Man, the Shooting Gods are against me this month. We have a previous engagement on OKCGC's match date and Tri-City got rained out. I'm glad you posted about H&H or I would have looked kinda silly. Thanks for the heads-up.
Man, the Shooting Gods are against me this month. We have a previous engagement on OKCGC's match date and Tri-City got rained out. I'm glad you posted about H&H or I would have looked kinda silly. Thanks for the heads-up.
As I stated above, we are 2.5 hrs from OKC so it would be hard to do a Sunday evening shoot. Also, do we have to be "members" of these clubs (OKCGC, The one in Duke, etc) to do the comps? Thanks
You do not have to be a member at OKCGC or Tri-City. I dunno about the range at Duke. I'm sure @Rod Snell can tell you.
Tri-City and OKCGC are both morning shoots but dang, you'd have to get up awful early to be on the south side of Norman at 8 am.
You do not have to be members of the clubs to shoot the matches in the above. I can't really think any competitions that are not open to non-host membership. Many clubs will offer a discount in the match fee if you are are a members. Likewise most of the Associations do not restrict non-members from the lower level matches. The one I can think of is GSSF matches where you have to be a member to participate.
All club matches at ITPSC (Duke) are open to the public. All matches start at 10AM on a Sat. $15
IDPA 2nd Sat;
USPSA 3rd Sat
Steel Challenge 4th Sat.
info is on the web site www.itpsc.net
Several of our frequent shooters come from the Elk City area; easy hour drive
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@clintbailey, getting a bunch of great info here. There is also SCRAP in Duncan that holds Steel Challenge and maybe a few other matches monthly. They have a website on google-fu. The one thing I have noticed is that Most if not all the folks you run into at the various competitions are really great and enjoy helping new folks get the hang of the game. Gotta bring in new shooters or eventually the ranks shrink to the point of extinction. Jump in and enjoy, I even got my spousal element involved and she really digs it now as well. Good Luck!
Ponca City has USPSA on the 2nd Saturday of the month, and Steel Challenge on the 4th Saturday.
Ponca City Rifle and Pistol Club shooting schedule can be found here: http://poncarpc.org/
Edit: USSA in the Tulsa area has steel challenge and USPSA matches on Sunday mornings.
Ponca City Rifle and Pistol Club shooting schedule can be found here: http://poncarpc.org/
Edit: USSA in the Tulsa area has steel challenge and USPSA matches on Sunday mornings.
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There are a few local smiths that will cut your slide for the red dot of your choice. I use Suarez International in AZ. $160 to make the cut, and then add suppressor height sights.
Thanks for all the info folks, do appreciate it! Talked to a guy here at work today, he has worked as a LEO in the past, and I knew he has done a few small matches, he said his fiance and him would probably try to go to some matches with us if we start going. Also, are there any restrictions on ammo, i.e. no reloads, certain bullet types, etc?
Sounds like plenty of stuff going on across the state, are only issues is being in the "dead" part of the state (as far as these events go) and having a 10 and 11 year old at home. Does anyone see many kids at any of these clubs during matches, or did most of yall start earlier than us and have them out by now LOL? We should be able to find sitters, just curious. Thanks again, keep the info/advice/opinions coming!
Sounds like plenty of stuff going on across the state, are only issues is being in the "dead" part of the state (as far as these events go) and having a 10 and 11 year old at home. Does anyone see many kids at any of these clubs during matches, or did most of yall start earlier than us and have them out by now LOL? We should be able to find sitters, just curious. Thanks again, keep the info/advice/opinions coming!
Clint,
I enjoyed meeting you and your wife Saturday. I’m glad you both enjoyed the match. Be careful, competitions can be addicting. I shot my first match about 2 years ago. It was also a bowing pin match.
I’m not aware of any matches that are close to you. Duke may be the closest. I haven’t been there, but I have met quite a few people that shoot there. I think you will feel right at home.
You’ve had some great responses to your thread.
1) Of the competitions mentioned, I would strongly suggest starting with a Steel Challenge. I feel it is less intimidating to new shooters than USPSA or IDPA. It takes the moving with a firearm issues out of the equation, for the most part anyhow. There is one stage that does have movement but you may or may not see it at the club match you attend. There are 8 standard stages and matches will usually have between 4 and 6 stages. Centerfire pistol is shot from the holster. The other are shot from low ready pointing at a flag or cone. These matches give you great preparation procedures and safety policies of the others. Also because the round count per string of fire is low (5 rounds w/100% hits) it usually does not require reloading while on the timer. Additionally, you shoot 5 separate strings (with one exception) of fire on each stage. You drop your worst round for the total score. This works well compared to most events where you are “one and done” on each stage and don’t have the opportunity to try it again. Rimfire pistol and rifle make this a “more” affordable sport which is easier to learn with. This sport is also the most family friendly environment support youth than any other I have attended.
The other one I recommend is GSSF (Glock Shooting Sports Foundation) indoor league matches. It is a bullseye type event shot at varying distances from 3-25 yards. With fullsize guns it is 50 rounds, with pocket sized gun it is 25 rounds (and 15 yards max). Strings of fire are 5-10 rounds usually on a par time of 15 seconds but some setups have the 30 seconds allowed for 25 yards. It is shot from the low ready and has been a very relaxed atmosphere on the matches I have shot. It is a best 2 of 3 match with plaques and prize awards based on placement and high senior, female, and youth. You have to shoot two matches to take awards, and there is a drawing for a Glock pistol. Random, and you get an chance per entry. Three divisions, stock, unlimited, and pocket. I shoot stock and unlimited with the same stock gun and have been competitive. Downsides a) you have to shoot a Glock, not an issue for most people. b) you have to join GSSF, but it comes with benefits. The magazine is nice, and the certificate to allow you to buy a Glock yearly at reduced “Blue Label” pricing is pretty sweet. There are two GSSF league matches coming up this weekend.
I also love shooting pins and really like Duncan’s format the best. You are shooting man-vs-man in a double elimination style bracket format. It changes things quite a bit when you are shooting beside someone trying to clear the pins before they do.
2) The G17 is great. I would stick with it until it becomes a limiting factor. Red Dots work well for many but they also induce problems. By themselves they will not fix fundamental shooting issue and may also hinder development of the same. For some of with vision issues, they can help when other methods fail to help. Also you want to be careful. Milling the slide to accept a Red Dot might tie you into that particular optic. I feel a better choice is to buy a Glock MOS version, a M&P C.O.R.E., or similar firearm that is optics ready. It gives you a few more options.
A trigger can limit the guns use in some associations so be careful about this and other mods. Research before you change it. In USPSA production for instance, you can make changes that are internal as long as the safeties are still intact. If you replace the exposed trigger “shoe” it places you in another class. In GSSF almost all mods internal and external will move you out of stock class. If you want one of the top of the line triggers for a Glock, I’d look at Vanek and ZEV.
3) You generally do not want to compete with a revolver against a semi. Most competitions have you competing only against revolvers. Keep in mind though, many will be competing with higher capacity revolvers cut to allow moon clips and many using 9mm. With competitions not limiting round count like steel challenge does, reloads become a very big part of it. Same with shooting a 1911 in single stack divisions. I usually recommend a newcomer to shoot USPSA in Limited with a double-stack 9mm. This takes some of the reloading (and planning of the same) out of the picture.
The scoring method is different with caliber in USPSA. There are some scoring advantages for “major” calibers, but they also require a bit more work to shoot as fast and accurately as a “minor” caliber. Basically a 9 will fall in minor and 40 and 45 will be major. All Production class (and I believe Carry optics) is shot with minor scoring regardless of what you are shooting. I feel 40 should have an advantage over 45 in some divisions because of magazine capacity.
Some really like the Canik, but you will find that in most entry level divisions, Glock and M&P will make up 80%+ of the guns being used. That G17 would be fairly easy to share in most matches with a few extra magazines. Holsters and accessories availability should play a role in your selection also. You also increase the ability to borrow from a competitor if needed.
In the bowling pin matches, the most common firearm used is the 1911 .45 though I have seen that number drop in the 2 years I’ve been shooting them. I’ll bet mainly due to newcomers that don’t already own one. The .45 is one of the top choices. I’ve shot them with .45, .40. and 9. I’m currently shooting them with a M&P .40 and have been very competitive with it this year. I feel it has an advantage over my 9, and I’m giving up little from my .45. It also feels identical to my M&P 9s I shoot 95% of the time. A perfect hit on the pin will clear it from the table with all of them. The larger calibers will clear a marginal hit pin a bit better. A miss is a miss regardless of the caliber, but you can get back on target a bit faster with a smaller caliber.
Rick
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