Competition Pistol Choice

[MFP4073]

Unfortunately a 35 with a 9mm conversion barrel is not legal in USPSA Production division.

What mlaboss says...

Definitely become more knowledgeable about the rules before offering advice. A little assumption like that can get you bumped to Open division or could cost you money that you didn't want to spend. I have seen it happen many times to new comers to the sport and those who typically shoot "other" games.

 

[M1911]

Unfortunately a 35 with a 9mm conversion barrel is not legal in USPSA Production division.

Nor would it be legal in IDPA SSP.

 

[hy2rogen]

All great information, exactly what I was looking for. I am looking to pick up a dedicated competition pistol instead of re-purposing what I have at the moment.

Stinks that the class is full, but I have an exam on the 22nd anyways. I appreciate all the input, I'm going to start attending some matches to get some feedback too.

 

[MAShooter]

...Stinks that the class is full, but I have an exam on the 22nd anyways...

The class at New Bedford on 4/26 still has room

 

[BostonBullit]

Check out the New Bedford class, great group of guys down there. If you can't do that then try to get to a practice night at a club like Harvard or Hopkinton. I'm not sure about Harvard during the winter but at Hopkinton we setup on the indoor range most Weds nights and people are welcome to stop by and see what it's all about. Next Weds night is an exception, we have the monthly plate match that night instead of practice but you're welcome to come to that .

This Sunday there is an indoor match at Mystic Valley in Malden; it's usually overbooked so shooting it probably isn't an option but if you're not too far away you can stop by and check things out. We'll be there from 8am until around 1pm having some fun and there will be plenty of people that willing to spend some time talking up the sport.

For other USPSA matches around the area check out the uspsa-ne.org website calendar.

Peter

 

[dcmdon]

Unfortunately a 35 with a 9mm conversion barrel is not legal in USPSA Production division.

Like I said in my earlier post. My G35 with the conversion barrel is much heavier than my wife's G34. I use her gun if I'm shooting IDPA. I use my gun if I'm shooting at my local club match which only separates guns by porting and optics vs others.

The extra weight up front of the converted gun is very noticeable in reduced muzzle rise.

 

[Smokewagon]

I'm not sure about Harvard during the winter but at Hopkinton we setup on the indoor range most Weds nights and people are welcome to stop by and see what it's all about. Next Weds night is an exception, we have the monthly plate match that night instead of practice but you're welcome to come to that .

Harvard has open IPSC/USPSA practice every Wednesday evenings from 5-7. IDPA practice is twice a month on Monday evenings from 7:30-10.

 

[Kisspik002]

Unfortunately a 35 with a 9mm conversion barrel is not legal in USPSA Production division.

Very true

 

[Kisspik002]

What mlaboss says...

Definitely become more knowledgeable about the rules before offering advice. A little assumption like that can get you bumped to Open division or could cost you money that you didn't want to spend. I have seen it happen many times to new comers to the sport and those who typically shoot "other" games.

My my advice was based on just shooting at the range, I wasn't even thinking about competition matches. That was my bad.

 

[Supermoto]

If you're going to get into USPSA decide how far you're planning to go with this. If you want the good scoring, and to go far, you'll want something that meets major power factor. That rules out 9mm for either the open or limited class pistols. Meeting major power factor DOES have advantages over just meeting minor power factor. I easily got to major with my 1911 wide-body in .45 ACP with 255 grain projectiles moving at about 700-725fps. Soft, and little, recoil gave me fast follow-up shots on double tap targets. It also got me onto the next target quickly, and smoothly.

If you want to learn more about either USPSA or IDPA come up to PF&G this Sunday. At the raffle drawing there will also be people on hand to answer questions about both competition types.

BTW, when I was shooting IPSC there were at least one course per competition/day that required reloads after 7 or 8 shots. Which negated any benefits from having higher capacity pistols. I knew plenty of people with single stack 1911's that would smoke people using double stack pistols (grocks)...

when was the last time you shot a match?