Proper use of DA/SA gun in IDPA

[Katitmail]

Sorry for this newbee post, probably obvious but not sure what is the right or wrong way to use gun.

Ok, let's say 1911 SA. Should I put safety ON when I "make ready" ? Should I take safety off when draw/point?

If I use DA gun. Can I holster gun cocked? Not sure how CZ75 should be used in IDPA. Cocked and locked and take safety off or it is required to do double action pull?

P.S. I shoot P7 right now, none of this really concerned me. Looking for different guns and trying to figure out how this should work in competition.

 

[Sam1911]

Ok, let's say 1911 SA. Should I put safety ON when I "make ready" ? Should I take safety off when draw/point?

Well, it won't put holes in the target if you don't! Most shooters sweep the safety off as they push the gun out toward the target.

If I use DA gun. Can I holster gun cocked? Not sure how CZ75 should be used in IDPA. Cocked and locked and take safety off or it is required to do double action pull?

If you're shooting in "SSP" then the gun starts DECOCKED. With the CZ75 that means you're carefully lowering the hammer by hand. (Hold hammer with weak hand thumb and first finger, pull trigger, lower hammer.) With most other DA/SA guns you just use the decocker.

If you're shooting in "ESP" division you can run the gun cocked and safety on, if there is a manual safety.

 

[Katitmail]

Ok. I see. If there is manual safety - it should be used.

If gun DA - in SSP I should use double-pull for first shot. Can I cock it when presenting? Making 2 operations (remove safety and cock) while getting to the first target? Or is it requirement that first shot should be double-action?

 

[Sam1911]

If you really want to, sure you can manually cock it. No one does that because it's slow, but the rules don't forbid it.

 

[CatsEye]

I have started shooting a CZ75 in IDPA and it is a great gun. I usually use it in SSP starting with the hammer down and the first shot DA. It would be much slower to cock the hammer instead of learning to master the DA pull so don't go that route. If starting hammer down the safety does not have to be on. I can also use it in ESP starting cocked and locked. Either way is fine depending on the division.

 

[Bovice]

Start with the hammer down and safety off for SSP, and definitely shoot in DA for the first shot. Don't try to overthink it, it's really not as tough as people say DA/SA is.

 

[Jim Watson]

Look up "Fear Not the Double Action Shot" by Ernest Langdon, who made a lot of hay in IDPA with Beretta and Sig-Sauer DA/SA pistols.

In the pre-IDPA days of USPSA before there were a whole lot of italics in the IPSC rule book, I knew a guy who routinely thumb cocked a Sig-Sauer for an accurate first shot. But it really slowed him down.

 

[1KPerDay]

Ok, let's say 1911 SA. Should I put safety ON when I "make ready" ?

Yes, PLEASE.

 

[waktasz]

It's a DQ to holster a cocked and unlocked gun in USPSA. It would apply the same logic in IDPA, although it's not specifically spelled out, it's unsafe gun handling.

 

[Barndog]

I use 1911 in IDPA and taking the safety off is just a natural part of my grip and draw. I also feel it is unsafe to holster a 1911 without the safety on

 

[why.kyle]

I run a cz 75 in idpa and shoot esp and act like it doesn't even have a DA mode. I just don't enjoy manually dropping that hammer to half cock.

 

[waktasz]

You'd have to fully lower it anyway, not lower it to half cock.