[Werewolf]

See subject:

I can find very little info on this type of competition shooting. Even the official web site provides little info other than it is the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association and that targets may be engaged all the way out to 200m (GAWD - 200m with a pistol?).

What types of pistols are legit?
What thpes of targets are used?
What ranges are targets placed at?
Are there stages and are they timed?

I saw some pictures on one web site - they looked like pistols I've never seen before were being used - hell one looked like it was probably chambered for a rifle cartridge.

Who are these guys and what do they do?

[Steve in PA]

International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Assoc.

www.ihmsa.org

A majority of shooters use T/C Contenders.......others use bolt action handguns. I haven't read their web site lately but you should be able to find the info your looking for. They also have a BB now too.

[Jim Watson]

When I was doing it, in the late '70s, the usual gun was a Contender Super 14 or a bolt action based on a Remington XP100 rebarrelled in a larger caliber than .221 Fireball. Any action, any caliber, maximum weight 5 pounds, maximum barrel length 15 inches. Any shooting position, and you saw some odd ones. Iron sights only. (There is a scope division now, but I think it is shot standing only.)

Some traditionalists shot magnum revolvers. Then IHMSA put in a separate Revolver Division. They have a lot more Divisions now, to increase participation. And NRA has its own matches with slightly different Divisions, just to confuse things.

I shot a Contender in .30-30 and a M-29 .44 Magnum in Unlimited and Revolver.

Targets are steel silhouettes of animals, more or less life size.
Chickens at 50 meters,
Pigs at 100 meters,
Turkeys at 150 meters,
Rams at 200 meters.

Time limits are two minutes for five of one animal. One shot per critter, no makeups. (But you did get up to five sighter shots on a gong before shooting for record.) Repeat for ten of that animal. Move to the next, etc. A match is 40 shots.

A good stout .357 Magnum load will knock down a Ram. Usually, but not always. A .44 Magnum or even a .41 is plenty, no need for a Casull.

In my day, the leading semi-wildcat single shot caliber was 7mm TCU, a 7mm x .223 improved. There were a few nuts with .308 pistols, but they usually loaded them down to where they could hold on to them for a 40 shot match.

[Swampy]

wolf,

Jim Watson covered it pretty well.

I shot IHMSA comps between about '78 and '81....

IIRC, at that time the comps were broken down to two divisions, Production and Unlimited. Production class was any factory stock handgun with a barrel 10 inches or less and was NOT bolt action. Unlimited was, well.... unlimited.... with the exception of a 14-1/2 barrel length limit and a weight of no more than 4-1/2 pounds.

Started out shooting a Ruger Blackhawk 7-1/2" bbl .45 Colt in the production class. Never shot more than about 22 x 40 with that pistol (A Class). Traded up to a T/C Contender in .45 Colt. A bit better.... my scores went up to high 20's (AA Class). Then went to a 10" 7MM TCU barrel and my Production Class scores jumped up into the mid 30's. Put me in AAA Class.

My first attempt at Unlimited was with a 14" Super Contender barrel in .35 Remington. MAN what a handgun that was !!!! Loved the BOOM that baby gave off. My first match out with it I shot a 39 x 40. From then on never shot that high with it again.... stayed about 36 to 38 x 40 (AAA Class).

My last two years I used a Rem XP-100, completely rebuilt by a local 'smith with a Shilen barrel in 7mm IHMSA caliber (.300 savage necked down to 7mm). Fajen stock, globe front sight, and tweaked trigger. Sweet gun. I still have it though I've not fired it in 15 years.

With that handgun I had no trouble cleaning the course and getting into the "shootoffs" at the end of every match. This is where ties are broken... and in the Unlimited division, there were usually at least 3-4 guys who always cleaned up with 40 x 40.

Ties are broken by a "shootoff"..... taking the 50 yard chicken targets out to the 200 yard line and letting each shooter fire a string of 5 shots at 5 birds. It was not uncommon to see several shooters clean those as well. The best shooters sometimes had to go "head to head".... firing at 4 or 5 strings of chickens until somebody flinched and missed one... allowing the other guy to win.

My own claim to fame was the 1980 Region 5 (MO, AR, KS, OK, TX, NM, & CO) IHMSA Championships....... I took First Place in the AAA Class Production with my 7mm TCU Contender (56 x 60) and First Place in the AAA Class Unlimited with the XP100 in 7mm IHMSA with a 60 x 60. No shootoff that day. I was the only one of about 40 competitors in the class to clean the course. This score moved me up to the International Class in the Ulimited division. From then on I had to compete with the REALLY GOOD shooters.... ;)

Unfortunately, the IHMSA game has kinda' faded in this part of the country... not much activity here the last 15 years or so..... so Now I'm into CMP & NRA Highpower.

If you have a club near you that holds IHMSA comps regularly and you fancy yourself good with a handgun, then give it a try. Don't worry you don't have a T/C or an XP100.... If you've got any decent long barreled .357, .41, .44, or .45 go on out and try it. You'll have a blast I gair-own-tee.... :D

Best regards,
Swampy

[Werewolf]

Swampy Said:If you have a club near you that holds IHMSA comps regularly and you fancy yourself good with a handgun, then give it a try. Don't worry you don't have a T/C or an XP100.... If you've got any decent long barreled .357, .41, .44, or .45 go on out and try it. You'll have a blast I gair-own-tee....

Actually there is a club with a decent range that holds monthly matches. But from what you've described it sounds like using a 5.5" BBL length Ruger in 45LC would be pretty tough. I can't imagine hitting anything with it at 50 yds let alone 200!

BUT I may go out and watch a match or two - seeing someone hit a sheep sized target at 200 yds with a pistol (even a tricked out one chambered for a rifle cartride) - well - that'd be an interesting thing to watch.

Thanks for the info guys. Good Stuff!