So I’ve decided I want to try out some competitive shooting. Just for fun. Watching some YouTube videos a lot of the 2 gun games look like that would be pretty cool.
I think 2 gun would be better for me being that I don’t have a semi auto shotgun. Just a short barrel Rem 870 that I’m not very proficient with and never use.
Where do I start? What do I need? I’m pretty sure I have the basics. Good rifles, magnified and red dot optics, good stock of mags and ammo. Good pistols and holsters. Mag carriers and all that.
I did some googling and didn’t really find something that didnt seem writen by someone not selling specific gear.
Lastly if someone knows of anything around Charlotte I’d be grateful for the tip.
Call your local ranges and ask if they do any action matches.
What equipment you need/want will vary. Go minimal in the beginning. Most local matches don’t require more than a holster or case.
Practice failure drills, muzzle discipline, finger discipline and reloading.
On day of match:
*Wake up early enough to have time for the nervous poops.
*Arrive early and let match director know you are new.
*When you’re up, Slow down! You’re not winning your first match. Prove to the people watching you that you handle a firearm safely. Take your time, even walk during a stage, constantly being aware of your muzzle and finger.
*Watch other shooters, see what equipment they have and ask questions. Nobody minds a safe new guy.
*Help reset targets and any other way you can.
Do all this and you’ll have a good time, learn a few things and even get invited back.
I strongly recommend shooting a few pistol matches before trying any kind of multigun. Look for a USPSA club and get in touch with the match director. I advise new competitors to shoot Limited, which allows you to pretty much run any gun with iron sights and fill your magazines to full capacity. A safe holster, three mags and two mag pouches and you’re good to go. Be prepared to get hooked.
Find a match, bring your gear, and shoot it. Take your time, and be safe. While your heart will probably be thumping pretty hard waiting for that first starting buzzer, odds are when the match is done you will have made some new friends and had a great time.
I think starting with a pistol match would be smart to get my feet wet. I’ll look around Charlotte and see what I can find. Do these type of things tend to run year round or just the summer monthes?
Going to to basically jump off on what everyone else is saying and say just find a match and go shoot it. More or less how I started off shooting. Just be warned if you want to get competitive you are going to spend some money. Seriously we have joked about when we started off shooting competition that instead of asking if we wanted to shoot the coach should have asked if we wanted to spend 10K. But then over a decade later, many wins, state titles, and several guns later I don’t quite complain much, lol.
But, again, go to the shoots, chances are if you are missing something there is someone there who is more than willing to lend you what you need to shoot. In my experience I have been to exact ONE shoot that when I asked questions not only did I get my answer I got an entire break down of everything, in so much detail that I could not digest it, and I know I am just as bad with new shooters as well, even while handing them a gun, and telling them, or trying to, what to do. Most shooting sports are very open to new shooters, and it is rare that you don’t see it. But again, the biggest thing is go and try it.
Just go with what you have until you figure out what you need and like. At first you just need to start getting used to the particulars of the game so gear isn’t as important. Put a holster and a few mag pouches on your belt, and then observe what others are using. Most people are willing to share their experiences with their own gear and will likely let you try it out.
I use Bladetech or Comp-tac holsters and mag pouches. If you’re getting more into USPSA than IDPA, the gear needs can be different, e.g. mag pouches that allow rotation, dropped and offset holsters, etc. So go get your feet wet so you’ll have a better idea of what kind of gear will work for you.
After doing a lot of googling with the info you guys have given me I think I’m going to try some IDPA. There seems to be a lot of matches local, even an indoor one 5 min from my house. I’m going to go watch that one in a few weeks.
I think I should be fine with a RC Phantom and a double mag holder of some kind right?
IDPA looks better on paper. In reality I have found it to be more restrictive due to some of their rules. My first couple of action shooting matches were IDPA because it was more popular in the area I was at the time.
As long as you can safely draw and handle a gun, there’s no need to just go watch. Take your gear and shoot the match, otherwise you will end up wishing you had taken your gear so you could shoot the match.
IDPA is fun, USPSA is fun, 3-Gun is fun, shooting is fun. IDPA is fine to start. Just have fun playing grown-up cops and robbers. Don’t worry about the others, the competition is against yourself and is driven by your desire to improve.
I am fortunate to have started with a bunch of very inviting shooters, but I imagine it’s pretty similar at other matches with healthy participation. I showed up on my own, knowing no one, with a nylon holster and a leather double mag pouch that held the magazines in opposing positions. I had long hair down to the middle of my back and was somewhat atypical amongst the other people there. The folks running the match and the other shooters were accommodating and friendly, helped show me the ropes, made sure I was safe, and set me on a course to become a much better shooter than when I first started.
Don’t overthink it. Get your gear—what you mentioned will work fine—go to a match, have fun, learn. Be prepared to get the bug and end up spending lots of money/time on ammo and practice.
2-gun games aren’t very common. Try 3-gun, USPSA and IDPA. If you like shooting, want to improve your skills and aren’t afraid of not winning you’ll love one or all of them.
Your best bet is to keep it simple and start off with a pistol only match. IDPA doesn’t appeal to me in the least, so I can’t comment on that. I started on USPSA and it is a great springboard to 3-gun. I was like you initially, I didn’t have a proper shotgun so I only wanted to do 2-gun.
Shoot some USPSA and you will find friends who shoot 3-gun. You can always share a shotgun for a few matches while you are deciding if you want to fully pursue 3-gun. I wager you will.