It's that time of year again! This is my fifth year posting, hopefully we get some new eyes on it this year or some of you that wanted to take the class in past years but couldn't will be able to make it...especially those that got shafted by last years date change due to crappy weather.
I've seen a couple of "I want to try competitive shooting" threads so let's get more new blood into the sport! I never really wandered down to the competitive shooting forums here on NES until I stumbled upon this class at my club 7 years ago and got hooked on the action shooting sports. With that in mind I have posted this announcement here in "General" for the past couple of years so it would be seen by a lot of folks who hadn't even thought about getting into competitive shooting. We've had a good number of NES members through the class since I started posting it here and hopefully the trend will continue this year!
Once a year Hopkinton Sportsmans does an Introduction to USPSA class at the club. If you've ever thought about trying your hand at "action" pistol competition this class will teach you everything you need to know to be safe and comfortable at your first match. It's a two day class on April 21-22 and covers all the range commands, procedures, safety rules, scoring, how to breakdown a stage, etc, and includes a simulated match on the second day that is run just like the real thing. oh, and lunch is included both days in the class fee (short money, still just $75). We will also be giving each student who completes the class a voucher for 1 free USPSA match at Hopkinton ($20 value) just to make sure people get fully addicted to the sport . After taking this class you will be 100% comfortable walking up to the registration table at your first match, whether it's at Hopkinton or another club.
This year we will be using Practiscore for registration (CLICK HERE TO REGISTER) *there is no need to register for a practiscore site account to register for the class*. You will still need to snail mail over a check/MO for the fee to complete registration. Feel free to post here or PM me with questions. If independent reviews are your thing then there are some comments from students in last years thread that you can check out. Some additional info can be found on our team site.
Some FAQ on the course:
Q: "How good do I need to be with a firearm to take this class?"
A: You don't need to be a crack shot but you do need to be comfortable with the operation of your gun. Safety is the #1 priority, we don't care if you hit any of the targets but you do need to keep the rounds on the range and operate the gun in a safe manner at all times.
Q: "What do I need to have for the class"
A: You need a safe and functional handgun or pistol caliber carbine rifle, at least 3 magazines (or speedloaders of some kind for revo), a holster that fully covers the trigger (preferably OWB), a sturdy belt to hold it all together, and 200 rounds of ammo. Some loaner gear is available on a first come first served basis.
Q: "What kind of gun can I use"
A: USPSA has division for just about any modern handgun from 9mm - .45 or pistol caliber carbine rifle. For handguns something in the mid to full size range works best.
Q: "How is this different from other action pistol sports?"
A: The most common sport to USPSA is IDPA, and many shoot in both types of matches. IDPA tries to focus on more "real world defensive" scenarios and tactics, USPSA is just about having fun and challenging yourself.
As usual I'll include a slightly self-deprecating video of me at the first match I shot after taking the class many moons ago:
And one of me from last year's Area 7 Championship match at Harvard Sportsmans, older and fatter but at least I'm shooting a little quicker...and I have a flashier wardrobe!
If this doesn't look like your thing then I highly recommend looking into one of the other formats available locally. Steel Challenge is low movement and low pressure, IDPA (explained above), even pin/plate matches. All ways to get more trigger time and keep range time interesting!
Hope to see you on in the class or at a match!
Peter (aka BostonBullit)
I've seen a couple of "I want to try competitive shooting" threads so let's get more new blood into the sport! I never really wandered down to the competitive shooting forums here on NES until I stumbled upon this class at my club 7 years ago and got hooked on the action shooting sports. With that in mind I have posted this announcement here in "General" for the past couple of years so it would be seen by a lot of folks who hadn't even thought about getting into competitive shooting. We've had a good number of NES members through the class since I started posting it here and hopefully the trend will continue this year!
Once a year Hopkinton Sportsmans does an Introduction to USPSA class at the club. If you've ever thought about trying your hand at "action" pistol competition this class will teach you everything you need to know to be safe and comfortable at your first match. It's a two day class on April 21-22 and covers all the range commands, procedures, safety rules, scoring, how to breakdown a stage, etc, and includes a simulated match on the second day that is run just like the real thing. oh, and lunch is included both days in the class fee (short money, still just $75). We will also be giving each student who completes the class a voucher for 1 free USPSA match at Hopkinton ($20 value) just to make sure people get fully addicted to the sport . After taking this class you will be 100% comfortable walking up to the registration table at your first match, whether it's at Hopkinton or another club.
This year we will be using Practiscore for registration (CLICK HERE TO REGISTER) *there is no need to register for a practiscore site account to register for the class*. You will still need to snail mail over a check/MO for the fee to complete registration. Feel free to post here or PM me with questions. If independent reviews are your thing then there are some comments from students in last years thread that you can check out. Some additional info can be found on our team site.
Some FAQ on the course:
Q: "How good do I need to be with a firearm to take this class?"
A: You don't need to be a crack shot but you do need to be comfortable with the operation of your gun. Safety is the #1 priority, we don't care if you hit any of the targets but you do need to keep the rounds on the range and operate the gun in a safe manner at all times.
Q: "What do I need to have for the class"
A: You need a safe and functional handgun or pistol caliber carbine rifle, at least 3 magazines (or speedloaders of some kind for revo), a holster that fully covers the trigger (preferably OWB), a sturdy belt to hold it all together, and 200 rounds of ammo. Some loaner gear is available on a first come first served basis.
Q: "What kind of gun can I use"
A: USPSA has division for just about any modern handgun from 9mm - .45 or pistol caliber carbine rifle. For handguns something in the mid to full size range works best.
Q: "How is this different from other action pistol sports?"
A: The most common sport to USPSA is IDPA, and many shoot in both types of matches. IDPA tries to focus on more "real world defensive" scenarios and tactics, USPSA is just about having fun and challenging yourself.
As usual I'll include a slightly self-deprecating video of me at the first match I shot after taking the class many moons ago:
And one of me from last year's Area 7 Championship match at Harvard Sportsmans, older and fatter but at least I'm shooting a little quicker...and I have a flashier wardrobe!
If this doesn't look like your thing then I highly recommend looking into one of the other formats available locally. Steel Challenge is low movement and low pressure, IDPA (explained above), even pin/plate matches. All ways to get more trigger time and keep range time interesting!
Hope to see you on in the class or at a match!
Peter (aka BostonBullit)
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
