Any tips for a first-time IDPA steel target shooter?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • tallen702

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 3, 2012
    5,102
    In the boonies of MoCo
    I have a good friend (former paintball team member) who lives close to the Tactical Defense Institute training center in Ohio and he invited some of us former paintballers to join him for an upcoming event there.

    It's the 2023 Buckey Blast on March 26th which is hosted at TDI by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation (Ohio's version of the various Citizens Defense Leagues out there).

    If you click on the above link, it'll give you all the details, but in short, it's a friendly (not truly competitive) day of defensive shooting scenarios in IDPA-style setups using steel targets instead of paper and pasties. Apparently, there will also be a stationary vehicle shoot, and my buddies who have gone before said that they even do room clearing and have done home invasion exercises with legal experts on hand to tell you what you did right, and what you did wrong, (eg. should you try to de-escalate? Retreat? Go on the offensive? etc.)

    Outside of the normal practice like drawing from a holster, dry firing, mag changes, etc. are there any tips anyone has to help a complete noob out? I've never shot anything like this before, only stationary targets at a regular range.

    Thanks in advance!
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,737
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I have a good friend (former paintball team member) who lives close to the Tactical Defense Institute training center in Ohio and he invited some of us former paintballers to join him for an upcoming event there.

    It's the 2023 Buckey Blast on March 26th which is hosted at TDI by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation (Ohio's version of the various Citizens Defense Leagues out there).

    If you click on the above link, it'll give you all the details, but in short, it's a friendly (not truly competitive) day of defensive shooting scenarios in IDPA-style setups using steel targets instead of paper and pasties. Apparently, there will also be a stationary vehicle shoot, and my buddies who have gone before said that they even do room clearing and have done home invasion exercises with legal experts on hand to tell you what you did right, and what you did wrong, (eg. should you try to de-escalate? Retreat? Go on the offensive? etc.)

    Outside of the normal practice like drawing from a holster, dry firing, mag changes, etc. are there any tips anyone has to help a complete noob out? I've never shot anything like this before, only stationary targets at a regular range.

    Thanks in advance!
    1. Don't anticipate anything. Let the SO give you the commands and you follow them. This is especially important when you are finished shooting. When finished stop shooting and keep the gun pointed down range. The SO will tell you to unload and show clear. Remove and pocket the magazine FIRST before you rack the slide. Insure you roll the gun so he can see the chamber.

    2. Do everything slow your first couple of times. There is no pressure but that which you put on yourself. Take your time and enjoy the shooting. Speed will come with practice.

    3. Take at least 4 mags if you have them. If you like, and plan to continue shooting IDPA, buy at least 10 mags for the gun you are going to use.

    Shoot safe and have fun.
     

    tallen702

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 3, 2012
    5,102
    In the boonies of MoCo
    I think you also have to draw from under a garment like a vest or sweatshirt. Look into that and pick accordingly.
    I'll definitely look into that. I know that you can choose IWB or OWB at will, but don't have much more detail than that at the moment. Since this is more of an informative defensive pistol class, I would suspect it's best to wear what I'd normally be wearing when carrying so that I can learn from the experience.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    3. Take at least 4 mags if you have them. If you like, and plan to continue shooting IDPA, buy at least 10 mags for the gun you are going to use.
    You need a max of three mags in IDPA, unless you're shooting BUG, CDP, or REVO, in which case it's four. Ten mags is total overkill. You will have time to reload your 18 rounds after you're done shooting. I typically bring 4-6 to a match and find that to be plenty.

    Going to all steel targets sounds like kind of an odd change for IDPA-style shooting. The minimum safe distance to a pistol steel target is ten yards. A lot of IDPA stages, in my experience, include targets considerably closer than that, right up to arms-length retention-style targets. Removing those will degrade the experience considerably, not to mention that unless they're all A-zone sized, you're not going to have proper accuracy penalties (ie, USPSA-style shooting will dominate).

    Of course, if this match is just "IDPA-style" and not really using the rules outside of scoring, all bets are off. And, if it's all steel, it has to be IDPA-style and not IDPA, because they're violating rules 6.5.7 and 6.5.8.
     

    RRomig

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 30, 2021
    1,924
    Burtonsville MD
    With this being steel and basically no reset it should flow very well. With no target repair there shouldn’t be much work to do so you’ll have time to reload mags. I agree with John though normally I take a lot of preloaded mags. Too many people reloading mags during a stage and you run out of workers. Unfortunately many people are oblivious to this.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    Go slow. Ask questions. Follow the SO commands.

    Bring plenty of ammo and extra mags, if you have them. Have good eye protection.

    Depending on when you are going and where the shoot will take place, you may want a ballcap, sunscreen, bug spray, foot/hand warmers. Small cooler for drinks, thermos for hot drinks. Comfortable footwear.

    Double check that you have all of your gear before you leave. Then, check again. If you are driving with people, ask them if they have everything.

    Go slow, have fun. Be safe.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    You need a max of three mags in IDPA, unless you're shooting BUG, CDP, or REVO, in which case it's four. Ten mags is total overkill. You will have time to reload your 18 rounds after you're done shooting. I typically bring 4-6 to a match and find that to be plenty.

    Going to all steel targets sounds like kind of an odd change for IDPA-style shooting. The minimum safe distance to a pistol steel target is ten yards. A lot of IDPA stages, in my experience, include targets considerably closer than that, right up to arms-length retention-style targets. Removing those will degrade the experience considerably, not to mention that unless they're all A-zone sized, you're not going to have proper accuracy penalties (ie, USPSA-style shooting will dominate).

    Of course, if this match is just "IDPA-style" and not really using the rules outside of scoring, all bets are off. And, if it's all steel, it has to be IDPA-style and not IDPA, because they're violating rules 6.5.7 and 6.5.8.
    They could be using frangible ammo. Like at Sig Academy (indoor).
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    Not what the gear list says in this case.
    Neither did Sig Academy when my friend went. And then he showed up and had to either exchange his ammo for their frangible, or buy their frangible. He was not thrilled.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    TDI has an outdoor facility , so there's that .

    Clicked the link , and they did indeed write " IDPA- Style " . But I have the impression what they really mean is " action type shooting with emphasis upon real world gear and real world scenarios rather than Gamers " , vs actual orthodox IDPA sanctioned rules .
     

    tallen702

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 3, 2012
    5,102
    In the boonies of MoCo
    Well, yesterday was the TDI event, and here's the AAR:

    ~60 spots were open and all 60 were filled, so we were assigned 10-person squads for the event. There were 6 stages to the event with some "stages" having multiple courses of fire. Everyone rotated through each stage once with a lunch break between everyone's 3rd and 4th stages of the day.

    ~Stage 1 for me was an active shooter and wound attention drill. A TDI employee who trains educational staff for the FASTER Saves Lives program walked us through the proper application of a C.A.T. tourniquet while we practiced on ourselves. Once we were sufficiently competent with applying the tourniquet properly, we proceeded to the live-fire drill. We were walked one at a time into the shoot house where we made ready and confronted a shooter (a paper target on a stand). The stage judge would then yell "Gun, gun!" as they started the timer. We had to draw, fire a shot that hit the heart (and continue to fire until we did so if you didn't get it on the first try), holster, and apply the tourniquet to the upper arm of the weak-side hand without using our weak-side hand/arm to help. The whole scenario, from start to finish, had a goal of 30 seconds or less. You were penalized for anything over 45 seconds and were penalized if your pulse could still be felt after the tourniquet application.

    ~Stage 2 was a house-clearing exercise with SIRT pistols. All of us did it wrong, but that's what we were there to learn about. Got a lot of good tips from the trainers on how to stay safer and "use our space" in better ways. When others were clearing the house, the rest of us shot at plate racks. Got some good pointers there as well.

    ~Stage 3 was the first "scenario" stage with more complex courses of fire. The first one was a seated scenario where you had to draw from a concealed position on the table and engage targets based on what color card you flipped over. This was timed. Two shots per target. Deductions for hitting the wrong color target or an innocent bystander. The second scenario was firing 12 shots at 6 targets. First was double-handed at the two center steel targets, then the two targets on your strong side with your strong hand only, then the two targets on your weak side with your weak hand only. I cleared this one perfectly. The red dot really helped on the weak side shooting.

    Lunch was next and boy was it good! Pulled pork BBQ, baked ziti, green beans with bacon, slaw, pasta salad, tossed salad, and some fantastic brownies. All you cared to eat. The entry fee was worth it for the food alone!

    ~Stage 4 was another IDPA-style scenario setup. The first had you engage 6 steel targets with two hits on each from small "port holes" at varying levels. The issue I had here was the steel. It didn't ring very well and after the first couple of shooters, it was difficult to see if you had hit the target or not. Our instructor for the stage didn't call out hits either. It was frustrating and I shot several targets more than I needed to according to my friends. The second scenario was a "hostage" scenario where you had to hit a small hostage-taker steel swinging (flips from one side of the hostage to the other when you hit it), then get two hits on the 3 steel targets to the right, then hit the hostage taker at the end of the line (same swinging plate setup) and lastly engage a far steel target with 5 shots. I nailed the first hostage taker with no problem, moved while firing on the subsequent 3 plates, then ran into a little trouble with the second hostage taker. I dinged the hostage with the first shot, but hey, no hostage, no hostage situation, right?

    ~Stage 5 was a "classroom" type stage with SIRT pistols and a truck. We went over things to think about with carrying in a vehicle. Good info, including the instructor stating that the dashboard magnets are a big no-no because if you wreck, or get out of your car, your gun will be MIA when you need it. He said to always carry on your person. It may not be comfortable, but it puts your weapon where it should be, on YOU. Also, if you can escape in your vehicle, or engage the thread with your vehicle, do that instead of shooting. Always bring a car to a gunfight.

    ~Stage 6, the last stage of the day, was the OPOTA (Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy) qualification. We line up and ran through the actual qualification course. We were scored and it actually counted as an OPOTA qualification, so anyone who needed to qualify, and passed, got that signed off by the instructor. I had two line breaks that knocked me down two points from a perfect score, but I qualified. Once we got pictures of our signed, certified targets, we then ran a lot of tap-rack and reload drills.

    It was an awesome event and I highly recommend it to anyone willing to make the drive. They do it once a year (always in the spring) and all the proceeds benefit the Buckeye Firearms Association.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,940
    Messages
    7,259,685
    Members
    33,350
    Latest member
    Rotorboater

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom