For the 5th Sun IDPA Guys, WHat Did You Learn?

[Guest recoveryman1]

lets see i learned that i really needed my exploding bullets so that at least one hit would finish the target and i got to work on my barrel roll and shooting skills

now for what i really learned it is great practice like we were taliking about it is not linear which you have to get used to, shot place ment is more important than speed and dont let your ego on the range with you (last target head shot) it will get you both times

it was a great day and i for one will be at the next match with my ninja suit i think it will help thanks to all involed includeing mr. rabbi

[dunndw]

recoveryman...next time you have to bring your ninja mask or we'll tack on a 5 minute time penalty for using your super cook drop leg tac holster :-)

[Guest recoveryman1]

i knew that was comin just took longr than i thought

im gonna try to form a kydex to fit my taurus this week because im gonna try to do the next match down there

[Guest Len]

I too was impressed with the quality of people present. Seemed like a great bunch of guys. Talking between stages & after was fun and educational as well. Everyone has stories to tell and opinions to give. Very useful. Great way to spend a Sunday.

For anyone interested, this link has the match schedules for all IDPA-affiliated clubs in TN: http://www.idpa.com/clublist.asp?state=TN

Many of the clubs have websites with more info, etc.

The schedule for my club (Gallatin Gun Club) shows an IDPA classifier on July 12. I think I'll do that to get all official.

Indeed. It was so successful I am reasonably sure I would do it again. The guys who showed up had a great attitude, were very competent with their guns, and overall distinguished themselves pretty well. We had no, zero, problems and everyone came away wanting to do it again.

[CatsEye]

I am sorry I missed it. I had planned to go but had some school work that just had to get finished. Sounds like everyone had a good time.

[Guest Jason F.]

Learned a great deal actually. I took a 1911 because it was the only thing I had enough magazines for and happened to have more than enough ammo at the house. I do not normally carry it but thought it would be good to use for this type of event.

I learned how much grip has to do with gun function. I had numerous feed problems Sunday In fact I had a feed problem occur on every single stage. It just so happened that most of them after the first stage occurred at the best possible time they could have and did not affect my times that much.

This was a gun that has never, not once, failed to feed, failed to eject, or otherwise fail at the range. I thought this gun ran like an absolute top and I have no doubt it will do so the next time I go to punch paper. So what was the problem Sunday then? After talking with several people there the only thing that seemed to explain it is poor grip under those scenarios. At the range you have all the time in the world to set your feet, set your grip, aim, and fire. Even if you are doing rapid repeat shots and double taps you are setting your stance and grip in a casual deliberate manner. I now think that type of shooting hides many a flaw.

I also learned that it is far more difficult to shoot while moving, and far more enjoyable I might add, than I thought it would be.

I learned that I have much to learn. I am just barely competent and far from proficient with a handgun. I more or less expected that and have known I need more training. That is one of this years goals and while I had been thinking a defensive pistol course or two I am now thinking I will add a regular habit of IDPA type events as well.

Again thanks for getting this together Bill. It was more than worth it and extremely enjoyable.

[The Rabbi]

Jason, you learned an excellent lesson. What works well under some conditions wont necessarily work well under others.

This is just the kind of thing I like about this sort of shooting.

[GhostDog]

When are you going to try to do it again? Because of my crazy job, the more lead time I have, the better. And I would really like to make it to the next shoot.

[deerslayer]

Learned a great deal actually. I took a 1911 because it was the only thing I had enough magazines for and happened to have more than enough ammo at the house. I do not normally carry it but thought it would be good to use for this type of event.

I learned how much grip has to do with gun function. I had numerous feed problems Sunday In fact I had a feed problem occur on every single stage. It just so happened that most of them after the first stage occurred at the best possible time they could have and did not affect my times that much.

This was a gun that has never, not once, failed to feed, failed to eject, or otherwise fail at the range. I thought this gun ran like an absolute top and I have no doubt it will do so the next time I go to punch paper. So what was the problem Sunday then? After talking with several people there the only thing that seemed to explain it is poor grip under those scenarios. At the range you have all the time in the world to set your feet, set your grip, aim, and fire. Even if you are doing rapid repeat shots and double taps you are setting your stance and grip in a casual deliberate manner. I now think that type of shooting hides many a flaw.

I also learned that it is far more difficult to shoot while moving, and far more enjoyable I might add, than I thought it would be.

I learned that I have much to learn. I am just barely competent and far from proficient with a handgun. I more or less expected that and have known I need more training. That is one of this years goals and while I had been thinking a defensive pistol course or two I am now thinking I will add a regular habit of IDPA type events as well.

Again thanks for getting this together Bill. It was more than worth it and extremely enjoyable.

Excellent post, Jason F. IDPA is just a game, and a lot of IDPA bashers criticize it as not being tacticly sound, giving false hope/confidence to shooters, etc. Others abuse the sport by exploiting every rule and "gaming" for an advantage, only to make a mockery of its original intent. I think (as you have illustrated) that one of IDPA's biggest benefits is that it is an excellent test of a shooter and his carry gear under stressful, unfamiliar conditions. It is often an eye-opener, although usually an enjoyable one. Many soon get caught up in the competition aspect of it (I am not totally innocent either), but most, after their first match, come to the realization that they are not nearly as prepared for a confrontation as they initially thought. IDPA is not training, and nothing truly prepares anyone for a gunfight, but competitive shooting can help measure how lacking one is to be truly competent with his carry gear.

[Guest price g]

That is a very accurate description,Mr. Slayer. I compete because its fun. Sure I want to do well, but if I am at the range liberating brass, I am having a great day. I am guilty too of leaning towards that gaming crowd, but I think it is natural after you compete for a while. It is normal to want to improve.I look at it as a controlled practice with score keeping.You need the buzzer pressure to learn how to cope with the stress.I truly belive that it helps build your confidence.

[Guest DrBoomBoom]

Rather than competing as a green beginner (Sunday was my second IDPA shoot), I've been training TO compete. At the recommendation of the RO during my first orientation, I've been going very slowly. This makes the weak areas stand out even more. For example, most of my misses occurred while bending sideways around cover, so my practice routine will now include quite a bit of shooting while bending sideways as if "pie-ing" around cover. If I were moving up to speed, I'm sure my overall accuracy would have suffered and I might not have seen this trend. Dennis reminded some of us that "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

Here's a link to a cool online trainer:

http://mattburkett.com/files/flashfiles/dryfiredraw.html

I know you guys know this, but make sure if you're dryfiring toward the computer screen that you've checked your weapon at least three times to make sure it's unloaded, that you don't have any ammo in the room, and that whatever is behind the computer would stop a bullet.

[CatsEye]

It is amazing how easy it is to shoot poorly or fumble mag changes when under the pressure of time. I know my mind races so fast sometimes that I finish a string and have no idea if I even hit anything.

[Guest wheelgunner100]

It is amazing how easy it is to shoot poorly or fumble mag changes when under the pressure of time. I know my mind races so fast sometimes that I finish a string and have no idea if I even hit anything.

That's one of the things that shooting IDPA regularly will help with. After a while you sort of "zone out" when shooting and while you are actually going faster it feels like you are going slow and you can know where every bullet goes. It's really cool when that happens.

[CatsEye]

That level of focus would be great. Hope I get there someday.

[deerslayer]

It is amazing how easy it is to shoot poorly or fumble mag changes when under the pressure of time. I know my mind races so fast sometimes that I finish a string and have no idea if I even hit anything.

Welcome to the club.