getting started in pistol comps

[jkenn]

i posted a couple days ago but got no responses, post could have been better, im a 26 yr old male i have been shooting for a year now and im interested in trying my hand at competition, where can i go to find local competitions in the area and does each require a dif model/caliber or is there set standards, i apologize for asking such noobish questions i just do not know where to start

[dragonman]

I'm not sure what type of competition you are looking for.

IDPA.com USPSA.com may be a start.

[Lycanthrope]

Yeah, Erie has at least one USPSA club.

http://www.gemcitygunclub.org/gemcit...cppresults.htm

What handguns do you already have?


Lycannextstepsthrope

[jkenn]

currently just a ruger sr9 and beretta neos 22, im shopping xd's atm will go for the 45, i will check out those sites thank you

[Lycanthrope]

Well, the XDm in .45 ACP has several disadvantages in USPSA and IDPA. It will pit you against 1911's in IDPA and you will either face 2011's in Limited-10 or G34's in Production divisions.

You could shoot the SR9.

It depends on what you want to do in terms of competition.

Lycanandhowbigyourcheckbookisthrope

[RobW]

As I am sure others will tell you, it is wise to figure out exactly what discipline, and what flavor of that discipline e.g. Production vs. Open Division, that you want to pursue before buying anything new. Just go with what you have now and make the bare minimum of purchases until you get an idea what you like to do. Right now, you don't even know what you don't know - very very hard to give a correct answer when you don't know the question.

If you must buy something (I know, it happens to me too ;->) then stick with a standard polymer do-it-all in 9mm - Glock, M&P, XD (with a note that the XD is an IDPA handicap).

Of course, this all presupposes that you are looking for an "action" competition. If you are looking at precision disciplines (bullseye or international) then you will have very specific requirements that generally require a very particular and very limited set of vendors or buying used from another competitor. Again, a very bad idea to walk into a shop and buy something without doing your homework.

currently just a ruger sr9 and beretta neos 22, im shopping xd's atm will go for the 45, i will check out those sites thank you

[jkenn]

i would like to start out precision , would seem dumb to go to throw myself into more action oriented, i wanted to get the xd as a service weapon(not yet an officer), and use it elsewhere, can i ask why the xd is a handicap compared to glocks etc. i admit i am completely new to anything but going to my range and shooting. i do know that i would like something bigger than a 9 though as i carry it for work as a sec guard and idiots look at you like oh its only a 9, lmao, like a 22 at 20 ft would stop somebody. what are a few 40s/45s i could look into under say 600 or so brand new(of coursed i have no problem with used as long as taken care of) and use for accuracy competitions etc. i do like shooting the heavier pistols, i see a Para p40 1911 lda for sale and i do see that it is allowed in prod class. i apologize, i have punctuation

[medsteele]

The XD is a handicap because technically, it is considered to have a single action trigger, which places you in competition with 1911s. Generally, 1911 shooters will outshoot your XD.

There is no reason not to shoot 9mm. It's cheaper, it's easier to shoot, and it'll kill someone just as well as .40 or .45. Don't let peer pressure dictate your caliber.

[RobW]

I'll try to answer this, but dude you are all over the place!

Precision = Bullseye (common, clubs and shoots all over the place) or International (NRA or SSUSA, much harder to find shoots).

For bullseye, you can start out with a .22 with a red dot sight. Anything will do just to dip your toe and give it a try. Standing, offhand, one-handed with slow fire at 50yds. Reduced courses of fire down to 50ft. indoor are common. Challenging and addictive, since dots are allowed good for older eyes. If you get the bug, you will eventually need a tuned .45 and a tuned .22 to be competitive. 1911's dominate the .45's. .22's are more mixed, with a split between Euro-guns (Morini, Pardini, Hammerli, Walther) and tuned US makes (High Standard, Buckmark, Ruger, S&W41, etc.). .45 conversions are also popular.

International is more specialized - Standard Pistol is bullseye-like with slightly different rules. Free Pistol is 50 meter and very challenging. Air Pistol is 10 meter, very specialized and very challenging. All are iron-sights only, no dots. The Euro brands dominate.

The XD is an IDPA handicap because it is classified as a non-production gun. It competes with single-action customs. For fun, nothing to worry about. If you get serious about competition, it will suck, and frankly shooting a non-1911 .45 will completely suck regardless of discipline.

Re: .45 vs. 9mm for carry/duty - not really related to competition so I can't comment. As far as other people's opinions, I'm not into making a fashion statement ;-> so don't care a whit.

If you want one gun for duty/competition I would say go with a 1911 for Bullseye, a Glock or M&P for IDPA/USPSA, and "never mind" for International. But really, this is kind of like discussing which screwdriver can best be used as a hammer - if you get serious about any type of competition besides IDPA your carry gear is out-of-scope pretty quick.

i would like to start out precision , would seem dumb to go to throw myself into more action oriented, i wanted to get the xd as a service weapon(not yet an officer), and use it elsewhere, can i ask why the xd is a handicap compared to glocks etc. i admit i am completely new to anything but going to my range and shooting. i do know that i would like something bigger than a 9 though as i carry it for work as a sec guard and idiots look at you like oh its only a 9, lmao, like a 22 at 20 ft would stop somebody. what are a few 40s/45s i could look into under say 600 or so brand new(of coursed i have no problem with used as long as taken care of) and use for accuracy competitions etc. i do like shooting the heavier pistols, i see a Para p40 1911 lda for sale and i do see that it is allowed in prod class. i apologize, i have punctuation

[jkenn]

i really appreciate the responses, i figured i could buy 1 and use as carry weapon and target shooting to start but i get what your saying , ive contacted gem city to set up an appt