New IDPA Rulebook being released today

[jar]

There were a few recurring themes that "most" IDPA shooters wanted addressed:

- CDP be based on power factor instead of caliber
- get rid of round dumping
- allow reloads to be initiated if run dry in the open
- XDs in SSP

Other than that maybe clear up some wording and "most" IDPAers would have thought the effort was a success. As it is now, there is a fair amount of discontent with the changes.

I think the biggest recurring theme, at least among the crowd who takes the competition part seriously, was taking the subjectivity out of cover calls. Instead of doing something about that, they merely codified the 'mother may I' walkthrough. As discussed elsewhere on here, it's a really hard problem to solve, but it's pretty frustrating to have the result of 18 months of effort be almost nothing at all.

[PPGMD]

At the risk of ticking off the IDPA faithful or the BOD, this demonstrates a key facet of the game. From the beginning it was less about game and more about a way for people to get in some quasi-realistic practice. Like I said earlier, IDPA is more like "competitive drills for the everyman" than eye-straining Bianchi performance or strategic USPSA stage analysis.

But then again a real shooting you are basically doing a stage analysis on the fly, including adapting the plan as the scenario changes. For me though it is mostly because different people shoot different ways. For example I had one stage where there were like a dozen poppers in this center area visible from the starting position and from another position 10 yards closer (and the poppers were 10 yards from that position), most production shooter just accepted the standing reload and shot them at the closer position. But realizing that I could hit it, and had extra rounds at the starting position I shot three of them from the starting position to eliminate the standing reload.

So now you've got a problem. Let's say the MRDS adds 1.5oz to a gun. I've got a gun that right now weighs 42.25oz as measured by IDPA. Allow me to simulate a response to an announcement that MRDS can be added so long as the gun remains within weight:

"WHAAAAA! NOT FAIR! WHY SHOULD A GLOCK GET A RED DOT BUT MY GUN CAN'T? WHAAAAAA!"

Even the people who don't want a red dot will kvetch just because they'll feel put upon.

They could always do what many did to make weight for SSP in the past, internal lightening cuts. I am sure a smith could find a couple of ounces to mill out in the dust cover, and on the inside of the slide.

To be honest, I'd be fine if IDPA wanted to make CDP 1911-specific by just saying so. If that's what it's supposed to be let's just jump to it and be done.

USPSA did that with their Single Stack division, the griping is pretty minor though when they do they typically point to CDP allowing other guns.

Me too. Which is poor because outside of a competitive event it is actually pretty reasonable... it forces you to search and ID threats instead of just shooting at obvious things that are easy to keep track of.

It is one thing to track a single person through a crowd when you can key on certain indicators (be in looks, behavior, or the most obvious one, he is pointing a gun at you). But to figure out which target is which in the shooting areas is much too difficult for lizard part of my brain that takes over during a match. It would be different if the targets were painted different colors, or had some indicator of which target is which.

But then again, I've become an increasing believer that competition is about testing skills. FoF with a good instructor is where you test/learn tactics. But to go with your search, and ID, I've heard that Paul Howe has an identification drill, but I've only read about it since it isn't open for lowly civilians.

[Lofty]

When I read R9's opening statement that the shooter may not leave a position of cover with an empty gun and interpret R9.1 & R9.2 I don't read it that way. If your cover is a wall 8 feet wide and you go to slide lock reload having fully engaged the target from the left corner of the wall you may reload while moving behind cover to engage the targets around the right side of the wall. What you may not do is leave one piece of cover to travel to another position of cover with an empty weapon and you can not reload along the way ala USPSA. Frankly this is as it's always been and is within the intent of IDPA. What's nice now is that if you are in the open engaging targets and your gun runs dry you may start your reload prior to arriving at your next position of cover. This is certainly what I would do in a real gunfight.

I know I am a bit late but having just completed the SO re-training the key to the reload is the moving from shooting POSITION ( not cover ) I agree the intention is probably as you say rsa-otc but the way it is written ......
here in Sarf Efrica we have been told to enforce he ...no move until reloaded rule....even behind cover ???http://pistol-forum.com/images/smilies/eek.png

[shootist26]

I think the biggest recurring theme, at least among the crowd who takes the competition part seriously, was taking the subjectivity out of cover calls. Instead of doing something about that, they merely codified the 'mother may I' walkthrough. As discussed elsewhere on here, it's a really hard problem to solve, but it's pretty frustrating to have the result of 18 months of effort be almost nothing at all.

I agree the subjectivity of cover calls can suck, but I do not see any feasible solution for it. Unless you have optical scanners downrange pointed at every piece of cover that will alert you to a body being out of cover, how else would you do it?

"Using cover" is an integral part of the IDPA game. An appropriate level of cover for a given situation is in and of itself a subjective thing. Therefore, cover calls in IDPA are always going to be subjective.