The USPSA National Handgun Championships were held October 9 through 16 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 600 shooters put more than 250,000 rounds downrange in a quest for coveted U.S. Practical Shooting Association national titles in the Open, Limited-10, Limited, Production and Revolver divisions.
K.C. Wins Opens Division — His First USPSA National Title
K.C. Eusebio won the Open division title, outgunning his nearest challenger by more than 73 points. K.C. notched his first Overall USPSA Nationals win with this impressive victory. The Team Limcat shooter who earlier this year won the Steel Challenge Nationals and the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships, put his speed and shooting skills on display as he won six of 18 stages and finished in the top five on all by three. However, Eusebio sat out the first day of competition waiting for his match ammo to arrive and had to make up the missed stages over the next two days of the competition. Second place in the match went to fellow Limcat shooting team member J.J. Racaza who posted a final score of 1649.2863.
Miculek Wins Yet Another Revolver Championship — But It Wasn’t Easy
Jerry Miculek once again won the Revolver Division, with a close victory over runner-up Matt Griffin. Miculek finished with 1680.7297 match points — mere 9.4980 points ahead of Matt. Getting to the top of the podium wasn’t a walk in the park though, as Miculek battled jetlag after returning from a match in Australia, an inner ear infection and a fly away front sight. Despite all the obstacles before him, Miculek won six of 18 stages and finished in the top five on all by one. No other shooter in any division in the competition came close to that kind of consistency.
Miculek competing earlier this year at the Steel Challenge. Photo Courtesy SteelChallenge.com.
“It was the longest three days of my life. I told my wife Kay it felt like I’d been here for a week,” joked Miculek.”It was the longest, hardest match and every time you pulled your gun out of the holster it was extremely difficult to try and survive the stage. Every time you made a shot it was a hard cover, no-shoot, long range disaster event. It was just nerve-wracking and I do believe it was the hardest [pistol match] I’ve ever shot,” said Miculek.
“There are some good shooters coming up,” said Miculek about his competition. “I’m getting toward the end of my competition lifespan, I guess you could say. I realize that physically so the younger bucks are going to start coming in and pushing the old bucks out. It’s just the way of the world and I left my mark and I hope they do well and leave their mark.”
Jessie Abbate 3-Peats As USPSA Limited National Champ
Jessie Abbate won the USPSA Women’s Limited Division Championship for the third year in a row, finishing 75 points ahead of runner-up Lisa Munson. After finishing second in the earlier Open division contest, Abbate, adjusted her approach: “Coming into the Limited match, I decided that I had to be aggressive, I had to shoot my sights and let those be my speedometer,” said Abbate.
“This is a very hard match, especially for iron sights. There are more partial targets here than I’ve ever seen and I knew I had to be accurate. I had to be patient and let my sights tell me what to do.” That patience paid off as Abbate won 11 of the 18 stages in the match to post a final score of 1173.5946. Abbate used some Open Class techniques to her advantage in Limited Class: “I’ve been shooting mostly Open this year so and I’ve brought some things over from my open shooting to limited that have helped me a lot. Lots of speed, more shooting on the move and being a more aggressive shooter overall.”
Team Glock’s Dave Sevigny Wins His 6th Production Division USPSA Title
Competing in a field of 120 top Production division shooters, Sevigny had to come from behind to win. “Unfortunately I started out a little bit flat, and I think everybody at some point got sideways in this match. I’ve been in these situations before where I knew I had to lay the hammer down to go for the win, and I knew that today I had to do that.” Finishing second behind Sevigny was Team CZ shooter Matt Mink of Conway, Ark. who finished more than 80 points behind with a final score of 1556.5509.
Earlier this month Wilson Combat launched its new gun blog, which is worth a visit. Though focused primarily on handguns, the Wilson Combat Blog also features tactical rifles and shotguns. While there are match reports and gun maintenance articles, the Wilson Blog is mainly a showcase for products, which are illustrated with really superb photography (some of the best “gun glamour” images on the web). Here are some examples of the “eye candy” Wilson combat offers on its site…
Case Colored 1911 for Trey of Jackson Armory in Texas
Trey calls this unique, Case-Colored custom the “Patriot Elite”. The slide is hand polished and then sent to Doug Turnbull for his exceptional bluing and color case hardened finish on the frame. The frontstrap was left bare to show off case colors.
Custom Professional with Flush-Crowned Barrel
Another interesting gun is this 4″ Commander-style 1911 K-5 with beautiful, fan-pattern Cocobolo grips. Notice that the muzzle is flush crowned. A new option for Wilson, the flush crown is made possible by the use of a flat wire, Glock-style recoil spring. This new feature is only available for compact/professional length slides at this time.
Wilson Arms AR Trigger — Long-Term Test
The Wilson Arms Blog also links to a Military Times long-term test of the Wilson Tactical Trigger Unit (TTU) for AR-type lowers. The Times tested the TTU over six months with 10,000 drops of the hammer. Click Here to read the full review, published on Sept. 29, 2010.
A new web vendor for loaded ammunition has just opened its doors to the online public. BulkAmmo.com launched its new secure web-store earlier this month. To celebrate its grand opening, BulkAmmo.com is offering our readers a special promotion: $25 off their first order over $200. To take advantage of this special offer, use Coupon CODE “GrandOpening” during check-out.
Steven, one of the BulkAmmo.com principals tells us: “We have a lot of inventory available and it’s all ready to ship.” BulkAmmo.com currently stocks major brands including Aguilla, CCI, Federal, Fiocchi, PMC, Remington, Tula, Winchester, and Wolf. You’ll find a wide selection of pistol, rimfire, and centerfire rifle ammo, plus shotgun shells. Brands of .308 Win brass-cased ammo include: Hornady (Interlock), Federal (GMM), and PMC.
The 2010 National Rifle and Pistol Championships kick off July 12 at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. Conducted by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) with assistance from the Ohio National Guard, these matches have long been considered the “World Series of the Shooting Sports.” A tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, the event is divided into five separate phases: Pistol, Smallbore 3-Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power, and Long Range. The popular CMP clinics and matches will be held from July 30 through August 7. MidwayUSA is the Title Sponsor for the 2010 National Championships. (FYI: MidwayUSA is also currently offering special discounts to AccurateShooter.com readers: $10 off $50 – Coupon Code 2437210.)
The National Matches begin each year in early July with the National Pistol Championships and conclude in August with the Long Range High Power Championship. Competitors represent a vast array of experience including novice shooters, Olympic medalists, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and international competitors.
2010 Nat’l Matches Schedule:
July 12: First Shot Ceremony
July 13-17: Pistol Championships
July 21-24: Smallbore Rifle Position
July 25-29: Smallbore Rifle Prone
July 30-Aug 1: CMP SAFS & Clinics
August 2-7: CMP Rifle Matches
August 8: Springfield M1A Match
August 10-13: High Power Rifle
August 14-17: Long Range Rifle
The NRA Blog will provide timely reports and the latest match results during the Championships. For more on the Camp Perry National Championships, or other competitive shooting events or programs, visit www.nrahq.org/compete or call (703) 267-1450. Go to the CMP Website for information on CMP Clinics and Trophy Matches.
Ireland has adopted some very tough gun laws recently, but we’re glad to see that our Irish shooting friends are still “fighting the good fight” and bringing new shooters into the sport. In fact, Ireland’s National Association of Sporting Rifle and Pistol Clubs (NASRPC) has begun a training program for lady shooters.
The Irish Sports Council has scheduled a Women on Target program to encourage more female participation in sport shooting. Declan Keogh, an NRA-Certified Instructor, has scheduled his first clinic on Saturday June 19th, 2010. The class is being hosted by the Hilltop Shooting Club in Tithewer, Newtown Mountkennedy, County Wicklow. The clinic is a part of the Irish Sports Council’s Women In Sport program. The three-hour class will include basic pistol instruction and .22LR target shooting. Instructors will cover the NRA’s rules for safe gun handling and teach shooting fundamentals. The program costs €20, which covers ammo, program materials, and refreshments.
The Bianchi Cup, first held in 1979, is one of the most lucrative (and prestigious) of all the shooting sports tournaments. This event draws shooters from all over the world including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Since its inception more than three decades ago, the NRA Bianchi Cup has retained its original course of fire, consisting of four matches: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target, and Falling Plates. Speed and accuracy is the key to winning the Championship. Each event is timed and is worth 480 points, equaling a total of 1920 possible points. Each of the the four primary stages consists of 48 rounds for a total possible score of 480 for each stage and 1920 for a perfect overall score.
The 2010 Event has concluded and we list the top performers below. Doug Koenig won the Open Class without dropping a point, finishing with 1920-179X. Jessie Abbate, new Team Smith & Wesson member, dominated the women’s division with a 1906-163X, edging her team-mate Julie Golob by 12 points. Robert Vadasz won the production division with a 1904-146X.
2010 Bianchi Cup Results by Category
Open Class:
1. Doug Koenig, 1920-179x
2. Bruce Piatt, 1918-183x
3. Kevin Angstadt, 1918-169x
4. George Mowbray, 1918-151x
5. Tony Holmes, 1916-159x
Metallic Sights:
1. Robert Vadasz, 1904-146x
2. Rob Leatham, 1894-153x
3. Troy Mattheyer, 1892-127x
4. Jason Koon, 1866-114x
5. Greg Davis, 1861-105x
Production Class:
1. Kyle Schmidt, 1856-121x
2. Enoch Smith, 1835-123x
3. Dave Sevigny, 1833-119x
4. Phil Strader, 1819-102x
5. Vance Schmid, 1812-100x
The NRA Blog has complete coverage of the 2010 Bianchi Cup, held this week at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Columbia, MO. The Bianchi Cup is one of the most prestigious handgun competitions on the planet. This year, the 32nd Annual MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup features over 200 of the best pistol and revolver shooters in the world, from the USA and six other countries.
The match continues through Saturday, May 29th, but results from the first two days of competition are available on the NRA Blog. NRA Media Relations has also posted a collection of 2010 Bianchi Cup photos online. CLICK HERE to view Bianchi Cup Photo Gallery.
The 2010 LaRue Tactical Multi-Gun Match has wrapped up and two new champions have been crowned. The match was held at the Cawthon Cartridge Club in Cawthon, Texas. Taran Butler won the Tactical Division and Benny Hill won the Tactical Heavy Division. Butler is a 5-Time USPSA Multi-Gun National Tactical Champion and 10-Time California State 3-Gun Champion. Those who’ve seen Taran Butler in action understand why he’s one of the top multi-gun shooters in the county. He can compete head-to-head with the best handgunners, and he’s blazing fast with his carbine, even on the move.
With the Cerberus-owned Freedom Group family of companies preparing for an IPO later this year, industry experts wondered: “Will Cerberus purchase a handgun manufacturer, or launch a line of Remington handguns?” With the announcement of the new Remington 1911 R1 pistol, Cerberus has showed its hand. The new 1911 R1 is the first pistol Remington has produced in decades, and the first 1911-design in 91 years.
Remington’s 1911 R1 is featured in the current issue of Shooting Times (left). A blued-steel retro design, the Remington 1911 R1 is faithful to the 1911 A1 with some modern upgrades. Like the original 1911, Remington’s R1 has a flat mainspring housing, internal extractor, short trigger and double diamond grips. Modern enhancements include a flared ejection port, beveled magazine well, loaded chamber indicator, tall single-dot front and two-dot rear sights, and a black-oxided stainless barrel. The 1911 R1 also has a Series 80-style firing pin block safety.
Classic Lines with Some Modern Features
From a subjective standpoint, this Editor likes the looks of Remington’s 1911 R1 and I favor some of its design features. I personally can shoot 1911s better with the short trigger, and I prefer the clean look of a slide without forward serrations. However, I question the decision, based on styling, to use an internal extractor, and the tall blocky sights look somewhat out of place on a retro-styled 1911. However, the big sights will unquestionably help the gun’s shootability.
Remington’s 1911 R1 will be officially launched at the NRA Annual Meeting in NC in May. The gun, which is made in Remington’s Ilion, NY facility, should be available in June, 2010, and dealers are already taking advance orders. The Remington 1911 R1 will be shipped in a custom carry case with two 7-round magazines and a barrel bushing wrench (see photo below). Suggested retail price is $699.00.
Do We Need Yet Another 1911?
It’s easy to be cynical about Remington’s entry into the 21st-century handgun market. Rather than give us something new and really remarkable, Remington merely recycled the tried and trued 1911, a design that is already produced by dozens of companies. Do we really need yet another 1911? One clever gun writer joked: “‘1911′ is supposed to be the model name, not the number of companies building versions of it.” Does Remington bring anything to the marketplace that one can’t buy elsewhere? Well, 1911 fans like the pricing of Remington’s 1911, predicting it will sell very well at the $700.00 mark. And Remington does have a history of producing 1911 handguns for the U.S. Military — Remington-UMC built 21,677 1911s for the U.S. Ordnance Dept. in 1918.
But still, one wonders how much market share Remington will grab from Kimber, Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson, Les Baer, STI, Wilson Combat, USFA and other proven 1911-makers. Is Remington too late to the party with its retro-styled 1911 R1? Would it have been better for Remington to launch an all-new pistol design that creates a whole new market segment, as did Glock and Keltec? If Remington wants to become a major player in the pistol market, wouldn’t it have been better to engineer a more modern pistol that could compete for lucrative LEO and military pistol markets? Perhaps the answer to these questions is that Remington simply took the cheap and easy route — producing a pistol that required minimal engineering and testing. As ToddG writes on the Pistol-training.com Blog: “Building a 1911 is just a lazy way to enter the handgun market. There is little design and testing needed compared to making something new from scratch. Pick a design, build some prototypes, do a little testing to make sure the CNC machines are set right, and start pumping out guns.”
There’s a big cash incentive for first-time female competitors at this year’s NRA Bianchi Cup, May 26-29, 2010, in Columbia, Missouri. Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA have donated big bucks for first-time female competitors, using a production handgun, who achieve the highest Aggregate score of all four championship events (moving target, falling plate, barricade, and practical). A qualifying production handgun must be “right out of the box”, unmodified, with no customizations.
First Place in the 1st time women’s category will receive $2,500, Second Place $1,500 and Third Place $750. Right now, with six weeks to go before the match, few women registrants meet the requirements to win this first-time shooters’ award. So, ladies, here’s a chance to win serious money. And guys, if you know a skilled female shooter, encourage her to sign up. For more information on the 2010 NRA Bianchi Cup, call 703-267-1451 or email BianchiCup [at] nrahq.org.
The USPSA National Handgun Championships were held October 9 through 16 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 600 shooters put more than 250,000 rounds downrange in a quest for coveted U.S. Practical Shooting Association national titles in the Open, Limited-10, Limited, Production and Revolver divisions.
Jessie Abbate 3-Peats As USPSA Limited National Champ
The 2010 National Rifle and Pistol Championships kick off July 12 at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. Conducted by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) with assistance from the Ohio National Guard, these matches have long been considered the “World Series of the Shooting Sports.” A tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, the event is divided into five separate phases: Pistol, Smallbore 3-Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power, and Long Range. The popular CMP clinics and matches will be held from July 30 through August 7. 
2010 Nat’l Matches Schedule:
Ireland has adopted some very tough gun laws recently, but we’re glad to see that our Irish shooting friends are still “fighting the good fight” and bringing new shooters into the sport. In fact, Ireland’s 
The Bianchi Cup, first held in 1979, is one of the most lucrative (and prestigious) of all the shooting sports tournaments. This event draws shooters from all over the world including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
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Classic Lines with Some Modern Features
