Bullet selection for comp shooting?

[photoracer]

When shooting steel plates I used 230gr round nose in my 45. Why, because with one shot you can see and hear the hit. Most of the guys I shot with would shoot the same bullet for that reason. May sound funny but there it is. A lot of other shooters would use the 9mm or 38 super. Results were not as easily come by using the minor calibers. Frank

Except with the "minor" calibers you are shooting with more velocity and can shoot faster. You can't shoot steel as fast with a .45 as you can with a .38Super/9x23/9mm Major. There are plenty of old .45 open guns in my club either gathering dust or being used for bowling pin matches, where a big heavy bullet is king. In my club's falling steel matches no one shoots a .45 or even a .40S&W in the open auto division. Just can't compete.

 

[photoracer]

But whatever you do just get out and compete. Unless you are lucky there is a 99.99% chance that with the gun you have you will end up thinking you need something else. That is the nature of competition. But first get your feet wet and learn what you need to do. If you develop your skills first then you will be able to shoot any gun in competition well.

 

[growr]

Find a USPSA/IDPA match, take your Sigma in a holster that covers the trigger guard, get a mag pouch and 4 magazines and go have a blast!
You will see many shooters using a .40 S&W with 155/165 projectiles.

You are shooting a major caliber and as such I would enter myself into Limited-10, you can shoot Production as well but the scores are all based on shooting a Minor caliber regardless of what you shoot. A .45 in Production is still scored as Minor.

The steel is supposed to be calibrated to fall with a standard 115 FMJ 9mm so your .40 is up to speed.

Did I mention go have fun?

Randy

 

[J Rich]

Thanks for the help.

 

[photoracer]

I agree go shoot. My first IDPA match I used the HK USP-C that I carried, in 357 Sig. The only thing I have added since is a 9mm barrel and fiber optics sights.
In USPSA I shoot 9x23mm in both Limited and Open. That way I have one reloading press setup. However the loads are way different. in Limited I shoot 5.7 g of Unique behind a Ranier 124g plated. That gives me about 1100 FPS or 136 PF, plenty for steel or paper. It is Minor in USPSA but I don't shoot that much outside the A or B zone so the handicap is small as the load is very mild in recoil and flip. In Open I shoot a Ranier 115g behind 7.8 g of Auto Comp. that gives me about 1475 FPS or 170 PF. The gun shoots very flat with little or no recoil. I have not had time to develop a slower steel load for those venues that have max 150PF for steel matches. And I did not take up these shooting sports until I was over 60 YO.

 

[growr]

So...how did all of this turn out anyway? Did you go to a match and have a blast? Hope so....
Keep us posted.

Randy