Glock35 with 9mm conversion barrel for Production Class?

jakz0rz

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Hello,

I'm shopping for my first gun and looking to compete in IPSC this season. I found a great deal on a glock 35 which comes with a lonewolf 9mm conversion barrel. If I were to buy this setup can I compete in the production class or am I better off just looking for a G34?

Thanks!
 
What class would I have to be in to use the 34?

Standard or Open. But Standard is the better choice.

Keep in mind that if you shoot in Standard Division there are all kinds of modifcations you can make to your G34 (magwell, trigger group, slide cuts, springs) and still be compliant with Division rules. And while the 2011 is generally considered to be "the" platform in SD, I know many competitors who "rock" their Glocks in SD.
 
Yup - Standard would be your best choice. The 9mm conversion might be nice to practice with but if competing in IPSC Standard you will want to consider using .40 as it puts you into the major power factor (slightly less points lost for non-A hits). But either way, my advice is to jump in start shooting IPSC however and whenever you can. It's a lot of fun!
 
Thanks everyone. I'm new to shooting. This will be my first gun. Would starting in standard with a G35 be ill advised compared to getting a production gun and starting in production?
 
Have you shot the G35? If you haven't try the Gen3 and Gen4 models. They are different. If you really like glocks a G17 will serve you well.

While you're at it try an M&P and a CZ 75-SP01 Shadow. They're all different and you might like one of these. Best to stay away from the Sig Sauer P226. They're good guns but not the best for competition.

Buy the one that you like shooting the best. Trying to shoot a gun that doesn't fit your hand or a trigger that you don't like is no fun. No fun = no practice = limited success.

Regardless, sign up for your Black Badge course now. That is the "long-lead" requirement to get into competition. Your local BB instructor will also provide good advice on equipment. Probably better than us internet lurkers...

DavesNotHere
 
^ good advise but ignore the bolded bit.

as you said this is your first gun, get the one you like, shoot it a bit - get comfortable with it, get the other comp equipment and THEN signup for BB. reason for this is while BB is great for the most bit, you should be able to land on paper at 10/15 yards before showing up - and showing up with a gun that you are familiar with and have confidence in will ensure you have good couple of days of drills :)

ps: from what you have indicated, production division would be highly recommended for you (all production guns/no power factors to worry about etc) to start out with, and you can decide for yourself how to proceed after that :)
 
mshundal is correct and brings up a good point, get to know the gun. Be able to shoot an 8 - 10" group at 20 yards. Be able to shoot with your strong hand only and your support hand only. Keep your finger on the side of the frame not just "out of the trigger guard". Your BB course instructor can fill you in with details of what they would like to see.

Here's a link to an instructor's requirements.
http://mdgardner.com/StdntChkList-WEBP3.pdf

If you have trouble with these things or just want to be better prepared then it would serve you better to take a basic marksmanship course or get a few private lessons. The instruction will save you the cost of ammo trying to figure it out on your own. This kind of instruction is always a lot of fun and will ensure fun later when you're runnin' and gunnin'. I recently moved to Canada after competing in the U.S. for years and the Black Badge course was valuable training for me even though I have prior experience and training.

This may sound patronizing but I don't think anyone wants to be that guy in the class who forces the Black Badge instructor to teach basic marksmanship.

Having said that, it may be months before you can get into a Black Badge course so inquire on the wait times if you truly want to compete this season.

DNH
 
Thanks for posting this up DNH. As someone who was pretty marginal going in (poor Dennis/JoskoMike - listed in alphabetical order lol), I'd like to offer a few more tips:

-The 350rd recommendation could use another 150. Bring 500 just in case. That of course depends on whether the instructor will have enough time to do enough repeats. I lent a hand with a BB course and we did an interesting experiment where the instructor's assistants were patching, so the students could just focus on their exercises. Worked out great for those that had the extra ammo.
-A DASA pistol like the Shadow is also a good idea, but I'd do the springs at least and practice with it that way. I shot mine with my Shadow bone stock and was really struggling with the 11lb DA pull (had to borrow one where the trigger got smoothed out after a few tens of thousands of pulls :cool:)
-I'd bring at least 4 mags (personally own 7 for my Shadow and haven't shot a single pistol match in over a year... shot some 2gun/3gun matches where I used it, though)
-I'd ammend rule 1.1 to note the same ability with strong hand, weak hand and both hands. I'd also do slow "double-taps" - just meaning that I'd do 2 shots per draw - gets those with DASA pistols used to the force of the DA pull, followed by the much lighter force of th SA pull
 
That sounds like a great chance to learn at the BB course.

Possibly be able to do a few demos so the instructor could show the class how things are to be done. Are you able to help at the BB and do those Demos?

the only thing I see above that I would caution about watch changing parts in the gun before you know all the rules seems they are cracking down on the "prod/open" guns out there getting all the aftermarket non-production parts out of the way.
 
I've always disagreed with the need to have a basic level of marksmanship before one takes the Black Badge course, maybe because I took my BB course very shortly after getting my FAC and while my first gun was still on order.

I feel that the BB course taught me a lot about safe firearm handling (keep in mind, I took the BB back before the PAL course was mandatory) and developed very good safety habits. I really think that it's easier to learn marksmanship once one has safe gun handling than to unlearn bad habits learned from self-teaching oneself marksmanship.

if one does choose to
 
i hear you - its easier to learn than to unlearn both the good and the bad, and invariably if he's new with handguns, he's gonna pick up a lot of bad/insane/fudd/tactical ninja type stuff off range 'instructors'. on the other hand if your instructor has to spend half a day or more (rather than correcting it and you going ah) - then theres that much less time for you actually learn anything IPSC related. i know people will jump in and say BB courses are meant to teach safety only - i would disagree, a good BB instructor not only teaches you the rules and how to compete safely in an IPSC match (handling/draw/movement/etc), but also sets you up to succeed (how not to move like a fudd, how explode in and out of shooting positions, shooting on the move etc). however this all takes for granted that you can actually punch the damn paper at 20 yards when you show up.

lastly, this is why production in such a great division for folks just discovering the game. bring your lock/m&p/cz/whatever, no modifications necessary OR allowed for that matter. once they are shooting and can decide for themselves, they can spend their money wisely instead of listening to people who for most part are just a few steps shy of fanboys for whatever they prefer (myself included) :)
 
Wow great community here! Thanks for all of the information. I should clarify that although I am completely new to the sport of IPSC; I have shot rifles before when I was 8years old with my old man. He used to compete in IPSC but I was too young to handle a handgun so I never really got to experience how awesome it is. Fast forward 20 years and watching some YouTube videos I had to get my PAL and get into IPSC. I really wish I stuck with guns since I first experienced it.

I'm heading to the range this weekend to try out the gen3 g35 with both .40 and 9mm barrels. I really do want to start out in Production, but family friend has a g35 he is willing to sell to me at a good price with a conversion barrel and the 34/35 platform seems quite appealing. How significant is the cost of .40 over 9mm? I will have access to reloading equipment, I just have to learn how to use it. I really like the g34 as well but I can't use it for production and if I have to shoot it in standard, I won't have the option of Major. So I guess the question is get the gen3 g35 shoot major in standard or get a g17 and shoot production?

All of your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Trying to absorb as much as I can in a short period of time.

Thanks!
 
Possibly be able to do a few demos so the instructor could show the class how things are to be done. Are you able to help at the BB and do those Demos?

Nothing in the rulebook preventing it as long as a certified instructor is supervising. With that being said, if they watched me do a demo, the poor students would be more likely to pick up bad habits than any useful knowledge lol I'm a relatively unenthusiastic pistol shooter. I can hold my own with it, within reason, but the only reason I got one in the first place was to take the BB course. All of my IPSC matches this year were with long guns. I did use the pistol in a couple of 2gun/3gun matches, though. I was able to help with the very basic/obvious stuff, along the lines of "hand to the gut!" or "stop slapping that trigger" (should practice what I preach lol), "watch that muzzle". One of the other assistants is an excellent pistol shooter so they were able to pick up a lot more useful tips from him.

the only thing I see above that I would caution about watch changing parts in the gun before you know all the rules seems they are cracking down on the "prod/open" guns out there getting all the aftermarket non-production parts out of the way.

That's an excellent point, especially in competition. For BB, the rules are a lot looser, so one can bring an open gun and run under the same rules as those shooting production guns. Always a good idea to verify the equipment setup with the BB instructor, of course - the last thing they wanna hear at their qualifier is "welcome to Open" ;)
 
TRaTSeRiF,

The way you describe your shooting activity I think describes the profile of a lot of "active" shooters and I think is beneficial to highlight.

IPSC, USPSA etc are not populated by guys with full race open guns that are burning down every stage sounding like they've got a select fire pistol. Those guys are the exception. Just look at the divisions and you'll see Production is almost always the largest.

The volume of social camaraderie far outweighs the shooting volume at matches. It is being with a group of people with a common interest and commitment that makes matches fun. Otherwise, it would be a long drive and whole bunch of boring with a few minutes of actual shooting.

I think this misconception is a source of a lot of people staying away from Black Badge courses and matches. Have the skills necessary for BB you don't have to be awesomesauce...yet. The better you can shoot the more you'll get out of the course, just like any shooting class.

The next point is ask questions. You will get different answers and all of them will probably be a variation of correct. Seek the best answer for what you want to do in the sport because it is about your enjoyment and accomplishment. What is involved just getting to a match is frustrating enough. Figuring out things on your own does have its own sense of accomplishment but there are plenty of challenges along the way so ask for assistance.

Great thread. This is feeling like enos forum.

DNH
 
Good points DNH. With that being said, after I take a look at my HF in the same division as guys like Paul and Craig, I make a special point to look in the mirror to remind myself who I'm really competing with :D

Our sport really does have a lot of good people in it, so the social aspect is great when showing up for a match or a practice. The good guys are always willing to land a hand up through good, solid advice to us - up-and-coming shooters and everybody's willing to roll up their sleeves and help make the practice/match more enjoyable for all of us.
 
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