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Thread: GSSF Match.

  1. #1

    GSSF Match.

    I just signed up for my first GSSF match. New Smyrna Beach, FL. I'm probably going on Saturday, and only shooting a single division. I can't really justify shooting the 4 divisions my G17 could. It would cost more than double what a USPSA match would cost me. It's probably going to be a 3 hour drive one way though. So that's kind of fun.

    I really love Beretta, and I really like USPSA... but the chance of winning a pistol even if it's a random giveaway is too much. I think Gabe is the one who said he likes USPSA for the challenge and GSSF for the loot. I haven't been able to make it to a USPSA match in a few months, so I figured a GSSF match would be a nice no pressure shooting match with less parts. I'm looking forward to it.

    Anyone else headed to the same match, or GSSF in general?


    -Cory

  2. #2
    Buddy of mine got a 1099 from Glock this year and last. He's the reason I own Glocks now. Doubtful I'll be getting 1099s unless I start practicing.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Spartan1980 View Post
    Buddy of mine got a 1099 from Glock this year and last. He's the reason I own Glocks now. Doubtful I'll be getting 1099s unless I start practicing.
    That's the best kind of 1099. I had a good run a couple years ago. Between 2 matches, Glock 1099'ed me for around $1800. The down side being bumped to master and now I can't compete with the career GSSF shooters. Haven't won peanuts since. The per division cost going up also killed my desire for the matches. It was a fun run though.

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Western Ohio
    If I was gonna spend six hours total on the road, I'd shoot every single division/category that I could. Money be damned.

  5. #5
    Frequent DG Adventurer fatdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Rural Central Alabama
    About 2011 the arthritis in my knee forced me to give up USPSA/IDPA and that left steel challenge and GSSF (I also do CAS). I have enjoyed those. There are two GSSF matches within about an hour drive every year and I traveled to a few others in the 3-4 hour range most years. Not as much fun as USPSA but you don't have to move, which became the necessity for me.

    I have always found the NRA D1 a more challenging target at distance, especially 20-25 yards and my problem is vertical. I either end up with vertical stringing or too high or too low as I cannot see the rings at that distance. GSSF has forced me to learn a better target focus and centering on the larger target for my aiming point at those distances. I guess the vertical aspect of the A zone on a USPSA target had let me slide by over the years with some vertical stringing slop at longer ranges.

    I only shoot two guns at GSSF these days, my G19 (which I perform better with than my G17) and my G26 in subcompact division. I have a small group of friends from the USPSA world and a couple of guys who have never been involved in serious competition before who go. We road trip these together and have a great time.

    I have never won anything big on the random drawings but several times I ended up with a $50 or $100 check. They usually have a box of used factory magazines you can pick up for $10 each.

    We always attend on Sunday afternoon. The plan is to arrive just around noon and there is usually no wait at all compared to the crowds on Saturdays. Several times I have arrived and shot through in less than an hour.

  6. #6
    I think you should shoot in more divisions. I've shot only one GSSF match; not knowing what to expect, I signed up for only two, 'guardian' and 'competition'; all of my shooting was over in less than ten minutes, a very anti-climactic less than ten minutes. The shooting, for me, was over. I should have signed up for more divisions, and I could have done it then, but by that point there was an ungodly line-up. When the results were released, I was 13th in 'competition' but 1st in 'guardian'. If you don't sign up for everything, I think that - like me - you'll regret it later.

  7. #7
    Definitely sign up for everything. I shot only amateur civ with a 19 my first time and regretted it. Had fun but had a lot more the next time shooting a few more guns/classes.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by tlong17I View Post
    Definitely sign up for everything. I shot only amateur civ with a 19 my first time and regretted it. Had fun but had a lot more the next time shooting a few more guns/classes.
    I'll echo the shoot a lot of divisions. To some extent winning a pistol is just random, the more divisions the more chances. Borrow a buddy's G26, whatever. The scoring rewards accuracy over speed, especially relative to USPSA. Get your hits.

  9. #9
    I shot GSSF for several years and enjoyed it. I won five pistols (3 wins, 2 randoms) and had a string of second place finishes that paid for my matches. Then, I jumped into the open enrollment training world and haven't been able to shoot them. For the past five years, the closest match to me and TacCon have been on the same weekend, and then two of the matches that were within 1.5 hours of my house vanished.

    I may try to do a couple this year as I have improved considerably since my match days, and I would like to see what the differences in my scores would be.
    I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.

  10. #10
    Site Supporter EricM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Midwest
    I really enjoy GSSF, I dig the focus on the fundamentals and the number of timer beeps you get in the course of a match. It's nice sometimes to focus purely on the shooting and not worry about movement, reloading, and stage planning.

    I would encourage you to shoot at least two divisions...if your first time through a stage doesn't go so well, you have a chance to evaluate what you would do differently and shoot it again. I would hesitate to recommend shooting all the divisions unless you are used to that kind of volume or don't mind taking your time. At many larger matches there are express lanes where you can shoot all your entries on a stage one after another...my hands were a wreck the first (and last) time I shot 7 divisions back to back on the plate rack.

    For your first match, I'd say just have fun and focus on accuracy, letting the time be what it will be. Once you know where you land in the rankings you can make more of a plan for the next match. Past results are available online and in my experience things tend to be similar at a given match year to year. Seeing how many people at what skill level shoot a given division and looking at how the performance awards are allocated (number of shooters and priority order) may influence which divisions you shoot in the future. For example, at the New Smyrna Beach match last year, Subcompact and Heavy Metal were pretty wide open at the amateur level. It was the same in my area when I started so I bought a Glock 30 just for GSSF, and I've won more with it than my other Glocks combined.

    There used to be a separate gun drawing for new shooters attending their first outdoor GSSF match, not sure if they still do that but worth checking!

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