Carmoney

It's right there in the book--you can freely modify the hammer, sights, and cylinder latch. Bob away. Mike

Yeah, BigDave, I tried the Lasercast 185s, trying to make major out of my 646, went to 4.3 of Titegroup to get 170+ p.f. and for whatever reason the extraction started to get really sticky as the gun got dirty. I could probably get through a match with it, but not without running off to the safe area to brush the cylinder every few stages, which I am just not willing to do. (If a gun won't make it through a whole day of match shooting without clogging up, someone else can deal with it....) Not really sure if the problem is the bullets, or the powder, or what. They're nice and round for quickloading, though. I still think they may have potential. I'm going to stick with plated bullets and minor loads in the 646, I think. Mike

"Escape from New York"

Hey Manny, thanks for the really nice article about Sam in FS. I'll tell you, this whole competitive shooting thing has really been a great experience for Sam. We just got back from our local club banquet and he picked up two medals for this past summer's steel challenge series (a second place, and a fourth place, shooting heads-up against adults). (Now if I could just get the little shit to put half that amount of effort and self-discipline into his household chores, school work, and personal hygiene....)

That's probably how Richard figured out that it's big fun to wing the LP tanks with regular ball ammo, let them leak for awhile while pimping the crowd, then hit the gas cloud with a tracer and KA-BLOOOOOM! He got it down to a science. Even on the milder propane Wednesdays, though, that first big fireball would always push you back! One of my more favorite SC memories was the year he made everybody all excited with the special Bingo game where the prize was an old Mercedes 300D. Everybody got one Bingo card with their entry, Richard played it up all week, and we were all breathless and excited on the last night of the match, when we finally played the Bingo game for the car. (Even if you hadn't shot well, you knew you had a chance at a major prize!) Richard pulled out the little markers, called out the numbers, really played up the drama. Finally (you guessed it) all at once, 300 people all yelled Bingo at the same time! Of course the game was rigged from the start. Richard had several guys prepared with ballistic shields (Kulovitz and Chudwin, if I remember right) to jump in front of him and block all the pencils and various debris that people were throwing at him from the crowd. It was one of the better jerk-jobs we'd all seen, and RC pulled it off perfectly. I still laugh thinking about it! He sure had me going... Mike

Boy, it sure was--now I'm sitting here with a lump in my throat... Doug, I can't wait for ParkerC to join us out there too (I know he's not even a year old yet, but the time will fly, trust me!) Mike

Guys, thanks for the kind words about me and my sponsored shooter! Sam's Dad.

Rockchucker: Thank you for the thoughtful post, and especially for the kind words about my kid Sam. (I just wish I could get him to brush his teeth, do his chores, and clean up that horrible pit he calls a bedroom with the same enthusiasm and intensity that he employs when he's shooting!!) We really enjoyed that Missouri match, and in fact I have already paid my entry fee for the Illinois IDPA state match coming up in May. However, I must admit that over the course of this past year, we have begun to witness a real decline in interest in IDPA here in Iowa. Back in the spring of '04, there were four separate clubs holding IDPA matches within 40 minutes' drive of Des Moines. I think we're now down to just one or maybe two in the whole state. Not sure why this is happening--maybe just a cyclical thing.... I sure don't like to see it, because I really like shooting both IDPA and USPSA/IPSC (along with steel plates, and pins, etc., etc.), but right now I'm not feeling terribly motivated to step in and try to help save it, after finding out yesterday that most of my IDPA gear is no longer legal. I'm really frustrated, and normally I'm not a complainer about stuff like this. Anyway, regardless, I'm looking forward to a great shooting season (I'm even hoping Sam and I can get out to a match this weekend, but with a foot of new snow on the ground, it will be a challenge!) and I'm sure we'll run into you at various matches along the way. Mike

As a native Ohioan, I'm going to do my very best to attend! Sam C. (a native Iowegan) might be in the midst of Little League season (his other major passion in life) that weekend, so it might be just me--but if I can possibly work it out, we'll both show up. With our revolvers. Is there an entry form I can look at yet? Once I print off an entry form, it's awfully hard not to sign up...... Mike

James, I just figured it out--the inner IDPA shooter in me is crying, and the inner IPSC shooter in me is laughing his ass off. Mike

Hey Matt: I thought my Tek-lok Blade-Tech was going to be OK too, right up until I got to the part on p. 31 where it says, "must hold the firearm positioned on the body so an object of 3/4" width cannot pass between the shooter's body and the inside of the firearm when the shooter is standing straight and upright." If I understand and am applying this rule correctly, my Blade-Tech (for revolver) certainly appears to fail the test. Maybe your rig holds your CZ pistol tucked in closer to your side and it's OK to use, but if you haven't checked to be sure, you might want to make sure before your next match. It sounds like the 3/4" object rule is designed to force everyone to wear holsters that literally press the handle of the gun up against the body all the time--apparently because some people prefer this carry mode. Personally, I feel that the individual shooter should be permitted to decide (within reason) what is the proper balance between concealability and speed of presentation. I know for a fact that my Blade-Tech is reasonably concealable with a 4" L-frame, with a proper cover garment and a little common sense. The arbitrary 3/4" object test is another very bad rule, in my opinion, and tactically unsound. You know what?--My right thumb is more than 3/4" thick, and I would very much like to be able to pass it between my body and the inside of my carry gun when I am standing straight and upright, in the unlikely event that I might ever need to draw the damn gun. Unbelievable what a mess this new rulebook is. Mike

Dear Joyce and Bill: Thank you, Joyce, for speaking up here on the forum. I think it's extremely important for the IDPA folks to consult with several top revolver competitors before the final version of the rule book is printed up. As it stands right now, a vocal (but numerically tiny) minority of the revolver shooters participating in IDPA seem to have persuaded the organization to make dramatic changes to the equipment rules. These new rules, if they stand, are going to be financially detrimental to the vast majority of the revolver shooters in IDPA. If you take a look at the little avatar photo to the left, you'll see a picture of me shooting an IDPA match in Ohio (closest place I could find that was shooting a classifer, and I needed a class to shoot the Missouri state match) last summer, with my S&W revolver. The picture's too small to see clearly, but according to the new rules, the holster is now illegal, the moonclip holders are now illegal, and the firearm/load combination is now illegal--for either SSR or ESR. And all of those (except the ammo) are sometimes used by me for real-life concealed carry. This set-up is concealable and practical--not gamey at all. With the new rules, the vast majority of IDPA revolver shooters are going to have to completely re-equip in order to stay legal. Again, much of the stuff many of us employ for routine concealed carry is now against the rules! This can't possibly be what IDPA intended, can it? You candidly mention, Joyce, that you are not familiar with revolvers. Quite frankly, I think that is also true, to at least some extent, of nearly everyone at IDPA headquarters. Nothing wrong with that--Berryville is 1911 country--but revolvers really are a different sort of beast. Joyce and Bill, please take the affirmative step of reaching out to consult with a cross-section of your revolver constituents, who thoroughly understand this stuff, instead of relying on the complaints of just a noisy few. Select a few good revolver shooters at random from your list of SSR competitors at the 2004 Nationals, maybe set up a conference call, and have a real conversation with them about these concerns. For the sake of the organization and the sport. Sincerely, Mike Carmoney

James, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Mike

I developed my affinity for the revolver back during the heyday of the bowling pin shooting circuit. At the upper levels, pin-shooting had become completely revolver-neutral (if you were using more than six rounds to clear the table, you were screwed anyway). Plus I found that my timing was better with the smooth rolling action of the wheelgun. Never found anything that worked any better for the "main event" in pin-shooting than my 8-3/8" S&W 27 loaded with 230-gr. bullets at 1000 fps. I'd still happily pay to play heads-up with anyone (shooting any sort of handgun) with that old revolver. Second Chance used to attract 500 shooters. Unfortunately now, other than a select group of die-hards in eastern PA who have kept pin-shooting on life-support, the sport is just about dead.

Joyce Wilson, I notice on my screen that you are tuned in to this topic right now. In addition to the lively debate on this forum, the revolver issues are also being discussed on the unofficial IDPA forum, as well as the Smith & Wesson forum. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all of this. Mike

Ted, I'm really trying my best not to have unkind feelings about this, and I sure appreciate your candor in admitting that you are one of the shooters who proposed the second division, but look at the negative impact on the typical IDPA revo shooter: Before today, the typical SSR shooter shot a 4" 625, 610, or 646. He pulled moonclips from those shoot-the-moon carriers, or else the dual Blade-Tech carriers. Now, if he wants to keep using the same equipment (with more powder in his cases to make the 165 p.f., which in and of itself is fine with me), he has to switch over to ESR, and get some different belt carriers. BUT: Now, there will be either a real need, or at least a perceived need, to shoot a 8-shot revo in order to stay competitive in that class. There are always going to be stages in IDPA matches (which as we all know tend to have a bias toward being "8-round neutral," where the extra couple rounds will save a reload. Now if you're thinking, nah, all that kick and muzzle blast from hot magnums needed to make 165 p.f. will negate the advantage of the extra two rounds (I suspect this is what they were figuring in Berryville), think again. Betcha Jerry is already loading up some of his signature 200-gr. cast bullets in .38 cases, with just enough Blue Dot (or whatever he's using these days) to make the 165 p.f. out of a 4" gun. With the right ammo, that gun will shoot just about as soft as a 625, and reload almost as fast, and it will have 8 rounds. Now, at the local level, 625s and 610s are still fine, right??--OOPS, wait a second, they're too heavy to make the new 42-oz. weight limit!! According to the S&W catalog, the production 4" 625 weighs (wouldn't you just know it...) 43 oz., and the 610 weighs 50 oz. So those guns are just out the window for IDPA--simple as that. Is there even a current regular-production moonclip revolver that satisfies the new ESR rules? The 625 Mountain Gun was a special run, and they're pretty hard to find. They don't make a 627 in a 4" barrel--yet. Ted--buddy--this is a real bad deal for almost everybody who shoots revo in IDPA. Maybe you and Craig and that one other speedloader guy at Nationals are pleased, but it's going to create an awful lot of useless hardware for the other 98% of us. Mike

Well, Craig has courageously acknowledged that he was one of the shooters who petitioned IDPA to change the revolver rules. Would anyone else like to 'fess up? Ted, you seem awfully triumphant about this, too. Were you a campaigner on this also? Who else do I need to thank for these changes? (First and last names, please...) Mike Carmoney

Mike Carmoney Revolver Friday

Yeah, we might all be shooting "Dad's old Model 10" in SSR because all the rest of our gear has been obsoleted by the new rules. Sounds like in order to be competitive in the new ESR division, you're going to almost have to use an 8-shot.

That's great news, considering I just paid TK more than twice that for a packet of 10 of his little gems. Now--huge question--are the Ranch Products clips the solid style? Or the split kind? (Solid is the only way to go....) Mike

Jeff--Cool--So are we actually up to 9 revos now? Cliff--As of today, Sam's going. I'm going to try to coordinate it so that all of us wheelgunners are on the same squad on Friday, if at all possible. Sly Dan C. is shooting Sat./Sun. so he'll have a chance to go to school on all of us! Guys, this is cool. I'm excited. My plane ticket is booked. Mike

That's great news Cliff--thanks for replying! I'm booking my plane ticket this evening--I'm planning to shoot on Friday. I think Sam Keen (Hopalong) might just be atttending the match as well--hey, that would make 8 wheelgunners! As a beginner in IPSC revolver, I figure it's worth the plane ticket and entry fee just to be able to see you experienced wheelgunners in action first-hand! Mike

Any other wheelgunners going? It would be really cool to have a real revo. squad this year!

Spook, the floating hand is a "female" unit which fits over a post that is press-fit into the hole on the trigger which normally accommodates the pin on the hand. dj, the floating hand causes trouble with the DA trigger pull in many, but not all, specimens. I've only seen floating hands installed on 625-2 "Model of 1988"s, but I've heard they show up occasionally on earlier 625-3s. Somewhere along in there the factory shitcanned the whole floating hand idea, mercifully. My thought is if your gun has a nice DA pull, don't worry about it--if you decide to put in a regular "male" hand, it may need to be fitted. The separate pin on the trigger will pull out easily with vise grips. Mike

OK, guys, since we're talking loosely about revolvers at this match, does anybody know whether there are enough revolver shooters planning to go this year to justify any sort of division recognition for Revo? I keep finding myself looking at plane ticket prices on travelocity, and this match might just be at the edge of being do-able for me, but the only USPSA class card I have right now is in wheelgun. At the risk of sounding just a tiny bit mercenary, would I be shooting just for fun if I show up in Frostproof with a revolver, or are there prizes/plaques/etc. being awarded in the Revo class? Thanks, Mike