The International Revolver Championship

The International Revolver Championship

It’s the annual gathering of wheel gunners, as Revolver shooters from around the world converge in California for the IRC. It is the world championship for the folks who prefer competition with the classic revolver. And it’s Jerry defending his unbroken string of championships.

Near the coastal California city of Morro Bay, the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts, or ICORE, is holding their biggest event of the year at the Hogue Action Pistol Ranges. John Scoutten and Mike Irvine cover the action from the International Revolver Championship.

The IRC is a test of speed and accuracy with your time being your score. Just like in golf, the lower the score the better. Also shooters will be putting shots on a mixture of paper and steel targets. Those paper targets are similar to the NRA tombstone target, but the scoring zones are different. From the center out is the 4-inch X-ring that reduces a shooter’s raw time by a second per shot. Next is the Alpha or A-zone. Hits in the Alpha add no time to a shooter’s score. Further out is the Baker or B-zone that add one second to the shooter’s time. The remaining portion of the target is the Charlie or C-zone. Shots to the Charlie add two seconds per hit. And finally if a shooter misses the target, it adds five seconds per shot.

Competition at the IRC is divided into three divisions: Classic, Iron Sights, and Open. Classic Division competitors use six shot revolvers and speed loaders, no moon clips allowed. In the Iron Sight Division, shooters are allowed up to eight rounds in the gun, with moon clips to speed reloads. Traditional iron sights are required. The Open Division includes eight-shot cylinders, moon clips, barrel porting, or compensators, and electronic optics.

Related Links:

IRC & ICORE Website

The Hogue Action Pistol Ranges

 

Technological development during the Civil War resulted in an amazing collection of firearms joining the battle. Everything from muzzleloaders to the Henry and Spencer repeaters saw action. But one .50 caliber breechloader, has found particular favor with our historian, Garry James.

The Maynard Carbine, employed by both blue and grey cavalry, is now one of History’s Guns.

The new Thompson Center Venture rifle comes with a one MOA guarantee. T/C guarantees the Venture will shoot a one-inch group at 100 yards, in any of the eight chamberings available. The T/C Venture retails for less than $600.

DOA 600 is from the XLT Trophy series. The DOA means Dead On Accuracy with a 4-12x40mm variable power scope with quarter MOA click adjustments. It's waterproof, fog proof, shock proof, and is backed up with 100% money back guarantee. The DOA 600 retails for $320.

More Information from Bushnell

More Information from Thompson Center

The Montgomery Bell Academy Rifle Classic

Since 1995, Montgomery Bell Academy has hosted the largest high school air rifle competition in the country. Nearly 400 competitors travel to Nashville to compete for the titles. The 150-year-old academy is the perfect host of the classic due to their rich winning tradition and the school’s 10 meter air rifle facilities.

The competition includes young shooters fielding the same high accuracy air rifles utilized in Olympic competition and some of the motivated competitors may ultimately join the members of the US Shooting Team.

The MBA Rifle Classic is competition benefiting the next generation of shooters, supported by the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

More information on the MBA Classic

More information on the Civilian Marksmanship Program

The first step in a fall turkey hunt starts at the edge of the woods at least an hour before the sun comes up. When it’s light, the turkeys are going to come down out of the tree tops, calling to each other, and making a lot of noise in the brush. That’s your audible indicator to where they are. Once you figure out their location, you can move into the woods in that direction and start the stalk.

Once you’re in the woods, you want to move with purpose. Take soft easy steps. You don’t want any unnecessary skin showing, so have your mask and gloves on, because you really don’t know how far away the birds are.

I’ll walk with my Ithaca Turkey Slayer ready, taking nice aggressive steps, and using the nature cover. Stay behind whatever trees, branches, and bushes you can. Remember, they see a lot better than you do in the woods. If they bust you too soon and run off, that’s a foot race I guarantee you’re going to lose.

We’ve setup a hypothetical situation. That’s my turkey decoy downrange. She’s simulating where the flock would be. It could be three or four. It could be thirty or forty.

Now is the part to abandon everything you know as a hunter. The way to break up the birds is to bust the party. This is grandma’s surprise party. You kick and you yell. The idea is to scare the flock.

You want to send the birds scattering in every direction. If the flock sticks together, and they move, you have to start this process over again. But if they all scatter, you have as little as 15 minutes to get set up, because the young birds will start returning to this exact spot.

The first step is to tuck myself under in a tree in the direction I came from. That’s likely the one place the birds didn’t scatter.

Then I’ll immediately use my Bushnell range finder to mark as many trees around me as I can.

Next, I start to make a very specific call with my diaphragm call. That’s called the kee-kee-run. Young turkeys make this call, and hens make this call, when they’re trying to get the flock back together.

These are first birds to come back to the spot, so get the chatter started early, and get them headed back.

Remember, this is all about timing. Be ready, because your shot could come from any direction.

Get the Shooting USA 20 Year Challenge Coin and a personally autographed photo by Jim Scoutten.

Shipped together for $13.95, including postage.

NRA Membership Offer:  Jim Pays $10 when you join the NRA through the Shooting USA website.