Idpa

[REELZARUBA]

what is a good 1911 that is 9mm for shooting in IDPA

[Boondoggie]

Both Kimber and Springfield make a good 1911 style pistol in 9mm.

However, you don't really have an advantage by using a 1911 style pistol in 9mm for IDPA. You will be entered into ESP and will be competing with XD's and G34/35's. Your choice of caliber will exclude you from CDP, where the 1911's excel.

[M1911]

I agree with Boondoggie. If you want to be competitive with a 9mm in IDPA, consider a Glock 34. If you want to be competitive with a 1911, keep it in .45 ACP and shoot CDP.

[Jim Watson]

Hmm.
I consider shooting a 9mm 1911 in IDPA ESP a major advantage over a Glock or XD.
The only drawback is the lack of 10-shot 9mm magazines. I have a Colt 9mm that will feed from 10-round .38 Super magazines, but my Springfield won't.
Metalform and Tripp claim to have 10 round magazines in the works but none yet for sale.

[M1911]

The lack of a 10 round magazine is the killer if you want to be competitive. If you just want to shoot IDPA and don't care about your times, the go for it.

[Jim Watson]

Depends on the CoF designer.
I know people who shoot places where they say a 9+1 is an advantage, because they have a large majority of double tap targets. Shoot five pairs, reload, and look for the next target. No need to reload in the middle of a target. I think that is poor course design but it happens.

[Dead-Nuts-Zero]

Not a direct comment to the thread, but it's leading me to ask about competition shooting and mags.

I don't believe I have ever seen a match being shot. My question is how do they drop the mags on a reload? I have shot several revolver matches many years ago. I ejected all six empties onto the ground as fast as possible with one hand and had a speedloader in the other hand and I was all loaded up ready to fire and just droped the speedloader onto the ground and picked them up after the match.

If you drop a mag on the ground, does it get damaged or pick up dirt and maybe some tiny stones etc. causing problems later? And it sounds like sometimes a mag may be droped (changed) with one round left in the mag to access the advantage of a full mag for the next set of targets. If this happens, there is extra weight from the live round or rounds adding to the possible damage or getting grunge inside the mag. This could mean a teardown to clean and remove dirt etc.. Or is there other ways of shooting and managing the mags in the semi matches?

[M1911]

If you drop a mag on the ground, does it get damaged or pick up dirt and maybe some tiny stones etc. causing problems later? And it sounds like sometimes a mag may be droped (changed) with one round left in the mag to access the advantage of a full mag for the next set of targets.For emergency reloads, you drop your magazine on the ground. No, it does not get damaged. Yes, it can get dirty. Shake it out and periodically clean it. Some people have mags that they primarily use for competition.

In IDPA, you cannot leave behind any unfired rounds. If you magazine is partially empty, you can do a tactical reload or reload with retention, but you cannot drop the partially full magazine on the ground and leave it (the exception to that rule is you have a malfunction).

If you are interested, I suggest you read the IDPA rule book, which is available on their web site http://www.idpa.com -- the IDPA rules are too voluminous to be explained here in their entirety.

Note that IPSC has different rules regarding magazine changes.

[Jim Watson]

Shooting in IDPA or IPSC you just have to consider the magazine as a wear part. It is going to get dirty and have to be cleaned just like the gun. It is going to get scratched and dinged but that does not usually affect function. One is occasionally going to get stepped on which may affect operation. It can either be straightened or replaced. Just part of the cost of competing.

[Boondoggie]

M1911 - In IDPA, you cannot leave behind any unfired rounds. If you magazine is partially empty, you can do a tactical reload or reload with retention, but you cannot drop the partially full magazine on the ground and leave it (the exception to that rule is you have a malfunction).

I would also like to add that, what is sometimes called a 'speed reload' in IPSC is also illegal in IDPA.

Say you have a 10 round magazine, and you top off with one in the chamber for a total of 10 + 1. You run a COF and round count to 10, now your mag is empty but you still have one in the chamber. You CAN NOT drop the empty mag, you can either shot the last round to obtain a slide lock reload, or you can do a tac or reload with retention.

The reasoning is that in a real fight you are NOT round counting and your only true indications would be either a slide locked open (reload NOW dummy) or a tac. (I am not saying I totally agree with the reasoning, just how the rules are applied).

As to the mags getting damaged, the only ones I have seen with problems, seems to be the XD's. Most 1911's, Glocks, Sigs etc... don't seem to have issues.

Clean out your mags every other time you clean your gun and you shouldn't have any issues.

[Lycanthrope]

The ultimate 9mm for IDPA.......and you can crossover to USPSA anytime with this gun and be in the hunt.

STI Eagle. If you're going to pay $1000 for a 1911, just pony up $1600 for this and you have a gun for two games.


http://www.stiguns.com/guns/Eagle5/images/EagleWeb05_280w.jpg

[Jim Watson]

Eww, Minor Hell.

If I were going to do that, I'd get a .40 and load it light for IDPA and heavy for IPSC Lim.

[Dead-Nuts-Zero]

You have answered questions I have wondered about for some time.

I had read the IPSC rules (the basics anyway) quite some time (years) ago. I don't recall much on this issue. It may have been there in range jargon and I simply didn't understand it. I really need to attend a modern match sometime, it would clear up allot of my questions and perhaps create many many more. I will be sure to read both IPSC & IDPA rules.

Sorry REELZARUBA if I ran your thread too far off coarse.

Thanks to all!

[Lycanthrope]

If I were going to do that, I'd get a .40 and load it light for IDPA and heavy for IPSC Lim.

Agreed.