I shot an IDPA match this past week for the first time since 2017. Wow, things are different. The last time I shot a match there were no fault lines, there were no carry optics or pistol caliber carbine divisions, and some rules have also changed. I realized going in that I was not going to be setting any records after not competing for 9 years, but I did worse than I had hoped for two reasons: I dropped 10 points in procedural errors, and I also dropped 10 points on the swingers. I HATE SWINGERS. Just to clarify, swingers in competitive shooting refer to targets that pop up and rapidly move, not people who trade partners, so we are not shooting those swingers. So, yeah, the swingers screwed me and I should have read the rule book.
Well, despite 20 added points for dumb stuff I did win my division (Compact Carry Pistol) shooting my stock G19 Gen3, and in fact I beat everyone in the SSP, ESP, and CDP divisions as well. Lots of points down across the board, I think the swingers might have messed with everyone! The only shooters ahead of me were shooting either PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine) or CO (Carry Optics). Which brings me to the point:
Years ago when I was shooting IDPA I was out to take top man for the whole match in a club level match because I found that the handful of top guys, one of which would always win, would still be the same top guys regardless of whether they were shooting in the Stock Service Pistol, Enhanced Service Pistol, Custom Defensive Pistol, or the brand new at the time Compact Carry Pistol, which I immediately switched to, as it separated out Glock 19s and other compacts from the Glock 34s and other competition oriented guns. At the club level, the top shooters were always the top shooters regardless of which of these divisions they were shooting. Therefore, it seemed clear that it is the Indian and not the arrow that matters.
Now, however, the gear across divisions is so dramatically different that, even at the club level, you are really only competing within your division (which is the point of divisions after all). There are three big changes that account for this. First, the Pistol Caliber Carbine shooters are always the top scores, obviously. They are shooting a rifle chambered in 9mm, so even mediocre performers are still faster and more accurate than any of the pistol shooters (unless bob Vogal or Ben Stoeger are there, they might even beat the PCC shooters). So, there is that.
Second, the Carry Optics shooters are, generally, well ahead of those shooting iron sights. In the context of competitive matches, the benefits of red dots over irons is undeniable and is significant. Faster and more accurate is the name of the game. So, all else being equal, two good shooters, one with irons and one with a dot, will see a significant difference in scores. Beyond the hardware advantage, I also think that at the club level right now a high percentage of the better shooters are doing Carry Optics since that is the current hotness.
A third change is the fact that the Stock Service Pistol division (typically Glock 34s and the like) now allows 15 rounds in the magazine. All other handgun divisions allow only 10 or 8 in the mag. So, the match I shot the other night, on two of the stages the SSP shooters did not even need to do a reload, but all other handgun divisions did. Therefore, again, this puts SSP on a very different plane than the other divisions.
So, if you are currently getting into IDPA, it is a different world than years ago. Even at the club level, unless you are shooting a carbine, taking “top man” is no longer a thing. Unless you are shooting carry optics, top pistol shooter is also probably unlikely. So, being competitive within your division is all that really matters now, even at the club level, and I suppose that is not all bad. And, one thing remains the same; shooting IDPA is a lot of fun.
Reflex Handgun 
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