I'm going to my first IDPA

[Soldatlamour]

I have only three pistols, and from what I've read all of them are options for IDPA shooting:

CZ 75B - 9mm
CZ P01 - 9mm
H&K USP Tactical - 45

I have holsters and extra mag pouches for each weapon (would I need anything else?)

I'm a fairly good shot while at the range, and at the range I shoot each of these weapons about the same.

I've never done any sort of IDPA or USPSA shooting before. So, with hardly any information to answer this following, which weapon would you recommend that I try first ?

If I like the style of shooting and do follow-up sessions I'm sure to use each of the weapons. Just curious as to which one to bring first.

Thanks for your help.

[Shadi Khalil]

I would use which ever 9mm you are most familer with. I shot my first idpa a couple months ago and a good bit of advice is pay very close attention to the instructions and rules. You'll have allot of fun, be sure to let us know how it went.

[bamaranger]

I'd shoot one of the 9mm's.

Do not be frustrated at the match. I myself, am learning the game, one penalty at a time, as a friend said to me at the last match.

Be safe and enjoy. You'll be a better shooter in the long run.

[g.willikers]

As with doing anything for the first time, especially with guns, be very familiar with all the procedures and rules.
If you haven't already, download the rule book from idpa.com.
And, of course, read it.
Trying to figure out what this kind of match is all about on the fly is just about guaranteed to get you DQed right off the bat.
No fun, there.
As for the gun choice, since speed and rapid fire is very much a part of this game, the 9mm would be a better choice, at least at first.
Before going to the match, you might also want to practice the tactical load technique (reload with retention) that is required.
Report back with your experience after the match.
We'd like to hear all about it, fur sure.

[Jim Watson]

Whichever one you shoot the best and most. I have campaigned a CZ75.

There is a good new shooter briefing at:
http://www.gadpa.com/index.php/ipda/...oter-briefing/
It is clearer than the rule book on most things.

IDPA has a lot of stuff going on besides shooting the gun at targets.
You must be able to load and holster the gun without sweeping bystanders or yourself. This can be hard with an IWB or very close high belt holster.
You must be able to draw the gun from under a concealment garment (vest, jacket, shirt) without getting tangled up.
You must remember and execute the course of fire. This will include moving between points of cover with loaded gun (finger out of trigger guard), it will include shooting on the move, too. There will be use of cover requirements, leaning around high cover, kneeling behind low cover to shoot.
You will have to reload on the clock, maintaining the gun in a safe direction and with finger out of the trigger guard.

You can practice a lot of this stuff dryfire at home, being extra triple check careful to work with an empty gun.

You can search youtube for IDPA videos and see some examples of different courses of fire being shot by people of varying skills.

[g.willikers]

That new shooter page and video says it all.
First rate.
Thanks for the link.

[Soldatlamour]

Thank you for the advice and the link (well done GADPA !). I'll write a report after my first match (which I think is next Thursday).

Enjoy the 4th !

[Distortion]

I would recommend a 9mm versus a 45, simply because the ammo would be cheaper. Of the 75B or P-01, I would recommend the 75B. I think that since the 75B has a manual safety, you may be able to start in SA mode. Since the P-01 has a decocker and no manual safety, your first shot will have to be DA. I could be wrong, though. For IDPA, you may be required to shoot the 75B's first shot in DA mode since it is a dual action pistol.

Don't think you have to be better than anyone else. Just keep track of your scores/times, and work on bettering your own scores/times for the next match.

[Wrangler5]

I THINK DA/SA guns have to start with the hammer down in IDPA matches, even if there's a safety. I think it's only single actions that can start cocked and locked. (I don't have my rule book handy to check.)

[Jim Watson]

Nope, Wrangler, Distortion.

You may start something like a CZ75 cocked and locked in ESP.
Decocked, it becomes an SSP.

Manually lowering the hammer on a gun like CZ75 with DA but no mechanical decocker makes some people nervous. I never had an AD or even came close in two seasons of match and practice and people like Angus Hobdell and Matthew Mink do it all the time for IPSC/USPSA Production.

I think a new shooter should keep it simple and the OP should run the CZ75 cocked and locked or the P01 DA-SA. Whoever is doing signup at the match ought to be able to enter him in the appropriate Division.

[Soldatlamour]

I've decided to start with the P-01. I like the "9mm is cheaper than 45 argument." Also, if the purpose is to train for a CCW event, I don't carry the USP as a CCW.

I'll let you know what the SO or MD advises with respect to starting position of the P-01.

Thank you all for your advice.

[I AbsltValue I]

slightly off-topic question, but still somewhat relevant: I'm going to my first IDPA in a week, what will I need in terms of ammo? I'm assuming between 75 and 100 rounds, is that about right? Also, I noticed that a lot of people in pictures/videos of matches seem to wear vests as concealment garments- can I just wear a shirt tucked over my IWB holster? I'd like to start the stages exactly the way I carry most often.

[Jim Watson]

Best to ask the Match Director and still carry some extra. 75-100 rounds will see you through most club shoots, but some go longer. One club near here decided to maximize the round count and had six stages at the maximum of 18 scored hits for 108 total... if you didn't make anything up.

My usual loadout is four magazines loaded in advance, plus a hundred.


A shirttail is permissible concealment, but that and an IWB holster can make holstering and drawing a little dicey. Best practice some dryfire before the day to be sure you can holster and draw without sweeping yourself, or me.

[WESHOOT2]

If you take your "weapon" and use it in a game, is it still proper to refer to it as a "weapon"?



My personal favorite "weapon" is my car; HUGE meplat, tremendous sectional density, brings along its own cover, and it has one hellacious power factor, too. Except I still refer to it as a "car"......

[warningshot]

Remember to keep one hand on your iron and the other on your wallet.