How does one get involved in competition shooting?

[armedandfree]

I am interested in competition shooting, how might I go about joining?

[Airedale]

I shoot USPSA.

It's pretty easy to find a club near you. You can go to www.uspsa.org and use the club locator. Often there is a point of contact listed. Call or email them with any questions you may have.

Many folks will be intimidated by what they see at a competion shoot (of any type). Don't be. Everyone shoots their first match at some point.

There are 5 divisions plus one provisional in USPSA. Your 1911 fits best in the provisional single stack division but is also competitive in Limited 10. All the divisions are explained on the website.

There are other shooting games just as fun as USPSA. Find what's near you and try them out. Don't forget 3 gun (rifle/pistol/shotgun) matches. Three times the cost/three times the fun.

Dave

[edski]

I shoot Bullseye, aka NRA Conventional Pistol. Ask around at ranges and gun shops for other Bullseye shooters. Go and watch an evening league or a full 2700 on a weekend day to see if it's something that would interest you. I occasionally shoot other competitive forms but Bullseye is my primary focus.
If you're in the Phoenix AZ area, please feel free to contact me directly and I'll let you know what's happening and where.

[armedandfree]

Unfortunately, I am in the Valdez, Alaska area, haha.


Where can I find out the differences in acronyms for competitions?


Difference between ISPCA, USPSA, KFC, or AT&T shooting?

[Airedale]

There are USPSA matches in Anchorage and Kenai. I found that on the USPSA website.

USPSA is United States Practical Shooting Association. That's the US region of IPSC the International Practical Shooting Confederation.

KFC is Kentucky Fried Chicken...it's finger licking good.

Dave

[armedandfree]

Haha... Thankyou for the clarification, wouldn't wanna walk into a KFC and ask where I can sign up for competition shooting.


What, then, is bullseye shooting?

[Voyagertwelve]

I think AT&T shooting is phone employees going postal HAHAHAHA!!!

[Frank]

...What, then, is bullseye shooting?
This is what might be termed "traditional" stand up straight and shoot at a target marksmanship competition. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullseye_%28shooting_competition%29.

DVC

[cruiserk]

I just did a search for IDPA in my city San Diego...

I found them, found the schedule, checked what was needed to participate.

[pepperbelly]

The best way is to find a local range. Go there and ask what matches they have, then show up and tell them you want to shoot. Bring your weapon and ammo- they will probably invite you to shoot right then. We have people who show up at our range and I have loaned them a pistol and ammo so they can shoot.
Don't worry about shooting a stock pistol. Starting out stock will help you decide what mods and accessories YOU need. The sights and trigger are the usual things that need to be addressed first.
Everyone will have suggestions that will help. Listen to them, especially if they have been shooting competition for many years.

Jim