Shot my first IDPA match

[43Under]

Shot my first IDPA match this weekend (club match). Fun stuff. My thoughts here:
https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/my-first-idpa-match/

[Jim Watson]

Glad you enjoyed the match. You are obviously an adequate shot, you just have to learn rules and procedures. Those complicated "brain game" standard drills can trip anybody up. I watched Rob Leatham get lost on one at an early Nationals. He just signed his scorecard with procedurals, grinned, and moved on to win.

I feel kind of sorry for people like the other new shooters, Messrs, 13-16; they are having to try to learn to shoot and execute complicated directions at the same time.

[Luke]

Now it's time to try USPSA!

[Sal Picante]

Cool - good job!

[Kyle Reese]

Good job!

[43Under]

Thanks for the kudos, guys. Guess all the classes I've taken these last few years have paid off a bit.

It was tough to look at the practiscore stuff and see that, if not for procedurals, I would've finished 4th. Most of those would've been easily remedied.

There are also those sensible bits of strategery I could have used. For example, two of the stages were unlimited with no chance of me needing all 31 rounds. So i should've filled the targets with holes since only the best two (if two was the magic number per target) counted. I would have been "down zero" on a few more targets had I done so.

Overall, a very positive experience. Will probably do another match the first weekend in August. I'll post my experiences again.

Oh, regarding USPSA, it doesn't seem as popular around here as IDPA. One advantage to USPSA for me would be the ability to shoot from AIWB in one of their divisions, something I cannot do in any IDPA division. I might look into it, but want to work on just one type for now.

[Peally]

Only take makeup shots if you need them, otherwise it's wasted time. Make your hits, and learn to call your shots if your sights tell you you threw a shot ;)

[Jim Watson]

So i should've filled the targets with holes since only the best two (if two was the magic number per target) counted. I would have been "down zero" on a few more targets had I done so.

Yes, but you would have taken longer about it. Currently a point down is .5 second so you have to be shooting very fast for that approach to pay off.

I try hard to call my shots, where were the sights when the gun went off? If I can IMMEDIATELY conclude they were not on target, fire again.
Or, preprogram makeup shots - that target is farther away, it will automatically get an extra shot rather than trying to snipe it slowly and carefully.

[43Under]

Thanks guys. Yes, eventually I'll figure out these little nuances of time, math, etc., so thanks for the advice. We'll see what happens.

[That Guy]

Or, preprogram makeup shots - that target is farther away, it will automatically get an extra shot rather than trying to snipe it slowly and carefully.

Does that work? Because it sounds like you'd easily wind up with extra holes in the -1 or -3 zones...

[HopetonBrown]

Does that work? Because it sounds like you'd easily wind up with extra holes in the -1 or -3 zones...
The 2 best count towards score.

[That Guy]

Yes, I know. What I meant was that simply shooting an extra shot at a difficult target without taking sufficient care to hit -0 sounds like a method where you just end up making up a -1 hit with another -1 hit. And if you do shoot carefully enough, wouldn't you notice if a shot goes wrong? I don't quite understand what the benefit of a preprogrammed make up shot is. On the other hand, gaming tactics is one thing I really suck at...

[Peally]

I can't ever recall an IDPA stage where I thought "yeah I should automatically take a third shot at this target". I've dumped a round here or there for the rare advantageous reload position but that's about it.

[Sal Picante]

I can't ever recall an IDPA stage where I thought "yeah I should automatically take a third shot at this target". I've dumped a round here or there for the rare advantageous reload position but that's about it.

F'n gamer...

Oh wait...

[Glenn E. Meyer]

This was a funny nuance last weekend. We had a stage where you sat at a table and pulled a string. It started two swingers going. You gave them two each. Then you got up and ran around shooting the other targets. You ended with a little steel one. Ping!

However, I noticed that by the time you shoot all the targets, the two swingers had stopped vertically upright and exposed with both being in line. I asked the SO that I thought the rules stated you could return to a target after you had engaged all of them. Why yes you could - gamer boy. Thus, after the ping, several us just turned and gave the now upright swingers two more shots and as shoot through due to alignment - that negated any crappy hits when they originally swung. A unique circumstance.

It was almost as amusing when there were two swingers, one of which was a no shoot. Depending on timing, for some poor schmuch, they would sychronize and be in alignment, so you couldn't shoot the target without drilling the no-shoot.

Got to watch beginners. One new guy would move by putting his gun straight hanging down - ouch. Another was shooting a Shield with a laser and was placing his finger along the laser and getting mighty close to the end of the barrel.

So we gently instructed them and they were grateful. I shoot accurately but am I a slow old tub - sigh - yes.

[43Under]

Wasn't sure if I should continue in this thread or start anew, but here are my impressions from my second match:
https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/my-idpa-journey-continues-match-two/

Also, looks like I'll be shooting the classifier in a couple of weeks.

[Jim Watson]

It was almost as amusing when there were two swingers, one of which was a no shoot. Depending on timing, for some poor schmuch, they would sychronize and be in alignment, so you couldn't shoot the target without drilling the no-shoot.

There is enough variability in the setup of a simple double swinger that you can get into stuff like that.
I once saw at SHOT a double swinger with a geared linkage that ensured the same exposure every time it was tripped. Never saw one on a range, it was pretty expensive.


Sounds pretty good, 43under.
You are learning and you are learning what you need to learn next.
Yes, you need to scale your rate of fire to the range. You get to see the layout beforehand, there is no call to sneak up on the next position. As one Master says, it is not how fast you shoot, it is how fast you can do stuff while you are not shooting.

Some IDPA is not really tackytickle. Slow movement shooting accurately is one of those things. But they cannot very well tell you to run fast and lay down suppressive fire in a home town self defense situation, that is for the Army.
And by the way, hitting a Non-Threat is a 5 second penalty not a 3 second Procedural.

[43Under]

Thanks for that correction, Jim W., I'll have to fix that in my blog post. Clearly still learning!

Shot the classifier this weekend. Here is the post I just made about it:
https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/shooting-the-idpa-classifier/

Long story short, I classified as Sharpshooter in SSP. But read the article for more detail. I'm pleased with that at this point, but there is room to improve.