Steel Challenge Questions

[mildot1]

I have looked all thru the web page and saw no mention of classes in this sport??

Am I to assume that this is a heads up competition?? Example a uspsa "c" class shooter is going to compete with a uspsa"GM"?

Mildot

[JThompson]

I have looked all thru the web page and saw no mention of classes in this sport??

Am I to assume that this is a heads up competition?? Example a uspsa "c" class shooter is going to compete with a uspsa"GM"?

Mildot

Yup, it's all about time.

[mildot1]

Well maybe I'm stupid, but can anyone explain to me why I would want to enter a state or area steel match and have to compete against high level shooters??

I'm just mullin this over but I would think that to make the sport really grow it would be split up by classes just like USPSA.

What reason would I have to throw down the cash to attend a large match like I do for a state or sectional just to get my ass handed to me by some one like Max. I don't mind spending it to compete against shooters of my level but this just seems insane to me.

I know everyone wants to get better, but I think every one wants to have a shot at winning along the way.

If there are catagories like "ladies or senior" why aren't there classes just like USPSA?

It seems to me that each stage is really a classifier since they are set up to a spec??

Just asking.

[Steve J]

Well maybe I'm stupid, but can anyone explain to me why I would want to enter a state or area steel match and have to compete against high level shooters??

Because you enjoy shooting it.

[Jack T]

Well maybe I'm stupid, but can anyone explain to me why I would want to enter a state or area steel match and have to compete against high level shooters??

Because you enjoy shooting it.

That's what it is all about!! Why complicate it.

[mildot1]

I enjoy shooting USPSA a LOT, so much in fact it's probably an addiction.

I wonder why they choose to "complicate" it???

[Jack T]

I enjoy shooting USPSA a LOT, so much in fact it's probably an addiction.

I wonder why they choose to "complicate" it???

That's a really good question. I have been arround since we only had two divisions and didn't water the system down with all the various categories. I think this hurt the distributors/prize tables because they had to cater to so many divisions/categories.

Many of us like a straight "Heads up Competition", kinda like life. Outlaw matchs rule!!

Edited December 9, 2009 by Jack T

[outerlimits]

that's the way it was in the ole dayz of ipsc.

[mildot1]

I'm really not trying to stir the sh#t but here are my thoughts.

It's obvious that not everybody, no matter how many rounds or how much they practice have the genes to be the best. Some are blessed and have with the proper training and dedication the ability to perform at higher levels than other's.

I would assume that the USPSA, ATS, NSSA, NRA, NSCA, and others recognized this fact and chose a system that would allow ALL competitors to compete on somewhat of a "level" playing field.

I however know this. At my age(47) and the fact that I just started in this game this year, no matter how much I dry fire, train, shoot or whatever. I no longer possess the reflexes and muscle I did 30 years ago.

Yes I am going to get better to a degree, but to think that I can compete against the guys that started early and are in thier prime is pure dumbass.

So I guess the point I am making is this.

Obviously a handicap system(which is what a classification really is) is what it will take to get the steel challenge membership and participation level up to what the USPSA is, why isn't there one?

Well maybe the shooters don't want it, leave it alone?

Maybe the USPSA doesn't want it. leave it alone

Or Maybe

It needs to be looked at?

Could be a viable source of income to clubs and the Steel Challenge.

Coauld bring in some of the older shooters that dom't want to run?

Just tossing some ideas out

Mildot

[BrianATL]

The way I see it you are always shooting against yourself. In USPSA matches the class system is a way of judging your performance against like competitors. This is not needed in steel challenge since the courses of fire are always the same. You can directly compare your match times from month to month.

[Alan550]

The "class" idea may be ok for the local stuff, but the Nationals is a whole different animal! Shot there for the first time in '09, came in 93rd and came away from the prize table with a Safariland 012 and other goodies totalling much more than my entry fee!

So the classification may be fine at lower levels, but leave the top stuff alone IMHO and "run what you brung" and play the game! You'll love it!

Alan~^~

[AlamoShooter]

Mildot... What if you looked at it from the other direction. The top rewards hard practice.

If a shooter wants to put in a % break to make him feel warm inside they can do it. An A class shooter should be in 75% of the top score, M class should fit in the 85% line.

Sounds like you have already made up your mind and are looking for justification.

IF you don't get why you would want to shoot an event with out class segregation, Words will not change your mind

Its not just the classes the gun type shoot heads up too. One year Billy Abbat shot a Single action revolver with a C-More dot. he was fast Beat out lots of full race guys.

Age does not an issue = I am 53 and getting faster

[mildot1]

Nope, Haven't made up my mind or here looking for justification.

Just asking and trying to understand the reasoning.

I only pointed out reasons why it might make sense for it to be classed.

Then I read the other posts to see why it is not.

Thanks

Mildot... What if you looked at it from the other direction. The top rewards hard practice.

If a shooter wants to put in a % break to make him feel warm inside they can do it. An A class shooter should be in 75% of the top score, M class should fit in the 85% line.

Sounds like you have already made up your mind and are looking for justification.

IF you don't get why you would want to shoot an event with out class segregation, Words will not change your mind

Its not just the classes the gun type shoot heads up too. One year Billy Abbat shot a Single action revolver with a C-More dot. he was fast Beat out lots of full race guys.

Age does not an issue = I am 53 and getting faster

[flack jacket]

I see Steel Challenge similar to golf. The Course has a given hole/stage and each golfer/shooter does his/her personal best to go through it.

You all have valid points, perhaps there are opportunites .

[Flexmoney]

It's a good question.

If you shoot for the "love of it"...well, that can be done at the local level. Especially with the cof's being pretty much fixed. So, no need to sped $$$ to attend the big matches.

And yeah...and iron sighted gun out of a non-race holster goes heads-up with the Open guns and race holsters.

[L-10_shooter]

I take pride in outshooting race guns with my basicly stock glock out of a kydex holster. Steel or USPSA

[Flexmoney]

I take pride in outshooting race guns with my basicly stock glock out of a kydex holster. Steel or USPSA

I'll have to give that a try some time.

[AlamoShooter]

My Revolver beat my race gun twice at steel challenge. just made fewer mistakes with the revolver.

I thing one cool thing about S.C. is = how close to your best time can you be at the one big match of the year and not screw-up? And How quick can you recover that screw-up? / can you leave it behind?

[Bob Hostetter]

USPSA was designed to be an amateur sporting organization. The Steel Challenge was designed to be a professional shooting tourament. Both have drifted but some differences are still present.

[Jaxshooter]

How big do you think the prize tables would be if the B,C & D shooters quit attending the bigger shoots. There would not be enough entries to keep the matches going. Without the little people paying the tab things would change immediately.

[kgunz11]

It's a good question.

If you shoot for the "love of it"...well, that can be done at the local level. Especially with the cof's being pretty much fixed. So, no need to sped $$ to attend the big matches.

And yeah...and iron sighted gun out of a non-race holster goes heads-up with the Open guns and race holsters.

I thought they had Limited and Open in Steel Challenge?

[itchy]

They do have Open and Limited, but the prize table is overall finish, no matter what you are shooting.

Now, there are category prizes, for open, limited, production, IDPA, single action, revolver open, revolver irons and these usually go either 2 or 3 deep.

Age is not necessarily a limiting factor. Look at Jerry. I can shoot an auto against his iron sighted revolver and I'll never be able to catch him. Classes do not translate over from USPSA either. I'm a B class production shooter, but on steel I can sometimes play with M class shooters. That just means I move really, really slow. I do much better in "stand and shoot" events.

And if you really watch the top shooters, they will shoot similar times whether they are using their limited race rig or kydex. This year at Nationals, I shot with Pete Milionis. He finished 4th limited shooting a G34 out of Kydex.

Seiichi

[Sarge]

Hell, I might be shooting for all the wrong reasons. I started shooting last winter and am a C in production. I would go to the Nationals tomorrow if I could get a slot. I just want to see how I would do against the COF under a bigger spotlight. When I shot the Ohio match I looked at my overall finish in my division way before I checked to see how I did among the other C class guys in the division. That's USPSA. In steel shooting sometimes a production guy can beat an open guy depending on who is having a better, i.e. slower or faster, day. Stationary shooting narrows the playing field quite a bit.

But I just love to shoot first and foremost.

[G-ManBart]

How big do you think the prize tables would be if the B,C & D shooters quit attending the bigger shoots. There would not be enough entries to keep the matches going. Without the little people paying the tab things would change immediately.

Seems like attendance at matches with no prize table do pretty well right now. In most cases, if you have to travel to a match, there isn't anything on the prize table that will equal what you spent to get to, and shoot, the match. I've picked up a couple of guns off prize tables and still lost money in the long run after adding up gas, hotels, entry fees etc.

[818-DVC]

I'm shooting a Steel match next month with a friend who won himself a Custom Les Baer, and an MK-2 at last years challenge. year before that he won a xl-650. definitely worth the trip for him. However, thats not the reason I want to shoot steel. I want to shoot steel challenge style matches because it is much like trap or skeet. the game is always the same, and the targets are always the same and distanced the same. I'm not the greatest at breaking down a stage. I'm a newb to action pistol so with steel about the only thought is to remember to the stop plate. I dont think I care about trying to beat KC, but seeing how well I shoot against the majority sounds like a fun challenge. I personally love that there is no classing. means no classifiers! that is less complicated, which makes things a lot of fun for me. at least I hope. not that I don't love shooting USPSA for the exact opposite reasons.