We are our own worst enemy

[Middle Man]

Shooters can be their own worst enemy in regards to marketing the sport when they dismiss XYZ brand of firearm out of hand with no first hand knowledge or experience. Serving up opinions based on nothing is a disservice to those seeking knowledge.

[JKSNIPER]

WOOF,

GREAT POST DUDE!

Its how many of us got into shooting in the first place.

We were brought to the range by brothers or fathers, uncles, etc..wanting us to share in their fun.

I brought my son and daughter to the range as well as my wife.

My wife does not like shooting the autos because of the brass striking her in the face every once in a while.

So she shoots the revolver I have. My old duty pistol.

My son and his friend Ken and Ken's girlfriend went to the range the other day.

Ken's girlfriend is now "into" it and wants to try a match.

Woof has it right.

Invite someone to come to the range with you and bring extra stuff for them to use.

Thats how the sport grows.

JK

[rhett45acp]

I got my A$$ kicked last weekend by a stock Glock. One guy was shooting a Beretta, very well. My mentor shot a Beretta and kicked my butt ever match. He shot it because he "liked it", in minor.

OK, time to laugh . I went to my first IPSC match with a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine. A: I did not know I was going to a match B: I did not shoot the match with the Ruger.

I was hooked immediately. I found my new drug dealer!

[combat tupperware]

When I first started shooting USPSA I was a bit warry of trying it. I had heard that it was all about who could afford the 'best' gun and not necessarily about skill of the shooter or that the people were not into helping new/rookie shooters. The 'mentor' who got me started told me to bring my 9mm and my .45 ACP Glocks and shoot both production and limited 10 that day. There were a couple people that I knew there and they and everyone there was helpful in making sure that I knew what I was doing safely and that I had fun while I was there. Since then I have started shooting limited and I still shoot a Glock. This time my .40 S&W with a few mods that I have made to it. I still don't have a race holster but it is on my list of 'upgrades'. My goal now is to 'beat' my 'mentor' in a match someday soon. Wish me luck.

[DonT]

My goal now is to 'beat' my 'mentor' in a match someday soon. Wish me luck.

...I would say thats the goal for most of us.

It will happen. I'll win an occasional stage here and there, but as Flex says, "Winning stages sucks".

[Don Gwinn]

I started this summer and I've spent the rest of the time alternating between my P220 and a Glock 30 in Production. I choose the gun I'm going to shoot based on the round count--I only have three magazines for the SIG, compared to four for the Glock, so while I prefer the SIG, if the round count goes over 22, I shoot the Glock. If it's that or less, or I forget the Glock, I shoot the SIG. I also carry the SIG most days.

I run about the middle of the pack in my local club in Production. Usually 5th or so out of 10-12 Production shooters.

Soon, I will take delivery of my Para "Gun Blog .45" which is more or less the Tac-S with a fiber-optic sight, along with four magazines. This week I plan to buy two 10-round McCormick mags my dealer has discounted because they're "open-box" items, and that will be my rig for the foreseeable future. The Tac-S is Commander-sized, so maybe it's not ideal, but it's got a pretty sweet trigger for a production model and it's my first 1911, so it feels great in my hand.

Maybe I'll have a Limited gun in a few years, maybe not. I want to learn to reload pretty well before I start playing with bigger magazines anyway, and I'm having a blast.

[Chris Keen]

It's tough to see people (some, friends in fact) quit the sport, as much as it's discouraging to see new people "come and go" faster than employees at a fast-food restaurant. But when you finally do get a co-worker or classmate, friend / relative to come & watch once & they get hooked .... it all balances out in the end, my friend.

For an example:

I recently got a co-worker of mine (new kid who just started at my office) to come out and watch a little local indoor match Monday night, and I think I got him hooked. I asked him if he wanted to try it out with my LTD gun & rig since I had plenty of ammo, but he declined. He declined another offer to borrow a Glock 35 rig. He said he didnt want to shoot with a gun he had never tried before. And I can understand that.

So I loaned him my old 2nd Gen. G17 with about 7 mags, a Bladetec DOH & 2 Fobus paddle double-mag pouches. And in less than a week I hear rumors that he has been driving his wife crazy dry-firing at targets in the kitchen. And he's a pretty good shot, from what I've seen from some plinking that we've done.

I even heard today that his wife is happy that he has a hobby now, because now he wont complain about how much she spends "scrap-booking". (whatever that is) She came down to where we were shooting at today and asked what guns we were shooting. Said she had never fired a gun before. Well, we can't have that ... So from amongst all the Glocks, STI's, AR's and other guns we had before us ... I handed her the Ruger 10/22 carbine I have with a scope on it, and let her try it out. We were shooting at paper targets mostly but there were 2 small metal gongs out @ about 40-50 yards. She hit one of those gongs on her first shot. Her very FIRST shot EVER! She got a big kick out of that.

So, I think she'll be cool with him going shooting now ..... until she realizes it will take up lots of his time, as well as the money. But what can I say ? It's a very exciting addiction, this sport of ours.

[Paul Santiago]

Way to go Chris!

[larry cazes]

It's tough to see people (some, friends in fact) quit the sport, as much as it's discouraging to see new people "come and go" faster than employees at a fast-food restaurant. But when you finally do get a co-worker or classmate, friend / relative to come & watch once & they get hooked .... it all balances out in the end, my friend.

For an example:

I recently got a co-worker of mine (new kid who just started at my office) to come out and watch a little local indoor match Monday night, and I think I got him hooked. I asked him if he wanted to try it out with my LTD gun & rig since I had plenty of ammo, but he declined. He declined another offer to borrow a Glock 35 rig. He said he didnt want to shoot with a gun he had never tried before. And I can understand that.

So I loaned him my old 2nd Gen. G17 with about 7 mags, a Bladetec DOH & 2 Fobus paddle double-mag pouches. And in less than a week I hear rumors that he has been driving his wife crazy dry-firing at targets in the kitchen. And he's a pretty good shot, from what I've seen from some plinking that we've done.

I even heard today that his wife is happy that he has a hobby now, because now he wont complain about how much she spends "scrap-booking". (whatever that is) She came down to where we were shooting at today and asked what guns we were shooting. Said she had never fired a gun before. Well, we can't have that ... So from amongst all the Glocks, STI's, AR's and other guns we had before us ... I handed her the Ruger 10/22 carbine I have with a scope on it, and let her try it out. We were shooting at paper targets mostly but there were 2 small metal gongs out @ about 40-50 yards. She hit one of those gongs on her first shot. Her very FIRST shot EVER! She got a big kick out of that.

So, I think she'll be cool with him going shooting now ..... until she realizes it will take up lots of his time, as well as the money. But what can I say ? It's a very exciting addiction, this sport of ours.

Best would be if they shot matches together. I got my wife hooked 5 years ago and now we shoot together 3-4 weekends a month and we spend some vacation time every year going to an area match. nBest thing I ever did for our marriage.

[VegasOPM]

have to say that is one thing that our club does right. We treat new shooters with respect and help them out. They usually get squadded on one of the slower squads with one of our training RO's. The "right gear" discussion doesn't happen until we have seen them several times. A couple of matches ago we had a new shooter on the fast squad (since there were several new shooters and he had quite a bit of trigger time). He brough his G26 and 3 short mags. I offered him the use of several of my spare mags and a spare double mag holder. I also told him that he could use my backup G17. He told me that he preferred to use his 26... until he shot the first stage- then he decided that the 17 would be a little faster.

[dleat]

I was recently that new shooter looking at USPSA from the outside. The difference between me and most new shooters is that I was 64 when I started in. That may give me a slightly different perspective on the subject.

I had the luck of knowing some people who shot plates locally and did shoot USPSA several times a year. They allowed me to shoot all they had and encouraged me to get involved. I found this forum way before I shot a match. You all can be a little hard to understand when a person knows nothing but I did manage to learn a lot here. After some study and really not knowing if I would like this sport I bought an XD9 4" and cheap belt and holster. I got along with that ok. I did run into a few who told me I needed much more equipment but being older I ignored them completely. Most just helped me in the right direction. RO`s were a great source of info. By the way I AM hooked.

I can see where a very little wrong advice could poison a young shooter for life. Too much talk about competing and winning is not advisable for a shooter who has all they can do to get thru a match safetly. Later is better. I do believe steering a newer shooter toward a good, solid, reliable gun is a good idea but a lot of fun can be had with a stock production piece. I don`t hear enough about the sheer fun of shooting a USPSA match here. Does competing lessen the joy of shooting? I hope not.

I being 5'5" and 180 lbs, not very fast and 67 years old I am not going to win many matches. I just can`t run fast enough. I have found that I don`t compete against anyone anyway. The only thing I can compete against is the next stage I shoot. I try to shoot the next target, stage and match a little better than the last. Like most here I try to attack my weaknesses and build on my strengths. The advice offered here is great. I have just seen too many worried about how many people they beat instead of how well they shot. I just don`t think it is necessarly the same thing.

Anyway too wordy and disorganized for a second post but I do enjoy this forum and felt I could contribute a different perspective on this subject.

[DonT]

Anyway too wordy and disorganized for a second post but I do enjoy this forum and felt I could contribute a different perspective on this subject.

And a great contribution and perspective it is. Thank you!

[Jman]

I don`t hear enough about the sheer fun of shooting a USPSA match here. Does competing lessen the joy of shooting? I hope not.

An interesting observation. I'm not sure I completely agree, but I do understand. If I were to happen upon the worlds most popular chess forum, a game I have limited understanding of, it might be very difficult to find the fun. Does competing lessen the joy? Absolutely, for some. This game isn't for everyone. And that is perfectly OK. USPSA represents a tiny minority of the shooting public. Most of us are fully devoted enthusiasts who can't what until the next match.

Jim

[dleat]

I don`t hear enough about the sheer fun of shooting a USPSA match here. Does competing lessen the joy of shooting? I hope not.

Does competing lessen the joy? Absolutely, for some. This game isn't for everyone. And that is perfectly OK. USPSA represents a tiny minority of the shooting public. Most of us are fully devoted enthusiasts who can't what until the next match.

Jim

The OP`s point exactly. Why is USPSA such a tiny portion of the shooting sports. I agree fully that not everyone will like this sport but they should not be discouraged by the idea that everyone at a match is only here to win. Here in SW. Michigan about 50% of the shooters at local matches are just enjoying the experience of shooting this fine sport. Some will become very devoted to the sport and very competitive and that is good. We need the casual shooter at these matches especially at club level. There would not be enough participation otherwise to support these matches. We also need the hard core competitive shooter for this sport would die without them.

New shooters need a friendly, safe and un-intimidating enviroment to begin with. We can provide that easily with just a little thought and planning. Welcome them, for we need them as much as A-zone hits.

[JKSNIPER]

I don't think competing lessens the joy of just shooting.

I think we all enjoy the matches as ways to gauge our own improvement as well as shoot a course that someone else designed and its the first time we're seeing that particular COF which makes it more fun (for me anyway).

JK

[bbbean]

Speaking as a relatively new shooter, what hooked me on the sport was shooting a couple of matches where the experienced shooters took time to offer suggestions, the ROs were willing to cut me enough slack for me to get a handle on the game (i.e. reminding me of a mandatory reload or a missed target during the run instead of just giving me procedurals afterwards), and the overall atmosphere was more about comraderie than competition.

Don't get me wrong, the shooters were competitive, and ROs required all shooters to play by the rules, but they recognized that giving an unclassified shooter a chance to re-shoot a blown stage or a few tips wasn't going to threaten the integrity of the competition between the more acomplished shooters.

On the other hand, when I first tried the sport several years ago, I shot a couple of matches (one USPSA and One IDPA) where the competitors didn't offer suggestions, ROs were more interested in giving penalties than suggestions, and competition was more important than sharing the sport with a potential member. Those matches put me off the sport for two years.

[Rob D]

Great post. I had my first match in April. My Dad and I had heard about "practical shooting" and decided to give it a try since we both love shooting. We were walking around the range looking lost and a couple of local wheel-gunners took the time to stop their walkthrough and give us the basics. They walked us through new shooter orientation and let us squad up with them so they could help us get a feel for the game. We immediately felt welcome and haven't missed a match at that club since.

I shot that match with a sig P225(8 shot single stack 9) and pulling magazines out of my back pocket. You can ALWAYS spend more money to get more competitive equipment. I've spent plenty since then, but I think the best part of my first match was just having my hair blown back by the sport. After being raised to shoot as a hunter and constantly being told, "Slow down, take your time." It was such a rush to get to run through stages and shoot as fast as I could.

I completely agree. Encourage people to come out and compete with whatever they have. This game is A BLAST to play, regardless of what equipment you're using. It's not like first time shooters are trying to beat anyone anyway.

[Irishlad]

It's smart to have a once a month "trial" set-up to introduce new shooters, or beginning shooters.

Just an observation at our club: Unlike the shotgun sports where the fields, range are always setup, pistol shooting is always an "empty range". It's only "set-up" during matches...which means you can't go out and just "try it". It's easy to walk out and shoot the skeet, trap, sporting, not the case with the pistol sports.

I mentioned once it would be great have plates set-up for example...all the time. That went over "big".

Not enough space may be a problem for many clubs though!

As a side note: I've always helped, or tried, with new shooters to use smaller gauges, recoil is a distraction that overwhelms many, and "modified" stations in shotgun to make it a "touch" easier. Using 22's seems like a natural for beginners IMHO.

[38supPat]

I'm now doing some IPSC clinics geared towards new shooters, not "competition" clinics, but some basic tips and explanations about what IPSC/USPSA is all about.

[kgunz11]

I'm now doing some IPSC clinics geared towards new shooters, not "competition" clinics, but some basic tips and explanations about what IPSC/USPSA is all about.

East Alabama Gun Club is doing the same thing, and they don't charge a dime for it. On match Sunday, they squad some of the new guys up together and the match directors shoot the match with them. They give them pointers and tips during the match while also enforcing the safety rules. It's pretty admirable how they work with these guys and sacrifice their own match to help out others.

ETA: Did I mention they do it for free?

Edited November 20, 2008 by kgunz11

[atbarr]

On Nov. 1st BGSL http://www.bgslinc.com/ held our first Introduction to Pistol Sports Orientation. The class filled up the first day it was posted on our calendar.

We plan on offering more of these in '09.

Below is the information posted.

The Pistol Division will be hosting a Introduction to Pistol Sports Orientation on Saturday November 1st at (NEW TIME) 9 a.m. Participants will be able to attend orientations on the basic rules and safety for the following sports:

IDPA (defensive handgun)

USPSA (practical handgun)

SASS (Cowboy handgun)

NRA Bullseye (marksmanship)

This orientation is intended to for people who haven't had any previous match experience in one or all of the mentioned categories. Following each orientation participants will be able to shoot a course of fire in each discipline. All firearms, equipment, and ammunition will be provided however we do ask that you wear pants with belt loops, a good sturdy belt and eye/ear protection.

To make sure you don't starve while attending the orientation the Pistol Division will also be providing lunch!

This orientation will be limited to 20 participants and sign ups are required. It is also open to non members of BGSL. Cost is free of charge to BGSL members and $10 for non members.

Stay Safe,

A.T.

[StraightUp_OG]

I shot my first match in 1985 and I fell instantly in love with the sport. It was all consuming and all I could think about. I started with a S&W 4" model 19 then got a beat up Essex/colt 45 and then built a race 38super.

Since I have been away from the sport many years and I am now getting back into training I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce some friends to the sport. My buddy asked me what he should buy as far as gear and I told him since this is your first rodeo and there is a lot to learn he could just use my 5" XD. He loves it and even though he has seen all the fancy race guns he does not care because he understands it is the path that is important not the destination.

He wants to shoot not buy gear. He wants to learn and not feel like he has to keep up with the Jones's. It is through his eyes that I am approaching the sport again. By focusing on the front site (or dot if you will) I have remembered what is important ... the moment.

I guess my point is nurture but don't overwhelm the Newbies. I think the most important thing to keeping them coming back is the feeling that they are apart of and included in something fun and worth while.

Thanks for letting me share.

Semper Doctrina

[JFlowers]

Someone mentioned that the "fun" of IPSC/USPSA was not stressed nearly enough prior to their first match.

I think this is why SASS had such a massive growth spurt. Fun is a major selling point for SASS. SASS shooters can be easily broken down into the "fun" and the "competition" groups and the cut is fairly high with a huge group of "fun" shooters and a small group of "competitive" shooters. I enjoyed SASS but found USPSA to e even more fun.

At a recent match, I brought two new shooters with me, unfortunately I did not know til the very last minute. Both only had two magazines, a quick announcement prior to the match and each was in possession of a spare loaner or two. At least one of them is hooked!

[38supPat]

The Pistol Division will be hosting a Introduction to Pistol Sports Orientation on Saturday November 1st at (NEW TIME) 9 a.m. Participants will be able to attend orientations on the basic rules and safety for the following sports:

IDPA (defensive handgun)

USPSA (practical handgun)

SASS (Cowboy handgun)

NRA Bullseye (marksmanship)

What? No Zootshooters?!?

[Jim Norman]

At Old Bridge, we hold two indoor practice matches each month. New shooters are specifically directed to come to ur indoor match, we run about 1-1/2 hours of discussion/information/lecture and then a simple safety check to make sure the person can actually operate his/her firearm. We then insert them intot he 4 stage match and mentor them through it. Almost all return the next time and continue on. Occasionally we will have to tell someone that they need some additional basic skills. As for the platform they are shooting, first it doesn't matter at all here as it is unofficial so we tell them to bring anything they have. If they don't have a holster, no problem, we'll start them low ready. They can use a .22 target pistol if that ia ll they have. Almost 100% will return and spend the required money to get an entry level rig and gun. We don't knock any gun, we do occasionally direct people away from items that are essentially non-competitive, such as a Glock 10mm C model. Same for holsters, Uncle Mikes works, we try real hard to keep the idea that this is only for $4000 guns out of the discussion. True enough more than a few will go for the Open division and stick with it.

We have had tremendous success in signing new members both to USPSA and to our club.

No one gets the cold shoulder or the 'your gear isn't good enough to shoot with us' routine

Jim