What Happened?

[garryc]

Not going to happen unless they allow late registration. The closest range that does IDPA is 50 minutes away and the match starts at 1pm Sundays. No way I can get from church to the match in that kind of time.

Do they typically allow late registration, say 45 minutes after starting time?

 

[g.willikers]

You can still do the stages from the matches, even if you can't attend the match.
Most clubs and major matches publish the courses of fire on their web sites.
Download them, set up the ones you can and run them.
Like having a postal match with everyone you can't actually be with.

Most clubs allow for folks to dribble in for awhile.
Usually they will form late comers into their own squad.
Or maybe let them jump from squad to squad, in order for them to be able to do all the stages.
45 minutes late probably won't be a problem.
Best to ask those running the match, though.
Some folks are more persnickety about it than others.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Depends on the club. The problem with coming late is that folks take down the stages. I don't think that many will wait 45 minutes for late comers in a special squad.

Our matches start in the morning. There are some on Saturdays and Sunday.

 

[g.willikers]

Yeah, range space has a lot to do with it.
If the stages have to be changed, like before and after lunch, there's just no way to accommodate late comers.
If there's sufficient ranges to allow all the stages to stay up all day, then there's more chance that arriving late will be ok.
Depends.

 

[tedbeau]

to gary c, have you checked for another club that is closer, or has matches on Saturdays, or during the evening during the week?

My club has outdoor matches once a month on Saturdays but they have "Practice" every Wednesday night. The practice is usually two or three runs thru two different stages so you get several attempts to improve your score and shoot enough to make the drive worth while.

We shoot per IDPA rules, but the session is called defensive pistol practice. The members are friendly and welcome new comers. If they don't' have the proper gear we allow them to start from low ready and shoot without concealment. The important thing is to make them feel welcome so they keep coming back.

For the most part I think most competitors are not prima-donnas, even those that I have talked to on the "Super-squads".

I'll never be an "Expert" ranking probably, but I just enjoy the camaraderie and the fun of shooting. I shoot my EDC gun (Glock 27).

Maybe someday I'll consider buying a match gun, but for now I'm having fun improving my own skill set.

 

[garryc]

I have.

Now the question is Mags. I shoot a 40 XD tactical from a serpa level 2 holster. Mags are 12 rounds, How many should I figure on needing?

 

[g.willikers]

IDPA rules allow only three mags.
One in the gun and two more, all loaded to ten rounds each, for a total of 30 rounds.
With a maximum stage round count of 18, it's plenty.
USPSA has no limits for either the stage round count or the number of mags allowed.
The longest stage I've encountered was 35 rounds.
Other games have other requirements, of course.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

It is good to have 4 mags if shooting something like a 1911 in IDPA.

The fourth mag is used to load one round and then a full mag is inserted. It is also useful if you only have 10 rounds mags in a division that uses such.

It avoids having to add a round to a mag with one round down.

No offense, but some clubs are not OK with Serpas due to NDs with them. YMMV.

 

[garryc]

I can always use the holster that came with the gun