Let's talk about USPSA

tylerw02

tylerw02

Regular Member
While the rules all seem a bit weird to me with the classes and the obvious bias toward "calibers starting in 4", I've found it to
Be quite fun and a good test of skills. I've been amazed at how just simply all watching from your squad gets in your head while.

Right now I'm shooting production with a G34 with a set of Dawson adjustable and occasionally running my VP9....since the Roland won't make major with factory ammunition. I am considering pulling the KKM off to shoot carry optics OR putting an RMR on my 34 along with a Freya.

Does anybody have tips or tricks, rituals, etc. what does everybody here shoot?


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moostapha

Newbie
You can shoot your Roland in open minor.

You get the harsher scoring, but if you're not in it solely to win the game...who cares? What's the difference between losing open and winning carry optics if you're probably just looking at the overall results and judging your own skills anyway?

Doing those kinds of things with your carry/defensive gun is a good idea.

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Dave_Thomas

Amateur
I carry and shoot a Gen 4 17 in Production Minor. I shoot in an informal league, and about the only trick I can offer is that I try to run a mag before I go to leagues, that way the first round jitters are out of the way.
 
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nate89

Guest
USPSA is a great way to test pistol skills, i've been shooting some form of USPSA for several years, but just barely officially joined the organization to get classified, go to major matches, etc. Scoring and divisions can be a little tricky, but trust me before too long you will have it all figured out. I would advise you to, at least as you begin, shoot whatever you are wanting to improve with or that you use the most, and save the gaming with the equipment for later. Yes, it is true that shooting something like at STI Edge in .40 is a better tool for the job shooting limited than an unmodified 9mm service pistol. It is also true that you can get a long way with basic equipment and practice. For example, the last classifier stage that we shot at our club I was shooting my 9mm 226 from concealment in limited and shot an 81.93%. If you want a lot of good info about USPSA, check out the powerfactor show. They just recently stopped producing new content, but the youtube channel is still up and they have a load of good info on starting and improving in USPSA. One thing I really got from the show was how important movement is for getting better. Taking a couple hundreths off of split times or a tenth off of a draw is cool, but most people are leaving many full seconds on their times by not being quicker into and out of shooting positions.

As far as advice, something from the Steve Anderson podcast (called "That Shooting Show") is about knowing you shooting ability and having the confidence to perform to that standard on command. I can't explain it as well as he does, so I would recommend you listen to him as well, but the mental game is a real thing, and if you can use the sights as your indicator for how fast you can allow yourself to go, things go much better than going hero or zero on stages.
 
Dr. No

Dr. No

Regular Member
I've been shooting USPSA since 2005. Got my GM card in 2015 in Production with the VP9 6 months after getting it when I was shooting for Team HK. Going to try to get it in Limited this year or next.

Bias: USPSA is my favorite sport.

I've been to Nationals 4 times and shot a ton of majors in Texas. I find it incredibly challenging and technical. It was there I found my motivation to practice and get better. If you are interested in competition, go out and shoot a lot. Local matches are great for experience. Try to get to one of Ben Stoeger's training classes. He's by a LARGE margin the best competition oriented instructor I've ever worked with.

My advice has always been - shoot what you think the most fun is. Pick one gun and run with it for at least a year. If you want to shoot open minor or limited minor, go for it. Have fun with it and let the results be what they may. If you decide you want to be competitive with that equipment shooting minor - focus on accuracy and movement. The old adage is A class shooters can shoot just as fast and accurate as GM's, but GM's murder them in movement and setups. Sign up for a major and use that as motivation to get yourself to practice.

Equipment does make a difference when it comes to score, but don't fool yourself. If you suck with a pistol it doesn't matter if you've got a $5k STI or a $500 glock, you're still going to suck. I hurt a *lot* of people's feelings when I would beat them with a .40 HK USP. I got told I would never win, I had to change equipment, blah blah. ... instead I put 25k rounds through a gun in 3 years and was winning A class. "Beware the man with only one gun".

Oh - you will get a lot of push back from tactical timmy's who will espouse everything they can think of as to why competition is bad for guys in action roles. They are all wrong, and the vast majority of them have never competed more than 5 times in 5 years.

Most of all, have fun with it. Pistol games are tons of fun and are the most difficult to master.
 
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