Planning where to reload is probably the most important single thing to learn in USPSA in all divisions except Open and PCC. In Production, Single Stack, and Revolver, this usually translates to "if I'm moving, I should be reloading," but there are some exceptions, depending on stage layout. Welcome to the game!Originally Posted by Rapid Butterfly
A consideration is trying not to be “that guy.” By “that guy,” I mean the new guy that sucks at the game, doesn’t know any of the other shooters at that club, and shows up shooting concealed at a USPSA match with a holster position that is foreign to most other participants.
Here is the big secret when it comes to USPSA and a fast draw — it hardly matters, except that your draw give you a good grip, because of how varied the start positions are and how many shots are fired after the draw during a typical stage. What does matter is if you shoot yourself because that will mess up the match, or make other shooters concerned. Most other shooters will be a lot more impressed with how fast you tape and reset steel than how fast your draw is.
An alternative is to start shooting with a conventional holster, and after a few matches when people know you, go to concealed. When Pepperoni, for example, shows up concealed everything thinks this is neat, because of how well he shoots and how he handles his Beretta — plus they hope concealed may slow him down a bit.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
That sounds very elitist, and not the most inviting set of conditions for a newbie.
How can I be good at something I've never done...of course I'm going to suck. Yes, I've shot IDPA, but I know it's quite different. I've never been to this club, so no, I don't know anyone at all, other than knowing 'of' a particular asshole RO. I'm not going to buy a bunch of USPSA-specific gear, just to go try this out.
I'm going primarily to support my friend Tyrus, and just want to look into it, but if my carry gear isn't good enough, then I'll gladly shoot elsewhere.
Just shoot your IDPA gear, bro-ham.
Aww, don't take your ball and go home!
GJM is trying to help you navigate through life. Go to the USPSA match with your IDPA gear. Go early, help set up. Make friends. During the match help paste and reset. Do this 2 or 3 times, then bust out your cool guy gear. This strategy can be used in many aspects in life as well.
Why are we getting so many upset AIWB guys lately?
First, I'm not an AIWB guy, so that isn't an issue, but I'm not running gamer gear either, it'll be OWB Kydex holster at 4:00.
I do all those things you said, I'm all about helping out, so we shall see...
It took me two or three passes to get @GJM meaning but I think his point is this, for the first few times you go to a particular club in your area do the following:
- Show up with gear that is familiar to everyone
- Don't shoot from concealment
- Get people to know you by being safe and courteous
By "gear that is familiar to everyone" I mean a basic strong side OWB holster and some basic mag pouches on your off side. It's gear that you can easily conceal under an untucked shirt, but visible and in positions on your body that everyone is used to seeing.
Once people know who you are and that you're basically a safe and competent shooter, switching to AIWB from concealment won't raise any concerns in anyone's mind.
I see where you're coming from and I considered that approach, but I'm such a die-hard all or nothing kind of guy. I busted ass to loose 65 lbs just to appendix carry. Then dry fired 50-100 hours in 50 days to earn a Light Pin at Gabe White's Class. Now, I'm using USPSA just as objective metric to keep my dry fire and personal range motivation up (plus it is fun). I want 1 gun and 1 gear setup, and I want to be good with it. On top of that, with my match schedule ( 6 per year) it would take forever for me to be a known entity at any of the 5-6 clubs within driving range. I have to wait for a weekend to open up, then pray there is a match. Not the other way around. I put it in my head to do the work with the club staff to make sure my setup won't cause trouble for them, and I'm refining my communication so I don't run into problems at other clubs. I'll put on my thick skin to take the Timmy comments in stride and as Coach Klein, the famous Louisiana football coach, said, "Use it as tacklin fuel" to safely beat as many nay-sayers at their own game.
In short, for me, the time it would take to do it like a normal person is more valuable than the headache I'll have to endure for being "that guy".
Thanks for the advice though. It is good to see the perspective of someone who has been doing it well for a while.
@Sauer Koch hell man, you were fast enough with your HK gear to earn a pin at Gabe's class and didn't get scolded for unsafe handling. If you run your HK gear with your shirt tucked in you'll look like a normal person next to me.
I'm so cheap I took all the shot up targets from Gabe White's class. Brown tape is cheaper than targets though...
I agree with all that. I'm fine NOT shooting from concealment, and as I said above, I don't shoot AIWB. My gear setup is just as you described, shooting a 226. I'm all about being safe, again no argument there.
I think it may only be 2 threads that I'm participating in and bumping. I'm not trying to grind an axe or anything, just getting perspectives from seasoned shooters and relaying my experience.
I'm so cheap I took all the shot up targets from Gabe White's class. Brown tape is cheaper than targets though...
Just a few final comments
1. Your ability to draw lightning fast and rip wicked splits is not what will carry the day. There are other technical elements involved that will affect your hit factor significantly more than stand and shoot skills. 99% of the gun classes out there never teach that stuff.
2. You can become a "known entity" real fast (much faster than you might assume) if you're open and friendly with your squad. You are highly likely to run into them again if you're shooting your local area.
3. I think you're overdramatizing what will happen
AAR required early next week
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