New to IDPA and IPSC need help

[pony_express1973 183]

I'm going to be joining a local gun club that has both IDPA and IPSC I've never done either before and not even sure what the diffrence is what should I know about both like what equipment do I need whats the diffrence and just some help on where to begin would be helpfull

[Doug Hartley 526]

I'm going to be joining a local gun club that has both IDPA and IPSC I've never done either before and not even sure what the diffrence is what should I know about both like what equipment do I need whats the diffrence and just some help on where to begin would be helpfull

 

At the level you are at there really is not much difference (later you will find there is a big difference, USPSA is speed oriented and IDPA is "tactical" oriented). You will need some kind of basic pistol, a holster, belt and 4 or 5 magazines. Don't buy a bunch of stuff before you see what it is about. After you shoot a few matches you will have a better idea of the equipment required.

 

It is a good idea to go with someone you know that is familier with practical shooting or plan on just watching the first time. Biggest thing I have seen with new shooters is they don't have very good gun handling skills to begin with. Know the operation of your gun and be able to load and unload it safely. Do not try to go fast, you will not win your first time out. Safety violations will get you booted fast, repeated safety violations will make it so people do not want to shoot with you.

 

Pay attention and have fun but most of all be safe.

 

Doug

[pony_express1973 183]

I'm going to be joining a local gun club that has both IDPA and IPSC I've never done either before and not even sure what the diffrence is what should I know about both like what equipment do I need whats the diffrence and just some help on where to begin would be helpfull

 

At the level you are at there really is not much difference (later you will find there is a big difference, USPSA is speed oriented and IDPA is "tactical" oriented). You will need some kind of basic pistol, a holster, belt and 4 or 5 magazines. Don't buy a bunch of stuff before you see what it is about. After you shoot a few matches you will have a better idea of the equipment required.

 

It is a good idea to go with someone you know that is familier with practical shooting or plan on just watching the first time. Biggest thing I have seen with new shooters is they don't have very good gun handling skills to begin with. Know the operation of your gun and be able to load and unload it safely. Do not try to go fast, you will not win your first time out. Safety violations will get you booted fast, repeated safety violations will make it so people do not want to shoot with you.

 

Pay attention and have fun but most of all be safe.

 

Doug

 

 

 

 

Well I have a few pistols to use and a holster ...... I will need a few more mags and to learn the basic rules and just give it a try I'm not planning on winning just having fun and geting my skills up

Edited June 28, 2011 by pony_express1973

[topmaul 42]

I'm going to be joining a local gun club that has both IDPA and IPSC I've never done either before and not even sure what the diffrence is what should I know about both like what equipment do I need whats the diffrence and just some help on where to begin would be helpfull

 

At the level you are at there really is not much difference (later you will find there is a big difference, USPSA is speed oriented and IDPA is "tactical" oriented). You will need some kind of basic pistol, a holster, belt and 4 or 5 magazines. Don't buy a bunch of stuff before you see what it is about. After you shoot a few matches you will have a better idea of the equipment required.

 

It is a good idea to go with someone you know that is familier with practical shooting or plan on just watching the first time. Biggest thing I have seen with new shooters is they don't have very good gun handling skills to begin with. Know the operation of your gun and be able to load and unload it safely. Do not try to go fast, you will not win your first time out. Safety violations will get you booted fast, repeated safety violations will make it so people do not want to shoot with you.

 

Pay attention and have fun but most of all be safe.

 

 

Let the RO know you are new at this and they will help you along and give you a few tips.

Doug

 

 

 

 

Well I have a few pistols to use and a holster ...... I will need a few more mags and to learn the basic rules and just give it a try I'm not planning on winning just having fun and geting my skills up

[geepelton 105]

I just started in January doing IDPA and USPSA matches. Like Doug said you are not going to win the first time or even the fifth time out. Watching people and seeing how they do things is a good way to learn also look into past match results see who won them and take some time to watch them and see how they do things. Ask questions there are usually guys that have been doing this for a while that will help you. Good luck and keep them in the A's

[magsite20 1,664]

[pony_express1973 183]

While I'm not a big time shooter in either sport I prefer the IPSC / USPSA format.

 

As stated don't go on a buying spree (see if you can work with what you've got), watch people shoot the stages, ask questions, and help with stuff at the match like set up and reset of stages after other shooters. Don't worry about your speed, be safe, and get your hits on the targets, speed will come with practice. Look at the stages, plan your movements, and reloads. If you watch the people that are really good at this type of shooting you'll see they are very smooth there are no wasted movements this comes from practice and planning.

 

The two most important parts are be safe and have fun getting better at it comes automatically with doing it.

 

 

 

 

I have most of what i need I just need a few more mags and I'm on the fence as to weather i need some sort of taticool vest for the mags or not it seems that would be needed but I'm still unsure

[magsite20 1,664]

Edited June 30, 2011 by 20-Mags

[pony_express1973 183]

"NO Tacti-cool VEST" trust me on this one, you may need a couple of mag holders for your belt (stick'm in your pocket if you need to) but vest are really not used other than for covering the gun in IDPA.

1^st go to a match take your equipment and see what the locals are using. Of the few IDPA matches I went to were in the dead of winter and everyone had on their coats. Some IPSC folks tend to try to look like NASCAR outfits and for summer IDPA people use a light vest but it's not a load bearing system.

 

 

for getting into 3 gun the story on vest may change.

 

 

Thanks for the input I was going to order a Tacti-cool vest but I think I'll hold off for now I'd like to get into three gun but they don't do that close to my area

[ARgal 3]

Both are silly games, very little of it has anything to do with what is likely to be needed for defense. 1 spare mag is a great plenty for most matches. u need an electronic shooting timer a lot more than you need more mags, and you need a reloading setup, so that you can afford to fire the many, many thousands of rds per year it takes to be any good at this stuff. I did it for years, before I researched reality of civilian defensive shooting, and found out how rare it is to have to hit more than one guy, or do so at more than 10 ft, and how fast you have to be in order to keep from being "jumped" at close range.

[pony_express1973 183]

Both are silly games, very little of it has anything to do with what is likely to be needed for defense. 1 spare mag is a great plenty for most matches. u need an electronic shooting timer a lot more than you need more mags, and you need a reloading setup, so that you can afford to fire the many, many thousands of rds per year it takes to be any good at this stuff. I did it for years, before I researched reality of civilian defensive shooting, and found out how rare it is to have to hit more than one guy, or do so at more than 10 ft, and how fast you have to be in order to keep from being "jumped" at close range.

 

 

Maybe but It's a reason to get out meet some new people and best of all shoot some guns

[going12220 125]

Maybe but It's a reason to get out meet some new people and best of all shoot some guns

 

bravo, from some of argal's post i'm starting to think we're dealing with someone who wouldn't play poker for the fun of the game. i also suspect their not really into shooting, just complaining about it.