First ICORE match

[spacecoast]

I accepted TFL member Don P's invitation to travel up to the Volusia County Gun and Hunt Club to shoot an ICORE (International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts) match, and I did just that on Saturday. I had a BLAST - Lots of fun. It's a very friendly group and Don and his wife made me feel very welcome. This was my first "action shooting" match and I finished near the bottom of the list, but I picked up a few tips and figured out some things that should help me compete better next time. Highly Recommended.

www.icore.org

[Nick_C_S]

Sounds great!

I shoot Steel and IDPA - both with revolver. But I've never done an ICORE event. The nearest one is over 100 miles from here, and I have yet to get up the gumption to go there. I'd like to some day.

[MrBorland]

Congrats! Glad you had a good time. Revolver shooters are a friendly bunch.

I started off in ICORE, but there weren't enough revolver shooters showing up to continue the matches. Too bad, as I really liked those matches, and there aren't any other local ones.

[g.willikers]

Like Nick sez, revolvers are welcome in IDPA, USPSA and Steel Challenge matches, if there aren't ICORE ones around.
There usually aren't very many who use them in these matches, but who knows, if you start doing it, maybe you could start something going, like a revolver squad.

[spacecoast]

We had some discussion of the various shooting competitions after the match. My current understanding is that the use of a revolver puts you at a disadvantage in USPSA. The shooters at the ICORE match seemed to enjoy the level playing field (with divisions of course) and relatively simple rules. They also mentioned that USPSA is "like a track meet with guns". IDPA sounds interesting as well, but requires a cover garment, frequent shooting around cover and more rules.

[MrBorland]

My current understanding is that the use of a revolver puts you at a disadvantage in USPSA.

Not quite. You'd be competing in the revolver division, against other revolver shooters. What puts you at a disadvantage in USPSA revolver would be the use of an ICORE Classic (or IDPA SSR) gun, i.e. speedloaders and shooting minor PF with a 6-shot gun. You can shoot USPSA with your ICORE or IDPA revolver, of course, but if you want to be competitive, you'll need a different revolver. What's de rigueur right now is an 8-shot .357 (loaded with .38 Long or Short Colt rounds) or 9mm shooting minor PF.

The shooters at the ICORE match seemed to enjoy the level playing field (with divisions of course) and relatively simple rules. They also mentioned that USPSA is "like a track meet with guns".

ICORE is very much like USPSA, except it has 3 divisions to keep parity. Your ICORE match may not have had as much runnin' & gunnin' as others.

IDPA sounds interesting as well, but requires a cover garment, frequent shooting around cover and more rules.

True, but these are good skills to learn if you want to hone your all-around revolver skills. It's one thing to be able to shoot well with few limitations, but quite another when your options are limited, and a good wheelgunner ought to be proficient at both, IMO. Besides, the real-world might be more like the latter, so they're skills worth developing, IMO.

[Don P]

Thanks for the kind words spacecoast. Its nice seeing new faces at the match and getting to meet fellow members of TFL and putting a face with the name.

Not quite. You'd be competing in the revolver division, against other revolver shooters. What puts you at a disadvantage in USPSA revolver would be the use of an ICORE Classic (or IDPA SSR) gun, i.e. speedloaders and shooting minor PF with a 6-shot gun. You can shoot USPSA with your ICORE or IDPA revolver, of course, but if you want to be competitive, you'll need a different revolver. What's de rigueur right now is an 8-shot .357 (loaded with .38 Long or Short Colt rounds) or 9mm shooting minor PF.

My only reason for making the statement of being at a disadvantage is stages are set up in USPSA to be 8 shot friendly and spacecoast is shooting a 625.It just can be a bit challenging with the flat footed reloads be 2 shots short at any given shooting position. I've shot my 625 and have had a blast doing it and it feels like a reloading competition with a little shooting thrown in

Your ICORE match may not have had as much runnin' & gunnin' as others.

No it didn't because it was the postal match so we had to follow stage description's per ICORE's set stages for the match.
Spacecoast did outstanding for his first match and I can say it sure didn't look like his first rodeo(match) and the stages can be found here at www.icore.org

[Nick_C_S]

5.9.3 An under lug, barrel weight, grip weight, or any other modification designed to increase the weight of the revolver is not permitted in Classic Division.

Question: Does the above ICORE rule mean that you can not run a S&W 686 in the Classic Division because it has an under lug? Or are they permitted because they're "stock," and not a modification?

[MrBorland]

You can use your 686, since the underlug isn't an added modification.

[Nick_C_S]

Thanks for the info MrBorland.

I may try to get to at ICORE match next spring. The nearest one to me (as far as I know) is in Fallon Nevada (Stillwater Firearms Assoc). I'm in northern California.

Also, I'm going to have to add 100 fps to my IDPA rounds to make ICORE power factor

[MrBorland]

Originally Posted by Nick_C_S

I'm going to have to add 100 fps to my IDPA rounds to make ICORE power factor

Your IDPA loads will be much better off, too.

[Nick_C_S]

Heh, my IDPA loads are sweet right where they are. I put a lot of time into those workups.

The ICORE rounds should go faster because I already have some data.

[SG29736]

Nick. Where are you in N. California. We have an ICORE club in Gridley, between Yuba City and Chico. We shoot the second Sunday of each month. North Valley Shooters Association. NVSA. The International Revolver Championship of ICORE will be held in Fallon next September. It has been down in San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay for the last 20 years. Mark.

[Nick_C_S]

Nick. Where are you in N. California? We have an ICORE club in Gridley

I'm in Lincoln - just "right down the road" uhh, kind of .

I knew there was a range in Gridley, but I was unaware of the events held there.

We shoot the second Sunday of each month. North Valley Shooters Association. NVSA.

I'm interested; and just found the website and will snoop around it. Thanks.

[pathdoc]

While we're busy discussing what things a revolver (most likely with six shots) is or isn't good for, I hope it's not out of place for me to ask "What about IPSC?"

I have access to this locally and only this, and am thinking about a first handgun, with revolvers high on the list for a number of reasons including un-fussiness about low-energy practice loads/odd bullet profiles and easy retention of fired brass.

[MrBorland]

Originally Posted by pathdoc

"What about IPSC?"

You logic is largely sound. I'm a die-hard revolver shooter, and can wholly recommend it. I ought to point out, though, that you may be one of the few revolver shooters there, and that's reason enough to discourage many from trying it.

Yeah, you'd technically not be competing against anyone in any other division, but a lot of people hate being the red-headed stepchild, which is why you don't see a lot of people shooting revolvers in matches. If you're cool with this, you'll likely enjoy it very much, and it'll teach you a great deal about shooting well.

[Nick_C_S]

A lot of people hate being the red-headed stepchild, which is why you don't see a lot of people shooting revolvers in matches.

For me, it's the contrary. I like being the red-headed step-child. More often than not (but not always) I am the only revolver shooter in IDPA; and especially Steel (pretty much always).

It makes for good conversation. And brassers (those cleaning up the brass between shooters) seem to really like me for some reason I also like it when someone complains about their semi-auto "not running well." I just look down at my wheel gun and say "mine seems to be running great." heh heh

[Chris Christian]

Spacecoast... It was a fun match at Volusia. Glad Don got you up there. ICORE is, as far as the competitors go, a lot more laid back & friendly than some other matches. I had people picking up my Long Colt cases & speedloaders for me while I was viewing my targets, and I returned the favor whenever I could when I wasn't pasting. Our squad was just a handful of shooters, so everybody had to get with it, and everybody did. That's the kind of crowd ICORE is!

We, in Central Florida, are very fortunate to have ICORE at Volusia, with Mike Wiggins running it, and then just down the road in Orlando we have the Central Florida Wheelgunners, run by Dick Divittorio. They both put on a good match.

You should have been at the Dec 2013 Double Tap... that was a two day TOTAL hoot with Saturday 8 stages in Volusia and Sunday 8 stages in Orlando. I even grabbed a motel after the Saturday Volusia match so I could be fresh for the Sunday Orlando match.

Don't worry where you finished in the first match. Don had you ready to go. You'll improve with some more matches.

As for Classic Division being the stepchild/bottom feeders? Not really, it just depends upon how accurately and quickly you use those 6 rounds, and then how fast you can reload the next 6. You can do it faster than you think. But, ya gotta hit the A Zone... the down points will kill ya. Love my 6-inch GP-100 and LC loads!

Chris Christian Class C, Classic Division