Many of you are familiar with IDPA, but for those of you who are not it is the International Defensive Pistol Association.  Shooters must shoot basically factory guns that can only be modified lightly.  Magazines are loaded to 10 rounds maximum and you shoot with a concealment garment.  In short, it is about as fun as gets.  Being in Nashville, we have the luxury of shooting IDPA almost every week at a different match.  If you are looking for a Nashville match, check out the Music City Tactical Shooters.  These are great guys who run solid matches.

One of the great questions that exists is whether or not IDPA is simply a game or whether is actually good for training.  I think the answer is actually YES!

IDPA is a game.  There are rules, points, and timers.  You are shooting made up courses of fire that may or may not ever happen.  You are competing against a clock and your fellow competitors.  If you don’t think so go watch the bantering that takes place between friends at these matches.

No doubt some of the rules are argued about in the “tactical” community.  A word about such community is in order.  Just because you read it in an internet forum doesn’t make it true or tactical.  There are plenty of places to get tactical advice, but keyboard commandos are not who you want to listen to.  Get some training.  But I digress.

The rules can be argued about, but they work for the game, while being generally sound practice for your private world.  Remember that at the end of the day you are participating in a competition.

However, IDPA does give you some training.  It teaches you to shoot faster and more accurately.  You must remember stage protocol, reloading your firearm different ways, shooting from cover, and it gives you a little pressure.  Nothing like having 40 of your new best friends watching you flub a stage.

I encourage all you to check out some form of competition in the next few months.  You will discover quickly that it will be a wonderful learning experience.  Check the rigs people are using.  Check out their shooting styles and learn as much as possible.  Above all, have a great time enjoying your sport while getting better.

Last weekend we went to the Music City Tactical Shooters match near Dickson, TN.  It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to shoot an IDPA match, so I wanted to see if the sport still had an allure for me as a shooter.  The resounding answer is yes.  I actually took a customer with me to shoot in his first IDPA match, and he is hooked as well.

The Music City boys have a great place to shoot, and they are a fun bunch to hang out with.   The stages were well designed, and everyone was having a good time.  In fact, every other match they have a side match for rifle or shotgun.

If you have never competed in IDPA, you really need to give it a shot.  The match fees are normally about $20.  You are finished by lunch time.  It gives you a measuring stick to see how your shooting is progressing.  Find a local club and have some fun.  You won’t regret the experience.

Many of you saw the AMU video the other day, and it peaked your interest. It also got us thinking. We checked the some of the local matches in Nashville and found that there just aren’t a lot of people participating. This was surprising because in our former location it was not usual to have 50 people participating in a monthly IDPA match.

So this is the question; Where are all the competitive shooters in Nashville? We are interested in your comments and responses.

It also leads us to a new area of thought. MCC is interested in sponsoring a shooting team that could represent us in Nashville, at state matches and even on a national level. Let me outline the qualifications for a shooter to represent us.

1. You must actively compete. Once in a while just won’t work.
2. We really want at least one top level shooter, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in shooters who are moving up in the ranks. You should be willing to submit match scores in local and state level matches.
3. We want at least two shooters represented who are close to Nashville which is our home base, but we are also willing to work with shooters from outside the state.
4. You must have good moral character. We want people who will be well spoken and represent the brand well in the shooting community.

If this describes you please email us to start some discussion. Send us your information, match history, whether you compete in IDPA, IPSC, or 3 Gun and where you are located. We will then tell you what is involved for those that are chosen.

Thanks for your interest.