First IDPA Match Yesterday

I shot my first IDPA match yesterday; I actually learned about it Friday night at 7:30pm and I had to be present at the match at 7:30am Saturday. I'd already been shooting all day Friday basically, both rifle and pistol, when a fellow shooter told me.

It was my first ever pistol competition. I've done a lot with rifles (not civilian, but I'll be doing that soon) but the only thing I've done regimented with pistols was maybe some army training using the pistol as a backup. Or some demo our school might have done. I do carry, practice with, reload and shoot pistols and revolvers regularly, but never in a match. Haven't had the time or opportunity until now, but understanding how match shooting improved my overall and military shooting, I knew it would be invaluable.

I was right. And it was a LOT of fun. I shot 6 stations using my mostly stock but slicked up G17L with some light target reloads, and I had no mag carriers for it so I had 'em stuffed in my pants. I know better for next time now. I nearly shot perfect on the targets, but I was VERY slow since it was my first time. I always wanted to use that 17L in a match and it rocked, the accuracy was just insane --many were just 2 inch groups! I was also "unclassed" so it didn't mean anything. My score wasn't the worst compared to all the others but it wasn't anywhere near the top either. But I didn't expect it to be, I was somewhere in the middle or maybe high middle.

I'll speed up though, I'll also join up so I can shoot more matches. Overall it was fun and getting together with other shooters and "shooting it out" was a blast. You always learn something doing stuff like this and watching others was really great. Definitely going back. Plan on doing IPSC too, along with all the rifle stuff coming up. I at least want to try them all.

So for you guys shooting IDPA, would you recommend using a G17L, a G20 or a 1006? Or my carry piece, a G29? I also have a G21, but that one doesn't have adj. sights and I prefer those. The five I listed I own, the others I have I don't plan on using, and I don't plan on getting another just for IDPA, but may change sights on the G21 if there is a good reason. I shoot them all well, but I prefer the 17L (it is a match pistol after all) or one of the 10mm's. I load all my own too.

My interest is whether or not one pistol is better than the other for scoring? Does the 17L make it harder? Which one of those pistols would any of you IDPA shooters use and why?

For you guys not shooting IDPA, why not? I should have done it a long time ago, it sure is a lot more fun than just shooting pistols at the target range!

Yeah, I was wondering if this was the pistol match that had the magic box. If I do end up getting one for this it will be a G35 then I guess. I REALLY didn't want to have to buy ANOTHER Glock, but I really don't want to use another kind of pistol either.

This match wasn't an "officially sanctioned" match I don't think. Or maybe it was if you were a member of IDPA. See, they'd let you use just about anything to get you to do it the first time. It is addicting, and drug dealers do that to sell drugs as well.

I can research IDPA when I get a chance, I just wanted some advice from folks on here that shoot it too. I'll have to join if I want to keep shooting, get "legal" and read up on the power factor and work up a proper load for the matches. But I have a month to do all this.

As for 10mm, I'd like to use it if at all possible. I'm not too worried about losing brass, with 10mm I have a pretty strict cycling method since it is such a variable round and only use new brass for carry loads or stiff loads or if working one up --I can relegate my old brass to IDPA target loads and won't feel so bad if I lose them. Still, I don't want to lose it, and I plan on shooting this with my wife so I bet we can work something out where we pick up each other's brass during scoring. As for losing brass, I was picking up brass waiting for the scores to be posted but before the range claimed it so I left with more than I came with. I'll have to carefully go through it and it'll only be used for target loads, but that is just how I roll.

She may actually end up shooting it using a 649 though and getting her carry piece modded for moon clips. I applaud her for doing this instead of just grabbing one of our Glocks. She's kind of new to carrying everyday, she had her permit before but now she never leaves without it. She saw this match and realized just how underprepared she is; her only practice has been shooting on a lane and some things I've taught her, so in addition to learning how to "use" her pistol, she also thought it looked like fun --she even wanted to bring her girlfriends who have never shot and get them into it! Always good to take an anti shooting I tell 'ya. Considering all the guys there, the ratio, this may be popular them being anti's or not. Anyway, like I said, if you are new to carrying or pistols at all, this match is probably the best thing you can do like NM is the best thing you can do for new shooters to learn long range shooting skills. She isn't trying to be all that competetive, she wants to do it for the practice and training she'll get with her carry piece since she has no other kind of combat training. Me, I want to be competetive after I feel it out a few times, but may use my carry piece too now and again and if I learn something I'll translate it to that.

I do need to call up Milt Sparks and get another holster added to my order. Now I need an OWB one for that G20; the mag carriers were already on the order. So any recommendations for a shooter using a G20? Should I get a plastic speed holster like a Bladetech race holster or a decent Milt Sparks OWB one that I can use for other stuff like CC under a coat? Ammo choices or component parts, wrt bullets anyway? I load my own and at the moment and plan on using Rainier plated 180gr. truncated cone, but I can easily go up to 200gr. XTP's or FMJ's. Oh yeah, anyone point me to an easy to read table or chart with regards to power facor and the 10mm?

Thanks, I appreciate any help or pointing in the right direction. Any IDPA tips from any of you shooters would be greatly appreciated as well. It IS a lot of fun and I can easily see myself being able to turn on a few folks to this.

ny32182 said:

Also, kydex gear from Comptac, Bladetech, etc is much more popular than leather for a litany of reasons, but, you can still certainly use leather if you want to. I would make sure to read through the holster regs before spending money on a dedicated holster.

One more thing, if you don't want to buy another gun and want to be competitive, you have two choices with what you have:

-Download the G20 to somewhere around 130k PF and shoot in SSP or ESP depending on mods to the gun.
-Shoot the G21 in CDP.

You would not be limited by your equipment to any measurable degree in either scenario.

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Thanks. Bladetech is just down the street and I know they do custom work if you take your stuff in. I may look into that once I'm set on the pistol, it depends. For my carry stuff, I use Milt Sparks, and since I have an order in with them I may just get an OWB for that G20 instead since I just prefer the leather to the plastic.

So I can download 10mm huh. I'll have to use 135gr. I bet, I hear they are real good for accurate target shooting once you find the load. But what will I be shooting if I use 200gr. and have a higher power factor? I guess what I'm asking, is do I want a lower or higher power factor with 10mm and what is the difference?

I understand from here that a lower power factor in a G20 will have me shooting against G17-35's competetively? So what would I be shooting against if I used 200gr. loads at say 1000fps and those were my accuracy load?

Thanks for all the replies btw. And when I get a chance to research and join IDPA I will.

CatsEye said:

The lower the power factor for the 10mm the more competitive you will be against those shooting 9mm. I shoot my .40 sometimes in ESP at about 135pf using a 170gr bullet going a little under 800fps. It is very soft shooting. I don't know how that translates to a 10mm though.

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Well, a .40 and a 10mm are so similar that you can't really tell much difference with light loads. If anything, that load in a 10mm will feel even lighter because the 10mm weighs a little more (with Glocks anyway).

Based on what you guys have said and the little I've been able to learn so far, the G20 is probably my best bet at the moment for many reasons. So many it isn't worth listing and basically makes it a shoe in. All I really need is a holster to get going with it, so all I need to do is add that to my Milt Sparks order. That and work up a good mild load for competitions.

My goals with this are to have fun, get more practice and training with a pistol besides static target shooting, and to shoot with others in a different environment with different challenges. I plan on shooting many different matches, my local range I belong to hosts a lot of them. The ones I plan on taking the most serious (besides safety of course, they are all serious in that regard) are the highpower rifle matches and any kind of sniper type challenges that may come up. But I'll probably shoot many different matches this year, and one of the goals is to find gear that works laterally --so a pistol that is good in IDPA, plus IPSC and 3gun, would be most ideal. Even moreso if I don't have to buy anything.

I appreciate all the advice. But I'll ask this now: what would you all say to a new to IDPA shooter that you wish you had known earlier on? Also, if you do shoot different matches and have anything to say about the G20 and its use in different matches as well as IDPA, that would be great. Your educated opinion on it is valuable to me even if you don't shoot the 10mm --just consider it like a .40, because match loads will most likely BE .40 loads in a pistol that has slightly less recoil.

Thanks again!