First IDPA Competition

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Freedom09

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Hi,
I am entering my first IDPA competition on Saturday. It’s not much time to prepare so I’m freaking out a little. I am after some advice about equipment and anything I should be aware of. I have been reading the rule book to make sure that the equipment I have meets the requirements. I have been shooting for some time now but this is my first competition of this type.

What I have now:
Blackhawk serpa paddle holster (this can be converted to a belt loop)
Blackhawk double magazine pouch
SIG 228 9mm standard off the shelf
3 SIG 13 round magazines

What I need to get before Saturday:
Concealment garment (not sure what to wear for this kind of shooting)
Anything I have forgotten.

Thanks in advance for any advise.
 
Your gun and holster should be OK. As for the concealment garment, any untucked shirt should do just fine providing that is long enough so that when you lift your arms your holster stays concealed.
 
bring 150 rounds of ammo, eye and ear pro. and something to carry

ammo and water. OH yeh, a hat is strongly recommended... a flashlight

is a good thing to have, but you can always borrow one.

just go, you'll really enjoy it....

JimB
 
Looking at the rules my Blackhawk SERPA holster may not be legal for IDPA as it sits away from my body a little. Does anyone know if these have been rejected before or am I reading too much into the rule book?

I have a hat, eyes and ears in my range bag but I wouldn’t have thought of a flashlight, thanks.
 
Freedom09 said:
Looking at the rules my Blackhawk SERPA holster may not be legal for IDPA as it sits away from my body a little. Does anyone know if these have been rejected before or am I reading too much into the rule book?

I have a hat, eyes and ears in my range bag but I wouldn’t have thought of a flashlight, thanks.
Click to expand...

For your first match, your gear will be fine. People will help you out at the match and will tell you if it is good for other matches or not. I would recommend more than 3 mags just in case. Sometimes dirt can foul mag or something else happens to it. I like to recommend minimum of 5 so you have 2 spares.

Where is the match? Go to their club web site and contact the match director and ask him/her if you can show up early for a quick safety briefing and equipment check. It will make your day a little more comfortable.

Good luck
 
Freedom09 said:
Looking at the rules my Blackhawk SERPA holster may not be legal for IDPA as it sits away from my body a little. Does anyone know if these have been rejected before or am I reading too much into the rule book?

I have a hat, eyes and ears in my range bag but I wouldn’t have thought of a flashlight, thanks.
Click to expand...

nah it'll be fine. Which match are you going to? If its @ WPRC, bring a light since there's always a low light stage. A 4th mag would be handy. Water is good. bring 150-200 rounds of ammo so you have extra ammo in case you need to reshoot a stage or something.
 
It’s the Pioneer Sportsman Inc. IDPA on the 13[SUP]th[/SUP]. I emailed the President and he was very helpful. I’m looking forward to it as it’s my first pistol competition and very different from the rifle bulls eye competitions I have done so far.
 
I was under the impression that match was cancelled just recently or moved to the 20th. Can anybody else confirm? There is one in Worcester, MA though where you will meet a lot of members of this forum.
 
I thought it was the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] but the email I received said the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] which ties up with the calendar on their web site. I would be happier with the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] as I will have more time to prepare.

I am only just filling in my nonresident permit application for Mass so I can’t attempt any competitions south of the border until that comes in.
 
It looks like you've got most of what you need. My rant may give a bit more information: http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/133914-Your-first-IDPA-match

I suggest that you convert your holster to belt loop -- it will be more secure than paddle. Practice drawing from your holster with the gun dry. Make sure you can do so without your trigger finger winding up on the trigger prematurely, which is something that can happen with a Serpa holster.

For a concealment garment, most of folks use some sort of vest. If you don't have time to get one, then just use an open, button-down shirt that is long enough to cover the holster.

It is hot this time of year, so bring a cooler full of ice and water. Bring sunscreen and bug spray. Last time I did a match at Pioneer, they had a catering truck come in with lunch. As TY said, more mags is a good idea if you can get them in time. If not, just go with what you have.
 
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I would definitely convert the serpa to beltloop. One good yank without fully unlocking the gun will pull the gun and holster right off the belt when using a paddle. When you decide to get more serious, look into holster/mag and flashlight pouches made from kydex. I am using comptac and like them a lot. They do a lot for promoting the sport.
 
Dont get hung up on the concealment issue. As said here, most use some sort of vest (fishing/hunting type). Is it conceled? Yes. Would you wear it around on errands to conceal a firearm....never. Your not trying to trick anyone there into thinking your not carrying. Keep it simple and easy.
 
gulfmp said:
As said here, most use some sort of vest (fishing/hunting type). Is it conceled? Yes. Would you wear it around on errands to conceal a firearm....never. Your not trying to trick anyone there into thinking your not carrying.
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I've used a travel vest for concealment on many occasions. I've had no issues. The people who guess that I might be carrying are not the ones I'm most worried about. Mrs. Smith at the grocery store has never heard of IDPA, has no idea that people other than cops and criminals carry guns, and couldn't identify Eotac pants as anything other than cargo pants which are currently in fashion in some sectors of the market.
 
Freedom09 said:
I thought it was the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] but the email I received said the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] which ties up with the calendar on their web site. I would be happier with the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] as I will have more time to prepare.

I am only just filling in my nonresident permit application for Mass so I can’t attempt any competitions south of the border until that comes in.
Click to expand...
I was informed that the Pioneer match that was on the 20th was cancelled. Worcester's Club has a match on the 13th which I would highly recommend you going to it. It was my second ever match with IDPA a year ago. Very friendly crew and shooters, we are all here to help with other shooters. Being a NH resident you are allowed to bring your gear to a range for a match under Federal law. Lock your gun and lock your ammo in seperate containers in the trunk with a printout of the match dates and location (print out Mike-Mike's forum post) and leave it with your gun. Once at the range, bring your locked gun to a safe table and holster up. Come early and state you are a new shooter and someone will take the time to answer any questions you may have.

Some people just come and watch a match before shooting and usually regret not signing up after the first stage. Come, shoot, enjoy like the rest of us.
 
Also I just found out there my be a "New to Competition" class put on by Bob Klimm at http://www.pemi.org/ sometime this weekend. I'm getting the details and I will post here when I get it. Their next match is Aug 21st (Sunday). It is a bit of a haul for people coming from MA but the matches in my opinion are the most fun: Lots of steel and usually a side match (This month it is Shotgun)
 
M1911 said:
Wow!
Click to expand...

Yeah- Aaron did the same thing. Hard work and commitment will get you there and Ken and Aaron put in the efforts!

What's next Ken? Stick with SSP and try to get to the top of the pack? New division? Try wheel gunning for a while...
 
Thanks All!
I got really lucky to get the bump up to Master, just made Expert last month. I'm 70 seconds behind Ed at the CT match, I got a lot of improvement to go. I'm going to stick with SSP until I can give Ed and you a run for your money consistently, then move over to ESP to harass Aaron and Matt.
 
Ken your next challenge to make you "complete" is to run an SSP Master classifier. Should be easy for you. [wink]
 
Ken- sit down, enjoy your win (you deserved it, you didn't get lucky), and come up with some short term and long term goals. Those goals can be to come in 1st at the club matches, and/or things like- I want to reach ESP Master by xx/xx/xxxx. Some of my goals are very specific and some not so much. Continue working to achieve your goals but don't let them get in the way of having fun. Some adjustments along the way will be needed... as sometimes life just gets in the way.
 

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