First USPSA match tomorrow... advice?

[vanbeast]

Hey all,

My first USPSA match is tomorrow morning... I'll be shooting in production with the following gear:

Springfield XD-9
Gunmate Ambidextrous nylon hip holster (my Fobus isn't here yet, dammit)
2x Uncle Mike's Kydex Double Stack Dual Mag Pouches
4x 9mm mags
1x .40 mags (stripper mag)
About a billion rounds of 124gr 9mm ammo
Tactical Camelbak

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a decent belt yet so I'm going with a standard 1.5" leather belt I got from Old Navy. I hope it doesn't break.

Any tips you can give me? Any little secrets I should know for my first match? Any equipment I should run out and replace right now?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Jim Watson]

Assume you have the usual outdoor stuff like sunscreen, mosquito repellent, hat, eye and ear protection.

Just listen up to the CoF description, take your walkthrough and see where the targets are, plan your moves and reloads, and do your best. Watch the good shooters but don't assume you can do everything they do to save time.

I always recommend the following priorities:
FIRST Be safe. Don't hurt anybody, don't scare anybody, don't get DQed.
SECOND Execute the CoF. Don't get lost, don't get procedurals, do it right.
THIRD Shoot accurately. Hit the "A" Or at least the "B" and "C". Certainly keep them on the target.
FOURTH Move along. Don't run before you walk, LITERALLY. Don't take chances with safety, procedure, and accuracy, but don't dawdle around, your time is half your score.

 

[Lars]

Are you going to one at Tri-county? I've shot a few USPSA matches there. I still concider myself a newbie though. My advice is to go slow and get good hits. Have fun and don't worry how you place. You should be the last one in your squad to go through each stage so watch what everyone else does. Ask lots of questions, the RO will help if you get in trouble. bring lots of ammo and always have your mags topped off if possible. Not great advice but I hope it helps. Have fun and let us know how it went.

Lars

 

[Island Beretta]

Vanbeast, all the best and be sure to tell me how the XD performs if even by private e-mail..

A few points, if I may:

1. Keep relaxed.. check yourself continuously, a deep breath helps, along with dropping your shoulders. An isosceles grip is more forgiving if you are tense, whilst a Weaver may cause your strong hand to dominate and push the pistol resulting in low shots. So if using Weaver, relaxation is even more important..

2. Forget about how the other shooters are doing.. the targets are your focus, you have to eliminate them (accuracy) quickly (speed). Both are important, balance them well!!!!

3. Always, always: FRONTSIGHT ON TARGET, PRESS .. If you are realxed you have less chance of jerking the trigger. Once the gun points well for you (which you should have checked when selecting) and you maintain your grip, the front sight will usually recentre in the rear sight notch..DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO FIRE A SHOT WITHOUT REACQUIRING THE FRONT SIGHT, never mind the shooters who are machine-gunning their pistols.

4. Keep the pistol in the line of vision you have to the target- this allows better indexing (helps in accuracy), faster sight acquisition and faster target transition.

5. If you feel the world suddenly slowing down and everything is becoming crystal clear, you are approaching that state of AWESOME SHOOTING!!

 

[BerettaNut92]

sight alignment
frontsight
press
followthrough


Don't be your own worse enemy, we all are.

 

[another okie]

You didn't mention hearing and eye protection.

Throw a lawn chair in the trunk of the car. It's useful at some matches, not at others. Can't hurt to have it.

Get there early. Find an old guy with some fancy gear, tell him you're new, and ask him for some advice.

Tell them when you're registering it's your first time. There may be a discount and that gives them a chance to tell you when and where the new shooter orientation is.

Assume it's a cold range. Gun should be chamber empty and magazine out when you arrive.

At some ranges they don't like you to put the gun on at your car and prefer you to do it at the safe area. Others don't care. You won't know until you ask.

The single hardest thing for new shooters to remember is finger off the trigger when loading, unloading, and moving.

 

[Zak Smith]

Don't get DQ'd for a safety violation.

Have fun.

-z

 

[Kevin]

Just be safe and have fun.