USPSA Firearm Choice

[jackstrawIII]

Hey everyone, would love your thoughts.

I'm just getting into USPSA and intend to compete in the Production division. I have a CZ P01 that I love and will be competing with to start... until I decide what I really want to compete with and then I'll buy that.

That's what my question is about.

I'm very familiar with the CZ 75 pattern and originally assumed that I would get a Shadow 2 as my "competition gun"... however, the more I think about it, it doesn't make sense to handicap myself with a double action first shot on every string if I don't have to. Would I be better off going with a Sig 320X or Wather PPQ or something (not gunna be a Glock) so that I avoid having to double action the first shot?

Or am I over-thinking this?

Thanks.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have a few miles on a CZ75 and a P226, the DA/SA crunch/tick is learnable.
Ernest Langdon's "Fear Not the Double Action Shot" is worth reading and viewing.

But these days I would pick up my Burwell tuned Plastic M&P and in new guns would look hard at a Walther Q5 Match. I think I'd prefer the base model, but heavy guns are gaining ground and the SF I got to shoot at a range demo day was very nice.

 

[zincwarrior]

I'd think hard about a CZ given you already have one.

What is your budget?
1. Try the base models out at the range. Sig 320 / M17 and Walther PPQ M2 (this assumes you can't rent the X5 / Q5.

2. Both have good competition versions. Both came out this year with heavy weight versions that can be used for production (Legion, Q5 Steel Frame). My new tungsten grip makes my X5 exactly 41.9 ounces heh heh(max is 42).

3. Also look at HKs. I am not as familiar with them but they are excellent pistols.

4. M&P, Glock and XDM make good base competition pistols to tweek to taste. However as #2 notes, Sig and Walther stepped up their weight to equal the CZ guys and frankly weights matter. Having said that I would not be surprised if these come out with tungsten grips in the next year (assuming no election year freakout).

Edit; first time I heard of a fellow Burwell M&P guy. After a few thousand rounds my trigger was 2.5lb.

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...decide what I really want to compete with..." Look at the IPSC game rules and decide what part of the game you want to play first. There are currently 5 divisions within IPSC each with different rules.
Then there's how much money you want to spend getting the pistol ready(trigger job etc) for gaming(none of the shooting games are the least bit 'practical'. They're shooting games and nothing else.)
"...over-thinking this?..." Kind of. Think in terms of having fun. Probably be best to go to a few matches and look around at what kit the others use.

 

[74A95]

If you stay in Production division, the first shot has to be double action.


https://uspsa.org/documents/rules/2019_USPSA_Competition_Rules.pdf

"Special conditions:
1. Only Double Action, Double Action/Single Action, and Safe Action/Striker Fired handguns are allowed, and must be on the approved list. When in the ready conditions as specified under 8.1, a gun with an external hammer must be hammer down. A hammer is considered to be in the "hammer down" position when the hammer is placed there by pulling the trigger while manually lowering the hammer (manually decocking) or by activating the decocking lever if present. Manually decocking to the half-cocked position is not allowed and will result in the competitor being moved to Open division."

 

[Jim Watson]

74, striker fired consistent trigger pull guns like Glock and Q5 are allowed... and on the approved list. CZ shooters are accustomed to manually lowering their hammers.

TO, we shoot USPSA in New York and points south.
Connection to IPSC is a polite fiction.

 

[74A95]

74, striker fired consistent trigger pull guns like Glock and Q5 are allowed... and on the approved list. CZ shooters are accustomed to manually lowering their hammers.

I know, and it says so in the first sentence of the text i quoted, but he was talking about going to a single action gun to get around the first shot double action. He could use that gun in limited (scored minor if 9mm). I shot USPSA for a decade, and in all divisions.

 

[Jim Watson]

Well, he can't do that.

There are a lot of recommendations to shoot whatever wondernine or plastic fantastic in Limited Minor so the new guy doesn't have to think too hard about reloading.
Production has become a specialist's game with many trick guns and custom modifications allowed.