First time shooting IDPA? Not sure what to do? Let Steve and Rick walk you through what to expect at your very first IDPA match, the do's, don'ts and general etiquette of competitive pistol shooting.
This is a very informative video for the new IDPA participants. It is always great when new people come out to shoot, but I can see that not knowing the rules or what to do can be intimidating. If you have questions find somebody and ask, nobody is going to be rude to you and will be more than willing to answer your questions. Go shoot an IDPA match and have fun!
Hi guys, thank you so much for the vids. I shot my first IDPA match today. I took an IDPA/IPSC prep class a while back & have dry fire practiced & practiced as best I can at the range. But this was my first "real" IDPA match. It happened to be a qualifier match, which I understand is different from standard matches, but it was loads of fun. I was told a qualifier was not something I should do for a first match, but I knew I could hanlde it, after watching your stuff (not joking).
After watching all your video's I really wish the only range that does IDPA was not 3 hours away. I just can't swing the extra 6 hours and gas this season. But taking in the info and doing my own practice for next year. Keep it up guys!
Guys, I watched some of these videos to get a feel for my first IDPA event this past Saturday. I went and shot and had a blast, actually think I did pretty well for a first timer. Can’t wait to shoot some more! To others, don’t be intimidated if you have never shot one. Just let them know you are a newbie to IDPA and they are more than happy to guide you through everything. Just wanted to say thanks to you guys at powerfactor.
Wished I had watched this before last weekend. Fantastic video! I stumbled through my first time ok, but this would have given me a lot more confidence. I'll pass it on. thanks guys
First match today. Had a good time. Had never shot so many moving targets before. I am an NRA Pistol trainer, but I guess NRA figures the bad guy is sitting still? lol Thanks for such a great organization, I will come back. I joined before I shot the first match, figured there are bills to pay, and wanted to contribute, even if I just did it once. As I said, I will do it again. I learned a bunch, had a great time, and I learned , as I always do, I have more to learn.
@theoneearedguy Yeah, it's often feast or famine. Some shooters will have easy access to some shooting sports but not others, and I can certainly understand why someone would shoot the sport that's offered locally rather than drive for hours to shoot another sport.
Hey guys, I just want to say thanks! Ive been watching many of your videos to get ready for my first match at a local range. It was VERY similar to what was shown throughout many of your videos. Even though it wasn't an IDPA or USPSA match I was still prepared on what was expected. We didn't have classes or divisions. The only restriction was no electronic sights. I am looking at shooting an IDPA and USPSA match next month and got out of my fear of what to expect. Met many other shooters that do shoot IDPA and USPSA locally. Great people, alot of fun and the first match went smoothly without embarrassing myself...lol Overall I came in 23 out of 64. Thanks to you guys I knew what to expect and went ahead for my first match. Keep up the good work and get Rick a new cap so he can leave his wife's Pink cap at home next time....j/j Great Videos, Thanks!
Here's a tip: Use fresh batteries in your mic/receiver every time you record. Also, turn a mic gain down on your camera. Thanks for the tips - I thought I might share a few of my own.
(part two) I would put, in order of importance, the things that helped me shoot safely and do relitively well for a newb, as- 1. Your vids 2. range time 3. dryfire/airsoft practice. Again, thanks for all the work!
@calebargh Generally, you may handle your mags any where and any time, except when in the safety area. I usually load my mags and put them on my belt before going to the safety area, and then put on my gun last. Others like to leave their loaded mags in their range bag until justt before they shoot; it can be tiring to carry a full load of ammo on the belt all day. Rick
+Kevin Williams how did it go? I'm attending my first shot this weekend in California. Actually it's the safe shooter course required to compete, but still excited to shoot in a scenario rather than just at my local indoor gun range.
+David Ruiz it went great. I did ok. I didn't finish last and that was my goal. I had the first night jitters. After three shoots I usually ranked 13 out of 20. I'm getting better real quick though. Also I'm shooting a stock sub compact with 3" barrel. I'm at a disadvantage vs full size guns. I haven't shot an official qualifier yet but I expect to make high marksman or sharp shooter.
@Ramrodicus Safety Checks and other "orientations" that are conducted pre-match for new shooters may be on match days, or may have to be arranged well in advance. That should be part of the "finding a place to shoot" part of the process. Contact the range or club, and find out the nature of the requirements for new shooters. Rick
So I was at my clubs monthly IDPA match and at the end of the match I took my bag over to the safe area, double checked that it was clear, put it in a separate holster that was in my bag, and then placed it in my bag. I left my bag sitting on a table in the safe area while I stood near and watched the end of the match. One of the other shooters came up and asked me if I had ammo in the bag. I responded "Yes I do" and he proceeded to tell me to "move the bag from the safe area before someone sees
The video tells you when you may NOT handle magazines but it does not tell you when or where you MAY. At some point you have to place them in the pouches and eventually reload empties. Otherwise, well done!
He explained that he was once told by an SO that he could be disqualified for having ammo in the same bag that he was placing his gun into, even though he, nor I, was not handling any mags or ammo. I was just wondering what you guys think about people having ammo in the bag that they are placing their gun into.
It's a Sigtac vest, and I don't think they're made anymore; at least, I don't think they're sold under the Sigtac name, anymore. There are lots of companies making similar products. 5.11 Tactical comes to mind, along with Blackhawk and Eotac. Rick
@alexrex20 This really is the blabbering episode; if you want info on equipment, rules, and techniques, check out the other 60 episodes. Someone who's never shot a match may have no idea what to expect when arriving at the range on match day, and this episode is intended to describe and explain what they're likely to find. Rick
You are probably right; Steve doesn't shoot IDPA, and was using his USPSA Production-legal rig. I scanned through the episode a couple of times, and never really was able to see either the holster or the belt? Rick
Very helpful - thanks. I missed where you can load your mags (at the start and between stages). Also, what becomes of the ejected round when unloading? Can I just pick it up and put it in my pocket or back in a mag?
+einfussganger At most ranges, you can load your mags any time, and any place other than the safe area. It's the opposite of handling your gun; gun only in the safe area, ammo and mags anywhere but the safe area. If you eject the round onto the ground, pick it up after the "range is clear" command. Be certain that it is your round, if you are going to immediately put it back in the mag. I picked-up what I thought was my 9mm round, and it was someone else's .38 Super; fit in the mag, but wouldn't fit in the gun. Rick
+Greg Scott I did do a lefty episode, a couple of years ago. It's not 1911-specific, but I do talk about ambi safeties, how to drop the slide from slide-lock, reloads, etc. Rick
Great video guys...thanks a lot for the info. I have been shooting for all my life, and never been to a IDPA match. This is going to prepare me quite nicely. Thanks again for your time you put into making this video. -GY6vids
@theblackkknight1 You are right that it would be better to reload from the familiar pouch location, but in over ten years of competition I have never had to reload with the pocketed mag, and on a couple of occasions have discovered a downloaded mag in a pouch; I'll trade the possibility of having to fish in my pocket, in exchange for always having full mags in the pouch; that latter WILL mess up your match. Rick
@faustgeist After confirming clear, lowering the slide, dropping the hammer, and holstering, the shooter retrieves the round from the ground. As SO, I try to track the trajectory of the ejected round and mark it with my foot, but my attention is on the gun, so that's not always workable. Some shooters develop a parlor trick of catching the ejected round in mid-air, to avoid having to track it down after holstering.
Is that frowned upon(catching a round in mid-air)? I learned it from a guy at my local range, and do it quite often. I'd hate to get DQ'd for something that's almost a habit...
Thanks, this video helped a lot. just couple of questions. How much ammunition should i bring to match, and what grain should the ammunition be?I also have p226 elite with build in factory SRT trigger, would IDPA allow SRT triggers or will it be considered as modification to firearm?
Typical round count is ~100, but you might find matches closer to 125, so bring 150 if you have it. As for the SRT, I can't find anything definitive. If it's a stock part, factory installed, then I don't see why it wouldn't be SSP legal. If it were installed after the gun was purchased, it should still be legal because it's a factory part that is offered on other, stock models. Regardless, it would be legal in ESP division. SIGs are not especially popular for competition so there's not a lot of chatter about them, but I'll keep looking.Rick
Thank you for your informative information. Seems like Glock 34 and Glock 17 are most commonly used. Probably because of the single action vs double action.
Yeah, conventional DA/SA pistols are just not very popular. There used to be a half-dozen SIG fanboys at my club, who had their guns smithed by Bruce Gray, and they were all good shots, but I don't think their choice of gun was a contributing factor! I've given up on my DA/SA gun after one match, but won't completely dismiss a more modern version of that 65yo design. Rick
Clear on the "safety zone" for firearms handling, clear on retention of depleted, and partially depleted magazines...still unclear, on where we're allowed to "load" magazines, prior to the stages.
Essentially, anywhere you want, other than the safety area. Handling of ammo and magazines is not restricted, other than don't do it in the safety area. Rick
You must be a member before you shoot your second match. In my experience, it can take up to six weeks for memberships to be processed, though online registration has probably improved the process; I suspect most clubs will accept a "I joined, but haven't received my membership card yet" at your second match; we always have. Rick
***** Some ranges require that live rounds are picked-up, but with the price of ammunition these days, most people don't need to be encouraged to pick up their live rounds.Rick
I would highly recommend updating this video. For example, "if finished, unload and show clear" is THE OFFICIAL command that must be universally used as stated in the idpa rulebook. This is an international sport so these english words must be used word for word. Another by-the-book is "if clear, slide forward" or "if clear, close cylinder". Words like 'hammer down' are ipsc commands, not idpa commands. As well as "are you ready" instead of "shooter ready". Also, "load and make ready" does not mean the shooter can make safe then load. It is simply to load. Lots of changes to the official rulebook since 2010 :)
+ThatsMrRightToYou You are right that the range commands are out of date, but the specifics of the range commands are not really the topic of this episode. The point is to familiarize new shooters to the process of match registration, squadding, shooting order, etc. We did a number of episodes during 2015 on the new IDPA rule book, and if we didn't cover the new range commands, I can do an update. Rick
ptw783 The power floor for BUG division is 95 powerfactor; Stock REV is 105, Enhanced REV/155; SSP, ESP, CCP/125; CDP/165. It's not a velocity floor, it's a combination of bullet weight and velocity; bullet weight in grains x velocity in feet-per-second, drop the zeros, eg 200grs x 850fps = 170 powerfactor
I have never been to a range that explicitly disallowed ammo in the safety area, only the handling of ammo there. If your local range doesn't want ammo in the safety area, that's certainly within their rights, but it should be posted, as that's not common. Rick
"Steve" appeared to be using an illegal holster and belt according to the IDPA rulebook. His holster appeared to be a "drop offset" type holster popular in USPSA events and his belt appeared to be an "outer" belt, also the type popular at USPSA matches. It would be helpful to demonstrate and use proper equipment. "Rick" appeared to be using proper magazine and belt, his holster was not visible during this video.
Even having a range bag near a safe table/area is a Really Bad idea ! The only thing placed on the table should be the gun. It's just another opportunity to slip and dig ammo or mags out of the bag. Should be no Clutter on said table, plus a couple of bags on the table just makes others wait longer to use the area.
Following IDPA rules, I can only have 2 "full" magazines in pouches on my belt. If at some time during a stage,I need to tac reload and somehow need those remaining rounds to finish the stage( no matter how how remote), it would be better to reload that last partial from your pouch where you train from,and not the bottom of a pocket that has lint and who knows what ever else in it. If you don't check ever mag before a stage, sounds like shooter error to me.
+Tec 9 With a Match Director's OK, it could be used in the Not For Competition division. You'd still need a legal holster - something of a problem? - but just about any "handgun" could be legal for NFC. I've shot my .30 Luger in NFC, when normally the .30 cartridge wouldn't be legal in other divisions. Rick
Going to my first idpa match in a couple weeks. All the rules make me nervous like I'm going to do something natural and almost automatic and get kicked out. I understand safety and I'm a safety nazi but it almost sounds like going to somewhere anti-gun. If you can't handle a gun or carry a gun ON A GUN RANGE then apparently it's not safe to carry a gun anywhere, any time. Can't be safe and unsafe at the same time.
If you are referring to the "cold range" concept, meaning you are loaded only when it's your turn to shoot, there are clubs that run a "hot range", where everyone is loaded all the time. Others, a "warm range", in which everyone is loaded while in a shooting bay, but unloaded in the clubhouse, parking lot, etc. All are IDPA-legal options. Rick
Yeah I understand that. And I know it's not your fault and I'm not saying it is. I was just making the comment. It seems hypocritical to me for a gun range where I'd assume the vast majority or all the members are pro-gun and pro-concealed carry to not allow carrying concealed, on a gun range no less. It could also be bad PR if some anti-gun nut found out about this. They could use the argument why let people who we don't know carry concealed anywhere when a gun club where most of the members know each other doesn't allow concealed carry ON THE GUN RANGE. Pretty ironic. They would have a very good point. If a gun club can't support its members carrying concealed, they probably shouldn't be in favor of anyone carrying concealed. It makes gun clubs, shooters and people who do carry concealed like I do on a daily basis look like hypocrites. They should be consistent, for or against concealed carry, period. The club I'm (maybe) going to shoot at is a cold range and I'm seriously having second thoughts if I want to be affiliated with an anti-concealed carry organization. I think the IDPA should drop affiliation with such clubs as well. Unless I'm really missing something here. Maybe someone can convince me otherwise and I kinda hope so lol.
Carrying concealed doesn't mean you're handling your firearm. We had too many people showing off their loaded firearms behind the firing lines. Once you learn that the club is a cold range it's easier to simply show up at the club with an unloaded firearm. Unfortunately, we had a group arrive from a competing club and one of their members shot a hole in the trunk of their car. Luckily the round also hit his AR-15 which stopped the bullet from doing more damage to the gas tank or electronics. Also lucky no one was killed or maimed. I'll also try the short answer. We invite the public to our matches and unfortunately we have had some real "unusual" characters participate. Some I wouldn't trust with a staple gun.
I just joined a range that is a cold range. At first I was very put off by it, as my previous range had no such rules. After attending my range orientation and some action shooting classes I have no problem with it. It's not they are anti concealed carry or anti anything. What they are is PRO SAFETY. This keeps any of the above mentioned situations from being even a remote possibility. The club I joined is a cold range, however, you ARE allowed to carry concealed provided it stays concealed.
Just shot my first IDPA practice, 2 days ago. Wish I had watched this first. No dq, no non threats, and no pe, or fe. Was too fast on the The first course, and got +25. Second one, I was less jittery, and was only +6. I think this might become an addiction.
After you've shot a few matches, you'll realize that you really have to pay close attention to only a handful of rules. Safety, always, but following the stage procedure, engaging the correct target, and using proper cover while doing so, covers about 90% of it. Don't move with an empty gun, reload when it's empty, and have fun. Rick
Good information, however, you really need to work on your presentation. There was far too much verbal fluff and physical hand waving. Be more succinct, no need to belabor your points.
