I am thinking of starting into competitive shooting in the Tampa Bay area. I currently have a 3906 and an SD9, each with two magazines, so with the intention of using the 3906 for matches, is that a good option?

Yes, I don't know about that gun, but I do know about "starting competition"

Don't buy a lot of stuff or anything (except ammo) until you go to a few matches to see what you need.

But go, my advice is to call the guy putting on the match and tell him you are coming and that you are new. That way they will make sure you get started safely and correctly.

Three things are going to happen when you start shooting competition or a new venue of competition.

1: You're going to learn something
2: You're going to have fun
3: You're going to meet great people

One thing about competitors is they are always looking for new shooters and will go out of their way to help you and to make sure you come back and bring others with your.

only thing i would recommend buying is a holster that you can draw safely and quickly from. and 2-3 more magazines.

The day i did my first comp i had a beretta 92F. 15+1 and 1 spare mag. i did great! until i ran out of ammo half way through a set. and lost major points! my next comp i had 6 spare mags on my belt ;-)

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6906,6904,g23,g21,RIA1911,40c

For IDPA, need 3 magazines for either gun, holster that covers the trigger guard, holder for 2 mags and go shoot.
For USPSA, you will need 5 magazines.

Either can also be used for steel challenge.
Neither is red hot for bullseye.
Don't know what competition you have in mind, so can't comment further.
Make up your mind about which gun to use after you shoot some matches.

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Science plus Art

agreed. i started with my 92 but the sights were terrible so target acquisition was slow. so after 3 competitions i swapped to my glock 19.

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6906,6904,g23,g21,RIA1911,40c

As kraigwy said, don't buy anything aside from ammo for the gun of your choice. Go and shoot and make sure that discipline is for you whether it's USPSA or IDPA or Steel and see how you do after a few matches. Once you've had time to evaluate your performance and the performance of your gear then you can make changes from there. I will say that no matter what pistol/rifle/shotgun you own, if it uses magazines it is always a good idea to have at least 4 or 5 no matter what even if you never intend on using that gun for any sort of competition.

Having said that, do like he said and either call or email the match director and see if there is any particular time a new shooter needs to show up by in order to get processed and attend a new shooter's meeting.

And GO and shoot it and don't worry about hits or scores or anything like that just be safe, keep your finger off of the trigger and your muzzle down range. There is a lot going on during your first few matches and it is easy to get distracted and forget the safety part of it. You will have a blast, you will be humbled by what you don't know and you will want to do it again and again! Each match that you attend is another way to see what your skill set is and what you need to work on during the times in between matches.

the hardest thing to do is to go to your first match so simply attending sets you aside from the other 85% + of shooters than never do anything other than punch holes in paper!

Your 3906 would be a great choice for an IDPA match and your SD9 would be my logical choice for a USPSA match. You can never have too many magazines for any of your guns and then like OKFC05 said, a holster that covers the trigger guard and mag pouches to hold your magazines.
Eye and ear protection are mandatory. I would have a range bag of some sort to carry your gear around. I always have 200 rounds of ammo....just because there are times when I may need that much or to help a friend out that maybe forgot or brought the wrong ammo for the gun they brought for the day.

More than once I have seen a shooter with a byunch of .40 ammo and they brought their 9mm......darn it anyway!!!

Once you find out what type of match that is being shot, I would encourage you to log on to thier website and read the rules as there is a wealth of information available that will be quite helpful for you to know.

Obvious things, have some water, something to munch on and dress for the changing elements. Yes, I have shot matches in the middle of a blizzard and also when it was well over 100 degree's.

The match director often asks an experienced shooter to sort of mentor the new shooters through the events of the day so that it is a pleasant, safe and rewarding day.

Just MY thoughts.........

Randy

PS. What a great way to spend a day with many like minded friends!!

I shoot pistol @both WAC & Ruskin...great group of people, my advice is show up and watch at least one event and then jump in. If you want some more info email me.

compshootfl, I am wil plan to attend the next IDPA match at WAC. I want to see how the match goes and will plan on participating in June. To everyone else thanks for the insight and advise, I am definitely excited to start competing. The order for additional magazines is in.

Looking for a holster for my 3906, I have limited options it seems so which holster would be acctable for IDPA the bianchi black widow or shadowII, or if there is another reccomendation please let me know. Also with regards to magazines, if I am reading the rules for IDPA correctly, all my magazines have to contain the same number of rounds, so if I get two more magazines that are 9 rounds to go with the 8 round mags I can only use 8 in each magazine. Just trying to clarify.