Corey Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 So now that I'm starting USPSA (im an offical member now), i have a question that i can only assume has been asked 24,658,930 times, but my search-fu must be weakened while im at work b/c i cant find what i need to know. I was under the impression that your classification was an individual thing that realyl didnt mean much other than where you stood in a division. Afterall, the only matches Ive seen first hand are small locals and everyone shoots with everyone. I grew up listening to my dad talk about his trap shooting days (he won the Grand American a couple times, not sure details, but the trophies in the basement are pretty sweet, haha), and how people would sandbag their yardage to not move up in rank (and thus further away from the trap house). Are the USPSA classifications the same? Do i actually hurt myself by steppng up a class or two once i get started? When would I be put against other in my class or run into "sandbaggers"? I guess I just dont see how it relates to the trap shooting analogy just yet. Links to previous threads if you can find them would be super, if not, hook a brother up with some answers here then!! : Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Shoot the classifiers like any other stage and you'll shoot against people in your skill level most of the time. You will get the occasional sandbagger that does it so they can go to the prize table early by winning their class but eventually they get moved up. If somebody is sandbagging to win locals well then.....JUST BEAT THEM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 http://www.uspsa.org/rules/2008HandgunRulesindexed.pdf I guess trap was a yardage thing right? I think that is how I remember it. They sandbagged to stay away from the 27 yard line. Read the rule book they sent you or the link above. Yes, your classification is an individual thing. You shoot a match with everybody but you are really only competing with your own division and to a lesser degree with other shooters of the same class. I still forget this sometimes when I am squadded with open and limited shooters. My times will seem so slow compared to them. Then when scores get posted is when it hits me again that I fared pretty well in production or came out as the high B or C shooter. Don't look to jump very fast up through the classification system. Unless you are a phenom of some kind the progression through the ranks takes time and practice. Sandbagging? Sure people do it. Just like any other game with a handicapping system. But there is some logic to it I guess. I imagine making M or GM the week before the nats would kind of suck in one way. I personally just keep shooting my game and hopefully make steady progression. Hope this helps. Others will most likely chime in with their thoughts as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) Yea, trap was a yardage thing. If you could sandbag and miss JUST enough birds to advance but not shoot well enough to move back a yard or two, you could stay around the high teens or low 20s, and have a better/easier time at shooting the birds than the guys back at the 25, 26, 27 lines. Im not looking to simply go thru the classes as fast as I can, but I don't get me wrong, i do want to move up - we'll see where I land after I shoot enough classifiers and go from there. I guess it all kinda depends on the match im shooting in and how they do the prizes (division win, class win in each division, etc). I was just confused as to when it came into play in competition and not just bragging rights being able to say I made "x class". Edited January 20, 2010 by Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizeks Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Funny thing about sandbaggers. You usually don't see them at bigger matches. They usually find out it is embarrising to get your butt handed to you by A & B class shooters when you are an M. How to be a Master class? You set up a few classifier courses at your local range and run through them 25+ times until you get a Master class run and send in that one. Sounds like bunk, but I have seen it. I'm sure I'm not the only one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sslav Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Funny thing about sandbaggers. You usually don't see them at bigger matches. They usually find out it is embarrising to get your butt handed to you by A & B class shooters when you are an M. How to be a Master class? You set up a few classifier courses at your local range and run through them 25+ times until you get a Master class run and send in that one. Sounds like bunk, but I have seen it. I'm sure I'm not the only one!! I believe you are talking about grandbaggers. Sandbaggers try to stay classified below their actual ability level. Theoretically that is. I am relatively new to the sport so I have not met any yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Funny thing about sandbaggers. You usually don't see them at bigger matches. They usually find out it is embarrising to get your butt handed to you by A & B class shooters when you are an M. How to be a Master class? You set up a few classifier courses at your local range and run through them 25+ times until you get a Master class run and send in that one. Sounds like bunk, but I have seen it. I'm sure I'm not the only one!! I believe you are talking about grandbaggers. Sandbaggers try to stay classified below their actual ability level. Theoretically that is. I am relatively new to the sport so I have not met any yet. Yes, that was a grandbagger reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvb Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Shoot your game. Strive to always improve your abilities. Treat the classifier stages just like any other match stage. Let the classification chips fall where they may. If your reason for playing isn't trophies and prizes, then none of the sand/grand-bagger talk will bother you. just my 2c. -rvb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share Posted January 21, 2010 i really dont care about sandbaggers. I played competitive paintball for years and have put up with my fair share of that in the past, im used to it. I was just trying to see when my class standing would actually come into play? im assuming not until the higher level matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 i really dont care about sandbaggers. I played competitive paintball for years and have put up with my fair share of that in the past, im used to it. I was just trying to see when my class standing would actually come into play? im assuming not until the higher level matches. Depends on where you shoot. We pay prizes to Division (with 5 competitors) and class (3 competitors) winners at level 1 matches in the Mid-Atlantic Section.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 i really dont care about sandbaggers. I played competitive paintball for years and have put up with my fair share of that in the past, im used to it. I was just trying to see when my class standing would actually come into play? im assuming not until the higher level matches. STI Contingency... http://www.stiguns.com/ContingencyRewards.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 i really dont care about sandbaggers. I played competitive paintball for years and have put up with my fair share of that in the past, im used to it. I was just trying to see when my class standing would actually come into play? im assuming not until the higher level matches. STI Contingency... http://www.stiguns.com/ContingencyRewards.php intriguing. I dont shoot an STI framed gun yet and dont plan on attending matches as big as the nationals quite yet, but intriguing non the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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