Competition Pistol Choices

[wb3jma]

Found I'm recently happy with just my SA-35 and S&W Equalizer and thinking of subsidizing a purchase of a competition pistol by selling my Ruger American Compact and or CZ 75B.

Choices are
CZ SP-01 Shadow Competition
CZ Shadow 2
Cankik SFX Rival-S
Walther Q5 Match 2
Glock 34 Gen 5
RIA Pro Ultra Match HC
CZ P10-F Competition

Strongly leaning to another CZ if I dump the current one.

Any thoughts?
Let me know if you have any of these I might try shooting.

 

[davsco]

what kind of competition(s)?

go to a uspsa (or idpa, steel challenge, etc) match and see what folks are using. most will let you fondle their guns and even shoot after the match if the venue allows that.

uspsa and i think idpa have annual 'equipment surveys' that spell out the favorite guns used.

when selecting a gun also check out what's available in aftermarket support and accessories (holster, mag pouches, trigger and sight upgrades etc).

 

[wb3jma]

added a Glock in as well.

 

[wb3jma]

what kind of competition(s)?

go to a uspsa (or idpa, steel challenge, etc) match and see what folks are using. most will let you fondle their guns and even shoot after the match if the venue allows that.

uspsa and i think idpa have annual 'equipment surveys' that spell out the favorite guns used.

when selecting a gun also check out what's available in aftermarket support and accessories (holster, mag pouches, trigger and sight upgrades etc).

Had not as of yet considered competing outright as I need considerable more practice, there is a production division isn't there?

 

[hogarth]

Had not as of yet considered competing outright as I need considerable more practice, there is a production division isn't there?

If that's your current situation......then the gun doesn't matter. Go out and shoot some matches and THEN decide.

 

[Roksfr]

I have been really impressed with my Canik Rival, especially for the price. I was skeptical at first, but after 1,000 rounds I have become a believer.

 

[gwchem]

Buy a holster for your 75b and go shoot uspsa and idpa for a year. The gun fits just fine into multiple divisions, and definitely won't be what's holding you back.

 

[4g64loser]

If that's your current situation......then the gun doesn't matter. Go out and shoot some matches and THEN decide.

Buy a holster for your 75b and go shoot uspsa and idpa for a year. The gun fits just fine into multiple divisions, and definitely won't be what's holding you back.

These.

I can shoot a glock 19 or 34 or run a stock cz75 and it will not be the gun that slows you down in normal matches.

The bigger matches (or where the MD puts a lot of circus shots in) you will find that the sights are your limiting factor more than the weapon type.

I suggest shooting outlaw matches. More fun, less rules.

 

[smokey]

Why are you competing and in what competition? Those need to be figured out first. For example, I really just compete to shake out my carry stuff and figure out where my skill gaps are. I don't compete for the purpose of winning. So the last time I shot steel, I went with my little g43x.


I still managed to end up competitive with the other shooters, but that wasn't my goal.

Each type of competition also has classes. My g43x was in the open class because of the red dot. The year before I did stock auto with my m&p45 because, well that's my nightstand gun and I again wanted to shake it out.


Each class and competition(ipsc, idpa, 3gun, falling steel, bullseye..etc) has their own rules if you're looking to compete for the gaming aspect of it. Many even compete with revolvers for the challenge.

All the guns listed are decent. Try to get trigger time on them all and see which naturally shoot the best for you. Also look at the aftermarket to see which have the holsters and such that you're interested in.

 

[Bountied]

Glock 34 Gen4.

 

[teratos]

H&K VP9L

(sorry, MDS tradition to name a gun the OP didn't list)

 

[Magnumite]

Of the pistols listed by OP, I would go with the Shadow 2.

Good advise in this thread. Nothing better than competition to really wring out pistol, ammo, gear…and making the shooter keen.

Others have said to shoot others’ pistols when you can. Sage advise. Good idea to shoot your standard pistol in the competition first. Also, it would behoove the OP to find a range which rents pistols. Shoot a hundred rounds or at least a box of 50. Real feel for a pistol is not always possible with just a mag or two. Shoot the parent pistol of the competition model you are considering. In other words, you probably won’t find a Shadow 2 to rent but the parent model P series pistol may be available.

On the Glock suggestion…popular enough pistol, good aftermarket support. Shoot it. Some find the grip angle and other ergonomics undesirable. Sime like those attributes.

 

[erwos]

Found I'm recently happy with just my SA-35 and S&W Equalizer and thinking of subsidizing a purchase of a competition pistol by selling my Ruger American Compact and or CZ 75B.

I first started shooting IDPA and USPSA with a bone stock Glock 17 gen3, because that's what I had. I don't regret it at all, and frankly would still be perfectly fine shooting one if I had to. Go shoot your CZ-75B first. If you absolutely must spend money, get a pair of quality fiber optic sights on it.

 

[wb3jma]

I have been really impressed with my Canik Rival, especially for the price. I was skeptical at first, but after 1,000 rounds I have become a believer.

Canik seems to be an up and coming company and people seem only to sing its praises and the S version of the Rival is extremely affordable and comes with all kinds of extras.

 

[wb3jma]

This is all good advice wish there was a nearby range that offered steel. Would like to work at practical accuracy with faster shots rather than pure target accuracy.

 

[erwos]

This is all good advice wish there was a nearby range that offered steel. Would like to work at practical accuracy with faster shots rather than pure target accuracy.

AGC is your best bet... looks like an hour's drive, which isn't crazy as these things go.

 

[smokey]

Canik seems to be an up and coming company and people seem only to sing its praises and the S version of the Rival is extremely affordable and comes with all kinds of extras.

They basically built their name on ripping off walther's p99. I LOOOOVE my(now wife's) p99as. It's extremely accurate and reliable. The only thing I've hated is the lack of aftermarket support.

 

[Magnumite]

This is all good advice wish there was a nearby range that offered steel. Would like to work at practical accuracy with faster shots rather than pure target accuracy.

Use 2 to 4 paper dessert plates (4” to 6” diameter) stapled to your brown cardboard target in different arrays if all you have access to is in door range. What makes the difference is transitioning to different targets. Just be conscious of where the bullets will hit relative to backstop and walls.

 

[smokey]

Use 2 to 4 paper dessert plates (4” to 6” diameter) stapled to your brown cardboard target in different arrays if all you have access to is in door range. What makes the difference is transitioning to different targets. Just be conscious of where the bullets will hit relative to backstop and walls.

3x5 cards are also pretty awesome for cheap drill targets.

 

[sajidakh]

Just an additional caveat. Determine why you're competition shooting and understand it can change later. I started like most, just to practice with my defensive pieces. Once I started getting comfortable and placing in top 10 for my class I really started getting into the gaming side. Now I have a custom 1911 with a 9mm and 40 smith and wesson complete custom slides and barrel made by cosaint arms that I change up depending if I'm shooting USPSA or IDPA. To compete in upper levels at USPSA you pretty much have to default to a .40 as the hit factors give a pretty sizeable advantage to the higher level calibers. The next level would be to handload your own competition ammo specific to your caliber and gun. But then again it's what you want. And generally the better you get. The better you want to get....it's a dangerous and expensive road.