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Old April 30, 2015, 01:25 PM   #26
T. O'Heir
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Paintball has nothing whatever to do with firearms. Has ZERO application to any live ammo shooting sport. Neither does Airsoft.
Bullseye shooting is the place to start. All other shooting is based on it. Despite what some will have you believe. You need the basics of shooting first.
If you don't belong to a shooting club, join one. Opens all kinds of doors. Doesn't matter what that club does most often. The other members very likely shoot other stuff elsewhere and eventually you'll be invited.
Other shooters will go out of their way to help a new guy. Including letting you shoot their firearms. Shooters are just like that.
Pick a type of shooting competition(there's something for everybody) you might want to do and go to a match. Just remember that IPSC and IDPA have absolutely nothing to do with CCW. They're shooting games and nothing more.
Forget about placing or anything else and go for the fun of it.
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Old April 30, 2015, 09:54 PM   #27
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I've found I've learned a lot by shooting IDPA matches that is useful to know and transferable to concealed carry.
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Old May 2, 2015, 12:22 PM   #28
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GSSF is probably the easiest introduction to action pistol since there is no drawing from the holster and no movement. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of GSSF matches available to most people (two per year in my area).

Of the actual run-and-gun pistol matches, I feel that IDPA is the easiest to start with. It has more restrictions on the maximum number of shots required and the amount of movement on each stage. Additionally, 99.5% of shooters engage the targets in the same manner/sequence because of the IDPA rule about not exposing yourself to unengaged targets.

I wouldn't say that you can't start in USPSA, but I think that IDPA is a slightly more simplified sport.

I would strongly recommend to the OP to research local IDPA and USPSA clubs (use the Find a Club feature on each sport's website), and find out if any of the offer an Intro to Action Shooting class. It's a lot less intimidating the first time you compete if you have gone through some form of introduction beforehand.
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Old May 21, 2015, 10:37 PM   #29
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Where to start

I think IDPA would be the best place to start.All you need is a holster and double mag pouch.Come out and have fun.You might want to watch a match before you start.See on youtube.
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Old May 22, 2015, 09:05 PM   #30
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No one mentioned Cowboy Action! That's where most my ammo is "unloaded" these days and for a good number of our folks, cowboy is their first competitive shooting sport.

For a beginner, I'll add another recommendation for Steel Challenge.
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Old May 24, 2015, 04:02 AM   #31
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Start

" Bullseye shooting is the place to start."
No doubt. You can begin with a .22 pistol. The emphasis is entirely on accurate shooting. There are no activities or skills to master other than the basics of accurate shooting. No running. No holsters. No barricades. No learning to draw from a holster. No rapid magazine changes. No period costumes.
Just the shooter, the gun and the target.
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Old May 24, 2015, 10:23 AM   #32
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Except that Bullseye is done one handed.
A useful skill, no doubt, but does it prepare for the other handgun events, done primarily with the two handed grip and and other very different techniques?
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Old May 24, 2015, 10:27 AM   #33
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Steel Challenge, Rimfire Challenge are the two best to get your feet wet.
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Old May 24, 2015, 12:03 PM   #34
1-DAB
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for precision shooting, without time pressures, i concur with one handed bullseye.

sometimes, in competition, and in real life, you don't get to use both hands. carrying something precious, dog on leash, or otherwise occupied. great skill to learn.
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Old May 25, 2015, 01:26 AM   #35
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Yep

Quote:
Except that Bullseye is done one handed.
A useful skill, no doubt, but does it prepare for the other handgun events, done primarily with the two handed grip and and other very different techniques?
My feeling is that shooting one handed unsupported prepares a shooter for two handed events a lot more than shooting two handed prepares one for shooting Bulleye. The emphasis in Bullseye/"conventional pistol" shooting is application of the basics; there is nothing else.
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Old May 25, 2015, 09:46 AM   #36
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A commonly heard criticism of Bullseye is the idea of taking so much time to shoot, and waiting for that near perfect sight picture and trigger focus.
Maybe not a useful habit to have for other disciplines.
Comments?
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Old May 25, 2015, 11:12 AM   #37
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g.willikers, if your goal is to shoot straight line or clay sports where there is no timer, then bullseye is fine. If, OTOH, your goal is action shooting where timers are used, bullseye is a handicap.

I started in the straight line sports, and was successful winning a lot of matches, but I got bored and moved on, eventually landing in 3Gun for the past several years. Breaking the habits of "perfect' sight picture and replacing them with "acceptable" sight picture literally took me about 10 years of conscious effort.

Accuracy can be taught to anyone, speed can not. When you have instilled techniques and habits for precision into your fabric of shooting skills, they fight with speed to no end.

When you look at the matches that employ both time and accuracy, the speed guys are always at the top. The pure accuracy guys just can't overcome the pursuit of the perfect sight picture combined with the perfect trigger press.
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Old May 25, 2015, 08:21 PM   #38
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accuracy

Quote:
When you look at the matches that employ both time and accuracy,
No experience with that type of shooting other than the timed and rapid fire events that are part of Bullseye.
And then there is Olympic rapid fire....that is pretty fast. At 25 yards the last strings are five shots on five different targets in four seconds from a gun down position.
What is considered "accurate" vs "acceptable"?
Not a criticism....I really would like to know.
I expect that the choice comes down to mindset - neither good nor bad.
For the OP...it seems to me that Bullseye's focus is narrower and there is less needed to get a start.
Pete
ps - "straight line sports"....I have been doing this for a good while now and that is a new term for me. What, if you have a moment, are some other straight line sports? What makes for one?
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Old May 26, 2015, 10:21 AM   #39
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I ran a Bill Drill the other day, 6 shots from the holster in 2.2 seconds on target. Top competitors are shooting 4-6 rounds per second on arrays.

Accurate is hitting the center of the target repeatedly.

Acceptable is scoring the hit needed balanced by time. In USPSA, we use hit factor scoring and the maximum points are typically on a 5" x 11" rectangle.

Straight line sports is a term used around here frequently and refers to those sports with a common static firing line shooting a target at a given distance. Hi-power, silhouette, smallbore, schuetzen, etc.
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Old May 26, 2015, 05:14 PM   #40
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Thanks

Thanks for that definition...have added that to my shooting vocabukary.
Those shot times are Very fast.....puts a perspective on things.(I dont know that I could move my finger that fast.)
A 5"X11" rectangle....what are the ranges invoived at those speeds?
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Old May 26, 2015, 05:44 PM   #41
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Typical distances in USPSA are from about 2 to 30 yards. The targets are bigger, but that is the no points down zone. We have plates, 8, 10 and 12 inches too. There are some sporadic 50 yard standards here and there, but not many. In 3Gun, we shoot pistol out close to 100 yards.
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Old May 26, 2015, 05:46 PM   #42
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Bill Drill
designed by Bill Wilson (sometimes erroneously credited to Bill Jordan, Bill Rogers)

Range: 7yd
Target: standard IPSC target
Start position: gun in holster, hands at surrender position
Rounds fired: 6

The Bill Drill is intended to improve speed without sacrificing accuracy. The details listed above are the traditional version, but any 6-shot drill done at speed on a single target can achieve the same basic goal.

Six shots are fired as quickly as the shooter can achieve six hits on the target. The drill teaches sight tracking, proper visual reference, recoil management, and trigger manipulation.

One important aspect of the Bill Drill is learning to follow your sights during recoil so that you can fire your next shot as soon as you have an adequate sight picture. Usually, this means pulling the trigger as soon as the front sight comes back down onto the scoring zone without waiting for precise alignment or for the sight to stop movement in the middle of the target. At full speed, the front sight is constantly moving, never coming to rest until the drill is over.
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Old May 27, 2015, 05:28 AM   #43
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Comp

Just watched a bunch of videos of your sport. Great fun, it seems. LOTS of ammo being used. How many rounds in a full match?
Not my cup of tea but I can see the attraction. My feeling is that a shooter should probably have a good grounding in basic pistol skills before trying a match.
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Old May 27, 2015, 09:22 AM   #44
MarkCO
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I shoot a lot of sports; 3Gun, Precision Rifle (field style), USPSA, Practical Carbine, Practical Shotgun mostly.

A club level USPSA pistol match is usually about 125 rounds on 5 courses. A local 3Gun is about 150 rounds on 4 or 5 courses. Majors of each run from 250 to 400 rounds.

You are absolutely correct that solid fundamentals are important. We do run a new shooter clinic for pistol and 3Gun and tell them to go slow and stay safe for the first match. People who want to jump in to 3Gun right off the bat...some get DQ'd and don't come back, some just get thumped and don't come back. It is expensive and demanding. That is why I tell folks to shoot rimfire challenge or steel challenge a few times to get the range commands and safety stuff learned in a lower stress environment.

The club I belong to and run matches at had just under 600 members when I joined 4 years ago and had no action shooting except SASS. Our membership is now over 1400 and we have 7 action shooting disciplines. Not a single BOD member shoots the action shooting sports regularly, none have even tried 3Gun. But they have seen the demand and increase in range membership due to the action shooting sports.

The action shooting sports are not for everyone. But for a beginner, I encourage them to try some straight line sports and some action sports and see what they prefer. I am a believer that all trigger time is good time. If that means shooting 250 rounds in under 8 minutes like we do at our MEGA stage match or shooting 5 rounds in an hour to get the best group you can, it is all good.

BTW, my ammo use varies from about 15K-30K a year. I am fortunate to have sponsors to help defray the costs, but the action sports do almost require you to be a re-loader, rich, or both.
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Old May 27, 2015, 11:43 AM   #45
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well i finally did join the local idpa here in louisiana and shot my first match with them last month i think im hooked i know i have burned up 1200 rounds so far just practicing now im itching to see what the long range, rimfire, and steel challage are all about!
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Old May 27, 2015, 11:50 AM   #46
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^^^What is is all about.

Beats sitting on the couch watching millionaires play on TV, not as expensive as drinking or gambling either.
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Old May 27, 2015, 12:01 PM   #47
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i couldnt agree more. I also am glad i didnt start with something like 3 gun since it was my first match i found myself completely ignoring shot placement and basically all i was focused on was not doing anything stupid safety is #1 right. i wonder how long it will take me to actually be able to focus on how im shooting and not if my finger is in the trigger guard or making sure i turn a certain way and not another to avoid sweeping everyone...
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Old May 27, 2015, 12:08 PM   #48
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In general, I find that people settle down and relax after about 3 to 12 matches. That is largely based on the coaching you get and the personality of the person.

I call it "match maturity", which has several stages and levels.

Dry fire helps, as does airsoft and BB guns. My boys have M&P airsoft and I have a M&P BB gun. We do a lot of range safety stuff with the airsoft to build in proper habits of muzzle awareness, trigger control and sight alignment in the back yard.
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Old July 4, 2015, 11:00 AM   #49
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The best place to start competitive shooting is local. Go to the local matches, pistol, rifle, and or shotgun.

I used to shoot competitive shotgun, skeet and trap. The nearest rifle match was almost 300 miles away and was held three times a year. It's very difficult to be a competitive shooter when you only get to compete after driving 300 miles three times a year. As a trap shooter, I shot every weekend and the longest drive was less than 60 miles, plus the local club was only 5 miles away where I shot three times a week.
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Old July 5, 2015, 12:41 PM   #50
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it all depends on what you are interested in. Some prefer pistols, others rifles, some prefer run and shoots, others distance.
I shoot C&R matches, Curio and Relics, aka Mil-surps.Rifles must be as issued, iron sights, no additional shooting supports and no scopes allowed, Matches are usually 50 shots,fired from prone, sitting and standing, slow and rapid fire at 200yrds or more.
My rifle of choice is a Swiss 1911, made in 1917, I am not competitive, but I don't do too bad with a 365 average.
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