Sig P228

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Bowtieman66

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Just wondering if anybody use the Sig P228 for any type of competition( idpa,uspsa etc)?
 
I see them from time to time. No one at the top of the sport is using them though.
 
No compact is going to be completely ideal, except maybe in IDPA's dedicated compact division, but I'd say they are still big enough to be up to the task if the shooter is. You won't be at any sort of major disadvantage if that is what you have and you want to get started in Production, etc.
 
There's a small, but dedicated group of Sig 228/229 shooters in our local IDPA matches. They do just fine.
 
If you have one, it is absolutely fine to use for IDPA, USPSA, 3-Gun, etc. I have a buddy who uses one for 3-gun.

I would not say they are exactly ideal for USPSA or 3-Gun, but if you are new and it is what you are used to, it is better than buying some new gun before you have even dabbled in the sport.

If that is what you have, go shoot matches with it, you will have a blast. Don't keep yourself away from matches because you think you need some race gun. You don't.

If you are looking to buy something in order to start shooting matches, and you don't already have a handgun, I would steer you towards a Glock or a CZ. The aftermarket for both those guns is enormous. Capacity is a little better as well. But the Sig is no slouch.
 
Thanks for the input, I’m no expert or marksman by no means, i practice weekly.. average 500-700 rnds per month. It’s been my observation that people switch brands,calibers way to much..most would consider the 228 ancient or past its time, but I’ve never encountered a more reliable, accurate weapon in my 52 yrs. practice,practice, practice.
 
500 rounds a week should make all the actual shooting in most matches quite easy. The challenge will be learning the speed (unless you already work a lot with a timer) and the game (figuring out how to break down a stage, etc.).

You will pick that stuff up faster by attending a few matches than by reading about it! You're good enough, you're smart enough, and, doggoneit, the sport will probably like you!
 
Speed is something i will definitely have to work on, Ive never worked with a timer or attempted a lot of fast draws.
 
I would use the old saying
It's the Indian not the arrow, or in this case the bow.

If you shoot the gun well I see no reason to change, when starting, you might want to later you might not,
If you decide you like it and want to shoot open class in USPSA yes you will need a different gun.
My local club has one person rated USPSA GM who shoots a Glock with iron sights (Production) and is not that far behind some of the open guys with optics. Speed is a factor.
I'm slow but say maybe 15 targets with at least two mag changes (single stack 10rnds), moving shooting 45 seconds (like I said I'm slow:)), the fast guys do it in more like 20 seconds.

Will the shorter barrel hurt you a lot in USPSA production, probably not.

Go for it, but be careful it's addictive.
 
Your welcome.

BTY no need to ever shoot open class (unless you just have money burning a hole in your wallet:))
Other classes tend to be less expsnsive, Prodcuction, Single Stack (1911s), Carry Optics, Limited 10, Limited. Revolver.
 
I started out shooting a Ruger P345 in production (single stack 8 round 45acp)...only holds 8 rounds (when everyone else had 10) and was shooting major power but scored as minor power. Still had a blast and got to C class shooting the same 500 round a week. It's an absolute hoot, not only will you have fun but you'll be a better shooter for it.
 
Hell, I got to A class shooting a lot less than 500 rounds a week! Took me 4 years, though.... ;)
 
Speed is something i will definitely have to work on, Ive never worked with a timer or attempted a lot of fast draws.

You are not going to win a match just by draw time. Even if your a full second slower than everyone else and let’s say a club match is 6 stages, that’s only 6 seconds.

Same thing with shot to shot splits as far as simply pulling the trigger, you don’t need to be able to shoot .1 splits to win.

What makes the largest difference is what you do when you are not shooting.

Like this short video as an example.

http://www.commencefiring.com/files/Videos/2005/070905CCGR/leeandjohnm4_converted.avi

If you are not shooting you need to be doing everything you can to start firing again.
 
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You are not going to win a match just by draw time. Even if your a full second slower than everyone else and let’s say a club match is 6 stages, that’s only 6 seconds.

That's mostly true, although in hit factor scoring games (like USPSA), there's no real significance to "match time." All that matters are stage times. And adding a second to a stage time, especially on a small stage, is pretty impactful to hit factor among shooters of comparable skill (and hits).

But setting that aside, more than one top-level competitor has remarked that there is a significant correlation between draw times and overall performance. I suspect there are at least two factors at play in that. First, after urgency of movement and the usual avoid-static-reloads stuff, the next big obstacle to speed for many newer practical shooters is their index - i.e., how long they have to spend waiting for the gun (and sights) to get "on target" when they get ready to shoot that target, particularly when you're not talking about static transitions in an array. Working on the draw, if done properly, almost necessarily works on the shooter's index... after all, most draw practice involves drawing the gun to some kind of target and looking for the sights. That same work pays dividends when the shooter comes into a new position with only one hand on the gun. So draw practice doesn't just improve your draw time.

The second dynamic that I feel like I have observed in the now-hundreds of newish shooters I have RO'ed in recent years is that the urgency of whatever is done first in a stage (the draw, standing from a chair, retrieving a prop, grabbing a pull rope... whatever) seems to set the shooter's internal "clock speed." A shooter who draws slowly rarely then carries out everything else with urgency. There's no law of physics at work here, just human behavior, and there are sometimes exceptions... but not a whole lot of them.

Anyway, plenty of time for a new shooter to figure that stuff out over the course of weeks and months and years (if they're a slow learner like me!). A truly new shooter should try to stay within their comfort zone for the first couple of matches and simply focus on safety. If the shooter has never tried to draw fast, a match is not a good place to try it for the first time! (Hint: DRY FIRE). All of the "git gud" stuff can be tackled later.
 
But setting that aside, more than one top-level competitor has remarked that there is a significant correlation between draw times and overall performance.

Sure, I won’t argue that point. The better you are...well, the better you are.

I have coached more new shooters than I can count doing things like, taking 2 seconds to reload then 2 seconds moving to the next shooting position. So from shot to shot the time was 4 seconds. Get them to move to the next position, while reloading and you just cut two seconds out of the stage time.

That’s two seconds gained and they don’t have to be any better that they are, simply combine actions.
 
When people are trying to figure out why they are so slow - like 10 seconds slower on a stage than people who aren’t any better at pure shooting or any more athletic - I tell them they have to move like their kid just ran into traffic. No shuffling, no jogging.... if you need to move, MOVE.
 
But setting that aside, more than one top-level competitor has remarked that there is a significant correlation between draw times and overall performance. I suspect there are at least two factors at play in that. First, after urgency of movement and the usual avoid-static-reloads stuff, the next big obstacle to speed for many newer practical shooters is their index - i.e., how long they have to spend waiting for the gun (and sights) to get "on target" when they get ready to shoot that target, particularly when you're not talking about static transitions in an array. Working on the draw, if done properly, almost necessarily works on the shooter's index... after all, most draw practice involves drawing the gun to some kind of target and looking for the sights. That same work pays dividends when the shooter comes into a new position with only one hand on the gun. So draw practice doesn't just improve your draw time.

This is such a great post, that I had to quote at least one paragraph out of it.

I am fairly new to USPSA, but I have to say, I think you nailed it on this. Thanks for the great insight and analysis.
 
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