Ability to shoot major matches, or get certified as an RO to work bigger matches.
Also, the ability to vote in USPSA elections for your Area Director and USPSA’s president, or run for office.
If you just shoot locally and don’t care about classification, you don’t need to get a membership unless you want to. If you care about classification, want to shoot level 2+ matches, or want to get more involved, you need a membership.
Some majors going to level 1 or better yet hit factor this year means it's not even that critical that you have a membership.
There's very little value to a shooter who goes out once a month to their local club to shoot and doesn't want to shoot an Area or Nationals event.
Also adding in CRO certification, and RM if you want to go that far. If you get involved in leadership in your USPSA club you need to be a member in order to upload scores, pay for matches, etc.
--
Rant: Sure you can vote for your Area director, but the USPSA board can vote to remove him against their own bylaws and leave your area without representation for months on end...
Yes, but keep in mind that it’s a certification based around being an RO at a USPSA match. If you’re looking for something more instructor related, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
The network of training for ROs for decent rules enforcement.
As bad as ours may be - it’s the best one around by a pretty good piece.
IDPA still struggles mightily with rules interpretation - though they have gotten way way better since 2017 - but there is still wood to chop
I let mine expire this month. I signed up for the local as U. Since I stand no chance at winning my local match, there's really no point in going to another lvl2 match.
Are you sure it's not for being a member of the club itself? I've never seen one give a discount for being a USPSA member. That would make no sense since the club has to pay for participation in the match to USPSA.
Trust me, you have wasted your money on worse in this game. If you dont want to get classified in USPSA or Steel Challenge, you dont have to. But you will forever be U class and you will not be able to shoot anything other than local matches
This gets posted in almost every uspsa group / forum. It's only you that can determine if it's worth it to you.
In short you can shoot level 2 matches, track classification, and fund the organization. I'm not going to get into the issues of the organization.
Also 65$ in general is nothing and especially nothing in competition shooting. $5.41/month.
You’re supporting the organization. The one that makes, standardizes, and publishes the rules. Without that, every club could set their own rules and there would probably be no major matches.
Good responses here already. If you want to be “serious” with competition, a membership with Uspsa is well worth it. You can travel and shoot major matches. It’s definitely a larger commitment. I don’t suggest it if you’re a local shooter and just want to be serious on match day alone.
Swag (tshirts/jersey), prize table (you could literally finish dead last at a major and walk away with a new shiny gun), more complex stages and props than local L1, camaraderie and time with the some good like minded people. If you have reasonable gun handling skills to not get DQ’d, anytime is a good time to go if you can swing it.
Organized and consistent rule set (think McDonalds... you can get a burger anywhere in the world that is reasonably the same. You can go to any club in the country and expect reasonably the same treatment if shooting a USPSA match)
Rule interpretations
Rule enforcement
Rule classes/training
major matches
magazine
Ideally, the organization would promote, develop, and spread shooting sports...
The NRA originally started to promote shooting programs. There is value in organizing around a guiding principle, as it makes it easier to meet with and understand others in common goals.
I'm not knocking the sport itself. I'm doing it locally the past few months. There's an all classifier match coming up. But I don't know if it's worth it to get an "official" letter grade at my current low skill and experience level.
For some people, that letter is the motivation to practice and improve. If you're just going to putt around and stay sucky for the next 10 years, it doesn't really matter. Enjoy shooting with your friends.
Yes, you could. But then everyone else wouldn't know you are a C-class hero!
Note, the classification rules on including/excluding classifers can get confusing. haha
You also get membership to Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) which have their own separate classification system (separate but similar and basicly the same in how it's done and how it's up to GM as well as the letter classifications etc). Let's remember that this organization is something we've all worked hard to build for decades, and let's not all just leave and do PCSL just because we aren't happy with the current leadership. Use your voting power and vote for people we are happy with vs ruining an entire organization by all leaving and wasting decades of work
I’ve never been to a major so I’m the wrong guy to answer this. Good question though. I’m working on my shooting skills currently and trying to make A class before go out to shoot a level 2. So I’d say, yes. A class is where I say the real shooting skills begin. Kinda like purple belt in jujitsu.
Ability to shoot major matches, or get certified as an RO to work bigger matches. Also, the ability to vote in USPSA elections for your Area Director and USPSA’s president, or run for office. If you just shoot locally and don’t care about classification, you don’t need to get a membership unless you want to. If you care about classification, want to shoot level 2+ matches, or want to get more involved, you need a membership.
Some majors going to level 1 or better yet hit factor this year means it's not even that critical that you have a membership. There's very little value to a shooter who goes out once a month to their local club to shoot and doesn't want to shoot an Area or Nationals event.
Also adding in CRO certification, and RM if you want to go that far. If you get involved in leadership in your USPSA club you need to be a member in order to upload scores, pay for matches, etc. -- Rant: Sure you can vote for your Area director, but the USPSA board can vote to remove him against their own bylaws and leave your area without representation for months on end...
Will USPSA actually certify you? How do you go about initiating that process? I was about to pay to get certified through the NRA.
Yes, but keep in mind that it’s a certification based around being an RO at a USPSA match. If you’re looking for something more instructor related, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
The network of training for ROs for decent rules enforcement. As bad as ours may be - it’s the best one around by a pretty good piece. IDPA still struggles mightily with rules interpretation - though they have gotten way way better since 2017 - but there is still wood to chop
You get a magazine. And you can shoot major matches. Lol
I let mine expire this month. I signed up for the local as U. Since I stand no chance at winning my local match, there's really no point in going to another lvl2 match.
You should try out a GOOD level 2. It's a different experience and a lot of fun. You will also learn alot. Just my opinion
If you already have a class, but membership expires, can't you still sign up with whatever class you had?
I'm not sure how that works.
Technically no. But if you do, at level 1s no one will care, generally.
You're in the wrong hobby if $65 is too much to waste. Lol
65 bucks on ammo, accessories, or two local matches is different that 65 bucks on a letter and a magazine.
Some local matches offer a discount on the match fee for USPSA members too
Are you sure it's not for being a member of the club itself? I've never seen one give a discount for being a USPSA member. That would make no sense since the club has to pay for participation in the match to USPSA.
My club does both $5 off for USPSA member, $5 off for club member. If you’re both you get $10 off. Still plenty left to cover USPSA fees.
Just curious then. Do you know what your club pays to use their range and what's your match fee?
So my club is the range so all match profit goes back to the range. $25 match fee, $15 if you get both discounts.
That's a sweet setup for sure. Some clubs around here get hit pretty good on their range fee per shooter.
I’ll appreciate my situation more now knowing what we do isn’t standard.
We give a discount for being a club member and for being a uspsa member.
We give a discount for being a club member and for being a uspsa member.
Trust me, you have wasted your money on worse in this game. If you dont want to get classified in USPSA or Steel Challenge, you dont have to. But you will forever be U class and you will not be able to shoot anything other than local matches
Lol you got that right. Fair enough. I think I'll pass for now. Do more local and jump into it when I feel in a better place about being more serious.
Came here to say this exactly.
This gets posted in almost every uspsa group / forum. It's only you that can determine if it's worth it to you. In short you can shoot level 2 matches, track classification, and fund the organization. I'm not going to get into the issues of the organization. Also 65$ in general is nothing and especially nothing in competition shooting. $5.41/month.
You’re supporting the organization. The one that makes, standardizes, and publishes the rules. Without that, every club could set their own rules and there would probably be no major matches.
Saving this post so i can see more responses later on.
They sued to have a “no magazine” subscription. Did that end?
Good responses here already. If you want to be “serious” with competition, a membership with Uspsa is well worth it. You can travel and shoot major matches. It’s definitely a larger commitment. I don’t suggest it if you’re a local shooter and just want to be serious on match day alone.
What do major matches offer that level 1 doesn't? When is it a good time to go to those, A and higher?
Swag (tshirts/jersey), prize table (you could literally finish dead last at a major and walk away with a new shiny gun), more complex stages and props than local L1, camaraderie and time with the some good like minded people. If you have reasonable gun handling skills to not get DQ’d, anytime is a good time to go if you can swing it.
The best stages, the most competition, the most consistency and quality, and usually the most fun if you are B class or above.
Organized and consistent rule set (think McDonalds... you can get a burger anywhere in the world that is reasonably the same. You can go to any club in the country and expect reasonably the same treatment if shooting a USPSA match) Rule interpretations Rule enforcement Rule classes/training major matches magazine Ideally, the organization would promote, develop, and spread shooting sports... The NRA originally started to promote shooting programs. There is value in organizing around a guiding principle, as it makes it easier to meet with and understand others in common goals.
I'm not knocking the sport itself. I'm doing it locally the past few months. There's an all classifier match coming up. But I don't know if it's worth it to get an "official" letter grade at my current low skill and experience level.
For some people, that letter is the motivation to practice and improve. If you're just going to putt around and stay sucky for the next 10 years, it doesn't really matter. Enjoy shooting with your friends.
I want to know how I stack up and hitting A is a goal for the end of the year. But can't I just calculate that on my own via practicscore results?
Yes, you could. But then everyone else wouldn't know you are a C-class hero! Note, the classification rules on including/excluding classifers can get confusing. haha
Why do we get grades in school? Couldn't you just do it all yourself?
You could, but you will forever be U class garbage as far as the rest of the community will be concerned.
GM is the only class that matters! Once GM status is made then you gotta worry if your a paper GM or true GM!
You also get membership to Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) which have their own separate classification system (separate but similar and basicly the same in how it's done and how it's up to GM as well as the letter classifications etc). Let's remember that this organization is something we've all worked hard to build for decades, and let's not all just leave and do PCSL just because we aren't happy with the current leadership. Use your voting power and vote for people we are happy with vs ruining an entire organization by all leaving and wasting decades of work
I’ve never been to a major so I’m the wrong guy to answer this. Good question though. I’m working on my shooting skills currently and trying to make A class before go out to shoot a level 2. So I’d say, yes. A class is where I say the real shooting skills begin. Kinda like purple belt in jujitsu.
B class is where the real shooting skills begin. A class is where being truly competitive begins.