What kind of pistol do you shoot for USPSA matches?

[TwoGun]

When I moved here to South Dakota ten years ago I started shooting with the local gun club in USPSA style matches. I started out shooting single stack 1911. Obviously it was nearly impossible to be competitive with guns holding nearly three times as many rounds. Eventually I purchased a used EAA Witness Silver Team in 9X21 and while I shot it reasonably well, I never could get used to the very long takeup on the trigger.

Later my daughter got that gun and she still shoots it. It was during the hi cap magazine ban so my choices were a bit limited, but I built up a new gun. I started with a Para P-16 standard model and put in a match grade bull barrel that was threaded for a large nine port comp. I put in a titanium coated trigger group and hammer, an oversized mag release, ambi safety, lightweight trigger and a C-More sight. The gun was so tight that I had the lightest recoil spring in it could find and was shooting 180 grain bullets at 1150 just to get the thing to shoot. After five or six hundred rounds it lossened up and I eased back on the load to about 950, much easier to shoot and control.

I'm still shooting this gun but considering building a .38 Super top end for it for less recoil and higher capacity. I have Dawson base pads on that up my mag capacity to 20 rounds and that certainly helps but guys with 170MM mags in .38 Super have a definate advantage. Any number of times we've had courses of fire with less than 25 rounds that those guys get to run through without a reload. I find that I simply cannot reload fast enough to stay with them.

So what do you shoot? Do you have semi custom pistols or did you take the build it yourself approach? What caliber and what accessories?

 

[Ian]

I shoot an Argentine surplus 1911 with a trigger job, Novak fixed sights, run of the mill beavertail, ands ambi safety (I'm left-handed). Holster is no-name kydex, mag pouch is no-name leather. Mags are Wilson 7- and 8-rounders. Ammo alternates between handloaded 200gr SWCs and Wolf or Fiocchi FMJ. It seems good enough to me - the better shooters tend to beat me no matter what sort of gun they're using.

 

[eerw]

I have shot USPSA for quite a few years...and have played in several of the divisions..
I had to lay off a little for some family time..but am getting back into shooting...

I am playing in production right now and having a super good time shooting a CZ SP01.

 

[Morgan]

HK USP45f, match trigger, custom sights, grip tape, rebated slide stop.

I shoot L10, and just made B class.

I kick around the idea of a nice STI (Brazos or Dawson, maybe?), but the HK is my duty gun, so...

My holster is a Blade-Tech straight drop belt holster, but I'm switching to a BT DOH or a KyTac. I'm switching from FIST mag pouches to KyTac.

Ammo is .45 200gr Montana Gold bullet over Titegroup powder, handloaded to make major.

 

[lycanthrope]

I'm kind of the stereotypical Limited shooter:

.40 Dawson STI Edge. as heavy as I can hold it (tungsten guiderod, brass magwell, tungsten barrel sleeve).
Dawson STI mags and basepads.
Limcat holster and mag pouches.

 

[Tory]

Divisions!

"When I moved here to South Dakota ten years ago I started shooting with the local gun club in USPSA style matches. I started out shooting single stack 1911. Obviously it was nearly impossible to be competitive with guns holding nearly three times as many rounds."

Which is precisely why they don't compete with each other! Single-stacks shoot in Limited - 10; the full-mag double-stacks are in the Limited Division.

I have an SVI single-stack for Limited - 10; a double-stack .40 Sight Tracker longslide for Limited and a full race gun for Open. I don't run the single stack in Open and I don't expect the race gun to be accepted in L-10.

With 5 Divisions in USPSA, anyone can find a place for any gun they're likely to bring.

 

[TwoGun]

Which is precisely why they don't compete with each other! Single-stacks shoot in Limited - 10; the full-mag double-stacks are in the Limited Division.

True but our club did not have and never has had a speperate division for that. We are small with only 25 to 30 members. We have maybe five really good shooters and the rest of us are dinkers. But we have a great deal of fun. The town I live in (or rather outside of) is only about 15K in population. So I feel fortunate that we have a club at all.

My Limited gun is a stock Para P-16 Limited. Our rules allow me to shoot it in our production class so long as I leave it stock. But I can only load ten rounds in that class. One of these days I need to acquire a different gun for production so I can tweak on my Para as I'd like to do a few little odds and ends.

I'm surprised that there doesn't seem to be that many actions shooters on this board. The sport is a hoot! I think a lot of serious defensive shooters feel that USPSA type shooting instills poor tactical habits and so they refrain from participating. While there may be some arguement there, I think that fact that even a guy that shoots in a little club with pretty casual compitition, shoot over 3,000 of ammo every season, make me better prepared than someone who is not constantly doing tactical training and high stress shooting. Just my opinion.

 

[Ankeny]

Yeppers, 10 years ago there was no L10 Division. I have shot a lot of guns across divisions. My favorite Production pistol is a CZ. For L10 I shoot a single stack 1911. I have a new Open blaster in the making from Matt McClearn. I no longer shoot revolver or Limited.

 

[MNgoldenbear]

The town I live in (or rather outside of) is only about 15K in population. So I feel fortunate that we have a club at all.

There's a town of 15k in SD? Sorry. I've been out here in MN (near "the bump") for a couple of years from CA, and there aren't that many people in this area if you put several of the COUNTIES together! Not much other than trap shooting. There are a few pistol clubs around, but they're all at least 90 minutes away -- most over 2 hours.

When I did shoot USPSA, I was stuck in C class (not serious enough, I guess) in Limited with a 1911 (Norinco frame, everything changed out or modified, including the frame) and a S&W 686 (6-shot).

 

[Wakal]

Open: Bedell Shorty STI in 9 by 23, C-More
Limited: Hill "Fat Free .40" 6-inch lightened STI
Limited-10 "Klinton Memorial" Division: same as Limited
Production: Glock 22 with Vanek trigger and TruGlo sights
Revolver: 4" 625

Fun stuff! Tactical? Speed is a tactic



Alex

 

[Chris Rhines]

Limited: Glock 35, Vanek trigger, Dawson adjustable sights, T.H.E. captive guide rod, T.H.E. aluminum magwell epoxied into the frame. Magazines have Dawson +5 basepads giving me 19-20 round capacity. Used to have a Bar-Sto barrel, but I had so many feedway malfunctions with it that I tossed it and went back to the stock barrel - now it functions perfectly.

Production: I'm building up a Glock 17 with Rescomp fixed sights and a trigger job. I'll have some extended magazines for IMG 3-gun, and some 10-rounders for USPSA Production, but I doubt I'll shoot much Production until I get my M card in Limited.

- Chris

 

[Tory]

That's not USPSA

"True but our club did not have and never has had a speperate [sic] division for that.....My Limited gun is a stock Para P-16 Limited. Our rules allow me to shoot it in our production class so long as I leave it stock."

That's not shooting USPSA; that's a local club making rules up as it goes along. I shoot one or two matches like that a month; we have 3 divisions: Revolver, Auto and (new last year after we got 3 entrants instead of just 1) Race Gun. That means double-stacks and single-stacks compete together; heck, even race guns were included until just recently.

It's good trigger time, but I don't call it USPSA.

 

[TwoGun]

That's correct Troy, we shoot USPSA type matches. But don't adopt all of the rules. We are a USPSA affilated club and are listed on thier web site however. In the past we have put on sanctioned matches but to make them worth wild we have gotten together with other clubs and made it a state match.

If we followed strict USPSA rules, a lot of you club members wouldn't participate because of the added expense of extra firearms they have to buy to compete in the same classes they are competing in now. We started the production class because we thought that we'd get more participation from local law enforcment if we had a class where they could compete with thier duty rigs. That didn't really happen but our production class soon became our largest single class.

 

[IV Troop]

I prefer to shoot my duty gun. Glock 21 45acp. Its accurate and always goes Bang.

 

[XD Niner]

Production - XD-9 Service with 4# Canyon Creek trigger job and Don's guide rod with Wolff spring. Box stock otherwise but will soon add TFO fiber optic/tritium sights. XD Gear Kydex holster and two Fobus double mag pouches. Most often use WWB 115 FMJ ammo for competition but several brands for practice.

L-10 - Springfield Black Stainless with 4# trigger job by local smith and regular thickness grip panels. Othewise box stock . Uncle Mike's $15 Kydex holster and two Fobus double mag pouches. I'll use this rig for Single Stack after the first of the year. I will just substitute 8-round McCormic mags for the 10-rounders I use in L-10. Most often use WWB 230 FMJ ammo for competition and CCI Aluminum Blazer 230 gr FMJ for practice.

 

[mattjoe]

I shoot an SVI 38 super IMM, not the standard configuration with all the ports in the barrel, only 2, and their 4 port on top, two on sides, comp.

Forget the worry about only holding 20 rounds, you've got plenty, and if you've got to reload, do it between arrays while moving, you won't lose more than a second to people with 25 or up mags. Besides, with a 170mm mag, you ought to be able to fit more than 20 rounds of 40 in that gun. I had a friend who shot an Open Para 40 for a few years, and I want to say he held 24 in his big mag.

I would also believe you'd find it cheaper to buy a used gun rather than just have another top end built and have to go get all new mags.
Gotta figure, you'd be looking at 300 minimum in mags, 200 slide, 200 barrel, 150 comp, and then all the labor a gunsmith is gonna charge to fit it.
There is a used Open double stack Caspian for sale on the USPSA classifieds right now with mags for only 995, and this isn't the first one of the year I've seen at that price range

 

[TwoGun]

MattJoe
I figure a new top end will cost about $700. I've not seen much of anything in locally here in the price range you've mentioned. I could get something like a Witness but those single action triggers have a LOT of take up. I have one as a matter of fact and my daughter shoots it. I may even consider going to a 9MM simply because they reduced the power factor to 165. Our club waives the power factor all to gether so unless I travel to shoot some sanctioned matches it would not be an issue to use that caliber. In addition it would make reloading easier. I currently reload for just two caliber, moving to a .38 Super would mean I'd have three calibers. If got to a 9MM I could keep it at just two.

As far as the capacity goes, well we have any number of matches with a course of fire that you are static in and they have over 20 shots. It doesn't happen every match, but it does happen often enough to consider it. I'm shooting stock magazines with a Dawson mag pad. I've not found 170MM tubes for a Para in .40S&W but if you know where some are I'd appreciate a pointer to them!

 

[sm]

Been awhile...

Greatest percentage with a Gov't Model of 1911 , USGI or Colt 7 rd mags.
I have used Kimber Series I Target with 8rd mags. Only modification - removed FLGR, replaced with GI recoil Plug.

BHPs.

Last time out - Capsian Frame and Slide in 9x23 in the white.
Since Blued.

 

[Moondoggie]

I shoot a P-16 in Limited. Dawson base pads & followers get me 18 rds.

Been shooting USPSA for a little over a year. I'm just a "D" class shooter.

Got my gun tweaked & tuned by a great gunsmith some other shooters hooked me up with. The gun is exactly the way I want it. Got a red fiber optic rod on the front and a Glock style white outline on the rear. I know it's not a common setup, but it really works for me and my eyesight particulars.

I've attended several "Shooter Improvement Clinics" at my club...really made a breakthrough to a new plateau in August right after I got the gun back from the smith. Smashed/broke my trigger finger the next day. The finger is finally servicable, but I found that 3 months of no shooting was a real setback. Onward and upward!

 

[mattjoe]

for the big Para 40 mags, call Dave at Dawsonprecision.com, they usually have them, STI used to make mags for PARA, if Dave doesn't have them, I'd try calling them.

 

[TwoGun]

Thanks Matt, I've tried Dawson before but struck out. Maybe they are carrying them once again.

 

[Fly320s]

Lim-10: Kimber Pro Carry .40SW in a C-Tac holster and CR Speed belt with locally made mag pouches (shaped plastic, minimalist).

Prod: HK USPc .40, Don Hume holster (IIRC) and Fobus mag pouch.

Single Stack: will be Kimber Pro Carry and/or Kimber 25th anniversary Custom.

 

[Navy87Guy]

I've been shooting my Beretta 92G and Glock 17 in Production. Nothing fancy in them.

I just picked up a Glock 21 and I'm going to turn it into a Limited 10 gun. I'm adding a captive tungsten guide rod, Seattle slug plug, 3.5# trigger connector, Heinie rear/Dawson FO front sights, extended mag release and slide release, and Taylor +0 brass basepads on the mags. Since I only paid $300 for the gun, I'm still ahead financially -- until I have to buy the new CR speed belt, versahanger and mag pouches to make me competitive in Lim 10!!

Jim

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

PC 627 V-Comp in the past, or 686+ for a change up. I have been out of competition for a while and when I get a chance to get back in will probably be using my M66 now that it has moonclips.

 

[ZXD9]

I shoot an XD9 Tactical in Production class. Have installed Don's Guide Rod and 16# spring. I plan on installing Dawson front sights as soon as my Christmas presents arrive. Have mostly been using Remington UMC 115g FMJ & HP.