Pistol In Ssp With 8 Round Mags ?

[Wayne]

Hello,

I have not been here for quite awhile, and also have not been able to shoot IDPA for awhile. But would like to get started again. I always shot revolver, and will continue. But I would like to shoot a pistol or two in SSP. I would like to shoot a CCW gun like my S&W 4053, 8 round .40 S&W. Now I understand I will be short on mag capacity per mag., depending on the COF's, but with 3 mags, I'm still at 24 rounds, which should always be enough to finish ? Worst case scenario I have an extra mag change in some cases ?

I'm not really concerned about overall times for myself, with an extra mag change. But am I missing something here that will mess up the system if I have only 8 round mags ?

Thanks,

Edited January 8, 2006 by Wayne

[Clay1]

Go, take what you have and have fun! Will you be in the running for the national championship with an 8 rounder? Probably not, but the truth is that most of us aren't no matter how many rounds are in the run. Take your carry piece and you will get more familiar with it and see what a realistic expectation is with it under match pressure.

Enjoy yourself.

Rick

[Chico]

As the maximum number of rounds an any IDPA stage is 18, you will not be at a deficit. From a local match to a major match the range for the number of extra reloads (8-round magazines versus 10-round) will be 1 to 2 or 3. For a 1.5 second reload, that is the equivalent of 3 points down.

[Duane Thomas]

but with 3 mags, I'm still at 24 rounds

25, actually, since you start with a round in the chamber.

Whether having two less rounds in-gun will be a disadvantage depends on course design. I've shot matches I swear were designed around a 9-shot handgun.

[Wayne]

but with 3 mags, I'm still at 24 rounds

25, actually, since you start with a round in the chamber.

Whether having two less rounds in-gun will be a disadvantage depends on course design. I've shot matches I swear were designed around a 9-shot handgun.

Good point, I forgot to ask. I was trying to remember. Can you load the gun, remove the mag, holster the gun, put the extra round back in the mag, and back in the gun for 9, or some other legal way to get nine in the first load ??

Thanks,

[Duane Thomas]

The most common - and efficient = way to get the gun topped off at Load and Make Ready is to use what's called a "Barney mag" (after Barney Fife's "one bullet"). At L&MR, you draw the gun, insert the Barney mag (which can actually contain more than "one bullet", it's just we're using this mag ONLY to load the chamber), rack the action, pop out the Barney mag, put it away, insert a full mag into the gun, then holster it. This gets the gun fully loaded while minimizing the amount of gun juggling, taking the gun in and out of the holster, etc. you have to do.

[Wayne]

The most common - and efficient = way to get the gun topped off at Load and Make Ready is to use what's called a "Barney mag" (after Barney Fife's "one bullet"). At L&MR, you draw the gun, insert the Barney mag (which can actually contain more than "one bullet", it's just we're using this mag ONLY to load the chamber), rack the action, pop out the Barney mag, put it away, insert a full mag into the gun, then holster it. This gets the gun fully loaded while minimizing the amount of gun juggling, taking the gun in and out of the holster, etc. you have to do.

Thanks Duane. Since I always shot revolvers, I really never paid much attention to what the pistol guys were doing. I like the "Barney Mag" name. After all Barney Fife is are hero, always did his job, or at least gave a try!!

[Duane Thomas]

I always had a soft spot in my heart for ol' Barney, myself. The seasons with Don Knotts as Barney Fife were definitely the best of The Andy Griffith Show.

[GmanCdp]

just shoot the COF's as you would with your revolver....most stages are set up as 2 or 3 targets per aray.. before moving to the next P point of the stage do a reload... also just watch a CDP shooter run the COF,you would be in the same mag capacity as most of them