Competition setup vs self defense setup

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Jericho76

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I have noticed before that people seem to differentiate between the two in terms of how much effort they are prepared to put into setting up a gun. The comments are usually," I am just using it for home defense, so I don't want to spend too much".
Surely that is when you want it to go bang and on target the most? Am I right in understanding that race guns are very specific about operating with specific loads?
I ask this, because I have been trawling for a while, as I wait for my CCW/LTC to come through and so I have been researching the hell out of what to get. Being poor(not impoverished), I will be getting 1 gun to do everything. I dont intend on carrying all the time, so a full sized is the way I am going to go(for now). By the way, the more I learn the less I know.
 
My all around gun is a Glock 19 - not for everyone - but the size, weight and capacity meets my needs perfect.
 
For your purpose a stock Glock/M&P/XD would be fine for HD or competition. I shoot a Springfield Loaded model 1911 and a Glock 35 in IDPA. I could use either for carry or home defense. They are both internally stock, I have changed stocks on the 1911, and sights on the Glock, but nothing major, they are both accurate, and reliable, after that it's up to the shooter.
 
I must say, I have my heart set on a 1911 of some kind.I know it's maybe not the best choice for competition, but I am hoping I will just get used to it. I shot an real nice Colt a while ago and that trigger is sweet.
 
My Comp setup is the same as my daytime CCW setup. Sometimes I may have to carry a pistol smaller than my comp 1911.

My nighttime CCW setup is different, I'll run a front night sight and thicker grips. I may still use my daytime CCW at night, since nightsights are pretty useless to me anyways.

There is no one prefect setup. Nightsights are much slower than a daytime comp setup during the day, and a FO comp setup is pretty poor in dark conditions. It's not unreasonable to have two of the same pistol with different sights on each.
 
Jericho76,
The 1911 is still one of the most popular competition pistols around, they are a lot of fun to shoot, and win matches with. It is also a very good home defense weapon. If you want a 1911 get one! The Springfield Range Officer model is an affordable pistol, and should be just fine as an all around gun like you want. IMHO
 
One man’s opinion: and some will *gasp* when they read this, but consider the Taurus PT1911 for your needs. Match barrel, polished feed ramp, adjustable Heinie sights, all for as little as 400-ish.

I bought mine for $300 off of someone. Shoots great, feels great, cost nothing. More info and specs here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_PT1911

Good luck!
 
While I don't subscribe to the opinion myself, there are those who are concerned about using highly modified weapons for self-defense, due to what a jury might think.
 
I was told that might hurt you more in the civil case(when/if family of dead guy sues you) than the criminal case. Any thoughts on that? Not that I intend on shooting anyone anytime soon.
 
A member here called possum did a review of sorts on the rock island 9mm 1911. That is a decent enough quality 1911 that eats really heap ammo for budget minded folks. The commander sized tactical model still comes in way less than $500 and comes with dovetailed sights, a commander hammer, a decent enough trigger and ambi safety....and it's all steel. I fondled one myself at the store today and I'll likely pick one up, just can't decide on 9mm or 45. 1911's should be chambered 45 :rolleyes: but I've always craved a 9mm 1911.

But if you took away all of my pistols and I could only have one, I'd take my glock 19 and squirrel away some change for 1911 later. I like the m&p and the xd line, but the 19 just seems to fit me better. It is also just the right size so that it can be carried IWB with minimal fuss concealed, it accepts g17 mags if you feel you need that much for home defense and it will hold it's own (assuming the shooter can) in competition.
 
In general race guns have a very light trigger than HD guns. Any gun with the trigger around the 4-6lb range will be fine for a HD/carry gun.

When I started carrying I used a Sig 229 9mm, DA/SA. This is a heavy gun but can be carried fairly easy with a good gun belt and holster. This apply to any gun you may want to carry, Get a good heavy gun belt and a holster that fit your needs. I have since switched to the Kimber SS Ultra TLE II in 45 acp. This is a very light small compact 45, 3" barrel. Some say they are not reliable but mine has been flawless right out of the box with any ammo I have fed it so far.

What ever you get, shoot and train with it. You want to get to the point that drawing a gun from different positions (sitting and standing) become second nature.

1911's are design to be carried in Condition 1, cocked and locked (safety). If you have problem with this you need to move to a different platform.
 
The guns I shoot in IDPA matches are the same guns I carry for self defense, or keep for home defense. The only difference is that I use cheaper FMJ ammo and handloads for shooting the matches, and save the more expensive commercial hollowpoints for defensive purposes. Accuracy and reliability are the criteria I use for picking the ammo for either use.
 
No problem carrying a 1911.{I don't} Just make sure you buy a good holster and BELT. You might want a different holster for matches and extended mags depending on what competition you want to shoot.
I wouldn't worry too much about sights. Some guys feel night sights are a must, some not so much. Some want fixed, some want adjustable.
In any event, the .45acp is a great round for everything.
 
Get a Colt Commander have a night sight installed in front and rear black This works day and night as your not shooting great distance at night and MUST be able to ID target.
 
The guns I shoot in IDPA matches are the same guns I carry for self defense, or keep for home defense. The only difference is that I use cheaper FMJ ammo and handloads for shooting the matches, and save the more expensive commercial hollowpoints for defensive purposes.
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same here - I use the minor stress of the IDPA match to get some sort of clue how I might handle a particular gun under less-than-perfect conditions. Any mods are to make the gun more reliable in my hands, not more competitive. I've found that the gun I like the most isn't necessarily the one to carry.

I am just using it for home defense, so I don't want to spend too much
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means 'My friends won't see this, so I'm not wasting my money':neener:
 
When someone kicks in your door and you roll out of bed with a handful of handgun, it is a poor bet to say that you will see your sights. If he comes around the door as you hit the floor, at the best you will be point shooting. Most will simply snap of rounds in the general direction if they pull the trigger at all. Especially if you are blinded by his muzzle flash.

If you are decent in competition, you WILL do as you practice. Period.
 
None of my comp pistols have lighter triggers than my good CCWs. I did lighten my Glocks trigger up a bit and changed it's feel and reset, but it's not too light.

My pistols are going to get handled at the range and played with at competitions far, far more often than a CCW that sits idle in my holster for a week without ever being touched. I'm allmost just as likely to screw up a trigger pull at a comp under stress as I would be If I ever needed to clear Kydex again. And odds are my CCW will never have to ever clear Kydex ever again except for training.

Point is, I need safe triggers in my comp guns just as much as anything else. Both my 1911's and Glocks perfomance actually suffered when I went too light.

(Cowboy action SA revolvers are a different story)
 
A lot of people like having an all around pistol. I agree that it should be fully reliable regardless of the daily use or purpose. As mentioned before, there are many companies which will suit you just fine. I, personally, recommend the M&P9 or 40. Great design, very reliable. XDM"s are nice but a tad pricey. Glocks are not pretty but are undeniably reliable. Ruger SR9's and SR40 are nice little pistols too. If you wanna spend the money, look at the Sig P226 or P229. HK has the USP's, P2000, and P30's.

For daily carry, I don't recommend too many alterations from stock. Night Sights or Straight 8 sights are the only thing really. Maybe a trigger smoothing... not a trigger job/reduction. A polished feed ramp is a very nice upgrade. You can do that at home yourself and save the 30-100 gunsmiths will charge you.

Competition upgrades make the weapons have less tolerances between moving parts making them "tight" and more likely to fail if they aren't cleaned regularly. Not good if you carry everyday and don't clean more than once a week.
 
I must say, I have my heart set on a 1911 of some kind.I know it's maybe not the best choice for competition, but I am hoping I will just get used to it. I shot an real nice Colt a while ago and that trigger is sweet.
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Considering the 1911 platform rules the podium in almost every form of centerfire pistol target shooting I would say it is an excellent choice. I would look very hard at a full size 1911 in either 38 Super or 9X23 if you plan on reloading and either 45 or 9mm if you don't. These are easy to tune for reliability and good accuracy (tho not up to Bullseye standards) for use in competitions like IDPA.

One of the big factors in reliability will be the magazines. In 10 years of shooting 38 Super in a 1911 I never had a magazine failure with Mec Gar mags.
 
I have noticed before that people seem to differentiate between the two in terms of how much effort they are prepared to put into setting up a gun.
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The two real differences that I see between guns setup for competition vs. self defense concern the trigger and the sights. I'm not referring to bullseye competition guns or Olympic style shooting as those really are a different beast.

Trigger - Many folks will go with a lighter trigger for competition...don't confuse lightness and smoothness, smoothness is a good thing...with most carry triggers going > 4lbs and competition triggers going < 2.5

Sights - Sights used in competition will often be better cared for than carry sights and need not be as sturdy.

The hot setup in production class competitions (closest to a carry gun) are fiber optic front sights. While the shape of the blade can be accommodated with a proper holster, the fiber optic tubes are a bit fragile...easy enough to replace in competition. The fastest (to pickup aligned sights) setup for a carry gun are a brass or tritium front dot and a plain black rear sight...which is still a very fast sight to use in competition
 
I almost always shoot my current and former duty guns (Springfield Loaded .45acp and a S&W 1911 9mm Pro Series) in IDPA using my duty holster and rig. I say almost always because in the last match I shot my new off duty gun, a SIG 1911 Traditional Compact, and the S&W, using my off duty rig. I shoot IDPA for fun and quality trigger time, so I only shoot the stuff I carry.
 
The hot setup in production class competitions (closest to a carry gun) are fiber optic front sights. While the shape of the blade can be accommodated with a proper holster, the fiber optic tubes are a bit fragile...easy enough to replace in competition. The fastest (to pickup aligned sights) setup for a carry gun are a brass or tritium front dot and a plain black rear sight...which is still a very fast sight to use in competition
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I agree with 9mmepiphany except some FO fronts have been mounted so they are not easy to impact. Many holsters are available with a 'sight track' built in. The holster is the biggest damager of FO's along with gun cleaning chemicals. Installed properly they don't get knocked out easily.

I do agree about the plain black rear and night-visible front being very workable in comp, and is only a little slower in daylight than the FO front for those with older eyes.
 
Competition, like USPSA, is like a smorgasbord; take what you like, leave what you don't.

There are six divisions in USPSA, Open being but one. There's a division for 1911's, Glocks/Sigs/M&P's/SR9's/etc, revolvers and others.

You do not have to make your gun super tight, requiring certain rounds carried in a pure speed rig.

You can use your actual carrygun from an IWB holster, it's up to you.

www.uspsa.com

Find a club near you.
 
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