American Handgunner July/August 1979

HANDGUN HUNTING(Continuedfrom page 16)IT'S NOT OUR FAULTI just read my latest issue of your magazineand was shocked by the inaccuraciesin the "Superstars Halted at IPSC Nationals,"by Massad Ayoob.There were enough problems involved inthe organization of the contest to possiblyrequire mentioning, but if you're going to"air dirty laundry in public," you shoulddo some good research and be certain toblame the correct culprits. There weremany points that Mr. Ayoob reported thatwere incorrect about the event, but I willonly touch on those that tarnish the goodname ofthe Southwest Pistol League.The Southwest Pistol League did not bidor host the 1978 IPSC Nationals. Thematch was hosted by the IPSC SouthernCalifornia Section and was responsible forits organization and administration and allother related necessities, including thematch site.After his opening paragraphs, any readerwould assume the SWPL was responsiblefor all of the so-called problems that hestated happened. The league's presencewas clear at the contest because of thelarge amount of league members participating.But again, I must point out theleague had no control whatsoever over theoperation of the match.There were two clubs, The Shooting Machineand The Unique Pistol Club, thatare members of both the SWPL and IPSCSouthern California that helped with theevent. But again, they are individual clubsthat are only responsible to the leaguewhen they host a league event and the1978 IPSC Nationals were not under theleague's jurisdiction.Let me make one point very clear. That is,ifthe SWPL had bid for the Nationals andhad organized and administered the contest,it would have gone off quitesmoothly.The league has a great many years of experienceand is well respected as themodel practical pistol organization. Mr.Ayoob's article has tarnished our goodname and a retraction and apology is inorder. Therefore, I hereby request thatsuch a retraction and public apology begiven as soon as possible.Please understand that we appreciate yourmagazine's coverage of our sport and thatyou are dependent on your writers for ac-48SpeakOutcuracy. I am sorry to bring this unpleasantmatter before you.Mike DaltonSouthwest Pistol LeagueAUTHOR AYOOB'sREBUnALMy sympathy ifyou feel that by my associatingthe Southwest Pistol League with the1978 IPSC National Championships. I"tarnished your good name," as you put it.Since so many of your members were involvedin running the match (includingforty per cent or more of your letterheadstaff), and since the country at large assumesthat the fabled Southwest PistolLeague controls all free-style combatshooting in the area, I fell victim to a mythand an image. Let me correct that misconceptionnow: the IPSC NationalChampionships of 1978 were run by IPSCSouthern California Section, and not bythe Southwest Pistol League, despite thelatter's powerful presence among bothtournament executives and competitors,according to SWPL.SWPL members want us to note that theylease their ranges from Mr. Wes Thompsonat the Juniper Tree Facility. I alsowant to say that the SWPL's affiliatedShooting Machine range (on which theCooper Assault Course took place at theNationals) was open to all comers whopaid range fees, (I practiced there myselfbefore shooting for record), and turned noone away except when the range was beingprepared for the tournament itself.I thought the California group ran a damngood match, considering the problemsthey had to start with. What they did wasan inspiration to other gun clubs throughoutthe country. As I said in the article, Iwas proud to be there. A game that begetschampions like Ross Seyfried and KirkKirkham has my vote ... and it's a gameevery reader who wants to be good withhis sidearm in a practical sense, should seriouslyconsider becoming a part of.This is what I thought the 78 championshipwas all about. If SWPL wants to disclaimany knowledge of the nationalshoot's existence, it will be duly notedhere.Massad AyoobConcord, New Hampshireused another position that gives better accuracy.The essential point to remember isthat the standing, two-hand positionshould only be used when a more stableshooting position is not practical.It is this writer's considered opinion thatthe braced kneeling, two-hand position isthe most practical handgun field shootingposition yet developed. The positionproves itself where it counts most-in thefield!The braced kneeling, two-hand positionis preferred and used because it is relativelyquick to assume, permits muchbetter accuracy than off-hand, standingpositions, and is usable under a greater varietyofactual hunting conditions than thesteadier sitting and prone positions.Quickness as it concerns the handgunhunter is that amount of time needed torespond to appropriate visual stimuli, assumethe shooting position and fire a shotthat has the bullet penetrate the vitals. Therequired time to accomplish the foregoing(Continued on page 54)CYLINDER GAP(Continuedfrom page 26)& Wesson replacement barrel in caliber.44 Special. Haywood Nelms has agreed toconvert a Model 28 Smith Highway Patrolmanof mine to .44 Special using thatbarrel. But, before beginning that project,he suggested that we use the old barrel tosee just what sort ofvelocity variations areassociated with changes in the barrel gap.This we would do by firing several differentlots of ammunition over my chronographfirst with the barrel gap alreadyexisting on the gun, then we'd repeat theprocess after turning the barrel shank backa few thousandths on his lathe.The first discovery made was that therear face of the barrel shank on my gunwas uneven, and most of the first day wasspent in setting the barrel shoulder back aturn of the threads and squaring off therear surface of the shank so that it was perfectlysquare. When that task was finished,he measured the inside diameter of eachchamber throat and then the gap betweeneach chamber and the rear face of thebarrel:CHAMBER MEASUREMENTSAfter the initial squaring and barrel setback.No I N02 N03 N04 N05 N06Throat diameter'.358 .358 .358 .359 .358 .3585Barrel Gap.003 .003 .0025 .0025 .0025 .003(Continued on page 50)AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . JULY / AUGUST 1979