Can we have an update on your decision?


This is of course one man's opinion and I have my likes and biases but in IDPA there is usually only 1 way to shoot the course and if you don't walk it and have a plan yer gonna have a tough time. The walk thru will not give you any kind of advantage, not walking it will give you a disadvantage. Nor will IDPA in general help you hone your carry skills in any real meaningful way. Sorry if that offends some but there it is.

Others may disagree and that's ok I have thick skin but unless you see progress over the months then you probably will lose interest. Sure there are some who do it just for the social aspect and that is fine, if you fall into that category then pick one cof and have at it.

Between USPSA and IDPA as far as moving is concerned they are both similar you do have to move. With IDPA you have a cover garment and the stages are usually shorter, USPSA rewards the shooter that has speed. Both of them have a large number of rules, IDPA is in theory simplier as far as rules are concerned but a lot of IDPA rules are just plain dumb. For me uspsa is much more enjoyable and more of a challenge. But again that is just my opinion.


I would not write off steel challenge due to the distance. It is true that some of the targets are out there, but those are large targets and you just have to hit it, a hit is a hit. Two (2) steel challenge stages (Outer Limits and Speed Option) have targets at 35 yards (105') but the targets are 18x24" so they are big.

I've tried them all in addition ICORE but not cowboy action. I'm a USPSA and IDPA RO and as far as IDPA I shoot a yearly classifier and keep my RO cert up to date that is all I do there. To be honest I don't shoot a lot of USPSA either instead I shoot steel challenge and/or wildcat steel/falling steel. I have terrible eyesight and I'm past 60 this is my second year steel challenge and I'm close to being classified an A shooter. Anything you do will be a lot of work to become good at it. I have made the commitment to myself to make Master class in Steel Challenge by the end of the 2019 season.


As another poster said well, what you do can depend a lot on what kind of gear you already have. In that respect IDPA will probably have a less expensive cost to start. If you try USPSA you can shoot in limited division with a production gun and load to your magazines capacity which should allow you to go with 3 magazines to start. You will however get creamed but it should be at this point just for fun and to see what it's all about. The beginner tends to get creamed anyway. Personally I would rather come in dead last (and I have) and not commit a safety violation (which is easy to do) than get DQed my first match or do something that might give me a bad reputation. I shot maybe 6 matches my first year and got DQed, it stung so much that I almost gave up handguns. I didn't shoot anything for about 6 weeks and didn't enter a match for almost a year. Once I got done pouting, I decided to learn from my errors and worked very hard during that year off to fully understand what I was doing wrong and how to correct it.


I have never shot at Palmetto but even all the way up here in the NE that club has a great reputation. They usually run the SC steel challenge state championship match. They didn't this year due to construction which was disappointing because I was planning on going to it this year, unable to make it to the rescheduled and relocated venue.

I shoot steel challenge with men that are 20 years older than me, have worse eyesight and bad knees and hips. Everyone has fun in steel challenge. True some of them shot other things, IDPA mainly because in IDPA you can keep your head above water easier if you are accurate but slow, in USPSA you can shoot all As but if you are slow you will get whalloped. Nothing is perfect on this world so just pick something and get to it.

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NRA Pistol & Reloading Instr.