What would you do...choice of 4 guns IPSC

1ronM@n

1ronM@n

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Hi guys,

Here is my problem: I just got my Black Badge and am looking to upgrade the firearm I currently use (Beretta 92fs) I have small hands and have problems not tilting the pistol to get to my mag release. Got me DQed last match :(

So I'm looking for a alternate weapon to use. My choices are :

Tanfoglio.40, 1650$ comes 2 mags (my friend Tom lives by his but I don't really like the safety)

STi Edge Hard Chrome, 2000$ comes with 1 126mm mag

STI with metal grip and a full kit 3000$, 6 126mm ,4 140mm 5 mag holder and solinger holster (does the metal grip help with small hands?

Oh forgot CRAFM will have stock SVI for sale by the end of jan 2011 at 4000$++

All are for sale in EE except SVI

Or do I stop being a baby and just live with my Beretta?

Also ... I'm curious how many of you kept and ran your first gun and how many upgraded after getting their Black Badge.

Annnd to make thing more interesting I'm going to the competition on the 18th and I have a bit of the willies

Thanks for your time and just send me your bill for the therapy :)

1ronM@n
 
If the gun does not fit you should find one that does. That being said the DQ is still on you. I'm assuming it was either a muzzle control issue of finger on trigger. Regardless of the gun you HAVE to be aware of these things.
Decide which division you want to play on and go from there, if you like production by all means try out the Tang. If you want to go racing either the standard or Open guns should do you fine. For small hands I would stick with the plastic frame on an STI or SVI because you can shape them easier and if you mess it up it's a lot cheaper to replace the plastic grip than the metal. Try some grips on gun on your area and see what you think.
I started with a Beretta and shot my first match with it, which was a level III, the '91 Sharon Open. I shot it the rest of that season then switched to a Glock for the next two seasons, then went Open.
 
The Tanfoglio is beautiful and so is the "Edge". For me the Edge or Executive.
I shoot production and am new to the sport this year. I love my CZ Shadow
and on a budget that is the way to go. If the Beretta gets you DQ'd then get rid of it.

This sport can be done on a budget. It is what you choose.

Good luck and have fun!
my 2 cents...
 
PH Racing said:
Guns do not get shooters DQ'd, shooters DQ themselves.
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+1

STI, and SVI have different size alum/steel grips and their plastic ones can be reduced or re shaped to better fit your hand.

The STI with all the gear sounds out of your choices, depending on the shape of everything
 
1ronM@n said:
Also ... I'm curious how many of you kept and ran your first gun and how many upgraded after getting their Black Badge.
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I ran my first IPSC gun for 2 seasons before upgrading. It really was too big for my hands but I was still getting the basics down. If your issue is the size of the grip, you really need to try a bunch of guns and find one that fits your hands best and then pick from there.
 
choosing a gun

There are several solutions to having smaller hands and not having to totally adjust your grip to be able to reach the mag release..first things first though is to decide which Divison you wish to shoot....your present firearm is suited best for Production division and you may wish to stay there as it is the cheapest way to enjoy IPSC without spending alot of cash until you decide which division you wish to shoot, also giving you a chance to try out some other peoples guns before putting out alot of cash on something that may not suit you...if you stay with Production division there are several (such as the Smith and Wesson M&P) that come with 3 different interchangeable palm swells to fit different size hands...also there are several that just seem to suit smaller hands (most notably the CZ Shadow) and the mag release is ambidextrous so can be switched to the other side to allow you to use your trigger finger to hit the release as does the M&P, and the latest version of Glock........IF you decide to go with the STI/SV Edge type (Standard division) which have slightly larger grips and not so easily suited for smaller hands you can drill and tap your mag release and use a paddle type extension OR there is a mag release that replaces the one on them called a Mitchell that puts the mag release on the other side so you can use your trigger finger to hit the release button (or the S&A ).............other than those suggestions you can just do what most others have before you that have smaller hands and practice at home doing a slight change in grip when doing a mag change...........whichever you choose, enjoy the sport of IPSC, but go slowly at first until you feel comfortable with what you are doing...SAFELY !!
 
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Yes CRAFM will have some SVI's in Jan but not all are for sale, most are sold! but there maybe be some available in Jan but March for sure.

If you plan to shoot in Standard & need a reliable firearm, pls consider the CZ Tactical Sport, they are in the vicinity of $1100 with 2 mags, Aluminum grips & magwell, 2 Tone.
If you plan to shoot in Production, I would recommend the CZ Shadow.

I would also strongly suggest that at the match of the 18th at CTM, ask any IPSC shooter, they will gladly let you handle their firearm (at the safety table) and he or she will be more then happy to answer all of your questions

I agree with PH, "Guns don't get shooters DQed, Shooters DQ themselves"
regardless of the firearm you start with, you can improve many skills that are required for IPSC with almost any handgun.

make the decision that is right for you.
 
Own up to it dude. You screwed up and got tossed.

I would suggest shooting the Beretta for a few matches until you see something you can upgrade to depending on budget/needs/wants
 
D_ said:
Own up to it dude. You screwed up and got tossed.

I would suggest shooting the Beretta for a few matches until you see something you can upgrade to depending on budget/needs/wants
Click to expand...

No? really lol... I had figured that one :)

Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to do.
 
I appreciate the responses.

IPSC is new to me but not shooting. On a course/shooting club range. I never have any problems pointing downrange and never cross body pointing. Off the course people teach pointing the weapon upwards or down to the floor and to point at something only when you want to destroy it. (Hunting,CND Forces,Police) and back then they taugh weaver mainly and the older guys were getting used to shooting 2 hands instead of 1 handed.

So when we finished the course. The instructors set up a mini match. They told use to push the limits. When it came to my turn my heart was pounding and I was thinking my course to follow.

The course of fire was divided 5 parts , 1st 3 targets with a non shoot in the middle and to the right on the floor a little white (I forget what the small bowling pin metal plates are called)
#2 was 2 targets with a non shoot in the middle #3 was a door with 2 tall white metal plates 1 in front of the other and 2 rows (3 and 2) white round plates #4 was a target very close up but you had to crouch to shoot and last was 3 targets.

So I putting my pistol on the blue barrel and wait for the beep. I go total left and put 2-2-2 in the target without hitting the no shoot. I shoot at the thin metal plate and no ding...so I shoot again and again till I wasted my last 4 rounds (since I was new I figured I wouldn't mess with putting an extra rds in the chamber and just concentrate on the gun handling) So slide open ,I shift my hand to press the mag release drop the mag and turn the gun to 45 angle to insert my mag, I slap it in and my left hand was on the grip/frame to support and I was leveling my gun to my eyes when one of the RO called STOP! So I stopped and waited for like a sec and then looked to my right to see what was up and 1 of the RO's called (I can't even thing who it was) finger on the trigger ! AT that moment everyone that was talking to themselves turn to look at me . In my head I was like WHAT??! My first reaction was to argue the fact (at this point my gun is at shoulder height and I'M about to lift to my eyes and push out to take my next shot) But I thought fast in my mind of several things :
A- I had to chance to see these 2 RO in action during my course and thought they were on the ball . (sometimes you meet some that seems really green and call out stuff the people easly dispute and these guys never gave me that feeling)
B- They were looking at me from the blue barrel still and not riding my tail (10 -or 15 feet away)
C- I had been told a couple of time that I ride the frame and not the slide when my finger is not on the trigger and that people could see that as my finger on the trigger.

So then I unloaded and showed clear and have been mulling it ever since . They were nice enough to put back my sheet in the middle of the pile and I got to reshoot. I still feel like I reloaded the same as before (when you run around I noticed that you go back to what ...your muscle memory knows best? is that a good way of putting it)

So I ended up with 6-A,8-C,7-D, 1 miss and TIME 72.25

And with the solid feeling that I was going to find a way to better to drop my mags. As one of you pointed out maybe switching my mag release to my right side so I can use my trigger finger to drop them. Or I have been trying to use my support hand to go from supporting to mag release then to mag pouch and then back to supporting the gun ...I'll see how that goes in a few weeks.
Of course I have to finished the competition on the 18th without getting TQ'd
:)

So curious, am I the only one with a embarrasing story?

Thanks for your time and I'll take your advice in consideration.

Cheers,

1ronM@n
 
Ok.. so.. you have not even technically completed the BB yet.. and you are already looking at potentially buying an SV?

You shot the BB with a Beretta. Granted, it may not be the best production gun out there, but it is most certainly NOT what's slowing you down right now.

Instead of looking to buy $3000+ guns... my opinion is to invest that money in 9mm ammo and practice... and then practice some more. Religiously attend the Wednesday night IPSC practice at CRAFM. Then practice your drills at home.

If you want a new STI, SVI, Tanfoglio... go for it. I would recommend the used Edge of all the ones you mentioned. It will not improve your times, your scores or anything else for that matter. You're on the right track. You seem eager to learn and become involved in the IPSC community. You can shoot that Beretta for many months (if not years) before you reach the point that it is slowing you down.

Remember... slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
 
dump all your money into the coolest looking setup you can afford, get some slick glasses and #####in jersey. Its easier and cheaper in the long run to just look like you know what you're doing.
 
The first thing you should do is forget about the time it take to shoot the COF ....concentrate on gun handling and getting all A's, once you get that correctly time will be a lot faster all by itself then you can work on improving your time.

Time is not about the shooting it's about moving more efficiently....easy to write about, a little harder to do :yingyang:

As far as the gun SVI are way over price I would rather get a custom STI but that is me :stirthepot2: if you decide to buy a new gun buy one that you like the feel in your hand.....what it's really doesn't matter they all need some kind of work to run 110% (unless it's custom)

You DQ because of bad technique...not the first one nor the last one either, have fun..

I started with an Edge....when Open with a Stinger....then a Open Bedell Customs...move to a pair of Open Custom Dawson Mini gun II...now waiting for a Tanfoglio Open......then ???? I haven't my wife in the last 27 years...but I like changing gun's it's a lot cheaper ;)
 
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There are plenty of good choices there but for now I would stick with the Berretta until you've had a chance to get out and try other people's guns. Most IPSC shooters are only too happy to let you test drive and fill you in on all of the pro's and cons. Nothing sucks worse than dumping a crap-load of cash on the "latest" go-fast-gun and then finding out you hate it. Whatever gun you choose to play with though, here's a tip for you:

Any time you are transitioning and NOT engaging targets, place your index finger on the frame of the gun above the trigger guard. This means when you begin your reload, the trigger finger moves first and plants itself on the frame before the thumb moves to the release button. So the trigger finger is first off and last on during any non-engagement transition. Note that the trigger finger now becomes a handy pivot point around which you can rotate the pistol into reload position without pointing the gun over the berm. You merely make sure your finger is pointing at the berm and the pistol points where the finger points, rotating nicely on the horizontal (Z) axis.

Note also that using this technique the trigger guard is always clear when you are moving, so there is no possible way for an RO to mistake the finger for being on....or even near... the trigger. And there's no way to fire the gun accidentally.

Good luck.
 
Madness said:
dump all your money into the coolest looking setup you can afford, get some slick glasses and #####in jersey. Its easier and cheaper in the long run to just look like you know what you're doing.
Click to expand...

+1,...this is the only way to approach it IMO,...it is more important to look good, than to shoot good. LOLH:S::onCrack:
 
take a look at the new grips from SVI, the mag release button has been changed and as a result is very easy to reach without rotating the gun, their signature grips are also thinner and more comfortable that the plastic they used to use. I would stay away from the STI aluminum grips since they have a tendency of cracking and they offer no difference compared to the plastic ones they use in terms of grip. It's common to see STI owners ordering SVI grips designed to fit the STI frame.

I agree with Bluedragon, if your not looking to invest $5000 for an SV kit go for the CZ stuff, either the shadow or the Tactical sport, they are fantastic firearms and their grips are made small so you wont have any problem with the mag release.

hope that helps.
 
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