A bunch of IPSC questions

Bigbubba

Bigbubba

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Hi guys, looking for some straight answers and not lots of argument:

Background -I shoot trap (lots), skeet (little), bullseye pistol (22) and am thinking about learning IPSC...so

Q1 - What is a reasonable starter calibre? something that wont be too hard on my hands (please just suggest with out arguing)
Q2 - So where does all the brass go? I assume you shoot, its gone? Does it belong to the club then?
Q3 - So then do some clubs sell reloads? Or where do I get lots of ammo to shoot at reasonable prices?
Q4 - Is the ammo all lead ? (SWC?)
Q5 - Is this an expensive game? Assuming that the brass is gone and I am always buying loaded ammo it sure looks expensive

Thanks
Marty
 
Bigbubba, I also shot Bullseye for a number of years prior to getting into ipsc. You will love it.
Like hawkrider said, 9x19 is the smallest caliber permitted. Most folks start in the "production division". You are scored minor, so shooting anything bigger than 9mm is not really an advantage. Gun must be dual action first shot, and there are very few if any modifications permitted.
Aside from the gun, you will need a holster, at least four magazine pouches, and a sturdy belt.

At most matches, your brass is gone. Those that don't reload, likely purchase reloaded ammo, it will allow you to shoot a lot more.

I shot stictly wad cutters in my .38 for Bullseye, but now shoot plated bullets from Aim: http://www.aimprojectiles.com/ Much nicer to handle, and they shoot great.

There are a few matches on this weekend, get out and have a look. http://www.ipsc-ont.org/
 
hawkrider said:
Q2: At club level you get handed your brass when you are done shooting, at higher levels maybe not.
Click to expand...

I've never been to a match where someone else picked and sorted all my brass for me..

most level one's you can help cleanup and get your own brass.. some clubs have a policy against it, most large matches won't allow it at all.
(interferes too much in the timing of the squads.. ask the club to be sure..)

9mm (production division) is good for the guys looking for the lighter calibers. that or go in open division where you spend $$$ but have the ability to use a comp on the gun, and optics


as for $$ it all depends on what you want to spend.. you can go for cheap if you are not too worried about how you place (but then again, you can spend $$$ and still place near the end if you can't hit the targets ;) )

my first rig was $1000 for everything including the gun..
 
Q1. 40s&w
Q2. If allowed pick them up if u want but be fast.
Q3. Look around. Don't pay more than $200 for 500 for 180gr MAJOR
Q4. Whatever u want. Meet the power factor.
Q5. Lol. Yup. But damn its worth it
 
Bigbubba said:
Hi guys, looking for some straight answers and not lots of argument:

Background -I shoot trap (lots), skeet (little), bullseye pistol (22) and am thinking about learning IPSC...so

Q1 - What is a reasonable starter calibre? something that wont be too hard on my hands (please just suggest with out arguing)
Q2 - So where does all the brass go? I assume you shoot, its gone? Does it belong to the club then?
Q3 - So then do some clubs sell reloads? Or where do I get lots of ammo to shoot at reasonable prices?
Q4 - Is the ammo all lead ? (SWC?)
Q5 - Is this an expensive game? Assuming that the brass is gone and I am always buying loaded ammo it sure looks expensive

Thanks
Marty
Click to expand...

I will try to answer a few of these for you.

I just joined IPSC last year, so I can probably answer lots of them for you.


Q1 - What is a reasonable starter calibre? something that wont be too hard on my hands (please just suggest with out arguing)

9MM Luger, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP are all good calibers to start with, as they are all common and available. The lowest cost and recoil of all of them is the 9MM, but you can shoot either of the others without going up massively in price and recoil.


Q2 - So where does all the brass go? I assume you shoot, its gone? Does it belong to the club then?

Buy a sharpie marker. Mark your brass at the bottom with an X or a /. Pick it up between shooters or at the end of the day. It is yours, and as long as you mark it so you know which are yours, you are home free.


Q3 - So then do some clubs sell reloads? Or where do I get lots of ammo to shoot at reasonable prices?

Some clubs do sell reloads, but they are usually marked up in price. Wolf ammunition sells reloads at a very reasonable price. (I will post a link after)



Q4 - Is the ammo all lead ? (SWC?)

FMJ, TMJ, and Cast Lead bullets are all fine.



Q5 - Is this an expensive game? Assuming that the brass is gone and I am always buying loaded ammo it sure looks expensive


The matches themselves are usually fairly cheap. You will usually go through less then 200 rounds of ammo in a match.

The question in terms of how expensive it will be is this: how seriously do you think you will get into the sport? If you are looking to be the best of the best, you will need to practice, and do lots of it. You would likely shoot 5000+ rounds a month.

If you are way more casual, like me, and may go to a few matches a year, and go for the fun of it rather then the competition, then you can practice way less, getting by with just your regular range trips as training.





One more thing. Invest in reloading equipment. You will save up to 50% of the cost on each bullet you fire, and that really adds up.
 
Reloaded 9mm with 147gr bullet feels very soft, especially with a metal frame gun, like CZ Shadow, a very popular gun in Production division, which is also cheapest division to shoot. Depending on how much you'll shoot it is better to either reload yourself on progressive press or buy a reloaded ammo, you can get 9mm here for less then $200 for 1000. Don't use lead bullets, it is not good for you and your fellow shooters, especially indoors, use jacketed or plated bullets (AIM bullets are cheap and good). The game can be as expensive as you want, all depending on your gear and how much you'll shoot. The initial setup (gun + belt + holster + 4 pouches + 5..6 magazines + ammo and Black Badge course) would cost you somewhere over $1500.
 
Well you will get a lot of different opinions when you ask questions like this about IPSC.

Without trying to confuse things with more opinions I'll throw some facts into the mix.

9MM is the minimum caliber for IPSC. If you want to start cheap shoot 9MM or 40 S&W because the brass for these calibers is plentiful. They are also inexpensive to load for the most part, lots of bullet and powder choices. Once fired 40 brass runs $35-$45 per 1K. I think 9MM is more or less the same price, maybe a bit cheaper.

Most smaller matches allow you to pick up your brass so long as it doesn't interfer with the match. Usually after your squad has shot and as long as the next squad has not shown up and is waiting to shoot. Most smaller matches are less then 100 rounds i.e. level I's. Level II's are 100-150, the bigger matches Level III's or higher are usually 200+ rounds. At the bigger matches you are seldom if ever allowed to pick up your brass. Most of the time it is left for the match workers as a small reward for their work if they choose to stay and pick it up.

Loading your own ammo is the cheapest way to go. Buying reloaded ammo is second, buying factory ammo is very, very expensive. Lead is cheaper but I would suggest not preffered. I would say most ammo is either plated or jacketed. Good quality lead bullets are fairly easy to get and at a good price. Good quality jacketed or plated bullets are not as easy to come by and can be expensive, but imo are worth it.

Talk to the IPSC shooters @ your club, they will be glad to set you in the right direction.

Bigbubba said:
Hi guys, looking for some straight answers and not lots of argument:

Background -I shoot trap (lots), skeet (little), bullseye pistol (22) and am thinking about learning IPSC...so

Q1 - What is a reasonable starter calibre? something that wont be too hard on my hands (please just suggest with out arguing)
Q2 - So where does all the brass go? I assume you shoot, its gone? Does it belong to the club then?
Q3 - So then do some clubs sell reloads? Or where do I get lots of ammo to shoot at reasonable prices?
Q4 - Is the ammo all lead ? (SWC?)
Q5 - Is this an expensive game? Assuming that the brass is gone and I am always buying loaded ammo it sure looks expensive

Thanks
Marty
Click to expand...
 
Bigbubba, this is an excellent thread! I got more IPSC info out of this than expected. Thanks for the post. Now if I can find a decent 1911 that won't cost me my first born, I'll be happy!
 
in Ontario the best place to buy reloaded ammo is wolf bullet and SFRC on here carries it. see bottom of page. Most people reload in IPSC due to the volumes we shoot. a small match is usually a 100 rounds. i think the rest of your questions have been answered.
 
Tons of great information posted already. Great work guys, and great questions; Bubba.

The only thing I think I can add is with regards to the brass and cost;

Brass:
9mm reloaded processed (resized, deprimed, polished) brass goes for around $45 a 1000. At a match, you're thinking about the shooting, the way you're going to engage targets, how others are doing it, getting your gear together, helping patch targets and of course, socializing with your friends.

A lot of people simply choose to ignore their $5 in spent brass to pay attention to the other things.
In the big picture, it's less than you'll spend on lunch, gas, bullets, etc.
Matches aren't so much interested in your brass as they are in saving time and getting the next group of shooters through the stage (rather than waiting to pick brass)

Cost:
IPSC is a sport. You can go in cheap and have fun or you can become obsessed, spend a truckload of money and have fun. It's really up to your take on the sport. Skeet, Golf, Tennis, cycling, Racing, etc. all pretty much work out the same.
 
Bigbubba said:
Hi guys, looking for some straight answers and not lots of argument:
Click to expand...

...from IPSC ? :) A group of crows is a Murder. A group of geese is a flock. A group of IPSC people is called an arguement.

I have hundreds of photos showing different rigs and guns in IPSC events, from beginners to the World Champions. PM me, I would be happy to share them.
 
thanks

Thanks guys. Questions answered.

Only a couple more questions.

No one mentioned 38 Super but I sometimes see those guns for sale.
So are those guns popular (meaning reloads are available)? or no?
How does the recoil compare? Same as 9mm? Bit more?

Thanks again for all the help

Marty
 
38 Super is only shot in Open Division, but that might be changing. Think I heard something about Australia trying to change that. Then again, I could be remembering the caliber wrong. The down side is the brass is quite expensive compared to 9 and 40.
As for recoil, the Open guns have compensators, so recoil is minimal, in a regular gun it would be noticably stronger then 9mm. You will also need to use alot more powder if you are wanting to shoot major power factor. I think most Open shooters use about 9 - 11 grains depending on the powder, compared to about 4 - 5 grains for 9 or 40.
 
Dan you are thinking of the 357 Sig which is now an approved calibre for Major in Standard division.

As for 38 super there are two variants of it. the original 38 super was a hopped up 9 mm round. it was despised by the FBI as it was capable of piercing bulletproof vests of the 1920 era. in the 80's a fellow by the name of Todd Jarrett begin experimenting with it and was able to push it beyond it original design limits by using a supported barrel to make major (175 power factor in those days power factor is equal the weight of the bullet times the velocity divided by a thousand.) this was the start of the equipment "war" and lead to the development of Open and Standard division (prior to this everyone shot in the same division.)

Today you will see the odd person shooting a 38 super in standard shooting minor. i haven't seen anyone shooting it in production class but then i can't think of a production gun that comes chamber in 38 super. the biggest problem with shooting a 38 super in standard division is accidentally loading an open loaded bullet into the gun. this is not a good thing!
 
Thanks Martin, great questions.
Can I ask another question?

For the rest of the group:

I am adding component cost to roughly = 75 coppers per shot.
Am I off target or is this what it will cost for ammunition only to shoot IPSC today?
 
pilon said:
Thanks Martin, great questions.
Can I ask another question?

For the rest of the group:

I am adding component cost to roughly = 75 coppers per shot.
Am I off target or is this what it will cost for ammunition only to shoot IPSC today?
Click to expand...

For me, my 9mm 124 ammo cost approx. 15cents each.:redface:
However, if you calculate all the time how much you'd spend; then you won't enjoy the sport.:)
 
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