Beretta Blog

Congratulations, you’ve decided you want to take responsibility for your personal safety and carry a firearm with you regularly. This is one of the most adult decisions you can make in your life because you’ve realized that there will not be a policeman around when you need one the most. 

If you carry a defensive firearm or compete in practical pistol, you know consistent practice is the key to confidence and skill-building. We all need to practice more often, so we dry-fire at home to improve our skills without the time and expense of going to a range. Dry-fire is effective, and it’s something I do it on an almost daily basis, but at some point, the rubber has to meet the road and we need to put our plans into action and send rounds downrange. 

The United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA for short) is a popular sport that combines the accuracy of a pistol shooting match with the speed and action of a foot race and mixes in a fair amount of strategy and planning as well. Once you’ve shot your first match and understand what it takes to compete in USPSA, and have taken the time to develop a smooth trigger press and a good sight picture, it’s time to learn how to shoot a USPSA stage quickly and efficiently, with no wasted movement.

Gun ownership continues to grow at record levels in the United States, and concealed carry permits are increasing right alongside gun sales, reaching record levels last year with no end in sight. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of people who go to the trouble and expense of getting a concealed carry permit don’t carry a pistol on a regular basis. When I went through my CCW class in Arizona many years ago, our instructor said that only a third of us would commit to carrying our guns on a regular basis. Based on my experience since then, I think he was optimistic.

It’s 8:20 on a summer’s evening as I type this, and twilight is starting to settle in over the small town in Florida where I live. My wife and I will go for a walk after I’m finished with this article. I’ll have a concealed carry pistol with me as I usually do, along with a mobile phone, some other stuff, and a powerful handheld “tactical” flashlight. I consider a small, powerful light to be an absolutely essential part of my everyday carry, and I’ve come to see the benefits of having a light on my firearm as well. Both are useful, and both have their roles for self-defense.

The sport of practical shooting requires you to make fast, accurate shots under the pressure of a shot clock, giving your body a taste of what it might be like to deal with the stress of a real-world encounter.

There are times when the need to be discreet is going to mean carrying your defensive firearm somewhere other than on your waistline. There is also the fact that in our society, it’s quite normal for women to walk around with a purse on their shoulders, and a purse is useful for carrying any number of things such as a self-defense pistol.

If you’ve been around the gun-related internet for any amount of time, you’ve seen how much fun it is to shoot action pistol matches like IDPA or USPSA. Action pistol (also known as practical pistol) is a ridiculously fun sport, but getting started can be intimidating for both men and women because you’re going to shoot an unfamiliar course of fire in front of your friends and others. Admittedly, the potential for embarrassing yourself is pretty high.

Ask me how I know this.

In my previous article, I talked about getting starting competition in the United States Practical Shooting Association, or USPSA, with your everyday carry 9mm service pistol. In this article, we’re going to talk about shooting the USPSA’s stepchild, IDPA, which stands for the International Defensive Pistol Association.

If you’re one of many new gun owners who has bought their first gun these past few years, now is a great time to think about different ways to enjoy going to the range. Along with thousands of other people, I’ve found that practical pistol is a great way to have fun with a handgun and learn how to use it safely under the stress of competition.