A couple of questions on where to begin.

[Walt]

Hello,

My name is Walt and I am very new to everything Firearms. I bought my first rifle in August after shooting for the first time with a group of friends. I enjoyed the experience so much that I picked up one of the rifles I had the most fun with (Yugoslavian SKS) and immediately started thinking about my next purchase. A couple of months ago I started shopping around for a pistol. A few weeks ago I came across a pistol that I felt comfortable with and was in my price range (Beretta .380). After the purchase I talked to my wife about attending a class, which we completed two weeks ago (FIRST Steps Pistol offered by the NRA)

While attending the class I was given a competitive shooting booklet from my instructor for matches offered by the NRA. I thought that they looked great and looked into it further when I came across the world of USPSA and IDPA shooting. Since learning about these leagues I've been very interested in giving it a try.

Because of how new I am to shooting I want to hold off and get more comfortable with shooting in general before moving on to competitive shooting. With this game plan I want to possibly start attending USPSA shoots in 4-6 months time. This will give me some time to save up the cash needed for a larger caliber pistol (I'm looking into a 9mm but am unsure as to what make/model as I haven't been out to rent/shoot any yet).

With all that in mind I would like to possibly take some baby steps at this point. My idea being that I would like to get comfortable with the paper targets I would see at the matches. I have access to a large format plotter at work and was wondering if there is a resource for a full size image that I could print out and work with during normal range time?

I'm also a little confused as to which division to start in. I've seen very positive posts here in regards to newcomers starting in Production division, would that by my best option with setting a start date of 4-6 months? Ideally I would like to purchase a pistol and use it without upgrades, more or less straight out of the box (or as-is if purchasing used).

Thanks

-Walt

[GentlemanJim]

Welcome to the forum Walt!

You should find a uspsa club in your area...go see the folks there ..I am sure you can find some new friends to help you out!!

Targets are available....or get some from a local club.

The people in this sport are very good at helping new shooters...we NEED you as a new shooter...more folks =more fun!!!

You can come to this forum and get answers to about any question you may have.

Jim

[Merlin Orr]

Walt... Welcome to the Forums!

Find out where and when USPSA and IDPA matches are held. Attend Several of each as an onlooker. Ask questions of the people who are shooting. Many if not most of the people attending will share ideas and information with you without you having to even ask them. As a whole competition shooters are a friendly and helpful group. With this accomplished you will have a good idea as to what you will enjoy and what division and what equipment you will need.

Enjoy it all - it's a wonderful sport obsession.

[Kingman]

Welcome, as others have said go to a match and watch. They will help you.

[G-ManBart]

Hey Walt,

Welcome! You're going to get advice from some of the best shooters in the world here, so you're off to a great start. There are a lot of ways you can go about this, but I'll throw and idea or two out there. If you tell us where you're located, I'm willing to bet that someone here would be more than happy to work with you and your wife at getting to the point you're ready to shoot a match. They'll also probably give you a couple of targets you could use as a template...we go through lots so a couple doesn't mean much

Along those lines, they'd likely have you come out to a match to get a feel for what's involved and see how much fun it is and how nice the shooters are. If there isn't anyone here that's in your area, check out the USPSA website and do the "find a club" function...then contact the person they list and just tell them you're a new shooter who's interested. You will be greeted with enthusiasm for sure.

Many clubs have a program specifically for new shooters. Some are more formal than others, but most realize it's the lifeblood of the sport to get new people involved. We have a practice match every month and encourage new shooters to show up. We'll even put together guns, gear and ammo for someone that's really interested, but doesn't have the equipment yet...I've done that for a couple of folks over the years and they've always had a good time. Normally someone will literally walk you through everything from start to finish. That's also how it's often handled at your first match. They'll put you with a solid shooter who can talk you through the match so you're safe and have fun rather than get frustrated.

Production is a great way to get started. There are any number of guns that will work, but the most common are Glocks, Springfield XDs and Smith M&Ps. That's not to say you won't see a few Berettas, H&Ks, Sigs etc. If you hook up with folks in the local club you'll probably get to shoot any number of guns to see what you like. It may seem odd, but USPSA/IDPA shooters are usually more than happy to let you pop a few rounds out of their blaster. If Production isn't really popular at the local club they'll still know what will and what won't work and can guide you. Whatever you do, don't go to the local gun store and ask for their advice on what to buy....99% of the time they won't know...trust me on that one! A decent gun, a basic kydex holster, four mag pouches, five magazines, a heavy belt and some ammo and you're ready to take on the best!

One caution...it's an addiction

[BSeevers]

Walt

Where are you from?

I figure one of the regulars is across town from you

[Walt]

Thanks for all the info so far, I'll definately look into going to a match as an onlooker.

I'm in the Reading, PA Area (Muhlenberg Township) and it looks like the closest range that holds matches is in Topton, PA

[1911nm]

Welcome Walt. I agree with the other posters, come out and watch. There are all kinds of hints here for beginners and experienced shooters, but as I am a visual person, I get alot out of just watching others. Plug USPSA in youtube also, lots of video clips.

[SA Friday]

http://www.uspsa8.org/clubs.htm#Pennsylvania

Enter the address and there you go. All the clubs around you. You might want to look at the NJ clubs too as they might not be that far from you either. South Chester, Topton, and York are the three that are pretty close to you. I am just outside of Andrews AFB, MD and regularly drive up to the South Chester and York matches. There are a lot of shooters right there in your area. The York matches get pretty full with 70+ shooters. You HAVE to come out and see one, even if you are not shooting it.

I started shooting USPSA in March 2006, and haven't looked back. Before I shot a match, I went to two matches and just watched and bugged everyone with a million questions. You cannot wear out your welcome asking questions to someone who is passionate about what they do. So, I wasn't really bugging them. Actually, I was offered enough equipment on loan to probably start my own club at those two matches. There is always extra gear and ammo at a match, and most are willing to loan it out to a new shooter. Contact any of the match directors and see if there is a safety course requirement for shooting matches there. There usually is a requirement to take a USPSA safety class before you can shoot any USPSA match. Don't fear the safety course. It's designed to ensure that you have the basic skills and understanding of the sport to shoot safely.

As for understanding the rules and gear, the two best things you can do is read the USPSA rules off of the USPSA web site and go watch a match and ask the shooters questions. Reading the stuff on this Forum helps a lot too, but be careful of info overload at first. You just won't understand some of the stuff on this site at first. Focus on what gear is necessary and the rules of the sports.

Most start out small, become hopelessly addicted, and then move on to the more expensive guns. Starting out, I would recommend focusing on Production Division or Limited 10 Division. As for guns, 9mm is the most popular in Production and 40 S&W in Lim 10. Glocks, CZ's, Springfield XD's, and S&W M&P's are the more popular choices out there for Production.

See you at a match.

[bruce282]

IDPA PA Clubs

This a list of the local IDPA clubs in PA. There are several in the Allentown area. Same deal as USPSA, friendly folks and most of the guns used in USPSA Production are legal for the SSP division in IDPA. I shoot them both, the rules and ideologies are a little bit different between the two, but to me trigger time is trigger time.

Welcome.

Bruce

[Madcap Magician]

Walt,

As mentioned before, you're off to a great start. The biggest thing you have going that even the top shooters have is motivation. You want to shoot and you want to be better. Something else is that you recognize you're a beginner and will build up some skill before competition. That is very commendable. As Ken Hackathorn says, there are 3 things all American males think that they are experts in from birth... shoot, drive fast, and well I'll refrain from mentioning last for language decency... That being said, don't be afraid of watching some matches. Get to know everyone, help out and you will find that your learning curve will be a lot better than trying to learn on your own.

On the pistol selection, if you are getting used to the Beretta operating system, the 92FS is a great gun. They are very shootable, have a positive mag release, easy slide release, and very hard to jam. There are a lot of used police guns that were shot little, and pretty cheap. If you're heart's not set on the Berettas, a Glock or Smith M&P in 9mm are very viable options. Production is an easy division to shoot, and has a lower startup cost than the others. Good luck with your endeavor and please ask questions.