Is competitive shooting dead?

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Ankeny

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Just curious, do any of you guys compete with a handgun? I noticed there aren’t many posts in the competition forum and I was wondering if competition is about dead.

I don’t compete anymore, but I am gearing up to start in again, in IDPA. In the past I have shot:

1. NRA Bullseye
2. International Handgun Metallic Silhouette
3. PMA/NMSS
4. PPC
5. National Shooters League
6. Action Pistol

It seems that guys like me, in our late forties to late fifties are a “dying breed”. Also it seems like fewer and fewer people aspire to get to the top of the heap. The last match I attended had very few Master Class shooters. Why don’t I see as many folks shooting as I did 20 years ago? Time? Money? No interest? All of the above?
 
Well I would like to get into IDPA, it's just a matter of spending the time and money to practice up and get my gun in proper working order (ie: shooting to point of aim with a particular brand of ammo) so as not to make a fool of myself the first time out.

I'm not sure IDPA is really up and running here in Seattle. Not much info on the IDPA web page, and nothing much about Seattle activities on their email list.

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“The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals. ... It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.” -Alexander Addison, 1789
 
USPSA member, try to attend at least two big matches a year, no IDPA yet (not close enough), don't care about the rest.

DVC

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I shoot as many matches as I can at 37
(When the Wife will let me ;))
IPSC
IDPA
C/F & R/F Target
Bowling Pin - 10 pin & Rapid Fire
Pocket Pistol
Woodchop
*****

Last Tuesday I attended my 1st IDPA Match.
Well I came 2nd.....
Beaten by a 19yr old toting a single stack 1911 !
So it looks like whether it be IPSC, IDPA or the "Real World", the 1911 RULES !....Grin ;)
My best mate Eddy gave me an early Christmas present tonight, a very nice Yaqui Slide molded to the Para.
So I'll be gunning for 1st place next time I slap leather :)


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"The Gun from Down Under !"
http://www.para1911fanclub.w3.to/
E-mail hotshot_2000@hotmail.com
Alternate E-mail
HS2000@ausi.com



[This message has been edited by HS (edited November 21, 1999).]
 
I turned 50 this year and have been shooting competitively since I was 13. I have shot SB rifle, Bullseye with the military-12 yrs.,NRA Hunter Pistol-11yrs.,SB and BB Rifle Silhouette and IHMSA. I shoot IDPA every Monday night,an Action/Combat rifle and pistol match or two each month. We have a good turn out at most of the local matches that I shoot here in Georgia. The Hunter Pistol matches seem to have run their course though. There are several other Action/Combat matches in the area that I have not had time to shoot yet. I try to balance family time and hobbies. All of my family shoots. My younger daughter is going to start shooting some of the IDPA matches soon. I am not sure how much as she must remain focused on college work at Emory. The older daughter really gets strange looks at the liberal college she attends (North Carolina School of the Arts) when she talks about shooting.
 
At 37 I have been doing both IPSC shooting at 4-5 different clubs around the state in Indiana. I went from a D to a C shooter fairly quickly, and am shooting at the B & A level consistently. As far as becoming a Master, wow. They are sooo fast, relative to the rest of the pack, and their accuracy doesn't lose much along the way. My goal has been to become a Master class shooter in the limited division with my minor caliber Glock 17 (a pretty big disadvantage in scoring). I also try to be aware of real tactical issues (IDPA) even at the IPSC shoots so I don't train myself to do bonehead things in a real pinch. I am a martial arts "expert" and own and teach full-time at two schools for a good living, but believe you don't show up with a fist to a gunfight, if you can help it. It has been quite eye-opening and lots of fun learning how to shoot well. I have a long way to go, but am enjoying the ride.
 
I'm 55 going on 97.
I really just started shooting competitively about 9 years ago.
I started with bowling pins, then PPC, and got into action pistol matches. I really stunk up the place when I started, but no one made fun of me and I got a lot of good free advice from fellow shooters.
I was shooting USPSA up until about 3 years ago when I got into IDPA. There are a lot of IDPA clubs in Ohio. Four are within an hours drive and a couple more are about 30 minutes farther.
I shoot in at least 2 matches a month during the winter, and as many as six a month during the summer. I wore my Dillon out and had it factory rebuilt three years ago.
If I had anymore fun shooting I'd go broke and my wife would leave me, if she could remember my name.

Neil Casper
 
I'm an NRA Bullseye competitor. I don't post many messages about Bullseye because it seems that no one else here would be interested.

What are "PMA/NMSS" and "National Shooters League"?
 
Far from Dead!

I have been mulling over the idea of entering competition again...
Now that bug has me hooked deep. I will be entering anything and everything that I can:
With my Single Stack 1911, HS... hehehe ;)

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
Hey, have I mentioned my new book? It is called:
MEN ARE FROM MARS and WOMEN JUST NEED TO DEAL WITH IT!
 
RUB it in George, RUB it in... ;)
In my defense, I had the closest 2 shot groups on each target(IPSC style) :) & that was against some Security Guards (Glocks) & the President of the Range (Sig).
A few H&K's & Walthers made up the rest.

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"The Gun from Down Under !"
http://www.para1911fanclub.w3.to/
E-mail hotshot_2000@hotmail.com
Alternate E-mail
HS2000@ausi.com
 
Greetings, There are members here who compete
in postal pistol matches; on a timely basis.
Our membership icludes members from Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania; as well
as mainland U.S. of A.

Best Wishes


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Ala Dan
 
In my area of Virginia there are two clubs that offer ranges to shoot. One is very nice with about 20-25 stands, covered and very organized for $150. a year...The other is a beautiful wooded site with room for about a dozen on the pistol range. It's very informal and we set up targets at anywhere from 10 to 100 yards. There is only one safety rule...BE SAFE! No range officers or Signs prohibiting everything from rapid fire to having a good time.

I guess there is a group of us who enjoy the informal setting and the fellowship is great...lots of laughs with everbody shooting each others guns and having a helluva good time.Although Kimbers dominate the scene, there are all different types to shoot. The shooters are former military and LEOs.

I guess the thought of formal competitive shooting is just not our thing...this is just too much fun!

For all of this we pay $35./yr wihich include some pretty dog gone good fishing in the lake adjacent to the range.
 
Matt VDW:

The National Shooter's League was the first "Professional Match" around. Shot for cash only, no sponsors, no trophies, just bucks. The finals were televised on ESPN years ago. The match attracted many of the big guns from several disciplines, including shooters from overseas. The course of fire was very, very difficult which virtually prohibited all but the most elite shooters from even attempting to make the finals. Also, no classification system, dog eat dog kind of deal. If you ever talk to John Bianchi or just about anyone from Harlan Carter’s regime you can get an ear full about Dr. Robert Burgess, founder of the NSL. The Bianchi Cup, along with Bob’s bad attitude pretty much killed the NSL.

As I recall, the PMA/NMSS is the Police Marksman Association/National Marksman Shooting Society. I don’t even know if they sponsor matches anymore. It has been 18-20 years since I shot in their matches. Really nothing more than PPC with a couple of minor changes. Their publication is still out and it is great reading. You can surf on over to www.policemarksman.com and check them out.
 
I've been shooting IDPA for a year, after off-and-on formal and (mostly) informal combat shooting for a decade. My regret is that I didn't start with IPSC before it was such a game, and didn't start IDPA sooner (would have but didn't know about it).

I love IDPA because of the tactics. Round count could be higher, but some of us hang around after the match or come back the next weekend, and shoot the same COF with more rounds, for fun.

I'm at Sharpshooter in SSP and Marksman in CDP, but I've been winning my class enough that I need to reclassify and move up. It's slower than I thought it would be to move up. Not because my shooting hasn't improved (it has, a lot) but because of mental mistakes I make, and find new ones to make to replace the cured ones!

Perfect practice makes perfect. I wish I had the time. One guy I shoot with, who is naturally skilled i think, has gone from Sharpshooter to Master in SSP in about a year. VERY good shooter. Bit- he's out there every weekend or more, shooting 1-2000 rounds a month, practicing over and over.I'll have to be content with progressing more slowly, but I think my dry-fire work helps a lot. I want to practice on the steel plates too... the guys i've seen improving the fastest shot a lot of steel.

That said, I'd love to try other shooting: bullseye, pins, silhouette, etc. Any information on those matches would be appreciated,and the relevant hardware necessary. It's all FUN!
 
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