Interested in IDPA

[41mag10mm]

Hello all. I hope everyone had a safe weekend with plenty of lead going down range.

I've been shooting, reloading, hunting, etc. for decades but have never shot in any form of competition. Recently I've been thinking that IDPA may be a way to improve my skills and spend some time with other gun owners. Always a good time, eh? I've looked up a club in my area and downloaded the IDPA rulebook. I have some questions before going to my first shoot.

I have 3 guns that I think would be suitable for IDPA, but I would really only consider 2 of them. I have a 4" Smith 586 wheel gun but really don't have an interest in the revolver classes. The other 2 are 1911 pattern, the first being a Colt 10mm and the other a Springfield .45. Before deciding which I should use I have a few questions maybe you guys can help me with.

My 10mm is a Colt "Match 10" which was a Colt Custom Shop limited addition with only about 400 made. It doesn't have any modifications that I would consider prohibited but I'm concerned about the qty requirement. This pistol is essentially a Delta Elite with a better trigger and full length guide rod. The most obvious difference is the jewelling of the stock hammer and the barrel shroud. It also has Bo-Mar fully adjustable target sites and a match grade barrel. Will this pistol qualify or not?

My second pistol is a 4" SA Champion which is the GI Milspec in .45 ACP. I have no doubt this pistol will qualify as it's a dead stock replica of a 70 year old government issue, fixed sites and all. I'd have no trouble with this one qualifying, but the trigger pull measures at about 8 lbs. Not really conducive to good shooting. I'm planning on doing some trigger work to smooth it out so this is not a long term problem.

I'd have to pick up a few mags for either pistol, and have holsters and mag pouches that that I believe will qualify for equipment. The only other question I have would be regarding ammo. Can I reload, and if so, what bullet types are preferable? I read the rules for ammo and didn't see anything stating reloads were allowed or prohibited. If commercial ammo is to be used is there a specific type best suited?

I hope you guys don't mind my picking your brains.

Cheers

[fourrobert13]

I think you should check the rule book on your 10mm; I don't think it meets the criteria. You stated there were 400 made, and I believe the rules state that there had to be a minimum of 2,000 produced in order for it to be IDPA approved.

ETA: The production limit is for SSP division only, you should be fine with either.

[Don P]

You can shoot your re-loads. There are minimum power floors and they are listed on page 28. At the local matches you should not have a problem and if you should advance and shoot on the national level they may want to check the power factor. As far as the 2 pistols go why not go to your local match with them and talk to and show them to the match director. He will be able to tell you about the 10mm. Once you know what is IDPA legal THEN I would look for the magazines. back to the ammo what they don't want is folks shooting powder puff loads. I am shooting re-loads and loading .2 of a grain over the minimum starting grain and have not had any problems.
Once you shoot your first match you will be hooked

[Viper225]

A concern I would have is loosing a bunch of 10mm brass. It is much harder to come by than 45 acp brass.

You might consider the Revolver Division also. A Moon Clip Conversion should eliminate loosing brass, and speed up your reloads. I shoot both Revolvers and Semi Auto's. I have fun with both Divisions.
NOTE: My 686-1 has a moon clip conversion. I ended up using a drimmel tool to get shell alignment with available clips. No big deal to do, but it could be required to make them work.

[WESHOOT2]

But there is always USPSA, where there WILL BE a place for any of your guns.

[BlayGlock]

I just started shooting myself. I think with the learning curve of the first few matches a revolver would complicate things even more. I could be wrong but for the first few times I would shoot the .45. I would hate to loose my 10mm brass as well.

OR...

Shooting IDPA would be a great justification for buying another pistol.

Worked for my wife.

[GaryM&P]

If I were you I'd:
shoot the 45
use any ammo that makes the 165 power factor and is reliable
not make any purchases until I've shot several matches

[Bongo Boy]

You can shoot the .45 in CDP, but if it's GI sights that might be more of a challenge for you than the trigger. You'd really want 3 8-rnd mags to start. I could be wrong but it looks to me like the Match 10 is legal for ESP division loaded to 10+1. I see nothing to disqualify it for ESP.

You should ensure your holster meets the criteria in the rulebook, but I believe it would be 'normal' at a local match to allow some exceptions so you can shoot a match. We almost let a guy shoot who came all holstered up with one of those tactical jack/Lara Croft thigh thingies, but I think MD said that's pushing it a bit.

Ammo that you know feeds well and is well matched to your recoil spring setup is about the only criteria for a local match--no one is going to check to see if you're 'cheating' with low-power loads, and I guarantee it won't make a hoot of a difference even if you were. In .45 ACP, I shoot 255 grain round-nose flat-point cast bullets with a light load of Clays; lots of folks prefer to just do your 230 gr FMJ or LRN with whatever pushes them at 750 fps or so.

As for 10mm, as I've never seen one, I know nothing about ammo. I'd go the lowest power commercial ball you can find, or you load up what you think just makes the 125,000 PF floor. Then, let me shoot about a 5,000 rounds through it, just to make sure it's "okay".