Gear Questions

[MGW]

I apologize for asking a gear question here but I'm in my head and need some outside guidance.

I shot my first IDPA match, indoors, the other night and had a blast. I do believe I'm hooked. I finished right in the middle of the pack for all divisions with my carry 19. There were only 12 shooters that night. I think NFL playoffs had something to do with that.

Anyway, I always told myself that if I stated shooting IDPA I wouldn't "game" it. I would shoot with true concealment gear and just use it as an extension of practice. Well, I think I'm to competitive to stick to that.

I plan on sticking with my 19 for the foreseeable future. I might pick up a 17 at some point though. I'm still trying to make AIWB work, but switching away from it is also an option in the future. So this leads me to my question.

What holster should I pick up? I picked up a comp-tac double mag holder that I really like. Part of me wants to buy a true concealment holster for strong side and shoot IDPA with that. The other part of me says to just buy a comp-tac international and be done with it. I used a knock off RCS OWB holster the other night and I didn't care for it. It was issues with the holster though and not necessarily mode of carry.

Someone please help me out here. I'm brain locked. I don't want to spend a ton of money on gear. I would rather spend money on more magazines and practice ammo but need to find a holster that's going to work.

[YVK]

If you're getting sucked into a competitive part of it, get a competition oriented setup and enjoy.

Glock 34, Blade tech OWB, and decent mag pouches. Now you have gear to play in SSP with a gun that statistically dominates this division and only needs decent sights, or I
use same gear and your 19 in a newly minted CCP division.

[NEPAKevin]

What I do is use an OWB that has as close as possible to the same grip angle and placement as the IWB I use for concealment. The OWB is more user friendly for all the holstering you have to do during the loading and unloading procedures and has the benefit of circumventing hand wringing from those who feel that anything IWB is not safe. If you are looking to save money, G19s are so common I would be surprised if you couldn't find a suitable used/sale/clearance holster if you keep an eye on the auctions and classifieds.

[freeidaho]

I apologize for asking a gear question here but I'm in my head and need some outside guidance.

I shot my first IDPA match, indoors, the other night and had a blast. I do believe I'm hooked. I finished right in the middle of the pack for all divisions with my carry 19. There were only 12 shooters that night. I think NFL playoffs had something to do with that.

Anyway, I always told myself that if I stated shooting IDPA I wouldn't "game" it. I would shoot with true concealment gear and just use it as an extension of practice. Well, I think I'm to competitive to stick to that.

I plan on sticking with my 19 for the foreseeable future. I might pick up a 17 at some point though. I'm still trying to make AIWB work, but switching away from it is also an option in the future. So this leads me to my question.

What holster should I pick up? I picked up a comp-tac double mag holder that I really like. Part of me wants to buy a true concealment holster for strong side and shoot IDPA with that. The other part of me says to just buy a comp-tac international and be done with it. I used a knock off RCS OWB holster the other night and I didn't care for it. It was issues with the holster though and not necessarily mode of carry.

Someone please help me out here. I'm brain locked. I don't want to spend a ton of money on gear. I would rather spend money on more magazines and practice ammo but need to find a holster that's going to work.

Please note that appendix carry is not allowed in IDPA.

[MGW]

Please note that appendix carry is not allowed in IDPA.

Roger. That's why I'm holster shopping. :-)

[MGW]

If you're getting sucked into a competitive part of it, get a competition oriented setup and enjoy.

Glock 34, Blade tech OWB, and decent mag pouches. Now you have gear to play in SSP with a gun that statistically dominates this division and only needs decent sights, or I
use same gear and your 19 in a newly minted CCP division.

I thought about going the 34 route but at this point I'm not going to. Maybe I'll change my mind in a year or two.

I haven't read all the CCP rules yet but it seems like a natural place to compete with a 19 and still be "competitive" with out worrying about keeping up with the Joneses.

[perlslacker]

You can shoot AIWB in USPSA Limited. Just a suggestion.

[Talking Monkey]

I feel the same way as you - I want mimic my carry setup as much as possible in competition. To that end, I've been using a GLOCK 19 with a CTAC holster and have been fairly competitive with it. Looking forward to competing in the CCP division with this rig during the upcoming season.

[Alpha Sierra]

What I do is use an OWB that has as close as possible to the same grip angle and placement as the IWB I use for concealment. The OWB is more user friendly for all the holstering you have to do during the loading and unloading procedures and has the benefit of circumventing hand wringing from those who feel that anything IWB is not safe. If you are looking to save money, G19s are so common I would be surprised if you couldn't find a suitable used/sale/clearance holster if you keep an eye on the auctions and classifieds.
This.

When I do shoot IDPA, it's with an OWB pancake holster. Leather for my K frames and CZ 75, kydex for my CZ P-07. I have used IWB in the past, since that is how I carry most often, but my current IWB is not ideal.

As far as cover garments, never a gamer vest. In summer it's an untucked button down shirt, buttoned almost all the way down like I wear it around town. In fall and spring it's normal street clothes with a fleece vest. Basically I conceal carry to the match, switch ammo, shoot, and switch back to HPs before leaving.

[rob_s]

To the OP,must to understand, you carry every day AIWB and only strong-side carry for IDPA?

If that's the case, I'd buy the gamer holster.

If you sometimes, or for those that always, carry strong-side IWB, then I agree with the other guys above that there's some theoretical benefit to having an OWB holster that otherwise mimics the height, angle, and o'clock positioning of your daily carry gun.

[MGW]

To the OP,must to understand, you carry every day AIWB and only strong-side carry for IDPA?

If that's the case, I'd buy the gamer holster.

If you sometimes, or for those that always, carry strong-side IWB, then I agree with the other guys above that there's some theoretical benefit to having an OWB holster that otherwise mimics the height, angle, and o'clock positioning of your daily carry gun.

Thanks Rob. I think I'm going to shoot a few more matches before I buy something. In the mean time I'm going to keep an eye out for a gamer holster on the used market. If I find something cheap I'll go ahead and pick it up.