IDPA Rules Questions

Training Competitive Shooting
1

I’ve got just a few questions before I go to my first match sometime in the next month.

  1. Is a M&P with the TS removed illegal since it comes in both configurations?

  2. Can skateboard tape be used to cover stippling to make it legal?

  3. If the pistol is illegal for either of the reasons above (TS removal or stippling) can I shoot in the matches and just not get an “official” rank or score? I don’t care right now about competing, I just want to go shoot the matches and have fun/practice. I know this one probably varies by location but where you shoot, is it allowed?

  4. Are AIWB holsters legal?

Hopefully the answers to these will come together in some combination that allows me to at least go shoot and have a good time.

2

No to AIWB.

Safety removal should be fine.

stippling would, I believe, simply put you in ESP. I shoot my grip-reduced and stippled G19 in ESP.

Most local clubs aren’t fanatical about the finer points of the rules and are more interested in getting you shooting, especially your first time out.

3

I’m assuming the TS safety is the internal lock? If so, it’s considered a storage lock, not a safety device, therefore it’s legal to remove. Stippling will put you in ESP, but grip tape is legal for SSP. You can stipple the backstrap on the M&P in SSP, as that’s considered as grip replacement, not a frame modification.
Your AIWB holser will be legal, but only if you can move it behind the centerline of the body (as measured from the center of the trigger pad) and still safely draw and reholster from it.