three cheapo plastic mag pouches, a stiff pants belt (your ccw belt should do), and a basic plastic holster is all you need.

 

The advice on mags that you got earlier today is spot on.  Just don't add a magwell, they're not allowed in carry optics.

 

The Wilson grip has an "enlarged, integrated magwell opening for fast reloads", so would that make it illegal for USPSA Carry Optics?  

 

 

  

[Woodsparrow]

1 hour ago, AR_James said:

 

The Wilson grip has an "enlarged, integrated magwell opening for fast reloads", so would that make it illegal for USPSA Carry Optics?  

 

 

  

Well, that would suck for me.  Guess I'd have to buy a different grip.

[Racinready300ex]

I think they ruled it's fine. Search the forums it's here somewhere I'm sure. I think at first they said no and later changed there mind. 

[terrydoc]

On 8/2/2021 at 11:35 PM, Woodsparrow said:

Yeah, after I went so hard and did nada, I was looking to ease in this time - get to a point where supplies are limiting not skill, maybe. Is 3 magazines enough? Or do you need 5?

 

Can I start with a cheapo belt, or do I 'really need' to start with a competition belt?

Use the gear you have for the CZ and just get a holster of your choice for the Sig.