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IIPBurgess, founder of NSL (left) and brother Giff. Note homemade crossdrawholster for Green's winning long heavyslide .45 auto by Day.All forty of the finalists went away withsomething, but as befits a professionalmatch, the real money was floating at thetop with the rest of the cream. Green'sfirst place won him a Power Custom .38, aClark long-heavy slide .45, a commissionedportrait of himself-and $5,000cash. Ad Clark's strong second was goodfor $2,000 and a custom Milt Sparksleather set. Jungkind's close third wonhim $1,500 and a Browning Vari-X scope.Royce Weddle was fourth with a 136-4Xfor $1,200. A 128-10X won HuntingtonBeach combat shooter Bob Dawson aneven grand, and with an X less, Ed Taylorcaptured $800 and a Ruger MI77 .30/06donated by Jim Clark. A 128-5 meant$600 for Tom Blizzard, an Iowa bullseyeshooter, and top military pistolero MelMakin's 128-3 stood up for $500. Defendingchamp Bill Belts took $400 with a127-5, and Frank Goza, a Tennessean,found his 117-6 worth $300. Cash in$200, $100, and $50 increments went onthrough several more slots below the topten.The first NSL shoot was won with aPower Custom .38, in the hands of ColoradoState PPC Champion Bill Belts.There were a lot of those guns in evidencein '76, because there were so many PPCshooters there. But henceforth, bigboreAMERICAN HANDGUNNER 0 JULY/AUGUST <strong>1977</strong>handguns are likely to rule. With the markso small, the bigger hole makes more importancehere than anywhere else. A shotthat misses cutting the line of the "9" ringby a centimeter doesn't lose one point, itloses nine of them. Frank Green, whotook it with a Day long-heavy slide .45(that had a custom trigger of his own designthat he wouldn't talk about), told thewriter, "To win this match, you need aone-inch gun. And .45 caliber is important.Even when you compare it withthe .44, you're talking .454 against .429,and in a game like this, that can make thedifference." One inch guns are rare; somewill tell you they don't exist. Most of thetop makers guarantee their PPC .38s andNMC .45s for two, two and a half inches atfifty yards.Custom pieces of large bore will be thechoice here. I don't know if Day guaranteesan inch, but the fact that Green tookit with a Day pistol should mean a lotmore orders coming in. Ron Power tookseveral orders for heavy Douglas barrelled.44 and .45 Smith & Wessons before heleft Laramie.The next two top guns were Clark'sModel 29 with 83/~" barrel and Davis rib,fired single action with monster .44 Maghotloads; taking third was Reeves Jungkindshooting double-action with one ofhis own custom Colt Pythons.Ad Clark used the heavy .44 load primarilybecause after extensive experimentation,it proved to be the tightestgroupinglong range formula he couldwork up. The speed gave him a flatter trajectory,too. With the varying distance, astraight line of bullet travel means a lot,Doc Burgess shows style, roundingthe comer between targets 5 & 6.21