The point that the non-decocker guns are better for the IDPA ENHANCED SERVICE PISTOL division, which allows starting from "cocked and locked" remains true. There's no transition issue between first and second shots when starting in that mode. He wasn't talking about PRODUCTION.
Absolutely agree. When I did shoot my CZ in IDPA ESP division, I always shot the gun cocked and locked. When I moved over to shooting USPSA, at the time, I was surprised to find that I had to lower the hammer.
For Production, "cocked and locked" is NOT an option. It's not allowed in the similar STOCK SERVICE PISTOL division in IDPA. I think that's why Glocks seem to be the dominant gun in that IDPA division. I would suspect Glocks are one of the more common guns in USPSA, too.
Yep. I've only recently switched over to shooting an M&P for Production Division, and when I shot IDPA I avoided SSP for exactly that reason.
USPSA production division is pretty well dominated by plastic striker-fired guns, mostly Glocks, but also XDs and now many shooters are switching over to the M&P as well.
(I frequently shot an 85 Combat for years in IDPA, in both Stock Service Pistol, and Enhanced Service Pistol divisions -- hammer down in one, and cocked and locked in the other. I now also have a well-gunsmithed M&P Pro, and if I return to competition -- had been going to school for several years and that's done -- I'll probably try the M&P Pro for a while.)
I've been extremely pleased with my M&P Pro. I've switched to it as my main USPSA and 3 Gun pistol.
Interestingly enough, the only negligent discharges I've ever seen in a match didn't happen when someone was lowering the hammer at the start of a string. And at the end of the string, it's done with an empty gun -- a process monitored by the Safety Officer.
Like I said, I've never experienced one when lowering the hammer, it can certainly be done safely. However, why bother doing it at all if there are other guns that allow to compete in the division without having to lower the hammer?
The NDs I've seen (I am an IDPA Safety Officer) were at other times.
I've been certified as a USPSA RSO for a little less than a year now. The NDs I've seen have also been at other times, most notably with new shooters when executing a reload.
Everyone is very conscious of what needs to be done when lowering a hammer on a loaded chamber, and it's relatively easy to do VERY SAFELY, if you use both hands.
Agreed. But for the new shooter who's looking to get into the game, they may not be aware of the rule requiring the hammer to be lowered, and it simply inserts another step in the process where things *could* go wrong. It also saddles them with the additional hurdle of having to overcome shooting the first shot DA.