Noob questions [Archive] - Oklahoma Shooters

chicane

04-07-2006, 06:35 PM

I have a few questions reguarding IDPA/IPSC matches. First, Would an average shooter with little "tactical shooting" experence be able to compete in these events? Or at least be competeitve enough to have fun?

I am probably average, as far as sitting 15yrds from a dead still paper target. Probably still shooting a 8"-10" pattern at 25yrds. (sometimes even more).

2nd. What would a typical match cost? Not counting ammo... Just basic fees.

3rd. How many mags would a typical noob need? and what capacity mags are acceptable?

I am planning on "watching" a few of these matches to see if its something I would really like to do. From what I have seen, and read.. It seems like a lot of fun.

If there is a website that already answers all this info.. Please direct me that way. Thanks, Jon

savedbygrace

04-07-2006, 08:34 PM

JuniorDVC

04-07-2006, 10:14 PM

http://idpa.com
http://uspsa.org

Basicly, you need 3 mags, a holster, a gun, and bullets...
I don't pay for my match fees... but the most costly I have seen is 15 bucks.
I think that they are somewhere less than 10 though...

Your mags will work fine, no matter what capacity they have.

I'm pretty sure you will enjoy and be hooked by your first match.
As far as being competitive your first time out, I wouldn't worry about it,
just have fun and soak up all of the new material.

If you come out to a match be sure to bring your gun!
It's fun! see ya there!

J.P.

04-07-2006, 10:57 PM

+1 to what li'l Jay said.
Bring your gun!

Everyone that just shows up "to watch" kicks themselves in the ass for not bringing their gun.
Match fees are $8-$15 in the Tulsa area unless it's a 'major' match like the upcoming Badlands State Championship.
You need:
gun
Holster
mags (at least 2 if you shoot hi-cap,but 3 is better)
mag pouches
eye and ear protection
concealment garment (anything will do)

If you are a new shooter,the local matches/match directors are no big sticklers for all of the rules because they want to get newbies addicted to the game.....and trust me,it is addictive.
After you shoot a couple of matches,you will of course be expected to follow the IDPA rules.
It's no big deal at all and you don't have to be a pro like Junior DVC and I ;)
We usually shoot with basically the same group evey weekend and they are all really good folks,more than willing to help new shooters out and walk them through it.
There are two rules:
1)Be safe.
2)Have fun.

J to tha P

chicane

04-08-2006, 02:59 AM

Are you kidding me? From everything I have heard people have made it seem expensive. I may have just found my new hobby. Thank you guys for your input. It looks like I already have what i need to get started.

Thanks again, Jon

GonePostal

04-08-2006, 08:56 AM

What caliber do most people use?

F16mickey

04-08-2006, 03:49 PM

What caliber do most people use?
In IDPA it depends on what division you shoot in.
For stock service pistol and enhanced service pistol many people shoot 9mm
Custom defensive pistol division must be .45 ACP
Stock service revolver .38 or .357 mag
Enhanced service revolver .45 or 10mm using moonclips
This is just what I have seen during matches.

For IPSC I don't Know what you typically see but From what I have heard a lot of people shoot .40 so that they can make "Major" power rating.
I know that IPSC also has a production division where every caliber is scored as "minor" So as long as Its a 9mm or higher your good to go!

NikatKimber

04-08-2006, 10:11 PM

I am in the Shawnee area, are there any meets that are on the East OKC side? If not where would the closest be?

38Super

04-08-2006, 10:58 PM

Arcadia(OKC Gun Club) would be the closest to you

J.P.

04-09-2006, 01:17 AM

Are you kidding me? From everything I have heard people have made it seem expensive. I may have just found my new hobby.

As soon as you take up this 'new hobby',you'll understand why people say it's expensive. ;)

chicane

04-09-2006, 06:57 AM

It looks like one of those things, It can be as expensive as you want it to be. lol

My guess is your referring to gear, competition guns, AMMO, and the fact that once you do one, You'll want to do them all?

Ken Martin

04-10-2006, 02:03 PM

New shooters are always welcome at IDPA matches. It is an excellent way to improve your gun handling skills and it’s a blast (pun intended). Don't be overly concerned about your speed and accuracy. I assure you the Safety Officers (SO's) won't be. The primary concern is safety and right behind that is having a good time. We want to be sure no one goes home with holes in them. Here are a few safety tips for first time IDPA shooters. Please take your time and wait for the SO’s commands before doing anything. Never remove your weapon from the holster unless instructed to do so by the SO or at a designated safe handling station. The SO will instruct you when to load and unload your weapon. Wait for him to tell you. If you are not comfortable with drawing your weapon let the SO know and you will be allowed to start with the weapon pointed down at a 45 degree angle. Keep your finger out of the trigger guard if not shooting. If you are moving from one shooting position to another during a course of fire, stick your trigger finger straight out alongside the weapon. The SO is looking for this. Always keep the muzzle of your weapon pointed down range. Some stages require you to retreat during a course of fire. You must remember to keep the weapon pointed down range. The most important command is “STOP”. If you hear that, freeze. Do not move except to point the muzzle down range if it is not already pointing in that direction. Here are some things you may want to do before shooting a match. Shoot with your weak hand only. Shoot with your strong hand only. Shoot while moving forward, back and sideways. It’s not unusual for a match to include all of the above. There’s a regularly scheduled match this Saturday (04/15/06) at Red Castle. Come on out and shoot! You’ll be glad you did.
P.S. If you want to see some of the top shooters in IDPA you might want to go watch the Badlands State Championship the 22nd and 23rd of this Month at Oil Capital Rod and Gun Club. Be safe and have fun!
http://www.tulsashooters.com/

ERIC FUSON

04-13-2006, 01:08 PM

Warning!!!!
Idpa / Uspsa Is An Addictive Substance. Its Not The Match Fees, Or The Weapons. Its The Ammount Of Ammo You Will Go Through Trying To Better Yourself. That Being Said, Welcome To The Game

trade_sniper

05-13-2006, 04:46 PM

Eric, J.P., Jay:

1. How many rounds are required for a typical event?

2. I only have a .45, what could I compete in? That Custom Defensive Pistol division sounds like a bunch of guys with tricked out weapons.

3. Do any of them have beginner divisions?

4. How often do you guys practice? How many rounds per week?

5. I know its probably proportional to the amount of practice, but how long does it take most beginners before they acquire enough skill and comfort to become somewhat competitive?

6. IPSC, IDPA, USPSA, how does a guy choose? Do you shoot in them all, or stick to one association or another? Maybe more simply, do they all have matches every weekend or is one held more often than others? Which is more accessible in the Tulsa area?

Had to come back and edit this to delete a question. Didn't want to start an IPSC vs IDPA thread.

Speaking of targets shooting back, when is someone going to design a course with automated targets equipped with simuntions that DOES move and DOES shoot back? THAT would be the ultimate trainer. A course full of PLC's with sensors that could detect your movement, present different challenges of varying degree's of difficulty, and shoot at you. We have the technology to do this now, but it would be expensive to build the first few. You would literally program it like a video game, feeding it different parameters to adjust the skill level of the BG's shooting at you or obviously it would have an unfair advantage (knows exactly where you are and exactly how to hit you, no emotion/adrenaline). Just ponder it for a few minutes, it would be incredible.

JuniorDVC

05-14-2006, 06:15 PM

1. How many rounds are required for a typical event? You're always safe with about 200 rounds for any local IDPA or USPSA match.

2. I only have a .45, what could I compete in? That Custom Defensive Pistol division sounds like a bunch of guys with tricked out weapons. Naw, CDP is for .45 1911s or a glock 21 if you wanted.

3. Do any of them have beginner divisions? yes, they all do

4. How often do you guys practice? How many rounds per week? Right now (during school year) 200 or less, but I shoot 2 or three matches a week.

5. I know its probably proportional to the amount of practice, but how long does it take most beginners before they acquire enough skill and comfort to become somewhat competitive? I've been shooting for a year and a half, I guess you'd have to take others opinions on how competitive I am but you can do it quickly if you try hard enough.

6. IPSC, IDPA, USPSA, how does a guy choose? Do you shoot in them all, or stick to one association or another? Maybe more simply, do they all have matches every weekend or is one held more often than others? Which is more accessible in the Tulsa area?

USPSA is the united states' version of IPSC, so those are the same.
As far as IDPA or USPSA, IDPA is self-defense oriented and USPSA is solely a sport- a very very very fun active sport. You can shoot both of them, I would advise that you try one of each, pick one to shoot for a while. Then eventually, if you wanted, shoot both. This is because you need to be able to know the different rules of each which are sometimes completely different. They are both fun, although I prefer USPSA definitely.

J.P.

05-14-2006, 06:49 PM

Matches *are* my practice. ;)

I don't do any "match type" shooting or practice outside of the actual match.
Most of my firearms practice is within 7yd. and consists of *maybe* 50-100rd every week.

I prefer IDPA.
I started in IDPA so I'm sticking with it for now since I can't afford to do both right now.
Besides,ever since I got my ass kicked by a 15yr old girl at the OKC IPSC match,i've been a little soured on it.:censored:

trade_sniper

05-14-2006, 06:53 PM

Thanks Jay. Which has the 3-gun events? I have 2 of the 3, still need an AR.

I didn't realize there were that many matches (2-3 per week), that does sound like a lot of fun. So there are 2-3 USPSA matches every week? Or there are 2-3 USPSA and IDPA matchs combined? If there are 2-3 USPSA matches every week, are there also 2-3 IDPA matches every week also?

Where are most of these matches held?

As far as the CDP, is there a beginner version of that? What other divisions could I compete in with a 1911?

J.P.

05-14-2006, 06:58 PM

Each division (CDP,ESP,SSP,etc..)has different classes:
novice
marksman
sharpshooter
expert
master
Those are for IDPA,but the IPSC classification is similar.

You can enter as a novice until you shoot a classifier.
When you shoot the classifier,you will then be ranked according to your skill level. (supposedly)

trade_sniper

05-14-2006, 07:13 PM

What is the difference between a classifier and what you shoot as a novice?

Is it a different event, like once a month there is a classifier, or can you elect to shoot a classifier at any event? Is it different in what or how you shoot compared to what you normally shoot as a novice? Or you can only shoot as a novice until the next classifier occurs at which point you're ranked?

What division would a novice with a 1911 normally start in? CDP? Or is there a different one that would be better?

J.P.

05-14-2006, 07:30 PM

Or you can only shoot as a novice until the next classifier occurs at which point you're ranked?

Correct.

As to which division,choose the one you have the gun for. ;)
or mix it up and shoot different divisions....

The classifiers are not a 'regular match' and are usually held several times a year.

JuniorDVC

05-14-2006, 09:01 PM

Division = type of gun you have.
Rank/Class = novice marksman sharpshooter expert master

If you look hard enough you can find matches on almost every saturday sunday and sometimes mondays/tuesdays.

Ozark sportsman supply is a good place in tonitown, AR.
Sturms in Springdale, AR.
Casa in little rock AR.
Arcadia in umm... is arcadia in arcadia? or is it in OKC? anyways its around there :)

If you wanna shoot a match every sat/sun you're probably going to have to travel. It's fun!

It doesn't hurt JP's feelings to get beat by a 15 or 16 yr old boy.. just a girl.
JP you should try USPSA again, don't worry, I haven't seen that girl since last time...

trade_sniper

05-14-2006, 10:20 PM

How long have you (Jay) and JP been competing?

1911user

05-15-2006, 12:02 AM

http://www.bentworks.com/oksection/

Here's a link to the USPSA Oklahoma section homepage. The calender shows when/where matches are throughout the month and they have links to the individual clubs.

Anybody know how fast red castle match results are posted? I shot there Saturday and am curious about some of the results.

J.P.

05-15-2006, 06:10 AM

How long have you (Jay) and JP been competing?

I think we both started a little over a year ago.
Actually that's suprising to most people since we are both really kick ass shooters! :nutkick:

JuniorDVC

05-15-2006, 03:52 PM

heck yes we are amazing indeed.

Chuck S

05-16-2006, 06:59 AM

I am in the Shawnee area, are there any meets that are on the East OKC side? If not where would the closest be?

You need to check out Paul Abels Shoot-N-Iron right there in Shawnee. I think that he has matches there.

Chuck S

05-16-2006, 07:02 AM

I cant possibly be the only person that shoots IPSC on this board, can I? I seem to be one of about 2 that posts about it on these types of threads. A 1911 loving IPSC shooter amongst a bunch of Glock loving IDPA shooters:lookaroun Doesn't that make me a minority entitled to special benefits here? j/k

38Super

05-16-2006, 07:24 AM

Chuck S, You are not alone. I to shoot IPSC also. Carry a lock also though.
1911 for IPSC is the way to go. Hi-Cap is even better. It's alot more fun than IDPA. Have shot both and I think IPSC is more of a challenge.
OH NO!!! Hopefullly this won't go into an us vs them thread now.

Arcadia is a good club to shot IPSC, I think H @ H has an IPSC match too.
No real close to shoot IDPA in the OKC area.

ARt

J.P.

05-16-2006, 04:25 PM

Doesn't that make me a minority entitled to special benefits here?

Okay,here ya' go.....
:nutkick:

Rob

05-16-2006, 07:09 PM

No Chuck --you Are Not Alone !!

JuniorDVC

05-16-2006, 08:45 PM

I have dual citizenship. And I'm bilingual. haha

NikatKimber

05-16-2006, 09:23 PM

I considered Paul Able's, but it is Sunday, and I am in church. I took my concealed class from him.

olyeller

05-17-2006, 09:13 AM

Anybody know how fast red castle match results are posted? I shot there Saturday and am curious about some of the results.

Let me give you a preview;

I kicked your ass!!!!:nutkick:

-just kidding; I had too many; ...er.., equipment failures, yeah, thats it!

I absolutely love ipsc and the high round count!

1911user

05-17-2006, 03:24 PM

Let me give you a preview;

I kicked your ass!!!!:nutkick:

-just kidding; I had too many; ...er.., equipment failures, yeah, thats it!

I absolutely love ipsc and the high round count!
I think it's safe to say we both got our asses kicked by a youngster with a 9mm glock. :bigeye:
I may have scared him a little on the 3rd (or was the 4th) stage. It was a good day.

oldsoldier

05-17-2006, 04:22 PM