Least expensive pistol game

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sfl_gunner

sfl_gunner

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Idk much about the pistol competition scene but I'm interested in shooting some pistol stuff. I'm a rifle guy and I have invested tons of time and money into that. In pistol I'm looking for more of a hobby. With that said, what is the least expensive pistol game out there? Not really looking into rimfire instead I want to shoot center fire pistols.
 
What kind of rifle COMPETITION are you in?

You can do the speed shooting stuff like USPSA, IDPA, and Steel Challenge with about any old 9mm plus magazines, holster, and pouches.
Accuracy intensive pistol shooting like NRA Precision (bullseye) and IHMSA (steel silhouettes) calls for better gun and ammo.
 
You can have inexpensive stock pistols and shoot a bunch in speed oriented games, or you can get expensive accurate pistols or revolvers and shoot accuracy games such as Bullseye that don't require a high round count.
 
Check what is around you for any of the action pistol competitions. Go check them out. Then you will see if you are interested. Odds are someone will offer to borrow you equipment to try it out.
 
Jim Watson said:
What kind of rifle COMPETITION are you in?

You can do the speed shooting stuff like USPSA, IDPA, and Steel Challenge with about any old 9mm plus magazines, holster, and pouches.
Accuracy intensive pistol shooting like NRA Precision (bullseye) and IHMSA (steel silhouettes) calls for better gun and ammo.
Click to expand...
I'm a high power, mid range, and long range rifle shooter. I want to get into something fun. The speed shooting stuff like you mentioned, does it involve a ton of ammo? Right now is not the time to bulk buy or load a bunch of ammo. But I think might still be cheaper and than getting a match grade 1911.
 
IDPA limits a string of fire to 18 scored hits, usually one string per stage, six stages in a typical club match. Therefore 108 rounds maximum... if you don't miss.

USPSA is higher volume. My Wednesday evening indoor match is typically 120 or so. An outdoor club shoot will be more.

I am running about 500 centerfire and 200 rimfire in a good month. Some IDPA clubs have added .22 divisions in the panicdemic shortages.

Steel Challenge here is six stages, 25 per stage, equals 150, plus makeup shots.

Guns: I shoot 1911s and 2011s gradually accumulated over 30 years. But a couple of friends shoot Glocks and another is an XD fan. I have even seen a Canik or two. But the sky is the limit if you get hooked. A good pistol might cost as much as a LR rifle.

My rifle shooting was F class, 3x20 + sighters but not very frequent matches needing 600 - 1000 yards.
 
Bullseye at a club level will likely be the least expensive, as a guy can get into a reasonable 1911 and feed it a modest volume of fire through a match season. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on any gun used for any game, so I wouldn’t really give action sports any advantage in pistol price - but the increased burden of higher ammo volume is certainly hard to overcome.

Shooting a cheap pistol in a low roundcount game will cost less than shooting a cheap pistol in a high volume game.
 
"Least expensive pistol game"
That depends on how competitive you want to be.
Steel Challenge can be shot with any CF gun and 5 mags.

Starting in the "low ready" requires no holster (if allowed, you'll need a gun case though) but will not be scored in competition with those drawing from a holster in most cases.
I use a cheap holster for transport between stages but start in the low ready position...because I can.
Steel Challenge matches vary in types of classes, depending on the club.
jmo,
.
 
Jim Watson said:
Steel Challenge centerfire pistols go from the draw.
Rimfires from Low Ready.
Click to expand...

Maybe where you shoot
Not so where I shoot...
They have a 22-rifle class, PCC class, carry gun class, backup gun class, and both iron site and optics classes too.
Anyone can shoot low ready, but their scores are not part of the "from the draw" classes.
By no means according to any "Association" rules, for sure.

Did you miss this part of my post?
"Steel Challenge matches vary in types of classes, depending on the club."
or this,
"Starting in the "low ready" requires no holster (if allowed, you'll need a gun case though)"
jmo,
.
 
Jim Watson said:
I take "Steel Challenge" to be run by SCSA rules.
Before my club signed on to SCSA, they called their homegrown matches "Speed Steel."
Click to expand...
OH,
Yep, those terms seem to be interchangeable, and I thought "Speed Steel" was NRA, but what do I know.

I never saw these club(s) turn anyone away because of lack of equipment (holster, etc.), and would lend holsters/mags or anything needed.
They would send them on their way for any safety infractions though, a good thing.

I've never had to show a membership card for either/any organization when signing up for a match and I don't believe any scores went to an organization "mother ship".
For me, the only thing common is the target layout and names of stages.
jmo,
.
 
Last edited:
Another vote to shoot a .22 in Bullseye, can give it a go and see if you like it.

Don't rule out air guns either. Some neat options there if you have shoots in your area for those.
 
Tilos said:
I've never had to show a membership card for either/any organization when signing up for a match and I don't believe any scores went to an organization "mother ship".
Click to expand...

I shoot regulation IDPA, USPSA, and a bit of SCSA. I don't have to show a membership card, my member number goes on my Practiscore form and the sanctioning organizations get the results.

I know there are successful outlaw matches, but not around here.

The steel match went from local Speed Steel to affiliation with SCSA.
I know one place that went from IDPA to Own Thing and back to IDPA.
Another ISBW (I'm Smarter than Bill Wilson) failed and my home club's "Outlaw USPSA" and "Defensive Pistol" are sparsely attended and sometimes fail to get enough interest to even bother setting up.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
A Ruger mark 22 pistol has been used for 50 yard bullseye shooting with good results.
Click to expand...

Ohen Cepel said:
Another vote to shoot a .22 in Bullseye, can give it a go and see if you like it.

Don't rule out air guns either. Some neat options there if you have shoots in your area for those.
Click to expand...

OP says in #1 post: "Not really looking into rimfire instead I want to shoot center fire pistols."
so, there's that,
:D
.
 
sfl_gunner said:
what is the least expensive pistol game out there?

I want to shoot center fire pistols.
Click to expand...
Over time, ammunition cost add up.

If you want to shoot competitively, you will need to practice quite a bit, which increases your cost.

I shot USPSA starting with 45ACP but switched to 9mm/40S&W to "decrease" ammunition cost but the past 30 years, most of $168,000+ spent on shooting/reloading went to reload 650,000 pistol rounds. (That's 22,000 rounds a year average with 1,800 rounds a month which isn't much if you compete as I shot around 1000-4000 rounds a month for practice)

With increased reloading cost, shooting same number of rounds would be over $250,000 in today's dollar.
 
I would suggest doing a bunch of research and find the pistol sport that appeals to you the most and then shoot it as much as your budget will allow. There is a lot of variety out there but saving money by shooting a sport you don't enjoy as much as another does not sound like a wise investment too me.
 
I'm a rifle guy. I'm just looking for something to entertain me and sharpen my skills on pistol. Not trying to reinvent the wheel or win championships. That's what my rifles are for.
 
The key factor is what is available in your area.
Long ago a neighbor got me into ATA Trap. Not that I was interested in shotguns, but it was the only organized shooting in the area and breaking rocks in the gravel pit with rifles and pistols was getting boring.

So the real recommendation is to visit around and see what people are shooting at.
 
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