Would it be possible to build a revolver that was well suited for all the wheelgun games? That was on my mind this weekend as I watched episode after episode of Mythbusters on Sunday (side note: when did Mythbusters get so lame?) so I started thinking about the various rules for USPSA Revolver, IDPA ESR/SSR, ICORE, and Steel Challenge. After spending a lot of time thinking about it, I realized there are pretty serious complications to building a gun that’s well suited for everything.
First, let’s look at what makes a good revolver for all those divisions. USPSA allows barrel lengths over 4 inches, and has major/minor PF scoring. In USPSA Revolver, you’re only allowed to fire 6 shots before you reload, so running an 8-shot gun is skirting along a zone of danger. If you look at all the top Revo GMs, basically everyone is running 5 inch 625s in .45 ACP. Now, if you had a 4 inch 625, that would be ideal for IDPA ESR, which requires major power factor and allows moonclips, and honestly a 4 inch 625 would be just fine in USPSA as well. But here’s where we start to run into problems: a .45 ACP is pretty lousy for ICORE and Steel Challenge. In Steel Challenge, you want the insurance of some extra rounds, so a 7 or 8 shot revolver would be preferable. In ICORE, the power factor is only minor, so you don’t need the oomph of a .45. Next!
The perfect revolver for Steel Challenge and ICORE Limited is also an obvious choice: a S&W 627. That’s the 8-shot .357, you get it cut for moonclips and you’re done. Ready to partay, as it were. Unfortunately, the 627 is pretty useless in IDPA and USPSA. In USPSA, you can load 8 rounds, but if you trigger a 7th shot before reloading, welcome to Open. In IDPA, you can only load 6 rounds, which means your reloads now involve spinning the cylinder to make sure everything lines up.
For IDPA SSR and ICORE Classic, you must use a gun that feeds from speedloaders. That means .38 Special or .357 Magnum for caliber. Now, to apply those guns to USPSA, you’re…actually doing alright. You’ll probably give up a little time on reloads to a moonclip gun, but it’s also not as much as you’d think. However, here’s where a little technology comes in handy: have the cylinder cut for moonclips. A good moonclip conversion for a rimmed cartridge will still allow you to use the gun with or without the clips, meaning you can shoot it in ICORE Classic, USPSA with moonclips, and IDPA SSR (or ESR if you want to use the clips). Of course, you’re still pretty boned in Steel Challenge, because you’ve only got one miss in the gun, but if you’re really awesome you can live with that.
So the answer to this question is “yes and no”. You can build a gun that you could use in every major shooting sport that allows revolvers, but it depends on what kind of trade-offs you’re willing to make. If IDPA is your game, shoot your IDPA gun with speedloaders in USPSA, because it will make you a much better shooter for IDPA purposes. If USPSA is your game…shoot that. The best bet for “playing multiple games” would probably be to build a good SSR/Classic gun, because it has the widest possible uses.
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