Your first IDPA match

I would say that if you understand and observe basic firearms safety rules and you know how to operate your gun, you can start shooting IDPA. Nobody is going to care how bad you are, and you will learn a lot. You will need a safe, quality holster at the very least.
 
With that little experience and no training for drawing, holstering, emergency reloading, tactical reloading, I would suggest that you attend an IDPA practice first.
 
Sounds like a good idea, thanks guys. I'll hope to see some of you there when I get started - it'll likely be 1-2 months to get the gear and time.
 
As an IDPA safety officer, I don't care at all how fast you are or how accurate your shots are as long as they all safely impact the backstop and you don't do anything that scares me. Go to a practice or take a class and learn how to safely work from the holster and then come out to a match.
 
Gonna chime in with the same old song.

I tell all new shooters who ask the same questions the following... No one remembers the guy who shot bad, but we all remember the new guy who handles his gun in an unsafe manor.

IMO Get your gear and practice loading your gun holstering then unloading it and re holstering. As an SO i feel many new people have comfort issues with this action as many of us have never handled firearms in front of some "barking" commands at you... (load and make ready,unload show clear, slide down, hammer down, holster).

Keep the gun down range pointed at the berm and you will have a blast!!!!

As a "point of reference"[smile] when I first started shooting I could barely hit the IDPA target at 7 yards just standing there. After some practice at the range over the last few years finally I can hit the target at sometimes 20 yards [grin]



Anybody have recommendations on how good I should be at the range (just regular target shooting, likely without a holster or anything) before considering starting IDPA? Is there a baseline for grouping, times, or particular distances I should practice? I just started researching this last week so kick me if there's a whole thread on it. ;-)
 
Gonna chime in with the same old song.

IMO Get your gear and practice loading your gun holstering then unloading it and re holstering. As an SO i feel many new people have comfort issues with this action as many of us have never handled firearms in front of some "barking" commands at you... (load and make ready,unload show clear, slide down, hammer down, holster).

I will add to this. Invest in some snap caps for use at home. I found this very helpful in practicing and getting familiar with my first gun. Allows you to safely practice loading, unloading, making safe, holstering and drawing your weapon without using live ammo. Maybe an obvious tip but only one person thought to tell me about them and I'd never heard of them before that.
 
I tell all new shooters who ask the same questions the following... No one remembers the guy who shot bad, but we all remember the new guy who handles his gun in an unsafe manor.

IMO Get your gear and practice loading your gun holstering then unloading it and re holstering. As an SO i feel many new people have comfort issues with this action as many of us have never handled firearms in front of some "barking" commands at you... (load and make ready,unload show clear, slide down, hammer down, holster).
+1million. I'll add practicing reloads and moving with your gun. You don't have to move fast, but moving and staying hyper-aware of your muzzle direction at the same tame takes some practice.
 
As a "point of reference"[smile] when I first started shooting I could barely hit the IDPA target at 7 yards just standing there.

Hell I've been know to miss ones that close still!!!! :(

I'll reiterate what everyone else said- all I care about is that you don't scare me at the range. Then when you get better I'll worry about you beating me.
 
Hi guys! Lots of good info in here about equipment. However, I'm pretty new to shooting in general - just bought my first gun a couple weeks back, and only shot 3-4 times over the last 10 years or so. Anybody have recommendations on how good I should be at the range (just regular target shooting, likely without a holster or anything) before considering starting IDPA? Is there a baseline for grouping, times, or particular distances I should practice? I just started researching this last week so kick me if there's a whole thread on it. ;-)

There is a lot of great advice here, and I +1 all of it. I was in a similar situation to you back in April. I got my license, bought a gun, and wanted to start shooting IPDA. I hadn't shot for many, many years. I attended a Metrowest Tactical IDPA practice at Harvard Sportsman's Club and they were very helpful explaining the commands and showing me the ropes. They had me shooting within a few minutes. I chose not to draw from the holster at that practice, so when it was my turn, they had me unholster, load, and then hold the gun at low ready until the buzzer. I followed that practice up a week or two later with the Introduction to IDPA course they taught. This was a great class that went over the rules, had us practice drawing from the holster, and then we shot several stages. I've been hooked ever since. GOAL has two Intro to IPDA courses scheduled in September (http://www.thegoalfoundation.org/courseschedule.html).
 
Going to look into a complete holster, mag pouch and belt setup for a Glock 17 setup I have...
 
Going to look into a complete holster, mag pouch and belt setup for a Glock 17 setup I have...

what do you have right now?

I personally have Comp-tac holsters and the Wilderness Instructor belt. Great quality at a good price.
 
So I am looking at the following:

Holster: http://www.comp-tac.com/product_info.php?products_id=66 *Suggestion on better holster for Glock 17?*
Belt: http://www.thewilderness.com/storepinnacle/index.php?p=product&id=2309&parent=142 *Suggestion on size/width of belt?*
Mag Pouch: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=459413 (x5) *Suggestion on a better single mag pouch?*

Want to get some yes or no's before I place the order

follow the instructions on sizing your wilderness belt correctly. Don't just order your pants size right off the bat. Also, definitely opt for the 5 stitch.

I personally am extremely happy with my Comp-tac. No experience with Fobus mag pouches. I personally use Blade-tech tek-lok pouches.
 
So I am looking at the following:

Holster: http://www.comp-tac.com/product_info.php?products_id=66 *Suggestion on better holster for Glock 17?*
Belt: http://www.thewilderness.com/storepinnacle/index.php?p=product&id=2309&parent=142 *Suggestion on size/width of belt?*
Mag Pouch: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=459413 (x5) *Suggestion on a better single mag pouch?*

Want to get some yes or no's before I place the order
Get ReadyTactical mag pouches. They are much smaller and so they are easier to locate on your belt.

http://www.cpwsa.com/ready_tactical.htm

You want a 1.5" wide belt.
 
Yes/Maybe
Yes
No

I've been a big fan of Comp-Tac until recently. They sent me a holster that didn't fit, they took it back for "rework" (paid for shipping both ways), and sent it back still not working. They did refund all my money and for shipping back. Ready Tactical is another good alternative. I have one for my 686 and my 9mm 1911 and like them.

I've heard lots of good things about Wilderness belts.

Comp-Tac or Ready Tactical. If you want to save some money try tacitcal kydex on Glock-talk. Last I checked it was 2 single pouches delivered for $20. The only "problem" is that they have to be threaded through the belt, they don't slip over once it is on.
 
Great feedback folks, I figure I will place the order tomorrow once I get all the recommendations noted and finalize the new orders.

I will go with the 1.5 width belt. I will get the extra stitching.
Holster still looks good unless someone else may have a better option (thanks for the feedback eisenhow- sorry to hear of your troubles)
I will go with the ready tactical pouches.
 
Comp-Tac or Ready Tactical. If you want to save some money try tacitcal kydex on Glock-talk. Last I checked it was 2 single pouches delivered for $20. The only "problem" is that they have to be threaded through the belt, they don't slip over once it is on.

slip over pouches are really convenient. Both the Comp-tac and Ready Tactical pouches slip over the belt.
 
If you're going with ready tactical pouches, go for the holster too, that way you only pay one shipping charge. If you get the IDPA version, you can use it for IDPA and USPSA. I used to be a devout Comp-Tac fan, but have since switched to Ready Tactical. Chris Patty at CPWSA ships them the same day you order almost every time. Whenever I buy anything shooting related, I check CPWSA.com first. I ordered a 1911 hammer strut today and I got a shipping notice 4 MINUTES later.
 
I ordered a 1911 hammer strut today and I got a shipping notice 4 MINUTES later.

I've lived to regret ordering sights from Brownells instead of CPWSA. They get my vote, and I'll probably be getting some mag-pouches from them in the near future.
 
I typed this in a PM to pacman originally, but figured it might be of general interest:

You have a few options on the holster, and it mainly depends on if you want to shoot IDPA or not. The three types are:
IDPA - rides high and tight to the belt, legal for any match you care to shoot
USPSA - rides high, mild offset from the belt, not legal for IDPA, fine for USPSA production and single stack
DOH - dropped and offset from the belt, not legal for IDPA or USPSA single stack, fine for USPSA production

the USPSA version only really enters the picture for 1911s because they can play in single stack division.

So, the upshot (for your G17) is, if you want to try IDPA, get the IDPA holster, if you only want to shoot USPSA, get the DOH. The drop and offset makes the draw a little easier and faster. I thought about getting one, but I didn't think the advantage was worth practicing with two different holsters.
.
 
Haha then I will change that one - thanks for the heads up

I went back to this one: Belt: http://www.thewilderness.com/storepi...309&parent=142
and opted for the 5 stitch as suggested.

So, I just ordered a Wilderness Instructor belt, but I got the CSM polymer lined version. Is that IDPA legal? I just figured the extra stiffness was a good idea...

Also, I'm looking through the IDPA rules and it seems as though my Single-Action Ruger SR40 would put me in the ESP division, even though the gun is stock. Not a big deal; however, I also noticed that there's a rule prohibiting disabling any stock safety features. I was thinking of removing the magazine disconnect, as it seems to affect the smoothness of the trigger, but I'm guessing that's a rule violation?
 
So, I just ordered a Wilderness Instructor belt, but I got the CSM polymer lined version. Is that IDPA legal? I just figured the extra stiffness was a good idea...

Also, I'm looking through the IDPA rules and it seems as though my Single-Action Ruger SR40 would put me in the ESP division, even though the gun is stock. Not a big deal; however, I also noticed that there's a rule prohibiting disabling any stock safety features. I was thinking of removing the magazine disconnect, as it seems to affect the smoothness of the trigger, but I'm guessing that's a rule violation?

The polymer insert is legal for IDPA. The thing that isn't legal is the holster mounted on a belt that doesn't go through your belt loops like the 2 piece belts common in USPSA (CR-Speed, DAA, etc).

The Ruger SR series aren't single action, they're partially pre-cocked striker fired, just like a Glock or M&P. Perfectly legal in SSP. The mag disconnect issue is a sticky wicket. I'd never jam you up over it but some match directors might. Is the gun available from the factory without it?
 
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