Tell us about IDPA

[tigwelder56]

NCCCCW Teacher,



We haven't heard any new information from you regarding your most recent competitions. What's up? Didn't you mention introducing some of your family members into the sport? I'd be interested to know how they liked it and the ease (or not) of their introduction to those demands. Let us know when you get the chance. Thanks!

[tigwelder56]

Okay, I'm tired of waiting for NC to provide some information! Is there anyone that has some first hand information on IDPA? Some basics to begin with would be great!

[beltbuckle]

[tigwelder56]

Thanks for that explanation BB. That was as good a description as anyone might want! It does sound like a great way to compete for many regular shooters.

[whitehood]

I have mixed feelings about the IDPA and shot some of the first matches that were held in my locale. The concept is excellent and will give some very sobering lessons about combat shooting and will prompt many people to attend a good shooting school or get some professional teaching.

The good thing is that IDPA has survived some early teething problems and is to a good degree geared toward new shooters.

There is the problem of the organization itself and it's really completely owned and controlled by Bill Wilson, Kent Hackathorn, John Sayle et al. You and your club will have little of any say in how it operates on a national level. I can't say it makes money for them, but it certainly operated as an advertising piece for Wilson as the "king of matches" always involved single action 1911's which of course Wilson manufactures. Still Wilson and his cohort were very knowledgeable as shooters.

The second thing is the club itself and a good club is great but a bad one sucks and there will always be politics. We shot our matches on the private property of a member of the club. He got himself elected President which was a huge mistake. He asked for some compensation for shooting on his land and this ultimately became a shakedown of sorts. Lesson here is that upfront costs need to be known and you have to have a treasurer in the club. This guy IMHO opinion personally destroyed the club which for him became a revenue generating thing for him. This guy shot a Berretta 92 and NEVER started in double action with the safety on as the rules stated then. He and his buddies would support him till a few of us called him on it and he went WILD. Short story. Check out the club, shoot an open match which I think they still let you do and see if you like the set up.

[tigwelder56]

Thank you for that information. Sounds like it has some real potential for unwelcome politics!

[whitehood]

If you think IDPA has politics then just go to the IPSC. I've never shot IPSC matches but IMHO these matches have degenerated into a "game" instead of anything practical. The analogy has been much like a game of golf. I"ve recently and briefly watched a IPSC match in their "production" division and I have to agree to a degree. The ranges seem to be a bit long for practical and realistic pistol distances. Also, to shoot well you'd make real life mistakes that really could get you killed. Guys like Chuck Taylor have openly criticised the matches and I've been told by hearsay that Clint Smith agrees in that you can and will develop bad habits which could prove fatal.

What I"ve seen about IPSC it that this is real competition and guys are there to win. The best shoot at least several times a week, reload their own ammo and tweak everything to gain every possible advantage. They also have the very best equipment and for some of them this is their real job.

A big criticism of IDPA is that it became a refuge for IPSC shooters who couldn't really compete and they brought that competitive thing with them, which for IDPA meant nothing but trouble. A good IPSC shooter will blow the doors off the qualifier course for IDPA because they will know the match specs, but do less well on the competition courses which are unknown prior to the match. Many of these shooters let you know that they shot IPSC which is another story itself.

As far as IDPA is concerned, their matches are more realistic, but I still think the ranges are at times a bit long. I do think your chances of developing bad habits are less. I think what sometimes hurt IDPA is the competition thing can and will get hot and heavy when it was not meant to be the primary goal, unlike IPSC which was to win at all costs. A lot of this has crept into the IDPA.

[tigwelder56]

Thanks. It is simply disappointing to see how "control" has permeated everything in society. I really don't know how else to describe it. It doesn't seem to matter what you like or how you think it should be when there are a select few making all the rules. Once they gain some degree of control over the principal idea, anyone else wishing to participate has to either play by the rules set forth by the few or don't play. You've mentioned it in many of your political posts and I have to agree, it's a mix of socialism and communism. Doesn't anyone in American politics or justice care about the direction it's going? I hesitantly say yes, but I must also say they aren't handling it very seriously. Sadly, I see people worried about the direction our country is headed in, but they're sitting back in their easy chair saying to themselves, "I hope someone puts a stop to this before it gets any worse!" Everyone cares but not enough to do anything about it themselves. How do we convince these sleepy (lazy?) conservatives and patriots to wake up and realize if they don't do something, they're going to be the ones suffering, because they waited for someone else to do something about it.



I don't want this to get too far away from the topic on competition, so I'll leave it at this. I left it here because it seems to apply in many ways to WH's comments. It's also a broad reply to his last post. He makes some excellent points and those same points are surprisingly similar to many of today's political issues.

[beltbuckle]

Has anyone participated in an IDPA 3 gun match yet?