IDPA Marksman - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

**pittbug** · 08-25-2008, 10:56 PM

I shot the classifier this weekend with my XD45 tac and all I got was marksman*. I was disappointed but not really surprised because I've only managed to get to the range about 3 times this year. When I was shooting more regularly I would be getting times along side others in SS.

After thinking back I realized I need to do 3 things:

1) Adjust my point of aim so that I'm hitting slightly above center of the target. I had a decent (for me) group but because they were more towards the center of the target, quite a few shots just sneaked out of the 0 down circle.

2) Slow down on stage 3. I went to fast and had about 3 misses, which I put down to nerves and not enough trigger time recently.

3) Slam the mag home so it doesn't beat me to the barrel in stage 3, string 2.

I was only about 17 seconds shy of SS, so if I can make these small adjustments I should be able to sneak into SS pretty easily.

* for those not familar with IDPA classification, the 4 levels from best to worst are:

Master
Expert
Sharp Shooter
Marksman

(Mods: Sorry, I think I should have posted this in chatterbox)

Ontarget · 08-26-2008, 04:42 AM

Think of stage three as "bullseye" shooting rather than "tactical" shooting. Precision is required, so you need to slow up enough to get good hits.

**jnclement** · 08-26-2008, 09:44 AM

Misses will certainly kill you. Especially head shots. I found this, and it really helped me - http://wdpclub.com/Documents/Classif...er%20score.pdf . But the bottom line is you have to shoot, and shoot often. IDPA really does stand for "I Don't Practice Anymore" I think.

theglot · 08-26-2008, 11:44 AM

Practice, practice, practice.
I shoot CDP (Kimber 1911) and ESP (XD-9 Tactical).
I made Sharpshooter a year ago with the XD but it took me a year to move up from Marksman to Sharpshooter in CDP. Different guns, different skill sets.

Before the last classifier I went to the range and shot a practice classifier (it's easy to set up). Found myself shooting high on head shots and spent time correcting the problem. When it came to shooting the actual classifier it was easy.

Now I need to start working on Expert.

**pittbug** · 08-26-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnclement

Misses will certainly kill you. Especially head shots. I found this, and it really helped me - http://wdpclub.com/Documents/Classif...er%20score.pdf . But the bottom line is you have to shoot, and shoot often. IDPA really does stand for "I Don't Practice Anymore" I think.

I got all the headshots, but had a few misses on stage 3. Considering this was the first time that I'd shot the classifier I guess I can't be too disappointed, esp since I haven't practiced much at all this year.

Thanks for the pdf, I'll check it out.

propellerhead · 08-26-2008, 09:23 PM

I wouldn't sweat it. I missed SS by a few seconds. Like 3-4 I think. I scored higher than the guy with a Glock but he got SS in SSP. It doesn't matter to me since the club I shoot with posts all the scores in one big list. Roughly 25 shooters each week and it's ranked from the shortest overall time to the longest, regardless of classification. It really only matters in your mind and regional matches.

CatsEye · 08-27-2008, 09:02 PM

The Classifier looks like an easy series of courses but it is deceptive. From what I have seen, most people fail to do well because they dropped to many points not because they didn't shoot fast enough.

08-25-2008, 10:56 PM	#1
pittbug XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 113	IDPA Marksman I shot the classifier this weekend with my XD45 tac and all I got was marksman. I was disappointed but not really surprised because I've only managed to get to the range about 3 times this year. When I was shooting more regularly I would be getting times along side others in SS. After thinking back I realized I need to do 3 things: 1) Adjust my point of aim so that I'm hitting slightly above center of the target. I had a decent (for me) group but because they were more towards the center of the target, quite a few shots just sneaked out of the 0 down circle. 2) Slow down on stage 3. I went to fast and had about 3 misses, which I put down to nerves and not enough trigger time recently. 3) Slam the mag home so it doesn't beat me to the barrel in stage 3, string 2. I was only about 17 seconds shy of SS, so if I can make these small adjustments I should be able to sneak into SS pretty easily. for those not familar with IDPA classification, the 4 levels from best to worst are: Master Expert Sharp Shooter Marksman (Mods: Sorry, I think I should have posted this in chatterbox) Last edited by pittbug; 08-25-2008 at 11:04 PM.

08-26-2008, 09:44 AM	#3
jnclement XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Texas Posts: 2,602	Misses will certainly kill you. Especially head shots. I found this, and it really helped me - http://wdpclub.com/Documents/Classif...er%20score.pdf . But the bottom line is you have to shoot, and shoot often. IDPA really does stand for "I Don't Practice Anymore" I think. __________________ Contrary to what sells magazines, not all of us are, or want to be SpecOps, SEAL, Recon, Delta, CQB, Ninja, firearm-knife-tactical-death-touch instructors.

08-26-2008, 11:44 AM	#4
theglot XDTalk Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 39	Marksman Practice, practice, practice. I shoot CDP (Kimber 1911) and ESP (XD-9 Tactical). I made Sharpshooter a year ago with the XD but it took me a year to move up from Marksman to Sharpshooter in CDP. Different guns, different skill sets. Before the last classifier I went to the range and shot a practice classifier (it's easy to set up). Found myself shooting high on head shots and spent time correcting the problem. When it came to shooting the actual classifier it was easy. Now I need to start working on Expert. __________________ Robert A Glotfelty

08-26-2008, 09:23 PM	#6
propellerhead XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Foat Wurth, TX Posts: 3,572	I wouldn't sweat it. I missed SS by a few seconds. Like 3-4 I think. I scored higher than the guy with a Glock but he got SS in SSP. It doesn't matter to me since the club I shoot with posts all the scores in one big list. Roughly 25 shooters each week and it's ranked from the shortest overall time to the longest, regardless of classification. It really only matters in your mind and regional matches. __________________ XD-9 Tactical for IDPA, XD-40 Subcompact for concealed carry, XD-45 Service for home defense. Three calibers, three models, three purposes. No compromises.

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08-26-2008, 04:42 AM	#2
Ontarget XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 108	Think of stage three as "bullseye" shooting rather than "tactical" shooting. Precision is required, so you need to slow up enough to get good hits.

08-27-2008, 09:02 PM	#7
CatsEye XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Clarksville, Tn Posts: 27	The Classifier looks like an easy series of courses but it is deceptive. From what I have seen, most people fail to do well because they dropped to many points not because they didn't shoot fast enough.