USPSA Gear

[Jared]

If I were in your spot, I'd get the double alpha academy belt, five ghost mag pouch and BOSS hanger combo from the Ben Stoeger pro shop and never look back. I personally prefer the DAA to the CR Speed belts as they're a lot stiffer on the outer belt. The Ghost mag pouches are a great USPSA pouch at a really good price too. I don't use a drop offset hanger anymore at all, but if I was going back to one, the BOSS is the only one I'd have.

Eta: I have used drop offset hangers from comp TAC and blade tech as well as the BOSS. The BOSS does a much better job of staying in place and not shifting around. Plus, I didn't have to shim it to get it legal.

[Lot2Learn]

in MY OPINION, This is the best setup for USPSA. However, if you have any gear at all, I would try that all first and see what obstacles that gear presents. I would place more emphasis on learning the game and gun handling than on what holster to buy. This is a process. Buying all the gear gets expensive, so try some things out. I would be willing to bet that there are multiple shooters at the club that have a bucket full of holsters and belts that didn't work for them. See if you can borrow any of it. Most participants in the sport are more than happy to help new shooters. Good luck, have an open mind. You don't have to use what everyone else is using.

http://www.benstoegerproshop.com/BSP...p/boss-kit.htm

[Edwin]

This link could also be an easy way to see what you could get.

http://www.safariland.com/competitio...petition-rigs/

[joshs]

If you might potentially shoot IDPA as well, you may want to look at a holster and belt that are IDPA legal too. You could then use the same gear in both games. If not, I agree that the double belt with a dropped and offset holster is the best setup for Production.

[rauchman]

First off, thanks for all the replies. Thanks for all the gear recommendations. At least I have a good place to start from now.

Lot2Learn - I'll probably wind up being one of those people with a bucket full of gear that I'll never use, but I'd rather go with a setup based on recommendations and then figure out my own needs/wants from there.

joshs - I haven't investigated this yet, but from your post, it sounds like some gear could vary based on which discipline I'm competing in. I take it from your post that some of the gear already recommended would not cross over from USPSA to IDPA? I haven't researched avaialbe IDPA matches in my area, but I'd guess I'd like to have that flexibility as I delve into the land of competitive shooting.

Maybe I'm confusing my understanding of the different divisions within USPSA, but Production is for a mostly stock pistol except for sights and non visible modifications, ie, internal trigger parts, etc.?

[Peally]

As a really general rule IDPA requires gear that's practical for CCW. Double belts, holsters that sit way off the body, 6 spare magazines, etc don't fit their rules. USPSA is a lot more open on what you can compete with. Using IDPA legal gear in USPSA is easy, but a lot of popular USPSA gear isn't legal for IDPA.

I'd take a look at what matches are offered in your area. If you're surrounded by good USPSA matches then trying to fit into IDPA may not be worth the time. If you have almost exclusively IDPA matches around you may want to consider gear that crosses over both sports.

All that being said, if you were to ask I'm sure the director of a small IDPA club match would allow you to use illegal gear if it's not anything really crazy advantageous.

[rauchman]

As a really general rule IDPA requires gear that's practical for CCW. Double belts, holsters that sit way off the body, 6 spare magazines, etc don't fit their rules. USPSA is a lot more open on what you can compete with. Using IDPA legal gear in USPSA is easy, but a lot of popular USPSA gear isn't legal for IDPA.

I'd take a look at what matches are offered in your area. If you're surrounded by good USPSA matches then trying to fit into IDPA may not be worth the time. If you have almost exclusively IDPA matches around you may want to consider gear that crosses over both sports.

All that being said, if you were to ask I'm sure the director of a small IDPA club match would allow you to use illegal gear if it's not anything really crazy advantageous.

Thank you!

[joshs]

I haven't investigated this yet, but from your post, it sounds like some gear could vary based on which discipline I'm competing in. I take it from your post that some of the gear already recommended would not cross over from USPSA to IDPA? I haven't researched avaialbe IDPA matches in my area, but I'd guess I'd like to have that flexibility as I delve into the land of competitive shooting.

Maybe I'm confusing my understanding of the different divisions within USPSA, but Production is for a mostly stock pistol except for sights and non visible modifications, ie, internal trigger parts, etc.?

It's not as much about the allowed modifications to the pistols between USPSA Production and IDPA SSP/ESP as it is about the gear rules. IDPA generally requires a holster that keeps the front strap of the pistol's grip above the top of the belt and restricts the amount of offset between the gun and the shooter's body. IDPA also prohibits double belts, but you can attach your holster and mag pouches directly to the inner belt.

[Jared]

I think a standard Blade-Tech OWB holster with their adjustable stingray belt loop and no drop offset hanger would be legal in IDPA. If you're gonna shoot both, I'd probably recommend not worrying about getting a drop offset hanger. In the work I've done with and without one, I don't think it's a very big advantage at all, and I'm honestly more consistent in acquiring my grip during a high speed draw without it. I'm not 100% sure why that is, but I've done enough experimenting both ways that I don't doubt it.

Seems like I also remember reading somewhere else that the DO hanger was about a tenth of a second faster (in the experience of the dude posting it), but not really any more than that.

Again, if you have your heart set on the drop offset hanger, get the BOSS and never look back. That kit that Lot2Learn linked to is the exact setup I had in mind when I posted earlier.

[rob_s]

Skip all the widgets, danglers, dingleberries, and gizmos. Get a basic holster, pouches, and belt that will work for both IDPA and USPSA, as well as just about anything else you'd want to do. Blade-Tech and The Wilderness are ubiquitous for a reason. Start there.

Holster (if you get it for your new G34, all other double-stack 9/40 Glocks will fit)
http://shop.blade-tech.com/index.php...2#.VUCsYZuCOrU

Mag pouches (get 4)
http://shop.blade-tech.com/index.php...6#.VUCsn5uCOrU

Belt (get the 1.5", 5 stitch)
http://www.thewilderness.com/tactica...structor-belt/


If you're feeling like you want to save some money

Holster
http://www.safariland.com/paddle/mod...q=5198&start=1

Pouches
http://www.safariland.com/magazine/m...#q=773&start=1

I own all of the products above, and have gone through a lot of others before these, and these are what I'd suggest to anyone getting started out in the shooting sports and/or the training game.