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The Early Days of IPSC


Patrick Sweeney

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anyone remember the pendulum device we used to measure power factor? funny stuff once we went to 162 grain 38 supers...

I remember the ballistic pendulums! It's just the stuff from last week that's the problem :D

Darn Middle Age Moments!

I too remember the $#@@# Pendulum tester. It was used at Cactus near Lake Pleasant. They would shoot the pendulum with military spec ammo for a major and a minor power factor. Time for my warm milk and cookies. :)

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  • 8 months later...

Ballistic pendulums? How about those timers you'd set with little wheels, for par times? Our then club president built a hand truck with batteries, bullhorn, and the timer. The neighbors a mile away could hear the start and stop beeps.

I live in a University town. More than once I've seen club members bringing their girlfriends to the range. Now in the old days, wimmen dressed for the occasion. Today, I can hardly imagine the occasion a lot of women are dressing for. Perhaps there are video auditions in town I don't hear about?

At a recent range trip, I saw a youngish member with his girlfriend, and my first thought on seeing her getup was "Isn't it a bit early for halloween?" (The impending holiday made me think of it.) My second thought was "I can't recall that 'Naughty Nurse' was the most popular costume this year."

You guessed it, while I'm standing there watching, politely waiting to tell him that when he's done I'd like to use that range to practice on poppers, the pistol she's shooting throws a hot empty down her decolletage. (Look it up.) He stands there, trying to figure out how to help, and dodge the muzzle, while she lets out some truly impressive curses, and stuffs a free hand down her shirt in search of said brass.

By the time they're done, I'm casually looking at the clouds, minding my own business.

I've had hot .223 brass raise blisters and leave scars that took some time to fade away. I can only imagine what kind of marks she had.

One more reason to shoot revolvers.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This was more like the "middle days of IPSC" but still fun. Our club shot competition. If there was a scoring system, we'd try it. Pins, IPSC, Steel Challenge, silhouette, we were up for it. We had just prevailed on the welder to build us a rig that could withstand regular shooting with everything, and had stood it up at the 100 yard line.

I come walking down the stairs to the 100 yard range one day, and Paul Weaver (the only guy I ever met who owned more guns than I did) is in a heated discussion with an old-time club member. The old time club member is telling Paul not to waste his ammo with his new steel gun on the gong. "The bullets won't go that far."

Paul sees me and says "How about we let Pat try it?" So I load up, hold the dot on the top edge of the plate and proceed to ring it ten for ten. Paul says "See, that's why he's El Presidente."

I later found out from Paul that he'd seen me coming, and had immediately talked the guy into a bet, $10 he could get someone to hit it half the time, and $20 if they hit more than half.

I miss Paul.

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  • 2 months later...

You guys a killin' me!

I've only been able to get thru 3 pages of this thread so far - my jaw is sore from laughing! :lol:

I'm a newcomer to USPSA(6 mo or so), but I feel like I've been here for fourty years! (Of course I don't shoot like it!)

I'll stop back for more when I heal! :wacko:

TraderJack

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Guys,

I'm new to this forum but I found many names I used to know from shoots around the country. Sweeney and Carmoney I remember from Second Chance. I had read an earlier post from Patrick about "Propane Wednesday" and I went digging out some old pics. Here's one that I think demos just how crazy....er I mean "tasteful" Richard's displays could be. LOL! I hope everyone enjoys it. I have a ton of old shooting pics that I can post if I'm properly motivated! LOL! Good to read some of the old IPSC history stories, too. I might have a few to share.

Terry

SecondChance0010.jpg

Edited by T Fischer
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I would say Terry just joined the Forum "with a bang!"

Welcome! :):D:D

Guys,

I'm new to this forum but I found many names I used to know from shoots around the country. Sweeney and Carmoney I remember from Second Chance. I had read an earlier post from Patrick about "Propane Wednesday" and I went digging out some old pics. Here's one that I think demos just how crazy....er I mean "tasteful" Richard's displays could be. LOL! I hope everyone enjoys it. I have a ton of old shooting pics that I can post if I'm properly motivated! LOL! Good to read some of the old IPSC history stories, too. I might have a few to share.

Terry

SecondChance0010.jpg

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Thanks for the welcome. I enjoyed reading some of the previous pages that were posted some time ago. Well, I was prompted to post some more pics so here goes.....

SecondChance0015.jpg

Richard always had a campfire going to ward off the Michigan chilly nights! :P

Our host.....

SecondChance0018.jpg

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And, despite our best efforts, the old man pictured below was the single best bowling pin shooter that ever lived.

tapp.jpg

The year I finished second in the main event, he beat all of us by several seconds.

Edited by Carmoney
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He was supposedly from Kentucky. But then later on his address was in Florida. During the time I knew him he was spending most of his time on the road, traveling in that camper from match to match.

According to stories I heard from people who were closer to him, Tapp was a trapper in Alaska for years.

I remember when Ken Tapp was winning at Second Chance we all marvelled at how old he was. 50 or so. :) Now I think 50 is a young whippersnapper. ;)

Tapp was still winning big pin matches well into his 60s.

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