Brian and I started practical pistol shooting with the IDPA in Las Vegas. And we continue to shoot there once a month. This month was a Classifier match.  The IDPA uses a 3 stages, and just 3 targets, to classify shooters. Their classifier is deceptively simple but devishly tough.

IDPA uses time-plus scoring. Their targets have  0, –1, –3 points areas. A “miss” is –5. These are points. You shoot the course of fire, then add up your points down * .5 and add that many seconds.  The classifier uses 90 shots and tests the core of IDPA shooting, including weak and strong hand, shooting from cover, and of course the controversial “tactical reload”.

I shoot a Glock 34 in their Stock Service Pistol Division. He shot a Canyon Creek customized XD Tactical in their Enhanced Service Pistol Division. Here are the breakouts of times needed and rankings:

My goal was < 1 second per shot hard time (90 seconds), and no –3’s or misses.   Alas, I scored 111 seconds with about 13 penalty seconds.  Brian got 117 seconds, but with substantially more penalty seconds due to misses early in the strings.

I was in the middle of Expert. And Brian in the middle of Sharpshooter.  ESP is a tough division, as it is mostly made of people shooting custom 9mm 1911’s with very low power factors (125).  If Brian wants to compete there we will have to reload or buy 9mm with a softer punch.

Brian actually shot at the high Expert level after the first 3 strings, but he so botched those (missing 3 head shots) that Expert was out of reach by the 10th shot of the 90 shot classifier.

As to me… I trained at the IDPA Master level and expected to make it easily. BUT… it took an inexplicable 7 seconds to get my first weak hand shot off on one string, and I’d practiced Bianchi barricade 30 yard shots, but was presented with a stacked barrel barricade instead. They require different positions and movement (not just leaning) and I didn’t adjust and had a very awkward stance with resulting penalties.

Oh well…. c’est le guerre!

We will put this practice to test at the IDPA Arizona State Championship at the end of the month in lovely Tuscon, AZ.