Got a personal anniversary this week: January 8, 2005 was when I became the first five-gun master in IDPA.\u00a0 The acronym stands for International Defensive Pistol Association, and until January \u201905, there were four handgun divisions. They were Stock Service Pistol for double action or striker-fired (like the Glock), 9mm or larger caliber; Enhanced Service Pistol, encompassing the above plus single action autos, those with modified grip-frames and enlarged magazine wells, etc.; Custom Defense Pistol for .45 autos; and Stock Service Revolver for six-shooters with four-inch or shorter barrels.\u00a0 The latter division had been dominated by fast-reloading .45 ACP revolvers with moon clips, so the fifth division \u2013 Enhanced Service Revolver \u2013 was created for that kind of handgun to level the playing field among the other revolver shooters.<\/p>\n
I had earlier become one of the first four-gun masters (never did find out which of us was THE first), and now there are 24 five-gun masters out of some 22,000 members worldwide. I\u2019m still kinda proud of that.<\/p>\n
Any anniversary is a time to look back at progress, and how we got from where we were to where we are. This year, Enhanced Service Revolver is \u201cgoing away,\u201d and IDPA will adopt two new divisions, one for compact 9mm-type pistols, and one to accommodate a small but growing trend of carry pistols mounting small red dot optics.<\/p>\n
There have been other changes in IDPA rules. Some pleased the participating membership at large. Some, such as the recent requirement for reloading only while standing flat-footed, did not. IDPA has listened to its membership and that rule is changing. I for one think that is A Good Thing.<\/p>\n
As the game changes over the years, so do each of the players.\u00a0\u00a0 On my end, I noticed that while IDPA matured, <\/em>I just got old. <\/em>I was reminded of that in the three IDPA matches I shot in the last five weeks. Last Sunday in Orlando, shooting a little Glock 26 9mm in Stock Service Pistol, I managed to take \u201cmost accurate\u201d overall for the match, but barely clawed my way into top ten when accuracy was combined with speed for final score. In December in Jacksonville, I managed to win Enhanced Service Pistol division shooting a Springfield Armory XDm 9mm and also win the Distinguished Senior category, a kind concession to the decrepitude of those of us over 65. And in between in Gainesville, I shot the same Springfield and didn\u2019t win a damn thing, but still had fun.\u00a0 My hit potential is the same as ever, but I move slower than I used to between firing points, and in \u201crun and gun\u201d my \u201crun\u201d no longer keeps pace with my \u201cgun.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s still good fun with great people, and it still keeps you sharp with defensive firearms, so I\u2019m gonna keep doin\u2019 it, even if the day comes when they have to time me with an hourglass instead of an electronic gunshot timer.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t tried IDPA, you owe yourself a shot at it, no pun intended.\u00a0 Go to www.idpa.com<\/a> to find a club near you that hosts such matches.<\/p>\n
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