Rock Island 1911 A1 .45

[mcwoodduck]

Still can not hurt to see what other people dream up and meet some new people. 
Often at the shoots they will incorperate other guns, you personal shot gun, an SP89 that you pick up, J frame revolvers, and  will have some military handgun or other new design to try.  We have had to shoot a Model 10 Barney Fife style (loading the cylinder under time one at a time) 
Oh and since your 1911 is the older military style you could get a 1897 pump style shot gun and start shooting Wild Bunch shoots with a little coin spent on leather and actually use your new 1911. 

[Savage]

While I don't think any action pistol sport is a substitute for training, it's great practice for gun handling skills. It also helps to point out any equipment weaknesses. You find out quickly what does and doesn't work for you, and/or what modifications might be needed to improve them. Shooting on the move, from awkward positions, strong hand/support hand, reloads, malfunction clearance, use of cover, and time pressure are some of the benefits. Every practice string should start from the holster, using your preferred carry system. Static range practice is ok for marksmanship improvement but little else. If I had a private range, the one piece of equipment I would consider essential would be a dueling tree. It would also help to have someone that's better than you are to compete with. I like to shoot what I carry from time to time when I'm not feeling gamey.    You can have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money on equipment in IDPA. The RIA would fit in nicely in the CDP class. Hope you get to give it a try SpirtHawk, bet it you do it once you'll be hooked!
Savage

[mcwoodduck]

I would shoot the Sig at one month and then after winning I would shoot a revolver, medium frame semi, or 2" wheel gun.  Again where I found out that the 2" 38 was not what everyone said it was and the Medium frame 380 worked better for me.   I was starting to move up in the ranking with the what you would call a carry gun or what I keep in the house. 
And yes the matches are more about gun handleing and reacting to something and looking at what else is there.  Using cover.  Until going to one shoot I always used cover like a kid playing army and what I saw in the WWII movies.  Then learned if you stand back from it you can meet any threat easier and not have your back to a blind side. 

[Savage]

Started shooting IDPA with a custom target 1911. Great gun, reliable and accurate. Discovered how fragile the Bomar rear sight was in a two day training class, when I ripped it off with my hand doing stove pipe clearance drills. I had some superglue in my kit that I used to close the 4" gash I got in the process. Went to Sigs for a while, discovered I didn't like the DA/SA. Moved on to the CZ platform, and occasionally my High Power. Love the CZ, someday I'll have another. Went through my revolver stage, have an occasional relapse and break out the old S&W Mdl 19 for a match or two. Pretty much running Glocks currently in 9 and 40, mostly in the 5" Mdl 35. Lately shooting the mdl 19 in matches as it's my primary carry gun. Enjoy the BUG matches where I can shoot my 2" mdl 36 or my compact single stack 9mms or .380. Love trying different platforms. Still have a half dozen 1911s in 3-4-5 inch, shoot them occasionally. I even shot the RIA 5" in a couple of matches after I managed to make it reliable. The point of all this is to illustrate that you need to try different guns under match conditions to find what works best for you. Just might find that what everyone else likes, might not work for you. 
I've wandered around this topic long enough. I'll shut up now and let this thread get back on topic. Enjoy your RIA, SpiritHawk!
Savage

[Spirithawk]

Thanks Savage.
 

Still can not hurt to see what other people dream up and meet some new people. 
Often at the shoots they will incorperate other guns, you personal shot gun, an SP89 that you pick up, J frame revolvers, and  will have some military handgun or other new design to try.  We have had to shoot a Model 10 Barney Fife style (loading the cylinder under time one at a time) 
Oh and since your 1911 is the older military style you could get a 1897 pump style shot gun and start shooting Wild Bunch shoots with a little coin spent on leather and actually use your new 1911.

That would be fun. The thing I have to consider is cost. Being disabled and on a VA pension I might not like it but cost has a habit of getting in the way of things I'd like to do as oposed to things I need to do. My health has a bad habit of consuming money I'd rather spend elsewhere. Please just don't think my 1911 doesn't get shot. It does as much as I can afford to feed it which is at least a couple mags 2 or 3 times a week but even that may have to taper off if this ammo crunch doesn't get better. One edge I have is street smarts learned on real streets. I've had weapons pulled on me, been shot at, walked in blind on armed burglars, been in some pretty hairy situations and I've no illusions on how bad things can get nor how fast nor what it takes to survive them. Growing up in North St. Louis will educate you real fast. Heck you didn't live there, you survived there. You either got smart or dead.

[SharonAnne]

being disabled I too have money problems. Before I was injured I shot 3 matches a week. Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado, Thursday Night Paper and Steel at Ben Avery (formerly Black Canyon) and a weekend USPSA/ipsc match every weekend of the month with an ICORE (revolver) match for good fun.

While working I spent around $5,000 a year on shooting and supplies. Sure cannot do that now.