any competition shooters?

anyone here shoot competitively?

3Gun, IPSC, IDPA etc...

 

I wouldn’t consider myself a competitive shooter. But I did compete in my first 10K running biathlon with pistol and rifle stages last October. It was exhausting but also a lot of fun. It required competitors to carry everything at all times - water, ammo, firearms, tools, first aid, etc. There are no separate classes or age groups. You run what ya brung kind of event, and if you run out of ammo (a few do), then tough. Most also include obstacles, such as wall and fence climbs, crawling under barbed wire or through muddy culverts, hauling 45 lb jugs, etc.

The stages were challenging and had me shoot in weird positions in the cold mud. Probably the toughest for me was having to climb a wet, slippery tree and shoot a rifle at distance in a weird position all the while wondering if I waa going to fall. I timed out at almost every stage. It really tests you and your equipment. Despite the physical abuse and shooting skill humility, I’m hooked and want to do more of these competitions.

Below is a picture of my AR caked in dried-up mud after the event. It got banged up and scratched, too. Somehow, it never malfunctioned despite the mud. No pics of my Glock 34, but it didn’t get as dirty. It also never jammed or malfunctioned, either.

What kind of shooting competitions do you do? I’ve never done a 3-Gun, but would like to try one with my Garand, 1911 and Winchester Model 12.

 

I participate in USPSA matches - 1 or 2 local matches per month and I have shot the LA Gator Classic and the Mississippi Classic over the last 5 years

 

man I'm tired thinking of 10ks sounds like an army obstacle course. fun. I do 3 Gun, and soon doing a pistol steel challenge match. I've always wanted to do idpa but there are no matches near me and looking at finding USPSA matches now.

3Gun and 2 Gun are loads of fun. the gear you mention wanting to run is used in the "heavy" division. but you wont be competitive vs the guys running an AR10 due to round count however the big calibers do catch a break because 1 round on target does the job so dont miss lol. and of course that ammo makes it very expensive.

I shoot in the tacops division. (most shooters do) very few are in heavy and quite a bit run in the open division where just about anything goes.

shotgun is the toughest gun to run as the stages force a reload and reloading that beast under pressure is tough. you really have to practice reloading, and in my case I've yet to upgrade to a better shotgun.

pistol I run a sig p320 xfive
AR is a noveske n4 rival
shotty is a fnh mk1 12g

 

Wondering what the difference is in USPSA and IDPA? What class would a 1911 be in each? What about a Glock 34? I guess I would also need a suitable holster? Which belt and holster do most folks use for these events? What’s the typical round count?

Good point about the shotgun reloads. Guess I need to practice for that. What shotgun do most competitors use in 3-gun? Are they shortened 18” barrels? Are slugs used? If so, would no choke be best?

What’s the typical round count for rifle, handgun and shotgun in 3-gun? Or does it differ significantly at each one?

Seems like most ranges near me offer 3-gun and not 2-gun.

 

That’s a lot of matches! What setup do you use?

 

(2 gun is sometimes called multi gun)

not sure about uspsa. they all run fairly close. but the rules vary. idpa revolves around concealed carry so you have to shoot with a cover garment.. (vest or jacket) and everything is shooting from behind cover or situationally based.

example : a stage could have u mowing lawn (mower prop on stage) when suddenly 3 tricked out playas come onto your property with bad intentions and you must engage them. (your firearm may be staged like in a nearby box or on your person). just behind the thugs are several neighbors and your kids. (no shoot targets). you must retrieve the weapon, move to cover and engage. points assessed are based on where you hit on the target plus time.

to 3gn.. it's not very tactical in a sense that you dont need short barreled rifle or shotgun. rifle targets can be out to 500yds. so all principles of marksmanship come into play as well as a good scope. 1x4 min up to 1x8 power. some matches limit the power, and don't show up with a red dot unless you've mastered long distance with it. great for paper targets and short range but not ideal for the long distance. (you can have a powered scope with red dot) I use a vortex razor HD 1-6x (u can use iron sights offset to your scope but not a red dot unless you shoot in open div.)

believe it or not long shotguns are king. distance and round count in the mag are the key. 9 or more in tube depends on division. most use benellis M2 with the big loading port.

round counts vary by match and posted accordingly. expect 250 pistol 250 rifle 100 shotgun to get you by. you may have stages where you have to engage a 75yd target with a slug so mind your barrel if rifled or not. shotgun is fun but exhausting with the reloads.

I recommend that you visit a club with a match and watch 1 and ask lots of questions. some places have an intro class or match. you must be very proficient with all 3 guns or you may find yourself being disqualified for a safety or procedural violation. very very strict due to the nature of the sport.

your 1911 can run in any class but ammo count will get you if it's not a double stack 9mm so a 2011 would be ideal. the glock 34 is popular so use that when you first start.


https://youtu.be/5gUv1O_zsEY

this dude has a good humbled down video series that explains a lot about the sport. you can watch pros later after you take it all in. it's crazy to be at a big match and see the pros.
I actually shot at one where Jerry miculek, Daniel Horner and some others were competing. you quickly go from shooter to spectator if you are in the squad that shoots after their squad or if you end up in their squad..

 

Excellent info. Thanks.

 

Shot USPSA for about a year. It was getting expensive tho and I had other hobbies I was more interested in putting money into, so it fell by the wayside. Not sure if I'll ever get back into it unfortunately.

 

no kidding.. it can get very expensive quick. right now the ammo situation is ok. but if we have another major incident involving a firearm the ammo shortage will start all over again.

 

I shot USPSA for two years, loved every minute of it, helped get a local club off the ground, learned more about firearms handling than any other “lessons” that I had. Like some above I had to choose between it and bird hunting (mostly because of the dogs). I still have all my gear and may get back in it some day.

 

Plus, if you start getting really competitive you end out looking at STI and other high-end gun manufacturers, then it just falls off a cliff after that.

 

I think one of the coolest aspects of doing it was I got to meet some interesting cats I probably wouldn't have run into otherwise.

 

I compete against myself

 

Cut my competitive teeth on PPC back when only LEO and military were allowed. That led to IDPA and did that a few years. Started shooting 3gun after traking a Patrol rifle school and a combat shotgun school. That led to precision rifle schools which led to sniper matches which is where my passion lies now. I love ringing steel. Shot out to 750 yesterday in 30 to 40 mph winds. That's my idea of how to spend a saturday.

 

That sounds like so much fun.
I have shot 3 gun for a while now , but im getting bored of it. I want something more physically / mentally challenging . Shooting for 2 minutes , then waiting for an hour gets old fast. I like more constant work with shooting and problem solving thrown in. Its difficult to find those sorts of things up here in the Pacific NW.
I shoot a STS/Aero AR15 carbine with Aimpoint Comp3 , Benelli Super 90 12ga , and SigP226 9mm modded with Armory Craft trigger

 

It is a lot of fun! Your carbine and Sig would be perfect for one of these running biathlons if you don’t mind getting them banged up, wet and muddy.

I think the first one of these events began with the Pecos Run and Gun, and from there it spread through the rest of Texas and Oklahoma. There are now some in Kentucky and North Carolina if I remember correctly. Hopefully the PNW will pick some up. Beautiful terrain and scenery up there, and you don’t have to deal with the oppressive heat and humidity, snakes, chiggers, thorns, etc., like we have to deal with here in Texas.

 

I have 2 Limited guns built by Akai Custom Guns, with a Blade Tech holster, CR Speed belt and magazine holders, I have 2 Open guns one built by Akai Custom Guns and one built by Lone Star Innovations, with a CR Speed WSM2 holster, CR Speed belt and magazine holders. I have 2 75 Shadow Custom pistols built by CZ Customs with a Blade Tech holster, CR Speed belt and magazine holders.

I load 40 S&W on a Dillon 650 and I am getting ready to purchase my second Dillon 650 to load 38 Super Comp for my Open guns. While you can switch calibers on the Dillon 650 I prefer to setup the 650 once and not make changes for additional calibers.

Expensive is probably being polite when talking about USPSA competition

 

Man , my guns are so beat up a little mud would spruce them up a bit!
I do have one "pretty gun" - Sig 1911 Tac Ops that is a safe queen , but the rest have all been dropped , kicked , stepped on , scratched , and have character.
I will check around with some of the local shops and see if they know of any events / training in the area.

 

My wife and I both shoot "High Power". Otherwise known as "across the course", or XTC. Service rifle division. XTC competition follows the "National Match Course of Fire":

1) 20 shots standing slow fire (load one round at a time) unsupported at 200 yards, in a time limit of 20 minutes

2) 20 shots seated rapid fire (two strings of 10 shots each, 2 rounds in the first magazine, 8 rounds in the second magazine) sling support only, at 200 yards, in a time limit of 60 sections

3) 20 shots prone rapid fire (two strings of 10 shots each, 2 rounds in the first magazine, 8 rounds in the second magazine) sling support only, at 300 yards, in a time limit of 70 sections

4) 20 shots prone slow fire (load one round at a time) sling support only, at 600 yards, in a time limit of 20 minutes

"Service rifle" means, in addition to several other things, we're limited in rifle type and caliber to those used by our military personnel. The standard 'on the line' these days is 223 out of a semi auto AR. Some still use M1As and M1s though. The idea behind SR is a level playing field. For the most part, we're all using the same rifle, same ammo, same equipment... meaning the winners and losers do so on their abilities, and not so much on their equipment.

We're both in the hunt to achieve something called "Distinguished Rifleman" badges. The "Distinguished" badge is the only civilian marksmanship award issued and recognized by the federal government (also available to military marksmen as well). http://thecmp.org/competitions/distinguishedbadges/ In the 130ish years of the program, I think something like only 3000 people have ever achieved it, and of them only a dozen or two husband/wife combos. Ambitious for sure, but something to work towards.

We dig this particular shooting sport because of its diversity. The different positions, distances, slow and rapid fire skills required... keeps things interesting, that's for sure.

In addition to the Distinguished hunt, I've earned both NRA and CMP High Power Master cards, and my wife has earned NRA and CMP High Power Expert cards, although she's knocking the master's door lately. That lady can shoot!

 

I shoot idpa and enjoy it. I like that it's basic equipment and no need for 20 round mags. costs all of $5 per match and roughly two boxes of ammo. hard to have more fun shooting for less money.

 

I shoot a ton of Cast Bullet Association Military rifle matches. Benchrest shooting, but you use bullets cast from scrap lead fired through old war rifles like the 1903, Garands, etc.

Great time.

 

I shoot PRS (Precision Rifle Series) and Missouri Steel Tactical rifle matches. Target ranges vary from 250 yards out to 1300 yards depending on the facility. Lots of positional shooting, and multiple target / multiple distance stages.

I used to shoot 3-gun (heavy metal optics division). Shooters started to become entitled and less fun to shoot with.

Just purchased a CZ 75 TSO to shoot some pistol matches. Need to get more practice soon.

 

I shoot primarily IPSC and some carbine matches. But having two kids under the age of 2, shooting matches have been on hold.

 

Shoot PRS pretty exclusively, other than some military sniper matches, wife also shoots PRS after fiddling around with 3gun.

Me and my partner at USASOC this year:

Current match rifle (now wears a Tangent Theta 5-25 as my wife stole my atacr):
6br on an OTM omega action in a whiskey3 chassis (has all been rattle canned now)

Wife's dasher:

 

I’ve been shooting 3 gun, USPSA, UML and Hopefully some more PRS. Mostly just run in limited style divisions but love every minute of it. Been competing for about 6 years now and have had some good successes but mostly met awesome people! And my 5 year old just competed in his first match this summer!

 

Hey guys, just getting into handgun competition and was wondering if there were any competitive shooters in here?

 

I shoot steel challenge at pikes peak gun club east of Colorado springs but its outdoor and we only have a few weeks left.

 

I've shot tons of IDPA and PPC but it' been awhile. Prefer sniper matches more recently but need to get my a** back in shape first.