Countdown to IRC: 19 Years of Wheelgunning Excellence

The first weekend in June will see the quiet seaside community of San Luis Obispo inundated not with surfers or tourists, but gunslingers armed with their competition revolvers and a burning desire to capture a title at the Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championships (IRC).

For the past 11 years the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association has played host to the annual shooting competition which this year will draw 190 top wheelgunners from throughout the U.S. and six other nations. Together they will put more than 60,000 rounds downrange during the course of the three day event.

“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 the last 18 years,” explained Ron Joslin, IRC match director.

ICORE is the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts, and the organizer of the match as well as one of the most prominent advocates of the revolver in competition.

Founded in 1991 by two long time shooters active in all the handgun sports, ICORE was envisioned as an alternative to the race towards ultra-customized pistols that was occurring in the other action shooting sports. The revolver-only competition of ICORE would allow even the most basic equipment to be used and still provide enjoyment and satisfaction.

The recipe of simplicity and fun has been a winning combination that has carried ICORE and the IRC for 19 years. But the concept behind ICOREcould not grow the sport alone. The organization needed help, and that came from one key player in the firearms industry.

Since its founding and the first IRC, the organization has enjoyed the support of perhaps the single most important voice in revolver shooting, that of the 158-year-old firearms maker Smith & Wesson whose revolvers are famous all over the world.

Smith & Wesson is an American icon and not surprisingly it’s revolvers are favored by nearly all ICORE shooters. It is estimated that Smith & Wesson has 90-95% of the revolver competition market outside the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting where its major competitor, Sturm Ruger, reigns with its single-action model revolvers.

But it’s this high level of brand loyalty that has led to Smith & Wesson’s sponsorship of the IRC and a relationship with the organization that spans all 19 years.

“Smith & Wesson has been a proud sponsor of the International Revolver Championships since its inception and we remain dedicated to promoting revolver competition in the shooting sports,” said Paul Pluff, director of marketing for Smith & Wesson.

The company’s involvement in the match extends beyond the traditional financial and product support, and this year nine members of the gun maker’s factory shooting team will compete in the IRC with five of them set to defend titles won in 2009.

Team members Curt Nichols of Tulsa, Okla., Annette and Elliot Aysen of Thibodeaux, La., John Bagakis of Livermore, Calif., Craig Buckland of Sandisfield, Mass., Julie Golob of Glasgow, Mont., Jerry Miculek of Princeton, La., David Olhasso of Holland, Penn. and Tony Phan of Houston, Texas will be in San Luis Obispo to represent the company in competition.

Preparing to defend their titles will be Bagakis who won the overall Limited title, Annette Aysen who took the Lady’s Limited title and her husband Elliot Aysen who claimed the Senior Limited title. In the Open division Jerry Miculek will once again defend his title, one he’s taken each and every year he’s entered the match, while Golob will defend her Lady’s Open win.

Each is a strong contender to repeat in 2010, and with the addition of the new Retro division, where six shot revolvers and speed loaders – as opposed to moon clips – are required, Smith & Wesson could add yet another ICORE victory to its ever expanding trophy case.

Of course, there are plenty of shooters prepared to deny the Smith & Wesson team any victory, but considering they themselves will most certainly be shooting a Smith & Wesson revolver, the company has already won well before the first shots are fired.

For further information on ICORE and the 19th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championships visit www.icore.org.