Looking for something to do on Sunday now that you no longer watch football?

I’d like to start this off by thanking Jim for allowing me to post here. I’ve been reading TBP for many years, and I’m humbled to be able to give something back. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing up a post on getting started in competitive shooting, and apparently I’m finally getting around to doing so. I originally intended on briefly describing each of the types of matches I shoot in one post, but it quickly turned into a much longer article than most would bother reading. My hope, with Admin’s blessing, is to post several articles, short enough that at least some of you guys will take the time to read them.

Several years ago, I discovered USPSA, and my interest in shooting sports has only grown. With the audience TBP attracts, I think I can safely assume many of you are gun enthusiasts. If you are looking for a better way to spend your Sundays than giving your eyes, money, and attention to a bunch of overpaid and pampered athletes who hate you, then you are reading the right post. Most of you probably have the most expensive item needed to participate in this sport – a handgun – and would not need to spend more than another $100 to be completely ready.

There are a lot of shooting sports out there. USPSA, Steel Challenge, IDPA, Sporting Clays, Skeet, 3 Gun, 2 gun, and more. This will serve as a primer to tell you what you need in order to participate in each one, and what to expect. Open up your computer or phone, type in “shooting matches near me” and go from there. You will most likely see that there is a huge variety of matches within an hour of your house, and you may not know exactly which type is right for you.

All of them are fun, and the people who run these matches are likely to be among the most friendly and helpful you’ll ever encounter. I participate in USPSA, 3 gun, 2 gun, and Steel Challenge. I shoot skeet and sporting clays as well, but I do not do so competitively. In this post, I will outline what you need to shoot USPSA, and what to expect showing up to your first match.

First of all, you’ll need a handgun. I assume most of you on this site are gun owners, but just in case, we will briefly dive into an appropriate choice of guns. Any full size or compact handgun will work. Without trying to get into a brand debate, I am a ‘Glock guy’, but that doesn’t mean you need to be, or that Glocks are the only good guns out there.

I carry a G19 with me everywhere I go. A G19 will serve you well for competitions as well as everyday carry. If you are going to buy a gun just for competitions, a great entry level gun is the G34. This is the long slide 9mm with a slide cut above the barrel. It also comes with a slightly improved trigger. While I am a Glock guy there are plenty of other choices out there. I recommend going somewhere like Academy and handling a G19, and then handling the similar sized offerings from Smith and Wesson and Springfield as well.

Buy whichever one feels best in your hand, all will serve you well. If you are one of those people with more money than common sense or patience, just go straight to an STI 2011 chambered in .38 Super. That’s where most people wind up eventually, anyways. Plan to spend somewhere around $3000. For an entry level model. It will probably be money well spent, as I’ve yet to meet anyone who says “I don’t like my STI”, but your best bet is to not even touch one. Don’t look at one. And definitely don’t shoot one. Once you do, its all you’ll want. Plus, to shoot .38 Super you will need to load your own ammo, which means spending even more money. So, better to just use what you already have, or buy a simple gun in 9mm or .40 like I listed above.

Now that you have a gun, you’ll need something to hold it. The rules require an outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster. Bladetech makes a good model. You can adjust tension with a screwdriver, and it will last forever. You can get away with using a regular belt for your first match, but you will quickly see that it isn’t very well suited to supporting a heavy pistol in an OWB holster along with 3 or 4 loaded magazines.

An inner/outer belt combo made by Uncle Mike’s is available on Amazon cheaply. Next up you’ll need magazine carriers. Again, Bladetech makes a suitable model, and is relatively cheap. You’ll quickly see the benefit of one such as those made by Ben Stoeger that can be adjusted to just the right angle, which are also available on Amazon. However, these are geared for competition only, and aren’t something you could easily conceal.

The Bladetech models can serve double duty, and are a great place to start. For clothing/footwear, anything weather appropriate you can move in will work. I usually wear a pair of Merrell hiking shoes, but after a lot of rain I’ve shot plenty of matches in my Mucks rain boots.

Just about every weekend, one of these matches can be found within an hour or so of my house. This is a dynamic sport. You will have to run, pivot, duck under barricades, shoot around objects, and conduct speed reloads, preferably while moving. Matches will typically have 5 or 6 stages. Each stage will require between 10 and 40 rounds, and you will be shooting a combination of paper and steel targets, including some ‘poppers’ that require a solid hit to knock over.

Scoring is done with a combination of where on the target you hit, time, and if you are shooting major or minor power. For your first match, don’t even think about any of that. Don’t bother trying to run, either. Just walk methodically through each stage, and focus on hitting your targets without getting disqualified. Focus on stage planning. There will be a ‘new shooters meeting’ at the beginning of each match. You won’t be expected to shoot first, and will have the opportunity to watch other people shoot each stage ahead of you.

It will be readily apparent that some people in your group are really good at this, and all you have to do is attempt to emulate them. The most common way people get disqualified is by breaking the 180 degree rule, usually they do it while reloading on the run. Don’t be in a hurry, walk between targets, and be careful where your barrel is pointed while reloading and you’ll be fine. If you enjoy this sport, and do more of it, you will get fast later. For your first time, just focus on finishing without doing anything stupid.

When signing up for your match, you will need to figure out if you are major or minor power, as well as what category you will shoot. Generally, anything 40 and up is considered major power. Shoot 9mm, and you will be minor power. For a first timer, you will most likely shoot either ‘Production’ or ‘Limited’. Production is just what it sounds like – a factory gun.

While some mods are allowed, it can’t be anything that shows when the gun is ‘in battery’. You are also limited to 10 rounds in your magazines, regardless  of their capacity. You are allowed to load a round into the chamber, and then put a 10 round magazine in the gun, giving you 11 total. The rules state you are not allowed to start with more than 10 in the magazine, not in the gun.

Most shooters will grab a mag from the back of their belt, chamber a round, and then put in a different mag.  It is called ‘barney up’ in reference to Barney Fife carrying his one bullet in his shirt pocket. That extra round gives you 10 shots without reloading before you go to slide lock. One of the easiest ways to be fast is never allowing your gun to go dry. Slide lock reloads slow you down, a lot. This is one of the things that make Production challenging- you will be reloading, a lot. If you aren’t shooting, you should be reloading.

Your other option will be “limited”. This category allows a lot more modifications to the gun, minus an optic. Iron sites only. This is where you will find many of the best shooters. I shoot Limited. There are no magazine capacity limits, but there are limits to how long it can be. I use +5 buttplates made by TTI that give me 22 rounds in a standard 17 round Glock 9mm magazine.

They are made to be as large as the rules allow(141.25mm long). This category also allows useful modifications such as flared magwells. These will greatly increase the ease and speed you are able to reload, especially while running. I have also installed various trigger modifications that have taken the factory trigger of about 4.5 pounds on a G34 down to a little over 2. While useful for competitions, be aware that by doing this, you are sacrificing some of that legendary Glock reliability.

It may not function properly with any ammo as it was designed to do.  My competition Glock is now picky about what ammo it likes, in a way my unmodified guns are not. Other brands are likely to operate in a similar manner. If the gun you are shooting for competitions is serving double duty as your every day carry or ‘truck gun’ then you are advised to leave it as is.

The extra difficulty in pulling the trigger, and any ‘slop’ you might find in the guns of various manufacturers, is over engineering designed to produce unwavering reliability with any ammo and under any conditions. Once you begin to modify the gun, you are taking this away. You will also likely void any warranty the gun has by doing so. Again, if you are willing and able to have a dedicated competition only gun, knock yourself out. Making changes is a fun and educational experience, but if this gun will be used for anything else, leave its internals alone.

There is also a “Single Stack” category for those of you hooked on old school 1911’s. I don’t know much about this category because I am not such a person, but the small magazine capacity limit means you will be reloading, a lot. There are various modifications allowed in this category, but like with limited, you will be restricted to iron sights. At my local matches, you don’t see many people shooting this.

Next up, you have ‘Carry optics’. This category generally follows the same rules as ‘Production’ but allows you to add a red dot sight to your gun. Things like flared magwells of muzzle breaks aren’t allowed. But you are allowed to use any magazine or extension as long as it doesn’t exceed the 141.25 mm length of the limited category.

For older people who have trouble shooting fast with iron sights, but don’t want to spend the many thousands of dollars required to build a quality Open gun, this category makes sense. There are plenty of pistols out there, including the G34, that come with the ability to hold a red dot on top. There are plenty of quality micro red dots available for $300 or less.

Finally, you have ‘Open’. This is a more or less ‘anything goes’ category. Magazine size is restricted to 170mm in length, regardless of caliber or capacity. The overwhelming majority of Open shooters use the .38 Super round. This gets them to the ‘major’ power factor. Generally you will need to reload your own ammo, or it gets very expensive to shoot. These guns will have muzzle breaks, optics, flared magwells, and hair triggers.

While there are plenty of brands of Open guns out there, the most common one in my area is the STI 2011 chambered in .38 Super. Most of these guns are 5k plus in price, and the holsters and magazines go up in price accordingly. This category is not for beginners, as it requires a very significant financial investment in the sport.

Lastly, you are even allowed to shoot a rifle in these competitions. It must be chambered in a common pistol caliber, hence the name ‘Pistol Caliber Carbine’. Typically you will see what are commonly known as AR-9’s, that is an AR pattern rifle chambered in 9mm. Just about anything you’d do to a rifle is allowed for this category.

Most of these rifles will use Glock magazines, and in this category the mag size isn’t limited. You most likely won’t ever have to reload. A red dot on top is standard. These shooters can burn through a stage quickly, as obviously it’s much easier to shoot something at a distance with a rifle. Aside from AR-9s, there are pistol caliber carbines offered from companies like Keltec and HiPoint, among others. Since this is typically a category where you build a gun just for competitions, it will cost you more money than the others. Expect to spend $1000 for a decent entry level rifle.

As with starting any new sport, there is a learning curve. Don’t expect to go out and show anyone up on your first time. Plan to go slow, and focus on not getting DQ’d for doing something stupid. The speed will come later. Participating in this sport is a great way to improve your marksmanship and your draw speed. If you, like me, worry that such things may be important in the not-too-distant future, then this sport is for you.

It  is for this reason I shoot a lightly modified Glock that is very similar to my every day carry gun. There is nothing wrong with shooting Open or Carry Optics, but if your EDC gun doesn’t sport a red dot, While this sport is nothing like combat, having to shoot on the clock, make decisions on the fly, and reload under pressure provides a lot better practice than simple “square range” shooting at a single target.<

It will improve your sight acquisition and your ability to transition between targets well beyond whatever training regime you are currently engaged in. Plus, you will meet some great people while you do it. I’ll answer any questions in the comments section. Hope to see you out there.