Ammo and range time if you don't own land are already expensive enough.

>>64449736
Some are good. Some are bad.

>>64449736
They are fun and a quick and easy way to see how good of a shot you are under moderately adverse conditions. Tryhards abound but so long as you're just there to have fun then you'll have a good time and mayhe even learn something.
>Inb4 the schizo that hates competition shooting shits up the thread.

>>64449736
Very good as it allows you to practice stuff you can never do in a traditional shooting range

The organizations and sport itself is kind of gay, as USPSA is ran by fags basically and the people who become referees or RSOs are the type of people who are hall monitors

>>64449778
As a rookie, are you gonna get bullied for it?

>>64449837
As long as you aren’t retarded, no.

One of the most participation award heavy competitions. Great for evaluating guns, gear, and shooting mechanics as long as you understand the context.
Some competition shooters conflate what they do with combat or hunting. There are certainly similarities but the significant differences mean that competition is most emphatically not like combat or hunting.
Generally competitions are significantly toned down to increase shooter comfort and enjoyment. You don't have to participate in a shooting competition to win a gunfight.
A neet won a gunfight against multiple attackers. He was jacking off to Daily Lives of My Countryside when he heard someone breaking into his home. Naked from the waist down our neet hero retrieved his father's AR-15 and sent 3 fools to God's judgement. Full disclosure; none of the living targets possessed firearms; they were armed with brass knuckles and knives. The grandfather of one of the targets later spoke out and called the gunfight unfair.
A 11-12 year old kid heard someone breaking into his home. He retrieved his step father's pistol and warned the intruder. The intruder, no kidding, responded "you wont shoot me kid" and was then shot by the kid. As the intruder bled and cried on the living room floor of the home he was attempted to rob the kid called 911. The 911 dispatcher heard the kid yelling at the intruder and calling him a pussy for crying about his gunshot wounds.
An 85 year old grandmother was used a .357 magnum revolver to blast a home invader. Point being you do not need to deal with competition shooting shitheads to win a gunfight.

>>64449837
I've found people to be really helpful and nice at my local IDPA matches. They give me advice and a few of them have let me handle and shoot guns I wouldn't normally have access to. The downside is they're the only club in 70 miles, my schedule doesn't line up with the matches most times, and it's $20 per match. I try to shoot one every year, but after a while, I think it's easier to set up my own drills and stages on my own time rather than trying to make competing a regular thing.