Tips For New IPSC Shooters

H

hr.rage

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
16   0   0
Location
Southern Ontario
Does anyone have any tips for new ipsc shooters or people taking the black badge course? Shooting,Gear,Training,Course And Ammunition Tips
Also are the bladetech holster(not a dropped and offset holster) but just a normal belt holster and the double mag pouches any good for ipsc?
 
You Have A Great Opportunity to "Enjoy the Ride!".

You are very fortunate to be starting in IPSC in 2007; after over three decades or more it is a maturing sport with "lots of options".
The best part will be learning "what works best for you". That said, here are my recommendations based on participating in IPSC since 1991 when I achieved my blackbadge course and in 1997 when I became an NROI RO.
1. Get a B.S. detector and attach it to your pistol belt. Turn it on when any advice is directed your way as well as what articles you read in any number of publications. Failing to find a B.S. detector remember to THINK Carefully before rushing out to spend $$$$$ on equipment that others think is "the best.what the real competitors use..etc etc..".
2. Keep It Super Simple. Hopefully you have some equipment now that will work well enough to PASS (keep that in mind) Your upcoming Black Badge Course as well as to NOT DQ in your IPSC matches..Ever!
I do agree with RePete's post here on CGN that "There are those who have DQ'd and those who will (Eventually) DQ"...
 
Excellent advice from sonofpaleface! My experience is that Bladetech products are great for competition. All of their holsters are very fast and suitable for the IPSC game.

I used a regular bladetech belt holster for my first year and moved to a dropped holster which I now use. There's lots of cheaper options, and lots of more expensive holsters... I like my bladetechs.
 
You Have A Great Opportunity to "Enjoy the Ride!".

Further to your overall approach in starting to compete in IPSC Competitions I do agree with RePete's post here on CGN that "There are those who have DQ'd and those who will (Eventually) DQ"...

From my own experienes as both a BB qualified IPSC competitor (1991 to 2007) and as a NROI RO from 1997 to 2006 inclusive, I would recommend trying to stay in the latter group as long as is humanely possible.
 
Last edited:
sonofpaleface said:
Y
1. Get a B.S. detector and attach it to your pistol belt. Turn it on when any advice is directed your way as well as what articles you read in any number of publications. Failing to find a B.S. detector remember to THINK Carefully before rushing out to spend $$$$$ on equipment that others think is "the best.what the real competitors use..etc etc..".
2. Keep It Super Simple. Hopefully you have some equipment now that will work well enough to PASS (keep that in mind) Your upcoming Black Badge Course as well as to NOT DQ in your IPSC matches..Ever!
Click to expand...

Good advice. Trust me you will see soon enough.
 
sonofpaleface said:
1. Get a B.S. detector and attach it to your pistol belt. Turn it on when any advice is directed your way
Click to expand...

Nice...keeping it positive for the new recruits eh :confused:

Perhaps better advice would be to seek a variety of opinions and judge for your self.

My .02
 
Have fun, and remember "Safety First". After you shoot a few matches, you'll see what works best, and if you want to take it past that, I'd suggest becoming a Range Officer; when you're an RO, you see up close and personal what works and what doesn't (and why), and how the different classes of competitiors shoot a match.
 
The best advice I would give is

1) practice with the gear you have and get to know it better then the back of your hand.
2) place A 8"X11" place a peace of paper at about 20 yards and at your own pace shoot 10 rounds at the paper. The key is to hit the paper with all 10 round. The better you get try to make the groups smaller.
3) The most important. When you are shooting IPSC slow down and get your HITS. The timer is there just to let you know that it is time to grab your gun and start shooting. Nothing else. Do not worry about any body else's time worry about getting your points.
4) Have FUN !!!!

Just my 2 cents
 
hr.rage said:
Does anyone have any tips for new ipsc shooters or people taking the black badge course? Shooting,Gear,Training,Course And Ammunition Tips
Also are the bladetech holster(not a dropped and offset holster) but just a normal belt holster and the double mag pouches any good for ipsc?
Click to expand...

keep it simple is good advice.
Holster - bladetech, uncle mikes, etc, are good holsters, reasonably fast, very secure, less prone to operator error. perfect to learn with, depending on the division, adequate to stay with.

firearm - any gun you have that is comfortable and reliable is a good choice. revolvers are OK to take and pass the course with, but unless there is a revolver group that competes in your area, you will likely end up with a semi-auto just to be able to compare your efforts. If you have a reliable gun, reasonable for the sport, then you are already up on a lot of the other shooters. Don't feel the need to go out and buy the latest and greatest, your skill level will likely advance quicker if you are not dividing your attention adapting to new gear. And then once you are more comfortable playing the game you can likely borrow someone elses gear to try a match with, before spending the change. Most of us has a box of the latest wonder gadgets that now gather dust.

training - pre BB - accuracy, if you can't keep 80% of your shots in the A zone at 20 yards, at your own pace, then you will likely have problems during the course. The BB course of fire can be found out there, practice that. If your club has an IPSC group, get with them and do the timed drills. getting used to the beep is a good idea. Guys who can shoot cloverleafs all day, sometimes start missing once the beep goes and there is a time limit. The instructors can teach you to shoot safely and quickly, but sometimes in a big course, trying to teach basic accuracy is problematic.
post BB- Matt Burkett has good video lessons, as does Jerry Barnhartt. depending on the province, there are local guys who have courses. Ask around, some guys teach shooting better, some guys teach thinking better. Both aspects are important. Often enough the RO's are very experienced competitors and if they have time will notice things that might help you and pass it on to you. Also if there is an IPSC group at your club, you can practice together, set up stages, shoot them in different ways, experiment and critique each other. Its hard to beat two buddies training together and pushing each other.

Ammo- if you are not already a competent reloader, during the BB is not a good time to learn. Reliability is key. frustration is a common cause of not passing the course, because you can't focus on what you are supposed to be learning and doing. Fortunately there are sources of inexpensive and reliable ammo, several of our current better shooters are using "factory" ammo. Back when I started, it was either reload or not shoot much, presses usually started paying back in a year or two. Eventually you may find that the ability to tailor your ammo to you and your gun is a benefit and if you really get hooked then reloading will let you shoot more.

gear and tips for the course. comfortable footwear that will grip on the floor if indoors. shirt reasonably snug at the waist, not binding in the shoulders. liquids, good nights sleep. If the course is indoors and you have a tendancy to dry eyes, bring eye drops, I find the powder residue to irritate sometimes.
 
I suggest you don't make any rushed decisions. Equipment costs money so you want to spend it only once if you can. Take your time; look at the equipment the top shooters in your division are using and start there for your research. Ask people if you can try their gear to see if you think it might suit you. Most IPSC shooters will be only too happy to help in this way, and they have already spent the money and tested the products to find out what DOESN'T work, so why reinvent the wheel? Just remember that all choices are personal, and they boil down to a combination of good engineering (mechanical and ergonomic) and PREFERENCE. So try everything, and test everything for yourself. Decide on what your personal criteria are and ask questions that highlight those criteria for you.

Gel all the choices down to a short list and then pick your poison. Once you have it, practice! Divide your practice time to approximately 70% dry fire and 30% live fire skills. Dry fire works the gross motor skills into the sub-conscious, and live fire confirms them. Remember also that you will forget 95% of what you learn within a couple of weeks if you don't write it down and if you don't practice. So make notes, and practice.

As Mobile 1 says, you must learn how to make an accurate shot at any distance on demand. All of the cool skills we use in IPSC, and the fabulous speed that is possible are meaningless if you can't shoot accurately, so that is your number one skill to focus on.....and KEEP focusing on forever and ever amen. In IPSC, you can expect to shoot at targets all the way out to 50 meters, so aim small-miss small.

Also, in my opinion, if you want to learn IPSC techniques correctly, do yourself a favor and get some proper training. It's a cheap but valuable investment that could save you years of frustration. The IPSC skill set is vast and complex, and trying to learn in a vacuum by picking up "tips" from various people or listening in on conversations will give you a very spotty (and confusing) impression of the fundamental techniques. Trust me; you will eventually just learn to execute a lot of really poor techniques very well. Practicing mistakes only guarantees that you want to improve you will have to un-learn all that you have struggled to understand, and the re-learn it correctly. Either that or you will quit the sport in frustration, and no one wants to see that happen.

Good luck to you and welcome aboard.
 
Watch that when you arrive that before you bring your gun bag and ammo, that you know EXACTLY what their rules are in regard to safety areas and where they are. People have beeen DQ for merely placing a closed bag containing their gun & ammo onto a bench which happen to be a poorly marked safety area.

The blackhawk Sepa is also a nice holster and reasonable
 
Thanks everyone for your advice, but i need more... :p
I'm planning on using a Smith and Wesson M&P40,with a bladetech holster and two double mag pouches and a 1.5" belt....is this a good setup? I also have a Cz75 SP-01 and a Steyr M9-A1 but i don't have any holsters,any mag pouches or any extra mags for those two, so i won't be using them for my BB course. What are the most common things people get DQ for? Also a fellow at my range was telling me that the ammo that i normally shoot with, will not pass the chrono(federal 165grain FMJ ball). So what do i need for ammunition to shoot ipsc? Thanks a million everyone
 
Last edited:
hr.rage said:
Thanks everyone for your advice, but i need more... :p
I'm planning on using a Smith and Wesson M&P40,with a bladetech holster and two double mag pouches and a 1.5" belt....is this a good setup? I also have a Cz75 SP-01 and a Steyr M9-A1 but i don't have any holsters,any mag pouches or any extra mags for those two, so i won't be using them for my BB course. What are the most common things people get DQ for? Also a fellow at my range was telling me that the ammo that i normally shoot with, will not pass the crono(federal 165grain FMJ ball). So what do i need for ammunition to shoot ipsc? Thanks a million everyone
Click to expand...

Your gear sounds fine for the BB course. The SP01 is a great gun for IPSC but if you don't have gear for them don't worry about it for now. The M&P is finding great favor with Production shooters as well so you should be well served. You don't know about your ammo in your gun until you actually chrono it, but it should at least make minor so you're good to go for now. You don't HAVE to shoot major for the BB course, and the chrono isn't part of the test. You can experiment with major loads for whatever gun you will use long-term later on. For the time being, just focus on passing the course and being safe.
 
hr.rage said:
Thanks everyone for your advice, but i need more... :p
I'm planning on using a Smith and Wesson M&P40,with a bladetech holster and two double mag pouches and a 1.5" belt....is this a good setup? I also have a Cz75 SP-01 and a Steyr M9-A1 but i don't have any holsters,any mag pouches or any extra mags for those two, so i won't be using them for my BB course. What are the most common things people get DQ for? Also a fellow at my range was telling me that the ammo that i normally shoot with, will not pass the chrono(federal 165grain FMJ ball). So what do i need for ammunition to shoot ipsc? Thanks a million everyone
Click to expand...

Are you planning to shoot in Production or in Standard?
 
relliott said:
Your gear sounds fine for the BB course. The SP01 is a great gun for IPSC but if you don't have gear for them don't worry about it for now. The M&P is finding great favor with Production shooters as well so you should be well served. You don't know about your ammo in your gun until you actually chrono it, but it should at least make minor so you're good to go for now. You don't HAVE to shoot major for the BB course, and the chrono isn't part of the test. You can experiment with major loads for whatever gun you will use long-term later on. For the time being, just focus on passing the course and being safe.
Click to expand...


Canadian BDX or "Combat Masters", has .40 ammo which is downloaded to shoot "minor" (less pressure, less zoom, not full power .40), which you could use for Production division which is scored minor.
I think Wolf Hoffman has .40 ammo scoring minor as well.
bladetech is good stuff (KISS principle)
 
ipsc1 said:
keep it simple is good advice.
Holster - bladetech, uncle mikes, etc, are good holsters, reasonably fast, very secure, less prone to operator error. perfect to learn with, depending on the division, adequate to stay with.



post BB- Matt Burkett has good video lessons, as does Jerry Barnhartt.

Ammo- if you are not already a competent reloader, during the BB is not a good time to learn. Reliability is key. frustration is a common cause of not passing the course, because you can't focus on what you are supposed to be learning and doing. Fortunately there are sources of inexpensive and reliable ammo, several of our current better shooters are using "factory" ammo. Back when I started, it was either reload or not shoot much, presses usually started paying back in a year or two. Eventually you may find that the ability to tailor your ammo to you and your gun is a benefit and if you really get hooked then reloading will let you shoot more.

gear and tips for the course. comfortable footwear that will grip on the floor if indoors. shirt reasonably snug at the waist, not binding in the shoulders. liquids, good nights sleep. If the course is indoors and you have a tendancy to dry eyes, bring eye drops, I find the powder residue to irritate sometimes.
Click to expand...


+1 for the Matt Burkett DVD's. A good investment. Barnhartt has a lot of info as well.

+1 about ammo, really painfull watching people get Jam after Jam.:( with ammo they just learned how to make. try Combat masters ammo at Canadian BDX, he has a listing for .40 ammo that is downloaded to production division levels.
 
hr.rage said:
I was planning on shooting production. Wow i still have a lot to learn :runaway:
Click to expand...

If you;re shooting Production...the 165 factory rounds will be fine. You need a power factor of 125 for Prod..and these will be high (about 160) but they'll pass with no issues...just a bit more than you need.

Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom