Editor’s Note: Sometimes proven old designs are just as good as the latest technology. In the capable hands of Robert Vadasz, the scratched and well-used 11-year-old Smith & Wesson revolver shown below has won three PPC National Championships and the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship (multiple guns used). Here’s a profile of a great shooter and his trusty old wheelgun.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for The NRA Blog
When I first approached U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Vadasz about profiling the guns he used to win the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship — his third in four years — he had just completed the final stage of the Revolver 1500 Match. A match that he won with a score of 1490-117X. A match in which he used his Bob Jones PPC revolver.
“It’s a .38 Special Smith & Wesson,” said Vadasz. “My Bob Jones PPC revolver. The very first competition gun that I ever had built … probably back in 2000″. Fitted with Hogue Monogrip, the .38 hasn’t been tinkered with since the day it arrived. “Exact same gun,” said Vadasz. “It’s never been worked on. It’s never been changed. I won all three of my PPC National Championships with this gun. It’s real special to me.”
In a 2001 NRA Law Enforcement Division Newsletter, gunsmith Bob Jones talked about his work on PPC pistols: “I started working on pistols in the Navy, and it kind of stuck — it was something I really enjoyed doing,” said Bob, thinking back to his days as a Naval armorer who tinkered with .45s.
Bob’s typical modifications to a Smith & Wesson revolver include fitting a Shilen barrel, bobbing the hammer (cutting off the cocking spur), adding an Aristocrat Sight Rib, tuning and smoothing the trigger, and installing a trigger stop. The Shilen barrel increases accuracy, adds some additional weight for stability, and its increased size (and surface area) helps with heat dissipation.
An 1836 Colt Paterson Revolver (with accessories in box), sold last month for $977,500 at a Texas auction. This is believed to be a new world record for the sale of a single American firearm. The very rare, ivory-gripped Texas (Holster Model No. 5) Paterson Revolver was part of the Alfred (“Al”) Cali Collection of Colt firearms. The revolver, with a 9-inch barrel and attached loading lever, is the finest known surviving example of Samuel Colt’s first revolver, produced by the legendary gunsmith in Paterson, New Jersey in 1836.
Colt Purchased by Silicon Valley Zillionaire
The 1836 pistol, one of the earliest generation of Colt revolvers, was purchased by an unidentified West Coast collector, a Silicon Valley mogul. The gun was sold September 18 as part of Greg Martin Auctions/Heritage Auctions’ Signature Arms & Armor Auction in Dallas. “There are certain collectibles that transcend genre, period and form and exist simply as great works of art,” said Greg Martin, “and clearly this supremely beautiful firearm is such a thing. The nearly seven-figure final price realized proves just how great a piece this is, and well worthy of being the world record-holder. This is as desirable… as any piece I’ve seen in more than 40 years of buying and selling the very best firearms in existence”.
Two More Boxed Colt Revolvers Sell for Over $800K Each
A pair of Colt revolvers tied for the September auction’s second most valuable lot, both realizing jaw-dropping $805,000 prices. The first was an exceptional historic, cased, engraved and presentation-inscribed Colt Model 1861 New Model Navy Revolver. The second was an historic, cased Gustave Young-engraved and ivory-gripped Colt Third Model Dragoon Revolver, inscribed ‘Colonel P.M. Milliken”. Both these guns were from the Al Cali collection, like the record-setting 1836 Paterson.
Results are in from the inaugural IDPA World Championship held September 21-24, at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, Florida. There were 387 competitors from 18 different countries. Triple-digit temps, high humidity, rain, and muddy conditions made the 22 challenging stages even more difficult.
Champions were named in each of IDPA’s five divisions, based on elapsed time and penalties for “points dropped”. Robert Vogel topped the field of Standard Service Pistol (SSP) shooters, with a superb 248.29 score — the best score for the match and over 40 points better than any other SSP shooter. Robert was also the High Scoring Law Enforcement competitor. In the video below, Robert demonstrates the skills that carried him to victory in Florida.
In other classes, James McGinty became the first-ever World Champion in the Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP) Division by scoring 283.31 with his STI 2011 9mm. Glenn Shelby, with a score of 299.48, took the Custom Defensive Pistol (CDP) Division shooting his Wilson CQB. Among the wheelgunners, Jerry Miculek shot a modified .45 ACP S&W Model 625 to win the Enhanced Service Revolver (ESR) Division. Miculek hammered through the tough stages during the monsoon-like weather, scoring 411.79. In Standard Service Revolver (SSR) Division, Craig Buckland led the way with a 426.9, using his S&W Model 19. Other notable competitors were: James Myers (Most Accurate Shooter); Tom Yost (Top Senior); and Tierrani Hendrix (High Lady).
Charter Arms has apparently revived its 40 S&W Rimless Revolver, first announced in 2009. Charter Arms claims its 40 S&W Revolver is the “world’s first .40 caliber Rimless Revolver”.
Built on the same stainless steel frame as the .44 Special Pit Bull wheelgun, the new 5-shot .40 S&W Pit Bull Revolver weighs 20 ounces, and measures 6.75″ overall with a 2.3 inch barrel. The gun has a fixed frame rear sight and a ramped front sight with a standard hammer. A DAO hammer is available upon request. Rubber grips are standard.
Dual Coil Spring Extractor Design Eliminates Need for Moonclips
The Charter Arms .40 S&W Revolver features a rimless cartridge extractor assembly. A dual coil spring assembly is located in the extractor to allow the insertion and retention of a .40 caliber cartridge in each chamber of the revolvers’ cylinder. What sets the new Charter Arms apart from previous revolvers chambered for rimless cartridges is the built-in coil spring that grabs the cartridges’ extractor groove. This enables the gun to work without moon clips used in other revolver designs.
.40 S&W Revolver Makes Sense as Back-Up for .40 S&W Duty Pistol
Why do we need a revolver that shoots .40 S&W when there are perfectly good options for .38 Special, .357 Magnum and other popular rimmed cartridges? According to Charter Arms President Nick Ecker, the firearms industry has had a “long felt need” for a revolver that fires .40 S&W rimless ammo. Ecker explains: “The Pit Bull is the ideal revolver for law enforcement officers to use as their back up, because they can now carry a revolver that utilizes the same ammo as their sidearm. It gives them the first revolver that shoots their [.40 S&W] ammo without utilizing moon clips.” It is not clear whether the new .40-Cal Pit Bull can shoot the hotter 10mm rimless ammo as well. We note that the barrel of the gun is marked “Pit Bull 40 S&W”.
COMMENT: We hope Charter Arms applies its rimless extractor design to a 9mm Parabellum version. A 9mm revolver that works reliably without moon clips should be very popular. In a lightweight wheelgun, the 9mm (with its lesser recoil) would be more controllable than the .40 S&W round. The .40 S&W has a stout kick even in a full-size, all-metal duty pistol. 9mm ammo is also much more affordable than 40 S&W ammunition. We note that when Charter Arms first announced its “Rimless Revolvers” two years ago, it claimed it would also release a .45 ACP version and “90-120 days after the .45 ACP will come the 9mm”. Charter Arms has not revealed whether it still plans to bring out either a .45 ACP or 9mm Rimless Revolver. In 2009, Charter Arms listed these prices: 9mm $399.00, .40 $449.00, .45 ACP $449.00.
Hindsight: Smith & Wesson 9mm Model 547
Historically, the new .40 Cal Pit Bull is not the first revolver from a major manufacturer to chamber rimless cartridges without moon clips. In the 1980s Smith & Wesson marketed a model 547 9mm revolver that used a spring-loaded detent in the cylinder for case retention. Basically a modified model 13 with 3″ barrel, the model 547 is no longer in production.
Many of the world’s best wheelgunners will be in California the first week in June. The 20th Annual Smith & Wesson Int’l Revolver Championship (IRC) takes place June 2-5 at the Hogue Action Pistol Range in San Luis Obispo, CA. This is the 12th consecutive season that San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Assn. hosts the IRC, the highlight of the ICORE revolver shooting season. Nearly 200 ace revolver shooters, from the USA as well as 6 foreign countries, are expected to compete. According to Ron Joslin, IRC match director: “This is the highlight of our competition season. It’s where everybody in ICORE comes together to determine who is the best. This is our Superbowl, and it’s been that way for [two decades] now.”
The man to beat in Open Class will be legendary pistolero Jerry Miculek of Team Smith & Wesson. Jerry has won every IRC in which he has competed. When it comes to wheelguns, Miculek is the fastest man on the planet. Also competing will be past Ladies Open Division winner Julie Golob, and past Limited Division Champion John Bagakis.
Along with the adult classifications, the IRC features divisions for Junior shooters. The junior events are always crowd-pleasers. Some of these youngsters are definitely future champions in the making. The video below shows the 2009 IRC Junior Shoot-Off for the overall Junior Title.
The 2011 MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship will take place in Columbia, MO, May 25-28. This major event draws shooters from all over the world. In 2010, international competitors hailed from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. Firearm categories include: Open Division, Metallic Sights, Service Pistol, and Revolver. In addition there be awards for the top shooters in specific classes: Law enforcement, Women, Junior, International, Newcomer, Senior, Grand Senior.
Bianchi Cup — Classic Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
2010 Bianchi Cup Video
How to Save Money on Entry Fees
This year, there are some new ways to save on entry fees. First, if you “bring a buddy” who has never competed at the Bianchi Cup, both you and your friend get a discount. Match organizers also offer reduced fees to Juniors, Production Firearms shooters, and Active Duty Military personnel.
If you’re looking for a versatile carry revolver, consider the new Smith & Wesson Governor, introduced at the 2011 SHOT Show. The six-shot Governor will chamber three types of ammo: .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt, and .410ga 2.5″ shotshells.
The ability to chamber shotshells makes this piece more useful as a “trail gun” that can put down snakes and other threats that are difficult to hit quickly with a pistol round. If you choose, you can load a mix of shotshells and regular cartridges. The 29.6 oz. Governor has a Scandium frame with blackened stainless cylinder. The basic model ($679.00 MSRP) comes standard with a Tritium dot front sight. There is also a more expensive ($899.00 MSRP) version with a Crimson Trace grip with built-in laser. A button in the grip activates the laser.
This Editor personally likes the shape and feel of the laser grip better than the standard grip. The laser grip (shown in the slideshow below) lets you position your hand up higher on the frame for better control, and it has a smoother profile. The laser obviously offers an advantage in low-light situations. We think, if you can afford the laser version, that’s the smart choice.
Technoframes Ammo Carriers and Display Cases.
These CNC-machined display boxes look great. There are many varieties to choose from, including wood, metal, and plexiglass. We like the fact that many of the boxes are lockable.
Custom Tool for Loading and Unloading Revolver Moon Clips
This unique moon/de-moon tool set retails for $80 and is available from Randell Kenner, 3111 Lien Street, Rapid City, SD 57702, (605) 605-348-3538, bmtmooner@rushmore.com.
Faux Guitar Case Gun Bag
This Ultimate Discrete Rifle Case, produced for LWRC Int’l by Blue Force Gear, stows a tactical carbine inside what appears to be a guitar case. Looks nicely made, but when you think about it, why pay $149.99 for the “Ultimate Discrete Rifle Case” when, for forty bucks or less on eBay, you can buy a real “previously-owned” guitar case that will do the same job — and be even more stealthy.
Check Out the Podcasts from PersonalArmament.com
You should visit the Personal Armament Podcast Site. Launched in 2009, this website features dozens of podcast interviews with interesting folks, including 2010 National Long-Range Champion John Whidden, Chris Hodgdon of Hodgdon/IMR Powders, and Kevin Thomas from Nammo Lapua.
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.
For the 18th time, Jerry Miculek won the ICORE Open division at the Int’l Revolver Championship (IRC) held this past weekend at the Hogue Range in San Luis Obispo, CA. Some 220 wheelgunners from around the world participated in the match, but none shot better than Miculek, a living legend.
“There are hardly enough accolades to accurately depict how good Jerry is with a revolver. Year after year, without fail, he demonstrates what it means to be the best in the world and ICORE is honored to once again, and for the 18th time, name him our IRC champion,” said Art Leach of ICORE.
Miculek’s total 2010 winning time of 225.56 was over 35 seconds faster than his nearest competitor, Neil Hogue, who finished with a final time of 260.59. John Bagakis shot a great match to win the Limited division with a 267.75, the seventh best time among ALL competitors. Craig Buckland took the newly-created “Retro Revolver” division with a 349.00 time. The “Retro” division — new for the 2010 IRC — is limited to six-shot revolvers reloaded with speed-loaders. In Open and Limited divisions, shooters can use 8-round revolvers with moon clips.
Down to the Wire in Women’s Open Division
In an exciting finish to the women’s Open division match, Team Smith & Wesson Captain Julie Golob came from behind on the final stage, to win her second straight Open title with a 404.59 total time. The final “Standards” stage consists of targets as far out as 50 yards. Shooters must put six rounds into a four inch X-Ring to avoid time penalties, making the stage the “make or break” point in the match.
Golob trailed 13-year-old revolver prodigy Janae Sarabia throughout the match but Golob took the lead on the final stage where accuracy is paramount. Claiming second was Flora Yang who won the all-important final stage and posted a final time of 413.87. After losing the lead on the last stage, Sarabia finished third in women’s Open, still a remarkable feat for a 13-year-old! Janae’s final time of 417.83 secured the Junior Open title, giving Team S&W its third title in the division.
We congratulate all the ICORE winners, but want to give special praise to up-and-comer Janae Sarabia of Lompoc, California. She showed remarkable skill and poise shooting against seasoned pros twice her age. Janae said: “I was pretty happy with how I shot the match. I’ve been improving all year long and and feel a big sense of accomplishment taking third and ecstatic that I finished as the top junior.” It’s great to see juniors experience this kind of success. Jenae’s performance is an inspiration for other young girls getting involved in the shooting sports. Young Miss Sarabia is a rising star.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for The NRA Blog
Results are in from the inaugural 
Many of the world’s best wheelgunners will be in California the first week in June. The 20th Annual Smith & Wesson Int’l Revolver Championship (IRC) takes place June 2-5 at the 
The 2011 MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship will take place in Columbia, MO, May 25-28. This major event draws shooters from all over the world. In 2010, international competitors hailed from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. Firearm categories include: Open Division, Metallic Sights, Service Pistol, and Revolver. In addition there be awards for the top shooters in specific classes: Law enforcement, Women, Junior, International, Newcomer, Senior, Grand Senior.
The ability to chamber shotshells makes this piece more useful as a “trail gun” that can put down snakes and other threats that are difficult to hit quickly with a pistol round. If you choose, you can load a mix of shotshells and regular cartridges. The 29.6 oz. Governor has a Scandium frame with blackened stainless cylinder. The basic model ($679.00 MSRP) comes standard with a Tritium dot front sight. There is also a more expensive ($899.00 MSRP) version with a Crimson Trace grip with built-in laser. A button in the grip activates the laser.
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
For the 18th time, Jerry Miculek won the ICORE Open division at the Int’l Revolver Championship (IRC) held this past weekend at the Hogue Range in San Luis Obispo, CA. Some 220 wheelgunners from around the world participated in the match, but none shot better than Miculek, a living legend.
Golob trailed 13-year-old revolver prodigy Janae Sarabia throughout the match but Golob took the lead on the final stage where accuracy is paramount. Claiming second was Flora Yang who won the all-important final stage and posted a final time of 413.87. After losing the lead on the last stage, Sarabia finished third in women’s Open, still a remarkable feat for a 13-year-old! Janae’s final time of 417.83 secured the Junior Open title, giving Team S&W its third title in the division. 
