ACPL Northwest Arkansas Championship IDPA

[BadOscar]

Very cool. Very fast. Was that a 9mm you were shooting?

[BigAm]

Originally Posted by BadOscar

Very cool. Very fast. Was that a 9mm you were shooting?

It is indeed. Its a Springfield Range Officer 9mm. In love with that pistol. Its a bit on the heavy side and barely makes weight. Been a real accurate gun for me as well. For sub 900 bucks I couldnt be happier!

[pitor]

Originally Posted by BigAm

It is indeed. Its a Springfield Range Officer 9mm. In love with that pistol. Its a bit on the heavy side and barely makes weight. Been a real accurate gun for me as well. For sub 900 bucks I couldnt be happier!

I've thought about getting one long and hard. I like everything I've read about it. Looks well made by a long standing brand. I might have to revisit the RO idea...

[BigAm]

Originally Posted by pitor

I've thought about getting one long and hard. I like everything I've read about it. Looks well made by a long standing brand. I might have to revisit the RO idea...

I really think you should. Its been a fantastic pistol for me. To give it a quick range report...

I have had a few jams here and there, but normally from me trying to use the slide stop as a slide release. I dont run a heavy enough spring in the gun to do that, and it always do it reliably. You can actually see that happen on one of the stages.

The slide to frame fit is actually not very good...BUT that being said the barrel to bushing and hood fit is fantastic! The gun cycles very smoothly, and I have a feeling that the slightly sloppy fit on the lower half actually helps the gun a lot.

For the money its super hard to beat! If they had made stainless versions when I purchased mine I would have got it, and get a FO front sight as soon as you get it. You wont regret it!

As for the rest of you...that escalated quickly.

My two cents? IDPA isnt training. ing is training, but IDPA is a quick way to learn your platform, and all the ins and out of it with a hint of stress which makes some people just fall apart. I do other real training, but I dont find the two mutually exclusive. From pushing my times to be faster I have learned to trust myself much more. I know I can do a double almost as fast as I can pull the trigger now, and be on target. Competing with people that are better than me helps me gain skill, and make myself a better shooter all the way around. Were as If I got to a class I might get some one on one with an amazing instructor I get to shoot with Master and Distinguished Master class shooters and pick there brain as well. Its a game...no doubt. But at least its a game with practical skills being used.

[milkmanjoe]

Originally Posted by BigAm

I really think you should. Its been a fantastic pistol for me. To give it a quick range report...

I have had a few jams here and there, but normally from me trying to use the slide stop as a slide release. I dont run a heavy enough spring in the gun to do that, and it always do it reliably. You can actually see that happen on one of the stages.

The slide to frame fit is actually not very good...BUT that being said the barrel to bushing and hood fit is fantastic! The gun cycles very smoothly, and I have a feeling that the slightly sloppy fit on the lower half actually helps the gun a lot.

For the money its super hard to beat! If they had made stainless versions when I purchased mine I would have got it, and get a FO front sight as soon as you get it. You wont regret it!

As for the rest of you...that escalated quickly.

My two cents? IDPA isnt training. ing is training, but IDPA is a quick way to learn your platform, and all the ins and out of it with a hint of stress which makes some people just fall apart. I do other real training, but I dont find the two mutually exclusive. From pushing my times to be faster I have learned to trust myself much more. I know I can do a double almost as fast as I can pull the trigger now, and be on target. Competing with people that are better than me helps me gain skill, and make myself a better shooter all the way around. Were as If I got to a class I might get some one on one with an amazing instructor I get to shoot with Master and Distinguished Master class shooters and pick there brain as well. Its a game...no doubt. But at least its a game with practical skills being used.

Not that my opinion matters, but I can live with that assessment.

[DrHenley]

Not trying to insult Joe. Just telling you what it sounded like. I conceded the point that it is not training. IDPA is, in my opinion, a very good way of developing muscle memory for the operation of your weapon.

I had a heck of a time remembering to take the safety off when I first started IDPA. Something I never had an issue with before, and I've been shooting all my life. Same with getting the mag all the way in when doing a tactical reload.

training and practice are different things, but both important.

[milkmanjoe]

Originally Posted by DrHenley

Not trying to insult Joe. Just telling you what it sounded like. I conceded the point that it is not training. IDPA is, in my opinion, a very good way of developing muscle memory for the operation of your weapon.

I had a heck of a time remembering to take the safety off when I first started IDPA. Something I never had an issue with before, and I've been shooting all my life. Same with getting the mag all the way in when doing a tactical reload.

training and practice are different things, but both important.

I believe it is the amount of practice(quality, proper practice) that develops the muscle memory. When I lived up by Titusville there was a local outdoor range where they had these competitions once a month. I went and watched a few times, and declined a few times when asked to enter. I practically lived at the range as my kids were at school so I could shoot daily. I did ask a few competitors why they shot these games, and the most common reply was something like..."to keep their skills up"....wording close to that. But I rarely saw any of them at the range, so I would question myself as to what skills they were keeping up by shooting a few minutes a month on a timed, known course. My answer to myself was it was really a good social event, it was fun, and that was about it. If there were weekly shoots and maybe bi monthly practices with oversight I could see skills being honed, but the frequency just wasn't there to actually develop anything of use in a street encounter. So while I am not against IDPA or any other shooting get togethers, I only see them developing skills for that particular course of action.

My sons spent hours upon hours in our yard hitting baseballs into the net. Before school, after school, before sleeptime, they would slam ball after ball. They were a little above average hitters on their team.

I took the net down and instead took them to the ball park nightly. I pitched to them and they pitched to each other, simulating a real game encounter at the plate. Seth lead the league in Home Runs and RBIs with his brother Joseph close behind.

Same sport, two different styles of preparation, completely different results.

[DrHenley]

Well, I certainly agree with that Joe. But serious competitors spend many times more hours at the range practicing than actually competing. Buying ammo for practice was bankrupting me after Obummer got elected. I switched to using a 22 conversion slide for a while, until 22 ammo disappeared. For a while I was practicing with an Airsoft 1911 because it was the only way I could afford to shoot and wore the gun slam out. Then I started casting my own bullets, which was economical, but slowed me down considerably. At that point I went into "Ammo Conservation Mode" and decided to take a break from competing. Now that 22 ammo is loosening up, I'm back to mostly practicing with a 22 conversion slide, and getting serious about it again.

The matches to me aren't really a competition with other shooters. They are a "final exam" if you will, of how well I have been practicing. My first few matches were focused on accuracy and mechanics instead of speed. It took over a year before I could run a clean match. I would THINK I had it all down in practice, but under the pressure of the matches, flaws became evident. As I got to where I could run clean matches, then I started working on speed.

At the beginning I worked with an instructor. That only got me so far. The IDPA matches (and preparation for them) got me much farther down the road than just the training alone.



^^^ is the gun I compete with...and carry.