New to competition shooting

I am wanting to get into the sport. I do not have much capital to start. What I have is a stock glock 19 and a Mossberg 590a1 with ghost ring sights. I had these prior to the interest. What are my options to start shooting? Going out and buying a new pistol and shotgun is not an option at this time.

So, so many variables in types of competitions. (And welcome to the show...)

You can stand still and shoot pistols one-handed in Bullseye. You can have super-whammo-dyne pistol shoots where custom "space guns" rule. There is IDPA with standard carry guns and gear with some dynamic movement.

Three gun is the tacticool "run and gun" stuff with rifle, shotgun, and pistols.

Depends what you want to start with. Before you start dumping cash into gear, show up to watch a match or three and talk to the folks to see what you really ought to have.

Have fun and good luck.

Look into GSSF with your G19. Good place to dip your toes into the competition world.
IDPA and USPSA are even better. Once you get a taste you will be addicted!

Can I do uspa shoots with just a pistol or is it all 3 gun? There is a uspa and idpa here in st marys county I think, and I am looking at jobs in Florida and I know there is both down there. But in mean time yeah. I appreciate the replies, thank you

There's definitely both uspsa and idpa down here. Idpa is cheaper to start with your g19. You would need more magazines and pouches in uspsa.

If you're in St Mary's, try the bowling pin shoot first. You can use a case or bag for the gun between strings, and leave spare magazines on the table. I think it's next Saturday.

Edit: pin match is tomorrow. Try it anyway if you can. Tell Kevin that you're new and he'll take care of you.

USPSA is an umbrella governing body. They own Steel Challenge too. Most "USPSA" matches are pistol only. IDPA can be fun depending on the club. I soured on it many years ago (its a long story) but if you have a good club, it may work for you. I prefer "outlaw" defensive matches that operate without the IDPA rulebook. Steel Challenge is about as basic as pistol games come in terms of gear. Show up with a pistol, a holster, a bunch of mags (two to three is really the bare minimum with a double stacker like your glock), and a pile of ammo. Same course of fire anywhere you go. Falling steel matches are like shooting galleries for big kids. PNTC in west virginia would be a heck of a drive for you but their supersteel matches are a lot of fun. You can even shoot the AM session with your handgun and the PM with your shotgun if you like. That's what a lot of three gunners do for shotgun loading and speed practice.

Welcome to the board and the competitive games.

kudo's for giving this a go! do you have a holster and mag pouches for the glock? how many mags? roughly where do you live?

not too many pistol/shotgun matches, you'd need a rifle (AR-15 or so) to do 3 gun. best bet is starting with a handgun-only match, such as uspsa or idpa. also check out peacemaker (www.peacemakernational.com). they do a variety of handgun only matches, including supersteel (run around and shoot falling steel), kahr defensive (run around and shoot steel and cardboard targets), steel challenge (mostly stand still and shoot arrays of plates).

hit the idpa and uspsa websites, and also www.practiscore.com which lists all sorts of matches, you can search by location.

what are you doing tomorrow? i'm doing the supersteel match in the morning at peacemaker. you could come out and watch and i can walk you thru everything.

edit - holy crap while i was typing, albeit distracted, four something replies above!

I am running errands tommorow but I'll look for the next bowling pin shoot. Thanks

I wish they just had a category called john wick wanna be and then when you acquire sufficient gear and skills you graduate to john wick apprentice, john wick journeyman, john wick substitute and then compete for the actual title of john wick.

BigT5g said:

Look into GSSF with your G19. Good place to dip your toes into the competition world.
IDPA and USPSA are even better. Once you get a taste you will be addicted!

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Are those good for me also with a S&W M&P 9MM?

bigmanindc said:

Are those good for me also with a S&W M&P 9MM?

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For IDPA and USPSA good to go. But for GSSF you must shoot Glock

tnraines said:

I live in st marys county, lexington park area. Far as tommorow running some errands howecer WV is bit far for spir of the moment.

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gotcha. i'm doing uspsa tomorrow (sunday) at thurmont above frederick. prob too far also, but you're welcome to spectate and hook up with me and i'll go over everything. the following sunday i'm doing 2 gun there and the offer stands for that also.

but check out southern maryland practical shooters, they put on a variety of fun matches. they are likewise a little far for me but i have shot a few matches there from time to time.

bigmanindc said:

Are those good for me also with a S&W M&P 9MM?

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glocks, M&Ps, and the like are very popular in both uspsa and idpa. basically, if you have a gun that works, and a decent holster and 2-4 mag pouches and 3-5 mags, just hit a match and they'll let you know the best division for you and your gear.

davsco said:

glocks, M&Ps, and the like are very popular in both uspsa and idpa. basically, if you have a gun that works, and a decent holster and 2-4 mag pouches and 3-5 mags, just hit a match and they'll let you know the best division for you and your gear.

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Suggestions for a holster?

bigmanindc said:

Suggestions for a holster?

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Without sounding like a smartypants, something the firearm will work from. It should be firmly retained, especially if it is a run and gun course, yet allow for a smooth draw. Some groups may officially or unofficially frown on certain types or manufacturers. The best way to know is to look at the governing body's rule books online and then show up to a match to see what go/no-go looks like. Then buy one.


For practicing draws, I will humbly suggest designating a room in your house as "dry." No ammo in there, ever. Never ever. Follow the other rules regarding safe direction and knowing what is on the other side of the walls...just in case. Negligent discharges are much like gear up landings, 'you have either done it or you will do it.' Fortunately I haven't done either one yet.

Nanook said:

Without sounding like a smartypants, something the firearm will work from. It should be firmly retained, especially if it is a run and gun course, yet allow for a smooth draw. Some groups may officially or unofficially frown on certain types or manufacturers. The best way to know is to look at the governing body's rule books online and then show up to a match to see what go/no-go looks like. Then buy one.


For practicing draws, I will humbly suggest designating a room in your house as "dry." No ammo in there, ever. Never ever. Follow the other rules regarding safe direction and knowing what is on the other side of the walls...just in case. Negligent discharges are much like gear up landings, 'you have either done it or you will do it.' Fortunately I haven't done either one yet.

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So no specific suggestions?

bigmanindc said:

Suggestions for a holster?

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I'll chime in as a someone who (though having shot many, many Cowboy Action events) has a grand total of ONE new-fangled USPSA (Steel Challenge) event under my belt, now.

My first instinct was to shoot with what I carry, and to shoot from holster that I actually wear. But the truth is: early on in your participation in these sorts of things is not the time to treat them like practical training for real-life defensive shooting from a normal carry rig. I carry IWB, and that's just not sane for the number of times your gun will be in and out of your holster even at a simple Steel Challenge game. It's a game! Like all sports, it's a specialized activity, even you don't hit it with super-specialized equipment. So...

Unless you're going to show up with a tricked-out race gun with a larger frame and a fancy-pants holster to match, just get yourself a strong-hand-side external kydex holster with adjustable tension. It's gotta cover the trigger guard, as any good holster would. You don't want one that's designed for concealment, because those hug the gun up tight and close, which makes continually drawing and re-holstering a more fiddly process. Avoid a holster with a mechanical release, thumb break or other device that adds complexity - just get something that you can make a bit tighter or looser with a screwdriver.

You'll see people (pretty much all of them) wearing secondary gunbelts loaded up with mag pouches and being a permanent home to their game holster. Haven't decided what I want along those lines, so I just stuck with the minor annoyance of threading my normal heavy leather holds-my-pants-up gun belt through a holster and some slide-on mag pouches. Sure sign of a noob! But of course it worked just fine, and nobody laughed. That's the main thing: nobody's going to laugh! It's all about SAFETY. As long as you draw and reholster without fumbling and breaking the 180 rule (or shooting yourself in the foot) you're good.

I decided to shoot with my trusty Beretta 92, and used a Safari Land kydex holster I happened to have around. It came with a paddle (to easily tuck) as well as a belt-slotted mount. I opted for the belt slots, for comfort and stability. If you buy a holster with an adjustable cant, set it up to keep your pistol straight up and down. Avoid a fixed-cant holster that tilts the gun with the muzzle towards the rear ... those will greatly increase the odds of you breaking the 180 rule.

There! A non-expert noob's takeaway from getting started on this stuff. Keep it simple until you've seen enough to evolve a more specialized (and expensive) approach. As long as you're safe, you'll have fun.

bigmanindc said:

So no specific suggestions?

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... show up to a match to see what go/no-go looks like. Then buy one.

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Perhaps I should have bolded that bit there.

IDPA, USPSA