IHMSA Field Pistol 2017: The Revolvers Return!

[jaymoore]

Or maybe it should read: The Revolver's Return!

As at our February match the wheelguns outnumbered the single shot pistols. I think it's because they're just more fun to shoot.

SW282 brought an "unobtainium" 657PC the likes of which I've never seen previously. Similar to the light barreled 629PCs with the tapered under rib but in .41 Mag. Very interesting!

75Vette got ambitious and brought out two new revolvers (at least!) to get their feet wet. One being a 624 and another was the 29-6 shown below. That .44 Special did very well, figure we'll be seeing it again....

Kdiver58 concentrated his efforts, fielding his 8 3/8" 586 AFS revolver again. No optic nonsense today!

I had a new scope on the 629-6 Classic, running the power up to 14x (Bushnell AR series scope. It maxes out at 18x!), but it only yielded two more downed steel critters over the iron sighted 29-3 10 5/8" AFS revolver. If I had remembered my hold points for the 29 it may very well could have scored better than the scoped entry as it wasn't nearly so cold for my second run.

Think we started the day in the low 30's, finishing in the low 50's, but the wind was sporadic, thank goodness!

Plenty of other revolvers, including some .22 entries, mostly Rugers.

Photos:

The warm part of the day

sw282 returning from a paint "run". "Advance and "Faint"!"

Mmmmmm! 29-siiixxx!

New Field Pistol shooter:

She got lots of assistance from Richard P., some of it may even been about the IHMSA competition....

Having at those pesky steel animals:

Looks like one Turkey down so far!

Pretty good crowd for a cold day, and this is only half the firing line. Sounded like a big party for much of the day.

Interesting freestyle .22 position:

As usual, the lunch was great. "Vegetable" soup (with elk and deer ingredients) with cornbread, two cakes, etc.

 

[sw282]

The painting was much more successful than the shooting for me:-(

As for the guy in the last photo-One of the best hunters/shootists around.
This season he killed a 490lb Black Bear in South GA, Elk in NM, and bunch
of Whitetail deer...ALL with a HANDGUN!!!

He posts over on the Handgun Hunter Magazine Forum under the name "cmnash"

 

[jaymoore]

The painting was much more successful than the shooting for me:-(

We were happy to see you, regardless. AND your wee .41 Magnum.

 

[75Vette]

J, it certainly was a fun day and even though we all had only a few months off it felt like a homecoming. The day did start off cold but Feb in North Ga could've brought anything. So all in all not bad. I still need to do more load development and find that "special" round. I hope to see the 624 become a regular at the line. I'm already looking forward to next month!

I got a pic of you spotting for Kdiver.



Here's a good shot of the "I've never seen one of these before" 657PC that sw282 brought wearing an
Ultra Dot Matchdot.



And my 624 That I was hit and miss with.

 

[jaymoore]

Thanks for the photos! Forgot to break my camera out early, then the memory card maxed out. Never slap filled one up before.

The higher powered scoped on the 629-6 shows the wobble better. Sometimes I get "stuck" on a particular area of a target (when my wobble doesn't cover the whole thing and then some!) and it helps to show if it's "safe" to pull the trigger. Pulling the trigger correctly and at the right time is a whole 'nother drama.... Kdiver58 said he went from concentrating on the sights to the trigger release, and it helped him finish strongly. Wish I could say the same. Got at least as many Turkeys as Rams with each of the three entries, which is just wrong!

 

[Shark Bait]

Looks like fun. I'll have to see if they have those shoots around here.

 

[jaymoore]

Looks like fun. I'll have to see if they have those shoots around here.

Frustrating but ever so fun! Addictive, even.

Big Bore has gotten the lion's share of attention over the years, but I've found IHMSA's Field Pistol the most practical shooting sport for handgun hunters yet invented. Max range is half of Big Bore (100yds vs. 200m) and target sizes are usefully small. Equate 25yd Chickens to a deer's heart. And 100yd Rams to the vitals forward of the diaphragm. Given that most handgun shots are taken under 100yds whilst standing (I would hope!), it's a good test of your abilities.

And some clubs now include a "Hunter Pistol" class, which allows you to shoot freestyle, i.e., standing isn't mandatory.

But even if you don't hunt anywhere but the grocery store it's a grand game. As long as you can live with it's binary scoring: No "esteem building" points for being close!


ETA:
In 2016 the IHMSA schedule shows they were having matches at two ranges in NM:

1)Steel Hunters, Hobbs , 575-392-4083, Contact: David Stanfield
Link to Hobbs range:
Hobbs Gun Club

2)NRGSC, Espanola, 505-455-2701, Contact: Dick Kreischer
Link to NRGSC:
Northern Rio Grande Sportsmens Club

Looks like NRGSC use NRA rules, which mostly means that the Chickens (and Pigs, I think) are placed further away! Also they use a shotgun start, which means you may start on any bank, unlike IHMSA, where you always start on Chickens.

 

[TAROMAN]

My club runs these matches once a month, rotating between CF and RF.
Shot my first CF in December, in a rainstorm.
Used a 67-3 with MatchDot II and +P handloads with a 160 grain RN at 995 FPS.

Got 63 of 80 critters.
If it wasn't for those bloody turkeys...
Lots of fun and hope to try RF on Sunday.

 

[75Vette]

That's some good shootin' Taro, especially for a 4" gun! Jaymoore brought his 67 at the end of last season and did pretty darned good using open sights. Called it "Bordello" class. sw282 is an amazing shooter too. He doesn't like to keep a scorecard but always manages to score a 42 out of 40 everytime!!

 

[jaymoore]

My club runs these matches once a month, rotating between CF and RF.
Shot my first CF in December, in a rainstorm.
Used a 67-3 with MatchDot II and +P handloads with a 160 grain RN at 995 FPS.

Got 63 of 80 critters.
If it wasn't for those bloody turkeys...
Lots of fun and hope to try RF on Sunday.

!!!!

"31.5" of 40 would put you easily into AAA class in Field Pistol Any Sight. I've been working hard on that goal for over a year with the .44. (Shot my first 30/40 in FPAS two Septembers ago with the .45 Colt 625. Messed up and crossed FP and FPAS numbers last April so neither the 29 nor the 30 counted. And then went until October to shoot a 31 after the qualifying clock had reset!)

You are in rare air, sir! I don't know of anybody else who's shooting AAA IHMSA FPAS with a revolver. (Not all clubs report monthly results to headquarters anymore so there may be others "in hiding".) I keep looking so I can pick their brain.

The photo of your revolver already makes equpment hints which I've pondered:

1) with optics, a short barrel may be an advantage as the bullet clears the muzzle in less time. Could be just enough to make a fringe hit on steel enough to take it down.

2) less recoil with the .38/.357 at those velocities than the .44s. So less fatiguing to shoot.

3) the Matchdot CAN be reliable in elevation changes. Neither Kdiver58 nor I have been altogether certain of this, but we may have been fighting powder position sensitivity issues at the time.

4) rubber stocks are OK. Sometimes I wonder if wood stocks aren't more stable.


You aren't related to world champion standing IHMSA shooter Joe Cullison are you? He's in your part of the world as well. Something in the water???

Outstanding job.

 

[TAROMAN]

Many years experience precision handgun shooting.
Army post pistol team captain.
IHMSA with 29-2 and 17-4 iron sights standing.
Rimfire bullseye.
Matchdot II is the answer for me. My club runs any number of matches that involve shooting at differing ranges. Just count clicks up or down and go. Being old and forgetful, I have a "cheat sheet" on the optic:

 

[jaymoore]

Being old and forgetful, I have a "cheat sheet" on the optic:

Your cheat sheet is prettier than mine are! Usually a piece of masking tape with numbers crammed on with a Sharpie.

That or one of many often misplaced mini-notebooks. Finally wised up and got a bunch of tiny loose leaf binders so I can transfer info to the correct notebook---When I find it....

You using the range round about Bend?

 

[TAROMAN]

You using the range round about Bend?

Nope, its in Salem. Wet side, snowy now.