Questions regarding Black Badge/IPSC

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FireFalcon115

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1. What is the real reason we as Canadians have to take the black badge course? The US doesn't require one as much as I know, so is black badge mostly a money maker?

2. What is a good way to approach IPSC with a limited budget??

Answers are greatly appreciated :)
 
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Blackbadge was worth it in my opinion. Being a very green shooter prior to taking it, it helped me understand how to move and shoot safely.

The most economical pistol would be an M&P9 range kit which would put you in Production. You can find one with 3-5 mags, holster and mag pouch on the EE for ~$500.
 
FireFalcon115 said:
1. What is the real reason we as Canadians have to take the black badge course? The US doesn't require one as much as I know, so is black badge mostly a money maker?
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It introduces the skills required to compete in matches, teaches you the rules of the game, reinforces the #1 rule in any shooting activity (safety)

Is it necessary, maybe/maybe not, plenty of other countries do not require this level of advanced prep. Doesn't hurt.
In the US, some clubs ask new shooters to show up early and go through a mini course of sorts to reinforce the safety aspect.


FireFalcon115 said:
2. What is a good way to approach IPSC with a limited budget??
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Limited budget.... depending how serious you intend to be, this may not be possible.
If all you intend to do is shoot your club match once every other month, buy a used handgun of your choice, a few magazines, a case of bulk ammo and have fun.

If you intend to be competitive, between match fees, travel costs, ammo for matches and practice, backup gun, spare parts, fancy shoes, walking billboard style shooting shirt....etc.... limited budget doesn't really work.
 
1 - Black Badge shows proof of some competency so if you come to my club from another range or province I can expect you to be safe. Although there is no Black Badge in the US many clubs will require some level of training or supervision before granting membership. The PAL/RPAL course has no live fire or practical range instruction so it makes sense to ensure that all competitors have at least practiced with their pistols.

In Manitoba at least our instructors are volunteers and the course is run on a break-even basis so it is not a money maker here.

2 - $500 may be enough to get you a pistol and a few mags but make sure to budget for a gun belt and appropriate holster, that could be another $200-$300 depending n how fancy you want to go, don't cheap out on the belt! Realistically ammo will be your greatest expense, you can practice dry fire but it will be hard to get better if you aren't shooting live. Even casual competitors go through several thousand rounds per year.

It's a great sport, but if you get hooked it will get expensive!
 
FireFalcon115 said:
1. What is the real reason we as Canadians have to take the black badge course? The US doesn't require one as much as I know, so is black badge mostly a money maker?

2. What is a good way to approach IPSC with a limited budget??

Answers are greatly appreciated :)
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(TIC)
1. Americans are born with an innate ability to handle safely and shoot accurately any firearm that passes into their hand.
Canadians, on the other hand, barely know what to do with any firearm even after years of training and practice.

2. The best way to approach IPSC with a limited budget is to be a spectator.
 
Some sections list the fee schedule for the BB course which includes your membership, admin fees and the instructor fee on their website. Some clubs might ask for a guest fee as well.
The history of how the course came into existence is interesting as well, there are other places in the world that use versions of the course.

The M&P is a good way to start, (blade tech holster/range kit and five mags, double tap belt) get the rounds on the gun and some instruction on fundamentals early in your shooting career and it will be fine for the course and competition.
 
I've completed two out of the three days of my BB course so far. I would definitely say it is worth it and not a money grab.

It's primarily geared towards safety but also focuses on accuracy and speed. Not sure if it's the same for all BB courses but in mine, there's a 21 skills checklist that each student needs to complete successfully in order to get their provisional card ie some shoots are timed and have to be completed in x seconds while hitting a high percentage of the shots in the Alpha area of the target. An accidental discharge at any time during the course gets you kicked out and rightly so.

On a budget, you need at least a pistol (preferably one from their approved Production list), a holster that meets IPSC requirements, a few mag pouches and at least 5mags.

If you can hit a pie plate 10/10 times at 20yrds, follow directions and a safety oriented shooter, you should be good to go.

It's a pretty intense course with lots of info to soak in and apply but it's also a TON of fun.
 
It's been a long time since I took my black badge course. The actual amount that is remitted to the organization is mostly the membership fee and a small amount for course materials. The rest is to pay the instructor and the range fee. Most instructors I know carry personal insurance in case one of the students does something really really dumb on range.

How much of a course fee is considered a "money grab"?
 
Black Badge completion makes you a holster qualified shooter. Most clubs require this for you to be able to shoot from a holster at their designated ranges. Yes some clubs provide club level holster qualification which is typically only good at that club. So if you want to shoot in IPSC matches at various clubs you will need to be BB and an IPSC member. As was stated before all the fees and equipment costs are nothing when compared to cost of ammo for an enthusiastic competitor on an annual basis.
 
Without the BB course you could go straight from the RPAL course to the IPSC course without ever having fired a gun. This would likely result in you being 2 things.

1. Unsafe. No idea of expected gun handling, safety areas, range commands, etc. and you would either be a guaranteed DQ or worse.

2. Hopeless. While we absolutely encourage new shooters and would never mock or disparage someone for poor performance you wouldn't have a hope of being competitive, and while there is no shame in coming last there is some discomfort in doing very badly, it can be excrutiating to watch a shooter really struggle, and it eats up valuable time when you have lots of shooters, lots of stages, and one shooter takes forever to complete.

Its not reasonable for a club exec or RO to just let any guy with a gun blast away on their range. Part of the exec's job is to protect the club from accidents and litigation, and that means some system of vetting unknown shooters.

Its also not fair to take someone's money and allow them to participate knowing they are going to tank, DQ or otherwise embarrass themselves, so training and prequals is good.

Can you think of any game or organized sport where you can play without effecting others having zero skill or not knowing the rules..its expected they would be taught first. Its tough to play soccer with a guy who thinks its like rugby and keeps picking up the ball.

I also think, personally, I want to shoot IPSC with people that have made some sort of commitment to the sport,and that commitment is the BB course. There are plenty of fun matches that don't require IPSC level of training and commitment, and I feel IPSC was designed to separate the casual from the more competitive shooter.
 
To be honest, I don't find the BB course is a "money grab" I think it really depends on your teacher. Yes you can say a lot of things are common sense but there are stuff that after my teacher explained to me I get a better understanding why things are done this way. It also gave me the first time experience to actually draw from the holster and fire and reload on the run etc etc. Lots of these are stuff that I cannot do normally in a range. I get to have a private tutor to check my stance, my grip, my firing and spot any problem and told me how to correct them. At the end of the course I already felt like I could shoot better. Even for someone else who has no huge interest in IPSC I would say that if you are a new shooter and you never took any shooting lesson you will still learn a lot from the BB course IMO. I certainly learned a lot.
 
It taught me how to safely move through a course without shooting myself or somebody else. I think it was well worth it but I had no previous training.
 
smally21 said:
Without the BB course you could go straight from the RPAL course to the IPSC course without ever having fired a gun. This would likely result in you being 2 things.

1. Unsafe. No idea of expected gun handling, safety areas, range commands, etc. and you would either be a guaranteed DQ or worse.

2. Hopeless. While we absolutely encourage new shooters and would never mock or disparage someone for poor performance you wouldn't have a hope of being competitive, and while there is no shame in coming last there is some discomfort in doing very badly, it can be excrutiating to watch a shooter really struggle, and it eats up valuable time when you have lots of shooters, lots of stages, and one shooter takes forever to complete.

Its not reasonable for a club exec or RO to just let any guy with a gun blast away on their range. Part of the exec's job is to protect the club from accidents and litigation, and that means some system of vetting unknown shooters.

Its also not fair to take someone's money and allow them to participate knowing they are going to tank, DQ or otherwise embarrass themselves, so training and prequals is good.

Can you think of any game or organized sport where you can play without effecting others having zero skill or not knowing the rules..its expected they would be taught first. Its tough to play soccer with a guy who thinks its like rugby and keeps picking up the ball.

I also think, personally, I want to shoot IPSC with people that have made some sort of commitment to the sport,and that commitment is the BB course. There are plenty of fun matches that don't require IPSC level of training and commitment, and I feel IPSC was designed to separate the casual from the more competitive shooter.
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Wow it's funny that you say that except that in most places in the world where IPSC is shot you do not require a Black Badge course. Hmmm...makes you wonder...
 
Nick and Marcy King ran me through my bb course and the couple hundred bucks I paid, with probably 80 going to my year membership, was very worth it. I became safer with a pistol and a better shot in one weekend. Find an instructor that you like and trust and just do it. It's worth it and there's a fun game to play after.
 
If you shoot any amount of IPSC, the amount the course cost will start to seem insignificant. I've probably spent more in springs since I did the course. I could already move around safely and miss plates pretty fast, but the course isn't a bad thing or a bad way to spend a weekend. IPSC is one of the few places where I feel safe turning my back on an active firing line.
 
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