IDPA 5x5 going all wrong

[eboos]

I just started shooting IDPA this year after being away from shooting sports entirely since the Area 7 UPSPA championship in 2017. I needed to do a classifier so I could register for regionals. Using a new slide and SRO on my G34, I shot it for the first time on Wednesday and did a practice 5x5. Having never done one before, and having never practiced Bill Drills, I shot a respectable raw time of 20:03 although I dropped 10 shots for a 30:03 score. I didn't sweat it though as I was sure that I would do much better after Sunday's match. I was wrong!

 

Being only my second IDPA match, I was struggling with the lack of rigidity in my holster (Bladetech Classic w/Techlock and NexBelt, Bladetech mag pouches), but I was also surprisingly having trouble finding the dot. This wasn't a problem previously during dryfire, but on Sunday I just wasn't presenting to target very well at all. Times were slow but accuracy was mostly there. In all but two stages I maybe dropped one or two shots, but the two stages where I messed up I really messed up. After the match and clean up it was time to record a classifier.

 

The first string I was a second slower than my time on Wednesday and my accuracy was terrible. I was all over the place. The second string was equally slow and terrible. Third string I was grouping well, but I was grouping very high, -1 for nearly each shot just below the head. Forth string I was placing body shots in the head and the head shot was a miss. The only thing that I could think was "WTF!". To make matters worse (not like this would have saved my score) the time was about 4 seconds slower. I had an opportunity to reshoot so I went to go again. First stage: sucked, second: sucked, third: all my shots were well grouped in the head despite my aiming for the body. At that point I touched my site and found it flopping around. I didn't put any loctite on when I mounted it and the screws backed out nearly all the way. That would do it! I showed clear and packed it in. Threw some blue on it when I got home (did my carry gun as well). On the plus side, I doubt I will ever do any worse.

[RangerTrace]

I've been shooting IDPA since 2017 and USPSA since 2008.  I have an "A" Class Limited classification, but I haven't been a true A since since 2014ish.  I've been .1 second away from making Master on the 5x5, but have never managed to shoot it clean/fast enough.   My goals, which should work for you are:  1.  Get a perfect grip on the gun and a 1 second draw, 2.  find the dot, 3.  grip the crap out of the gun and 4.  let them rip.  IDPA is accuracy biased and it's unlikely you will shoot fast enough to make up for very many +1s or +3s.  

 

Personally, I think I would do much better on the long classifier, but I can't get them to shoot one.

[Joe4d]

4 hours ago, RangerTrace said:

I've been shooting IDPA since 2017 and USPSA since 2008.  I have an "A" Class Limited classification, but I haven't been a true since since 2014ish.  I've been .1 second away from making Master on the 5x5, but have never managed to shoot it clean/fast enough.   My goals, which should work for you are:  1.  Get a perfect grip on the gun and a 1 second draw, 2.  find the dot, 3.  grip the crap out of the gun and 4.  let them rip.  IDPA is accuracy biased and it's unlikely you will shoot fast enough to make up for very many +1s or +3s.  

 

Personally, I think I would do much better on the long classifier, but I can't get them to shoot one.

gonna have to set this up and give it a worl with the newer down penalties..
Back in the long ago, I was an ESP expert IDPA,,, shot IPSC for about 2 years came back and hit master on the old 90 shot ? COF,  Was a C USPSA at the time, but I imagine that was due to shooting in 10 round mag land as I moved up to B shortly after. 

[Racinready300ex]

37 minutes ago, Joe4d said:

gonna have to set this up and give it a worl with the newer down penalties..
Back in the long ago, I was an ESP expert IDPA,,, shot IPSC for about 2 years came back and hit master on the old 90 shot ? COF,  Was a C USPSA at the time, but I imagine that was due to shooting in 10 round mag land as I moved up to B shortly after. 

 

Back in the day most people struggled with the 90 round classifier. It seemed to over test distance shooting compared to matches. Most people I shot with couldn't shoot there classification on that classifier. I started in IDPA, made MA on that classifier with a revo, then moved to uspsa maybe a year later and got classified as A. The bar was way higher then in uspsa and it's even higher now.

 

The 5x5 is pretty easy in comparison I think. You do need to shoot it pretty much clean. And match bumps now you only need to be 4 or 5 guys so that's much easier too. 

[Joe4d]

probably why I started sucking at USPSA and couldnt compete with my class. I was a better shooter than runner. I think alot of folks fell for that "Combat" accuracy nonsense that was the rage in the gun rags at the time...  and called 4 inch 25 yard groups ok.
I was shooting a hand fit Para 16/40 with either a Barsto or Ed Brown,, which may have been barsto barrel. 
Stage 3,, the one with the wall barricade, pretty much was the classifier, 20-25 yards or so IIRC.  Stage 1 sure was tedious.

[waktasz]

4 inch 25 yard groups are absolutely OK for this sport. 

[eboos]

3 hours ago, waktasz said:

4 inch 25 yard groups are absolutely OK for this sport. 

Was running Pendulum yesterday and butchered it. Apparently 10 inches at 18 yards was a big ask.