New to USPSA

[Gildere_XD]

Hey guys-

Long time defensive shooter, new to USPSA shooting. I have been doing it for about a month, and I have been loving it. So far I have been shooting Limited with my stock XD9. I realize this isn't the best tool for competition, but it's my only handgun right now and I do put a fair amount of rounds through it each month so I am proficient with the gun.

I am looking for the following:

1. Training resource. Are there any good books or dvds that cover dryfire exercises that I should be doing? Other than just shooting at the range, and my weekly matches, is there something I should be doing to train?
2. Gun. I currently shoot Limited class, despite having a production gun. I find the extra rounds help me. I don't really have the resources to drop 3k on a new limited gun out of the door, so I am looking to find something I can start with and build up on. Any suggestions, is the XDM line good for this?

Thanks in advance for any help!


BTW I live in Arizona, and I shoot at the Rio Salado Tuesday night steel match.

[ETexPops]

Nothing wrong with shooting XDm9 in Limited. You just have to get all Alphas...Here's some dry fire drills you can use on your computer or by wi-fi on your TV. Dry Fire Drills

[PsychOfMSE]

An XDm40 5.25 would be a great base for a limited gun! Change out the front sight for a thinner fiber optic, add a magwell/extended mag release, trigger job, and some grip tape and you should be good to go!

[Gildere_XD]

Now, someone was trying to explain this to me, but I failed to understand; why do I want a larger bullet? I would have thought that a 9mm would be ideal in terms of highest possible ammo capacity.

[PsychOfMSE]

Originally Posted by Gildere_XD

Now, someone was trying to explain this to me, but I failed to understand; why do I want a larger bullet? I would have thought that a 9mm would be ideal in terms of highest possible ammo capacity.

In limited you have a major/minor power factor on your gun.

IPSC and USPSA provide for two power factors, major and minor. The basis for power factor is the assumption that in a real-life encounter, a center hit from either will suffice to end the fight. Lesser-power cartridges will have less effect as the hits occur further from the center. The scoring would thus be: for a center, next scoring area and most-outside scoring area: Major; 5-4-2. Minor; 5-3-1. Poor hits (i.e. less-accurate marksmanship) are penalized, and the lesser cartridge is penalized more.
The power factor is calculated by multiplying bullet weight (in grains, 7,000 to the pound) by muzzle velocity (in feet per second), then dividing by 1000. As of 2008, a value of 165 or greater is considered major, while values below 165 are minor.[1]
All firearms must have a minimum power factor of 125 for USPSA competition, and virtually anything of 9mm Luger or greater caliber will fit into minor. The minimum power factor is required since less-powerful cartridges have lower recoil and can be fired more quickly; setting a minimum value emphasizes the shooter's skill.

.38 super is ideal for competition as it has the lowest "major" power factor, but .40 s&w is easier to find ammo/guns for.

[Gildere_XD]

Gotcha, for a .40 or better allows me to get a better score for my non Alpha hits.

[PsychOfMSE]

Originally Posted by Gildere_XD

Gotcha, for a .40 or better allows me to get a better score for my non Alpha hits.

Yup just means that the scoring is less harsh on ya and I really don't notice a big difference between .40 and 9mm recoil wise.

[Gildere_XD]

I'm also wondering if it's worth the money to get an XDM 5.25 vs a 4.5. The 5.25s are really expensive right now, and the older XDMs are dirt cheap.

This is my first competition gun, so I'm not really sure if it's worth the extra $250-300 they seem to be running right now.

[ErichF]

Check out the Limited 525 that Springer Precision offers. It's a true custom XDm for half the cost of an STI or Caspian Limited gun.

For training materials, I use Mike Seeklander's Competition Training program book and DVDs:
www.shooting-performance.com

[PsychOfMSE]

Originally Posted by Gildere_XD

I'm also wondering if it's worth the money to get an XDM 5.25 vs a 4.5. The 5.25s are really expensive right now, and the older XDMs are dirt cheap.

This is my first competition gun, so I'm not really sure if it's worth the extra $250-300 they seem to be running right now.

Factor in that the 5.25 already have great sights and you really wouldn't HAVE to touch them. Add $100(at least, if not $125-150 with installation) to a 4.5 for new sights.

My prices locally:

XDm 4.5 - $592.
XDm 5.25 - $688

The price of the sight upgrade alone will put the 4.5 on par with the 5.25.