Getting started with PPC in Central Texas

[Jenrick]

Does anyone know of any PPC matches in Texas, specifically the central texas Austin area? I've recently become interested in PPC as a way to improve my revolver skills (and lets face it, if you can shot a revolver DA then anything else is cake). I've been trying to shoot the PPC course on my own, but I'm sure I'm screwing something up somewhere, and the course I've got is from the late 60's and I know it has changed since then. So getting out to an organised match would be great.

Onto the gear, if anyone has any suggestions for a beginner please share them. I've got a S&W model 15 4" and a S&W model 19 6", 4 Safariland comp II speed loaders and a double speed loader pouch. I've got one pair of Hogue monogrips that I swap around between pistols, and target stocks on them otherwise. I tend to point and shoot (in SA) the 19 better, probably due to the extra barrel weight, but the model 15 is much more broken in and I shoot it a better in DA. I've got a set of Pachmayrs on order to see how those work. Which pistol would you guys recomend? Do I need more speedloaders?

Also is the B-27 the correct target, a lot of the historical manuals and the like I have show the venerable K-2. I'd like to be able to get/make a set of reduced targets to dry fire the 1500 in my home.

Any training tips, tips on positional shooting, dealing with a revolver? Specifically anything you can share on shooting from the barricade positions would be very helpful.

Also why exactly do most folks shoot DA instead of SA? I know that originally the PPC was based on "combat shooting" and that a lot of folks pushed for DA fire as more realistic. Is there a technical advantage to shooting DA all the time? From what I've read certain segements have to be fired DA, but why not shot SA when you can?

-Jenrick

 

[Jim Watson]

Been a long time since I shot PPC, they got a little huffy about letting American Commoners play with the cops; and the NRA is against American Commoners shooting at humanoid targets anyhow. But when I did, the B27 was the standard target, the old Colt target was long gone in the 1970s.

A good smooth DA with plenty of practice is about as accurate as SA and is one thing less to deal with. I tried SA from the 50 yard line for a while but just went to all DA for consistency.

Sight radius is a bonus from the longer ranges. Dryfire your M19 a lot to wear it in or have a trigger job done and the 6" barrel will help.

Four speedloaders will get you by, more is better but not necessary, especially if you have a tray to load them from.

I am too long away from it to advise on technique. Years of IPSC and IDPA have ruined my accuracy.

 

[Jenrick]

Well I'm and a cop, so at least the NRA can't get to uppity with me (and with the amount of junk mail and phone calls I get I think I should be uppity with them). They've gone to a new B-27 that looks vaguely humaniod, but it's not a true human style target.

Consistency was what I was guessing, just didn't know if I was missing anything.

Yeah was looking at another set of speed loaders (suckers are cheap), and a loading tray. That would give me a good dry fire setup too.

Thanks,

-Jenrick