Your First Action Shooting Match Part 1 Equipment

You’ve had your new gun for a little while and you’ve been going to the range shooting at a paper targets, you’re starting to get some consistent hits, but you’d like to do more. You’ve been reading the gun magazines or talking to other local shooters and you’ve heard them talk about Action Shooting competitions. You’re interested but you’re not sure where or how to get started or if you’re ready. Here are some tips to get you started in the Action Shooting Sports.

Tripp Research makers of the CobraMag 1911 and AR magazines, has a couple of movies online of high-speed video they created that shows how several firearms function when fired. Unfortunatley they don’t seem to have maintained the video links and the only link I can get to work is the one provided here.

International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) was formed as a competition to simulate self-defense scenarios that might occur in real life. As IPSC and USPSA moved more to the sport or gaming side of competition the founders found a segment of the shooting sports that were looking for a home closer to the martial-artist side of handgun competition.

The Scene: Just before dawn day 2 of the 2008 Rio Salado Desert Classic Area 2 Championship, Stage 2 “And This Is For You”. Squad 21 receives their briefing and begins to prepare. The first shooter of the day loads in the predawn light, knife in hand awaits the signal to begin. Are you ready, Standby, the morning explodes awake with the new day of competition.

This is my Single Stack, there are many like it but this one is mine. I know it’s somewhat ugly, it’s worn and has scratches and dings. But that’s the way I like my 1911. The wear and tear proves that this is a shooter. It’s not a safe-queen. I’ve shot thousands of rounds, done hundreds of draws and reloads with this gun. It’s been snatched off tables and grabbed out of boxes. Jammed into ports, stuck around barricades, and under walls.