Pistol Suggestions (Competitions?)

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Vair

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I am a little overwhelmed by the choices for pistols!!!

I would likely be interested in some competition shooting (eventually, down the road, in time...)

But for economy I was going to purchase a 22lr (beretta neos or Ruger MKIII)

However I don't think you can use 22 for IDPA!?

Can a 22 cal be used for any competitions?

Would I be better off waiting a year to purchase a gun that can have a conversion kit? (by the time I could afford it...)

Or will it take 100k + rounds with a 22 to get comfortable enough to do competition shooting? (I am currently an average shot with rifles...)

Any guidance would really be appreciated...

Cheers,

Vair
 
get a .22, and learn to shoot proper.

then save up for a proper competition weapon. decide what comp you want to do, IPSC for example has classes, and those classes determine your pistol type.
 
.22s are not legal in IDPA. Minimum calibers are specified in the rule book.

IMO, a .22 is not necessary to develop good pistol skills, just a decent amount of ammo.

I never really latched onto the conversion kit idea either. Most run the cost of a semi-decent .22 handgun so I don't think I would buy one.

If you find you can't afford the gun right now, be sure to also consider the ancilliary costs to most competitive shooting sports, ie, extra mags, holsters, mag pouches, safety gear, ammo, decent range bag, etc.
 
If you're just new to pistols a 22 is a great way to start. New shooters often jump into something to big based on the cool factor, and all they learn is how to flinch! Once you're bitten by the "flinch bug" it can take an awful long time to heal. My recommendation is always to start with a 22. Take the time to learn proper technique and trigger control. That being said, there's not much in the way of competition for the 22 unless you're into bullseye. If you're looking at IDPA or IPSC down the road you'll need at least a 9mm for Production class (IPSC entry level). 2 choices seem to dominate there - CZ and Glock.
good luck...
 
Get the Ruger. Practice shooting bullseye. The time you spend will pay off later.
 
which ever route you go seek out a pistol instructor to teach you the basics. One of the most time consuming things i have to do on a Black Badge Course is break bad habits that people have taught them self in learning to shot a pistol.

Also check with Wild Rose i think for a steel match they have 22 rimfire class.
 
If competitions are what you hope to get into, go to a couple matches and see what guys are using. You'll probably look for a 9mm. it's cheaper to shoot then .40 or .45. (A 9mm. is the smallest caliber for IPSC, I'm not sure about IDPA). There are several guns that qualify for IDPA and the Production Division of IPSC, then you can shoot both competitions with the same gun.

If you end up getting serious about shooting competitions, you're not gonna stop at one gun. Over time something new comes out, or you just want to find out if something else works better for you. So just start with something on the cheaper side, but it needs to be reliable. You might even find someone looking to sell a pistol at the match when they find out you are interested in shooting.

As far as getting a .22, I wouldn't waste my time. You might as well just buy a good quality air pistol (and I don't mean air soft, I mean a pellet gun), then you can practice in your basement or garage if you want, way cheaper and about as much fun, in my opinion.
 
sigtactical said:
get an MKlll BB 5.5 and a CZ shadow 9mm + get some lessons/basics and practice/practice.
Click to expand...

Or, Shadow and a Kadet kit, that way you get one frame and two calibers to shoot. Same trigger pull and feel, same frame and grip, weight is almost the same (you'd not really notice difference). Slide and barrel (Kadet kit) don't have to be registered either ;)
Then you can practice with .22lr first on cheap, then have Shadow as an excellent 9mm Production gun.
Same holster, same mag pouches - in the end you save and learn on virtually same gun!!
 
I go to a speed steel matches all the time. I usually use my G20 with an AA .22lr conversion kit. Tons 'O Fun. You can spend all day shooting and it'll only cost you $30-$40. It used to be $10-$20, but man the price of .22lr went up quick. Still, it's cheaper than 9mm. The nice thing about the Glock and the AA conversion kit, is you get to use the same frame. Which means the same trigger, holster, etc.

Here's my G20C.
16-G20C.jpg


And here it is with the AA kit installed.
01-AAKitG20.jpg


02-AAKitG20.jpg
 
Bone said:
Check out this link. The answer is sort of clear. I have a Walther P99 right now but if I like this IDPA I think I'm getting a G34

http://www.ccidpa.org/idpa-guns.html
Click to expand...

That is old data now. The S&W M&P 9MM (Pro) and the Glocks(34/35) are now represented morethan is shown in this data.

Here is a link to an article that deal with IDPA equipment. You will have to register on the forum to access.

http://www.idpacanada.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=73&func=view&id=507&catid=20

Take Care

Bob
 
A .22 is fun in it's own right and is well worth owning at least one. But as noted already the minimum for IPSC and IDPA is 9mm. And I'm pretty sure that PPC also has a 9mm minimum. Or at least you can't use .22.

This doesn't mean that you won't find some .22 events in your area. That Wild Rose meet is one such. And there's always the route of organizing your own .22 specialty meets within your club. The reason there isn't more such meets is because no one is willing to organize and run them.

You don't need to have shot mega thousands of rounds and be up to the ability of the IPSC shooters in the YouTube videos. In production there's no lack of people out there that are shooting slowly and moving deliberately to get the feel of it in a safe manner and have some fun at the same time. Once you are good enough that you can put 8 out of 10 rounds of center fire ammo into an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper at 15 yards in something under 30 seconds I'd say go sign up for meets in your area. Or if you like the idea of IPSC go shop for your belt, holster and mag pouches and sign up for a Black Badge course.

To get a start on the learning process here's the two online freebies that I found to help me the most when I first started learning.

An excellent description of the two handed thumbs forward semi auto pistol grip. This write up ties in well with the next link.
http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/combatg_100306/

Todd Jarret in a trailer for a video on pistol gripping and shooting. Lots of good hints.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48
 
Wendell said:
Get the Ruger. Practice shooting bullseye. The time you spend will pay off later.
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with a Ruger Mark II. Start with what you can afford. Learn to shoot. You will meet lots of shooters who will be more than happy to show you their IPSC /IDPA/SASS/PPC gun you can then decide where you want to go and what sport(s) you want to take part in. Don't rush out and blow a lot of money on something like a 50 Desert Eagle then find out you can't afford to shoot it.;)
 
Always ask the guys who are running the event or practice if they are not an a$$ they will most likely let you participate with a .22 you scores just don't count I would never stop someone from participating just cause they can't afford to buy the gun right away but want see if that type of shooting is for them.
 
Ever heard of a 3 gun rimfire match? There are clubs that shoot them. Two to 3 times a year in Lethbridge you can enter a match on Saturday with your centerfire, the come back on Sunday and shoot rimfire. All I have to do is change the top half of my guns. Rimfire matches are taking root, you can shoot a box of Federal bulk pack all day long, and its only cost you $29 & change.

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By null, shot with FinePix E550 at 2008-03-30

dscf4702abcd.jpg

By null, shot with FinePix E550 at 2009-04-03
 
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