Do you compete, why not?

[HighLander51]

kmca Quote:Originally Posted by five.five-six View Post
I am just too slow and not a very good shot
That's never stopped me.

That's the spirit! You stand up alone, completely alone, all by yourself, in front of your entire squad, and all the waiting squads, and the observers.

And when the beeper (shot timer) goes off, there is no one to coach you, or tell you what to do, you are all by yourself. You own every point you score, and every mistake you make. BUT, you learn from it, next time, you get faster and more accurate.

That response, I believe, is the most honest answer of why shooters don't compete. Kudos to you guys! You did it, all by yourself! Stand up and be counted. Competition is not easy, you will fail, time and again, but you will learn from it. Oh, and the up side, it is fun.

[kmca]

That's the spirit! You stand up alone, completely alone, all by yourself, in front of your entire squad, and all the waiting squads, and the observers.

And when the beeper (shot timer) goes off, there is no one to coach you, or tell you what to do, you are all by yourself. You own every point you score, and every mistake you make. BUT, you learn from it, next time, you get faster and more accurate.

That response, I believe, is the most honest answer of why shooters don't compete. Kudos to you guys! You did it, all by yourself! Stand up and be counted. Competition is not easy, you will fail, time and again, but you will learn from it. Oh, and the up side, it is fun.

That's not quite the way I felt...sure you stand alone and when the timer goes off, your brain turns to mush, but I'll bet your entire squad is rooting for you...even some you don't know...yet.

[prc77]

I would like to but at this point cost of ammo and distance from my residence is a major concern. I would like to do icore or some other revolver match. I have the appropriate gun/holster but still need moon clip holders and what not.
Also not knowing anyone that already does it kind of holds me back or stops me from really trying to start.

Your right across the bay from Richmond Rod & Gun. We have some kind of action shooting every Sunday. Cowboy, USPSA, IDPA, ICOR 3gun, BARC, This past Sunday we had a shotgun only match. You do not need to be a member of anything to shoot here, but you do need to attend our SAFE HANDGUNNING class. 3rd Sat of every month, $25 for the class. After completion your first match will be free. Club matches are $25 for non Richmond members and $20 for members. Matches are 5 stages of fun. I don't shoot every match. but I do try and go once a month. I will be there on Sat July 9, if you want I could meet you at the range and I'll show you around, Get some practice in too.

Gravity is holding you down,
What's holding you back?

http://www.richmondhotshots.com

http://www.richmondrodandgun.com

[jonzer77]

I started shooting falling plates and then steel challenge and now idpa. The only downside is that I get bored at the range shooting paper targets lol. A lot of clubs will waive the fee the first time because they just want more people shooting. Every time I go to an event I get pointers from the people in the club and that's what I like.

Don't be nervous because my first steel challenge score was absolutely horrible and no I wont post the score The next match was significantly better and you will find yourself getting better at using your gun which is a good thing.

[DR1VEN]

I'm a Bullseye competitor, but will be trying IDPA in a few weeks. Of course, I had to turn in a "grocery list" for ammo

I don't mind precision shooting for 2 hours, but learning IDPA makes sense with the reduced police force in my town.

I did my first match of IDPA out at Prado a week ago....LOVE IT!....Sooooo tired of shooting 10 rounds at paper, standing in a line, being afraid of getting my card pulled as I try a few double taps, and then slowly changing my clip for the next set of rounds.

My grouping was excellent...
I thought I knew how to use a gun....lol!!! Ya, right!

Now I'm drawing and firing in the different courses, speed reloading thru multipal clips, running from cover to cover,slicing the pie, doing mutipal double taps within 2 seconds on moving targets, firing while retreating backwards to a position of cover, Staying on one knee from a position of cover shootin at 4 different targets from behind the front end af a car, shooting 1 handed, shooting with the weak hand one handed,and really friendly, helpful shooters,......whats not to like?

I did crappy my first time out with full misses,off center hits, and reload delays, BUT WHO CARES? I had a blast! and I was not the lowest score and either will you be.

and thats the point right? to get better.... I'm bit and bit hard! Hook-Line-and Sinker!

expect the fees and about 150 rounds for doing the 8 courses. Bring 200 to be safe. you dont want to run out. 3 clips on semi-auto or speed reloaders for revolvers. small snack and water are a good idea too.

I don't dare. If I didn't win I'd be upset about it and start going broke practicing till I did....no way....I'm too damn competitive.

lol....Yep.Sounds about right....

I don't compete yet, but i went to watch my first IPDA this past saturday, and i am EXCITED to get started

was it Prado? Man was it a blast....

[ROTC sniper]

I started competing in JROTC then in college ROTC, thus the name but run n gun is way more fun, in my opinion. ZombieTactics said a competitor may develop some bad habits by competing, but I'd say that the amount of good habits learned far outweigh the potential bad. In addition, any competing, training is better than only going to an indoor range and popping rounds off at a stationary target, while being stationary.

Anyone can hit a pinhead bullseye under completely controlled, and relaxed conditions. But to shoot and hit a target with adrenaline pumping through your veins and having the confidence to handle your weapon in less than ideal conditions, is worth the $20 dollar entry fee and 5 hours of comraderie (sp?) once a month.

So come out and meet a bunch of great guys. If your nervous and don't want to go alone, let me know and we can meet up and drive on together. I'm in the southbay and always willing to bring in new folks.

[DR1VEN]

I started competing in JROTC then in college ROTC, thus the name but run n gun is way more fun, in my opinion. ZombieTactics said a competitor may develop some bad habits by competing, but I'd say that the amount of good habits learned far outweigh the potential bad. In addition, any competing, training is better than only going to an indoor range and popping rounds off at a stationary target, while being stationary.

Anyone can hit a pinhead bullseye under completely controlled, and relaxed conditions. But to shoot and hit a target with adrenaline pumping through your veins and having the confidence to handle your weapon in less than ideal conditions, is worth the $20 dollar entry fee and 5 hours of comraderie (sp?) once a month.

So come out and meet a bunch of great guys. If your nervous and don't want to go alone, let me know and we can meet up and drive on together. I'm in the southbay and always willing to bring in new folks.

+100^^^

Ditto here as well if in the OC or IE. My buddy is already the safety officer at Prado IDPA but the more the merryer-er

[Rudolf the Red]

I did USPSA 3 times. Got DQ'ed at the Redding Gun Club match 2 months in a row for the most minute infractions. Competition is an eye opener. I'll stick to Olympic 10m Air Pistol. Even that is a b i t c h. No matter what you shoot at home in practice, you will fail in competition. It's adds a whole new level to your shooting mind. I highly recommend competition of any kind in order to build skill.

[OliveCookieMonsta]

it's not just about shooting and getting better with your skills. you also meet a lot of awesome people and gain a lot of awesome friends! i've tried a lot of sports, but the shooters community is one of the best if not the best community out there.

+++1

Absolutely agree with the above HKdad. I started shooting local IDPA matches after wanting something more than static target shooting and something different than defensive training... I walked in new and fresh off the street a year and a half ago and have meet sooo many great shooters and great people in general! It's fun! People are nice and helpful... If cost is a problem, just shoot one match and see what it's like!! See if it's worth it for you.

[The Virus]

IDPA, 3 Gun.

Bad habits is kind of subjective.
Being able to shoot fast, accurate and on the move with either hand in many different scenarios trumps "tactically correctness" and neither is mutually exclusive.
I would put my money on the shooter with more dynamic shooting experince any day vs. the guy who only does tactical courses.

[Chach]

I don't compete but after reading this thread I'm kinda leaning towards wanting to check it out. My issues are that I'm incredibly shy, hate being the FNG / not knowing what the hell I'm doing and I'm just not a competitive person. I shoot to unwind and enjoy some time outdoors (or indoors at times) and feel the recoil, smell the gunpowder, etc... I don't like stress in my life and I think that competing would only add to that. Another thing, IDPA USPSA IPSC FTC USDA prime beef, all too freaking confusing for my simplistic mind.

Now, all that said, I am getting rather bored with punching holes in paper, hate the 1 shot / second rule and I'm sure I'll be looking for someone to show me the ropes with some rifle & pistol competition in the near future. Any suggestions on a good starting competition in Sac? I am a member at Sac Valley so I guess I'm 1/2 way there.

[23 Blast]

I'd like to start, but yeah, it's intimidating as heck when you're a newbie with zero formal training, who maybe shoots 5-6 times a year, competing against active duty military and police. It would be like walking into a gym for a pickup basketball game against ex-college players and ex-pros.

That and the time, cost, and all the rest of my obligations as a father of young kids. My days off with them are precious to me. So competing might have to wait until they're older.

[ROTC sniper]

I'd like to start, but yeah, it's intimidating as heck when you're a newbie with zero formal training, who maybe shoots 5-6 times a year, competing against active duty military and police. It would be like walking into a gym for a pickup basketball game against ex-college players and ex-pros.

That and the time, cost, and all the rest of my obligations as a father of young kids. My days off with them are precious to me. So competing might have to wait until they're older.

23 Blast....I know what you mean about intimidating but don't be, everyone is very friendly....when I bought some ammo off reloadyour9 here he asked me if I wanted to go to a 3 gun competition and that's how I got started. Someone took the time to show me and now I want to repay it back by introducing other guys.

I also know what you mean about young kids, mine are 6yo and 1yo. As with anything, if you plan out far enough in advance, you should be fine. That and prep the wife cause with certain competitions, you'll be out all day....nothing different than if you played golf.

Anyway, if you want to roll up with me to Piru on Action Pistol weekend with the Deadwood Boys club, let me know. I'm on the way from the OC.

[jakuda]

......

Anyone can hit a pinhead bullseye under completely controlled, and relaxed conditions. But to shoot and hit a target with adrenaline pumping through your veins and having the confidence to handle your weapon in less than ideal conditions,.....

I take it you've never competed in a bullseye competition...

[Joe Register]

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