Right. I didn't buy the gun because of the capacity. I bought it because compared to the other guns that I shot, A was more accurate and precise. I generally don't load the mags to capacity even. My comment was directed at the OP because he was talking about having to make 56 shots with a 7 shot mag putting him at a disadvantage.

well yes that makes perfectly good sense until.......................YOU SEE YER COMPETITION!

you have : carry guns for CCW and hunting usually not real modified and not real wise if you ever are involved in a justifable shooting. "hes a GUN-NUT" yer honor!"

and you have "limited" class-race guns with certain rules mainly no optics, trigger jobs,trigger parts,different barrels are ok.

and you have full blown "RACE GUNS" for "unlimited" class. with uber death ray optics. and every brownells/midway/STI/ famous name gunsmith on the planet part,you name the part and mfg. to split seconds and reliably feed under rapid fire stages.

its you against the clock period. and if ya miss you must repeat the shot until you hit. FTF or FTE will cost you time also. too many misses means a combat wombat mag change and that costs you seconds. run out of mags.......yer screwed. revolvers are at a big disadavantage.

use crap ammo and you will want to QUIT in the first 15 minutes because yer so frustrated!

point and shoot........NOT AIM AND SHOOT! 2 eyes open always. no strong eye dominant crap. you dont have time.

shooter ready? you reply "yes" barrel on table, buzzer goes off and up barrel comes onto target and fire, move barrel to next target, fire und so veiter.

2 trains of thought and juan is wrong:

1) i will take my merry ass time and line up all three dots on sights and hit target everytime.

2) i will place front sight on target and FIRE, as if i am pointing finger at target.

pick which juan has low time score???


FOCUS BOTH EYES ON FRONT SIGHT !!!

once ya practice about 5000 times youll see what i mean.

oh yeah........sight yer veapon in with the ammo yer gonna use BEFORE THE MATCH and be sure barrel is spotless and veapon is properly lubricated. NOT OVER-LUBRICATED!

bring water/gatorade/shop rag/ear muffies/eyes(glasses)/ cleaning kit to remove a SQUIB if ya have one and i have seen it a few times/plenty of ammo.

verks fer us!

accessories dont forget
 

tim
my name is jimmy shot last couple of months idpa(pistol matches).i have a colt gold cup. a good holster,shooting bag,10 magazines.ear protection.timer.
most events will allow factory guns.you can buy one supped up from factory and still shoot factory event.they have matches factory,single stack 10,revolver,unlimited.you might get with your wifes boss.he might know someone.who is getting out.hope this helps.
jimmy

I have a couple small carry guns should my wife and I ever take the time to get our CCW permits, but neither are a legal caliber for IDPA (9 x 19 minimum). If I get into this, it will strictly be for the thrill of COMPETITION. I am not doing this as a means of becoming proficient in real world scenarios. Some folks do which is great, but I view this strictly as a form of competition. I always have enjoyed starting as a newbie in a hobby (MX racing, AX, Flying, building airplanes etc) and enjoy the challenge of ramping up to competitive levels in very order.

I do not care in the least little bit about how a competition gun compares to any other guns I already own. I only care that the gun is the best suited to compete in a stock class compared to what the rest of the competitors are using in that class. It is looking like the Glock 34 is probably my best bet even though I never really liked Glocks. I have no doubt that many guns would be OK, but if I have to buy one, may as well start out with the best competition configuration in case I really get into this.

Tim,
I've been shooting IDPA for several years. Since I have run a few types of pistols for IDPA, I have a couple comments. One is, I carry the same type of gun that I shoot in IDPA. So, when I was shooting IDPA with 1911s, that's what I carried. When I switched to a DAO trigger, I carried DAO. The triggers were just too differnent for me to mix them.

I now shoot a Glock 20 or 17. I like the reliability of the Glocks and their low cost to buy and run.

I love the trigger on single actions and they do help with my speed and accuracy. I just don't like that you need to spend $1500+ to get a reliable and durable version.

My $02,
Troy

+1.
remember, IDPA was born out of the IPSC 'arms race'.
Shoot what you carry. Bring extra mags.
Not sure if IDPA has a power factor?

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?

The above forum has an IDPA section that might be of use. I'm somewhat in the same boat as you although I shot IPSC/USPSA for over ten years but 'retired' last year. I miss shooting my open guns in the worst way!

Anywho, I'm thinking of trying IDPA since there's an active group here in Richmond.

IDPA was originally started to eliminate the equipment race and get back to tactics. However, good ole Bill Wilson has been playing games, taking competitive guns out of certain classes and moving them to where they're no longer competitive.

Since I just want to maintain my skills, I'll shoot what I have (likely a single stack .45 built for me) and enjoy a bit of low key competition.

My brother runs impromptu matches at the range/gun shop he manages. There are a bunch of videos of it on you tube. I'll try to get the links and post them.

It's been said a few times, it is very difficult to beat a 1911 in 9mm. Recoil is minimal so maintaining your sight picture becomes less difficult. The trigger pull on a well tuned 1911 is a thing of beauty. Springfield makes some very nice 1911s and if you shop around you dont have to spend over $1000 to get one. I have a Taurus 1911 that I spend under $600 on and it is a sweet pistol. Not sure if Taurus is making their 1911 in 9mm though. The EAA Witness is another inexpensive pistol to look at. Single action, high capacity and can be had in 9mm.

I personnaly don't care for most DA pistols. I do have a SIG 229 equinox that has the best DA trigger I have ever experienced. For my taste the 1911 just offers the best ergomics for my hands. I shot them for years in the Army before we switched to the damn Beretta...

Good luck and practice, practice, practice. Focus on that front sight post...

Matt

Yeah, it is hard to beat a 9mm 1911 for IDPA. There are a few out there but I was under the impression they were over $1200. I could be wrong. Still, a Glock is $600 retail. That leaves a lot of money for gear and ammo.
Troy

Troy,

In today's economy you would be amazed what you can pick up a nice 1911 for. Developing a friendly relationship with a local gun store is also a great way to go. The guy who owns my local store calls me whenever a nice 1911 is in for a trade or something.

I have recently picked up a couple of 1911s that previous owners had spent a lot of money having customized. Toys like that are one of the first things people are forced to part with when money gets tight...

Matt

My all time best steal was a stainless Mil-Spec. Springfield 1911, missing only the barrel, for .......wait for it........$275 delivered!

That is a great deal. I have 2 custom 1911s built on the Springfield MILSPEC. I think I paid around $400 for each. They make great base guns for custom builds. I may pick up a SIG GSR this week, my local store has 2 that have been sitting on the shelf for about a year.

I am waiting on a Colt Delta (10mm) that has been with my gunsmith for 18 months. Cant wait to get my hands on it. It was a gift to myself for deployment number 3...

Matt

I just bought a barrel, guide rod, beavertail, skeletonized hammer and trigger, mailed it all to Robar, had then install Trijicons (cut a front dovetail) and then redo it in NP3. Now I have $800ish into it, but it's a very sweet gun.

What barrel did you go with? I am partial to Kart, I have one in every 1911 I own. The 10mm I am having done right now will be my first without a Kart Barrel, they don't do 10mm barrels.

I think for 800 bucks you are going to have a damn nice pistol. What are you going to use for magazines? I have had great luck with Wilson mags, and am going to order some of the new design they just came out with.

Can't remember the barrel brand. I have a bunch of ACT or Novak mags for most of my S/A pistols. I've never had a problem with any mag. except for one of my factory SIG P220 ones, which is relatively new. I have so many, I can't imagine ever needing them all at once.

I suspect that my P7 would do quite well for IDPA matches. (a P7 "M" would be better though)

What steel targets are you talking about? I have shot a bunch of steel plates and pepper poppers over the years, and never heard of anyone getting injured.

IDPA is a lot of fun. I have seen people do very well with all manner of pistols and even revolvers. In the end it comes down to practice and how comfortable you are with the pistol you choose to compete with. The whole thing is a trade-off between speed, accuracy, and often times how quickly you can change magazines.

I have competed with a Springfield EMP (9mm) and a 3 inch barrel. This is my primary carry gun so I wanted to see how well I could perform with it. It's not the most accurate pistol as the barrel/sight radius is rather short but I did OK. In the end I did gain a lot of confidence in the pistol that I carry every day. Practical shooting is tons of fun.

Matt

Once you get used to it, perhaps. Don't use it in IDPA until you've had plenty of practice. I'd be particularly careful about draw and fire exercises with a squeeze-cocker gun.