I want to shoot competition pistol, what gun to buy?

[MrBorland]

Beating others, winning the state title, etc., are poor goals in and of themselves for one simple reason - you have no control over who else shows up.

On Saturday, I win a match. On Sunday, I finished dead last against a field of GMs. So, I'm a Hero one day and a Zero the next? It's a roller coaster best not ridden. I'm the same shooter both days, but to jump on the roller coaster is to give others shooters way too much power over me.

Though I think it's fun to pour over match results, I judge my overall ability on how well I'm executing the fundamental things in my control - "seeing" more and hitting what I see.

 

[Pete D.]

Competition?

I am looking for a good cheap pistol for competition
shooting, i am not sure of which rules I want to shoot under, and I could use some advice on that to. I am just getting started in competition and really don't know alot about it, so I need something that I can get started in

Early on this thread got steered into consideration of the practical and action pistol venues. That is all well and good.
Why has there been little or no discussion of Bullseye/Conventional pistol shooting? 900 matches can be shot with a .22 (and you know that there are a lot of affordable firearms that would be suitable). There are Bullseye matches all over the country every weekend so they are not hard to find.
Certainly, Bullseye shooting places a premium on very precise shooting - something that a new shooter cannot get too much of.
I was just wondering since the OP noted that he was unsure about so many facets of "competition".
Pete

 

[ny32182]

If you win one day and lose the next, it doesn't mean anything other than that you won one day and lost the next. I don't know what some of you read into this, but there is not really any "power" involved here; it is a sport. If you are in it for the competition, and you are never getting beat by anyone, one of two things is true: 1) you are not doing an adequate job seeking out better competition, or 2) you are the national champion.

The reason we have skill classes is so everyone has someone to compete against. There is no other reason. This is why they exist.

At the local level I would pick out about three people I'm very evenly matched against, and then gage myself against them. Those three people can help you see if you are improving. This will give you an even narrower "range" of skill level to focus on at any given time, since the skill classes usually feature a pretty wide range of skill levels as there are only five of them in IDPA.

Same thing transfers to a sanctioned/regional match, especially if competition becomes more or less exhausted at the local level... look at past match results, and pick out some folks you want to track in the scores. If I get the opportunity I'll discuss strategy stage by stage, and the point is to figure out what I might not have seen, or what particular string if fire I might have executed well or not. We all have a general idea of how well we shot, but unless you've timed, recorded and saved your entire shot-by-shot performance for later review, it is going to be hard to tell how well you really did without other points of comparison.

Being self motivated is great, but like Jim says, there is not nearly as much opportunity, due to the randomness of stage design, to compete against yourself in IDPA, etc as there is in, say, golf where you know how you do against the same course every time.

 

[joe6604]

In IDPA's most recent Tactical Journal, they listed the equipment that shooters in their 2010 National Championship used. By far, the Glock 34, 9mm, had the highest numbers...68 shooters.

I was a reluctant Glock shooter, but I've found that my 34 is a tack driver, easy to clean, and reliable. I'm a reloader using lead bullets, so it's recommended by many who seem to know that you need to replace the stock barrel with one made of stainless steel...Lone Wolf, KKM, Lake Storm, whatever you can afford. Also recommend a 3.5 lb trigger connector. And these are modifications that don't require a gunsmith.

All in all, not a lot of money for the fun you'll have.

 

[FatPants]

In IDPA's most recent Tactical Journal, they listed the equipment that shooters in their 2010 National Championship used. By far, the Glock 34, 9mm, had the highest numbers...68 shooters.

I was a reluctant Glock shooter, but I've found that my 34 is a tack driver, easy to clean, and reliable. I'm a reloader using lead bullets, so it's recommended by many who seem to know that you need to replace the stock barrel with one made of stainless steel...Lone Wolf, KKM, Lake Storm, whatever you can afford. Also recommend a 3.5 lb trigger connector. And these are modifications that don't require a gunsmith.

All in all, not a lot of money for the fun you'll have.

G34 comes with a - connector.

 

[Pete D.]

barrels

Note:

t's recommended by many who seem to know that you need to replace the stock barrel with one made of stainless steel...Lone Wolf, KKM, Lake Storm, whatever you can afford

Replacing the barrel in a Glock so as to shoot lead has little to do with the steel and everything to do with the type of rifling in the aftermarket barrels. Changing the rifling is the issue as well as fully supporting the cartridge. Glock barrels have polygonal rifling, the LW, Storm Lake, KKM barrels don't.
Pete

 

[dlee4697]

I would go with a Glock 34. Add a steel guide rod and a recoil spring from wolf springs. Also a reduced power striker spring and safety spring from them as well. Polish a few parts and you will have a very accurate and reliable firearm with a great trigger. Also you might want to add on some Warren sights. All of those upgrades would run you a little over $100.00 and could be done by yourself. Also a plus would be shooting Federal Champion Ammo from Wal-Mart. It will make power factor in both USPSA and IDPA and is very soft to shoot in the Glock 34. Just remember if you want to shoot SSP in IDPA you have to put the stock guide rod back in.

 

[Justin]

Why has there been little or no discussion of Bullseye/Conventional pistol shooting? 900 matches can be shot with a .22 (and you know that there are a lot of affordable firearms that would be suitable). There are Bullseye matches all over the country every weekend so they are not hard to find.

Most people probably assumed the OP was interested in shooting an action pistol sport since he asked for advice about a 9mm pistol. Back when I shot Bullseye, I never saw anyone running 9mm guns. It was always .22/.45 and sometimes .32 Long or .38 Spl.

Also, much as I hate to say it, the old school forms of competitive shooting like Bullseye pistol seem to be falling by the wayside in favor of sports that are more exciting and accessible to newcomers, like Steel Challenge and IDPA.

 

[1SOW]

Justin:

Most people probably assumed the OP was interested in shooting an action pistol sport since he asked for advice about a 9mm pistol. Back when I shot Bullseye, I never saw anyone running 9mm guns. It was always .22/.45 and sometimes .32 Long or .38 Spl.

In the 70's, I shot .22 pistol Bullseye and couldn't afford .45 cal. It was great fun with many good shooter-friends.

40 yrs later, I'm still enjoying pistol shooting with 9mm action shooting (USPSA & Steel) with good shooter-friends. While I'm a little longer in the tooth, the action shooting does add draw, speed and planning to make it that much more challenge and enjoyment.

In both disciplines, the competition is with each shooter's ability to improve the skills needed for the sport. That G.M. shooting next to you works hard to be faster and more accurate, win or lose. It's harder for them because they make fewer mistakes than newer shooters.

Get a gun and go shoot. Win lose or draw, it is fun with good people.

 

[Pete D.]

Quote:
Why has there been little or no discussion of Bullseye/Conventional pistol shooting? 900 matches can be shot with a .22 (and you know that there are a lot of affordable firearms that would be suitable). There are Bullseye matches all over the country every weekend so they are not hard to find.
Most people probably assumed the OP was interested in shooting an action pistol sport since he asked for advice about a 9mm pistol. Back when I shot Bullseye, I never saw anyone running 9mm guns. It was always .22/.45 and sometimes .32 Long or .38 Spl.

Also, much as I hate to say it, the old school forms of competitive shooting like Bullseye pistol seem to be falling by the wayside in favor of sports that are more exciting and accessible to newcomers, like Steel Challenge and IDPA.

The OP noted that he did not know what to do and that advice he had gotten was to go the Glock route. That predisposition has continued through this thread.

9mm were rare on the Bullseye match line years ago. That was before the armorers figured out how to accurize the big Beretta.

I don't agree that traditional Bullseye is less accessible than the practical venues...though there is no denying that attendance is down.

 

[Sam1911]

I don't agree that traditional Bullseye is less accessible than the practical venues...though there is no denying that attendance is down.

"Accessible" might mean different things to different people.

On one hand it might simply mean how many matches are available in someone's area. While I know that there are some bullseye matches held near me (my own club quit their .22 bullseye league several years ago), I don't know of any, or know anyone who shoots them. On the other hand, I know of somewhere between 7 and 15 IDPA matches (and probably at least half that many IPSC matches) within driving distance of my home -- EVERY weekend. So that's one way the action sports may be more "accessible."

The other way to view "accessibility" is meaning, what is the "curb appeal" to new shooters? IDPA and USPSA are fast-paced, highly varied, engaging, and almost purpose-built to encourage comraderie and socializing among the squads and fellow shooters. Not only is the discipline iteself a heart-pounding and very physically engaging exercise, the formality of the bullseye (or PPC, smallbore position, CMP, and many others) match format is gone. Instead you have a small group cheering on each shooter as they compete individually. Each shooter gets a moment in the spotlight.

 

[LubeckTech]

Is IPSC fading away in favor of IDPA and USPSA??
The reason I ask is my club used to do IPSC before I became involved in pistol competition about 6 years ago and I can find many IDPA, USPSA and various steel matches in my area (SE Ohio/ Northern WV) but have never heard mention of IPSC. I would like to attend an ICORE match but don't see any of those in my area either. Us revolver shooters seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. It appears some of the shooting disiplines may be regional.

 

[Sam1911]

USPSA IS the US branch of IPSC.

 

[LubeckTech]

I guess you learn something new every day!!!
I had always heard the term but didn't understand the relationship.
Let me know if I can ask any other dumb questions today.

 

[Sam1911]

Not a dumb question at all! (Well, no dumber than that old one about tin whistles and fog horns... )

As IPSC has grown to try and accommodate such a huge variety of different cultures/countries, USPSA has occasionally acted somewhat independently to keep more in tune with what American shooters want/need.

So, they aren't precisely synonymous.