getting into competition

[MC707]

Hi I am looking into getting into competition shooting. ive been playing paintball for a long time and also airsoft. been trying to get into law enforcement and decided to get into comp shooting.

i wanted to ask you all out there what groups there are here in California close to the bay area. ( San Francisco) and which if at all are better then the other? i dont want the super customized thousand dollar guns just the stock bare bones class. if there is one.

also some extra questions:

what classes are there?
steel, Silhouette, and what?

what are the best guns to use?
glock, sig, 1911, s&w, etc.

what is the best caliber to use?

hell iono just give me whatever info you got!!!
your exp., what you use, level of comp, whatever you like i need some reading material

give me all you got.

[Japle]

Steel: Classification depends on what gun and sight combo you’re using.
There are no classes for skill level. At least not where I shoot.
When I shoot my Open gun in the S&W Nationals next month, I’ll be up against the Army Marksmanship Unit, Team S&W, Team Glock, etc.
I’m hoping to finish in the top 40.
Get started with whatever you have. Glocks are popular, also XDs, S&Ws (9mm, .40 and .45) and 8 shot wheelguns in the revolver classes. The top shooters tend to go for STI high-cap 9mms and .38 Supers with red dot sights and similar stuff. They spend $4,000+ for their rigs.
Shooting the course with .22 pistols is fun and a good way to start.

IDPA: Lots of classes, depending on your gun and your skill level. Any normal carry gun and holster will work. You see a ton of Glocks and 1911s.

Silhouette is pretty specialized. T/C single shot pistols in various wildcat calibers used to be popular back when I was into it 30 years ago. It’s all about accuracy combined with enough power to knock over a 55 lb steel silhouette of a ram at 200 meters.
They have rimfire and airgun classes, too.

Check the various websites.

[gunrobot]

wow that's a lot of questions to answer, best bet, start with this show :) http://powerfactorshow.com

I believe they'll answer most of your questions about competition shooting and if you have any specific ones, feel free to send them an email.

hope that helps!

[CLC]

I live on the other side of the country but had the same question so I found and joined a club. Now that im a member I have yet to find out how to get into the competitions but it's there when I have the time. I played paintball for years btw.

[Unicron]

Best thing to do is to visit some of the sites and talk to the directors. they should welcome you in as an observer, then you can pick and choose which you would like to try.

as a general statement, the glock 34 (9mm) is very popular in the IDPA meets i have attended. 9mm is cheaper to shoot and beginners may find the recoil easier to manage. an up and comming handgun is the S&W M&P...worth taking a look at.

[Rifleman1776]

Show up to a shoot, register, compete.