IDPA thoughts and questions

[emarshcz]

Good morning,

When I bought my CZ-75 what I had in mind for it was range use with an eye to possibly trying my hand at some pistol competion. My personal gun colletion also includes a Glock 30 and a Bulgarian Makarov. My wife owns a Kel-Tek p-32, Sig-Sauer 232 and a Kahr P9 so I also have the option of shooting those weapons.

The Glock 30 is really a superb weapon as far as a moderatly compact big bore concealed carry gun goes but the big .45 has enough recoil to require a little longer to get back on target after firing a round. So for competion the CZ ought to be a far superior weapon as it shoots a lighter round, has more mass and a longer sight radius.

In preparation for for trying to shoot IDPA I've checked out the IDPA web site, downloaded the rules and purchased a Fobus holster for my CZ. I still need to buy another magazine.

I've got to say that in once sense the IDPA rules don't seem very realistic. The major classes seem to be for full sized guns.  Unless one is in law enforcement it is much more likely that a person will be carrying a concealed compact weapon. Yet the rules seem to make such practical weapons second class citizens, grouping all such weapons into a "backup guns" class. Thus a Glock 30 will apparently compete directly against a 32 caliber pocket pistol.

This doesn't make any sense at all.

Be that as it may. Perhaps I'm missing something or misinterpreting the rules.

I do have a question. I've been practicing drawing my gun from its holster and trying to sight it up against the target. Any tips on how to do this in the quickest, most efficient manner? Is it just a matter of repetition or are there some tricks or techniques that I can use?

Thanks,

Eric

[Walt-Sherrill]

REPEAT AFTER ME:  IDPA IS A GAME.

Its an interesting game that is more realistic (in terms of practical, real-life scenarios that somewhat emulate personal defense situations) than IPSC or Glock Shoots, but its still a
game.

Keep in mind, too, that there is no "official" Backup Gun division, yet.  What you see in the rule book is a "provisional" division that's being "tried out."  A few clubs have competitions that include BUG events, but they're very rare.

And for some folks, a .32 semi-auto is much more practical than a Glock 30.  

My Star Firestar Plus, my most frequently carried weapon, holds up to 13 rounds of 9mm, when downloaded is eligble for the BUG division.  I'd rather shoot in SSP...  Fact is, I can't think of a single BUG that can't also compete in SSR, SSP, CDP or ESP divisions.   Some may be at a minor disadvantage because of limited capacities, but so what?

If your focus is to WIN when you compete in IPDA, shoot a different gun.  If your focus is to shoot well with a BUG, and perfect your technique, then do that...  But you need not be CONFLICTED about this.

With regard to drawing and sighting.  Dry firing isn't really going to help much on anything but trigger pull.  

You've got to learn the proper technique and then work on getting that technique ingrained - with thousands of repititions.   Results (on the target and on the timer) help you understand whether you're improving.  

Practicing without ammo shows you nothing of significance, and may allow you to "LEARN" bad habits.  Sadly, what you may be doing, now, practicing as you're practicing, could be "ingraining" bad habits.

We've had classes at our IDPA club, run by a couple of nationally-ranked IPSC and IDPA shooters.  Several members went through the classes but were UNABLE to use what was being taught:  they were so locked into the Weaver Stance and putting their fingers on the front of the trigger guards  that they simply couldn't adapt.  

I would argue that it is NOT a coincidence that these same shooters continue to be at the low end of the rankings in our competitions.  They've learned bad habits, and they aren't able to change -- 'cause the bad habits feel better to them than the new technique.

Go to www.brianenos.com and check out Brian's "Practical Shooting."  It comes highly recommended by almost every competitive shooter who has read it.  

(I meant to order a copy last week but got distracted.  May have to do it this afternoon.  Very reasonably priced.)

[HungWeiLo]

Carrying a full sized pistol is only moderatley more difficult than carrying a compact pistol, if you are willing andto make any needed adjustments to your wardrobe.  An open shirt over a T-shirt, untucked shirt, dress or casual vest, and a "smart carry" with loose pants are all viable options for carrying either a full sized or a compact.  The only time I don't carry a full size is to work, where the added concealability is more important.  Due to recent threats to the work place I've started to put my full sized in my laptop bag.

I think IDPA shouldn't be ctiticized as unrealistic because full sized guns have an advantage.  That is VERY realistic.  A full sized pistol is easier to get a good grip on and to shoot well than a compact, especially under stress.  You can use a compact to compete, but you'll be at a disadvantage, just like you would be in a real fire fight.

[Chuck-Edwards]

Eric - There's a wide disparity of weapons used in IDPA.  Some folks use small guns, some full size.  If you want to treat it as just a game (and there's nothing wrong with that), use any gun you want as long as it fits within the guidelines.  If you want to treat it as a way to practice self-defense skills with your carry gun, use your carry gun.

Me, I swing both ways at once.  I carry full size guns, and use them in IDPA.  My "small" gun is a Colt Combat Commander in .45 ACP.

If you were to show up at an IDPA match with the G30, you'd be a long way away from being the only one with that type of gun.

Can they be competitive?  Sure.  The guy who came in second Master (the highest classification) in SSR at last year's Nationals shot a 3" S&W Model 10 that he probably paid $200 for, shooting against moonclip fed Model 625s that weighed half again as much.

Regards,

Chuck

[emarshcz]

Well I guess I really just need to try it out and then I'll be better qualified to comment on it.