Breaking 180 While Reloading

[AFDAVIS1]

I'm curious how many of us have been DQ'd during our reloading because the barrel breaks the 180 in IPSC. I gotta say I think this stinks, the gun is obviously not going to go off if the cylinder is open and empty. Even if you have been given a warning I'd like to hear about it. I think it's revolver prejudice! Everyone knows the barrel should point straight up when you reload a revolver. Whats a good autoloader example, breaking the 180 when the gun is disassembled!!!!

[Bill Sahlberg]

I have been to many Area 1 Championships, Sectional matches, and 5 Nationals and have not been DQ'd shooting or reloading my revolver. However, I keep my muzzle downrange while I am reloading just like the rules specify. Break the rules and you have to pay the consequences. I haven't pointed my muzzle up since the "old day" of PPC. If you point your gun over the berm even with the cylinder open you are only asking for trouble. My idea of spending $100-$300 on match fees, $500 on travel, another $300 on Hotel, $250 on a rent a car not including food and drink and getting a DQ is NOT my idea of a "fun" time.

[Vince Pinto]

I'll echo Bill's comments from an international perspective and I can tell you that IROA officials give considerable leeway to revolver shooters during reloading, at least while the cylinder is out.

I also remind you that you must actually break 90 degrees to incur a match DQ.

Moreover, having watched top revolver shooters in action, including Jerry Miculek, none of them break 90 degrees to efficiently eject empty cases.

[Gillster]

There were a couple of us using 625's at a match recently and one of the RO's cautioned us about where the barrel was pointing during reloads. I always point mine straight up because I have had unburned powder fall under the extractor star before and cleaning it out really kills a reload. The RO was cautioning us in case we did the same thing elsewhere. He said he knew the gun was safe with the cylinder out of the gun but it's a good thing to keep an eye on anyway and I'm practicing my reloads a little differently now.

Chris

[spook]

I never break 90 up or down, but have noticed that it's easy (for some shooters)to break 90 when you reload when moving to the left (if you're right handed). This has (fortunately) never happened to me. Just practice this everywhere. When you dryfire at home, pretend the wall you're aiming at is the backstop and don't break 90. Safety stuff like that has to be 2nd nature. You don't want to worry about it. I've never been DQed, but it seems a lot worse than trashing your first stage, and I've done that

[Patrick Sweeney]

Revolver reloading is much more dynamic than with pistols, and some methods come a lot closer to the plane than others. We cut wheelgunners a lot of slack, and coach the new ones when they get close. The only time a DQ happens is if the muzzle comes uprange after the ammo goes in. Maybe not tiop-level kosher, but at the club level we're doing more teaching and learning than judging.

[kaiserb]

The only problems with revo reloading is if you over-rotate the gun durring a reload. You should practice to eliminate this.

The other issue is: If something goes wrong in the reload people tend to lean over the revo to look down at it causing a sweeping issue.