Do I have to be a member to shoot?

You do not need to be a member to shoot a match. What you do need is a basic understanding of firearm safety, the match fee ("first timers" get a half-price rate), and some shooting equipment. If you don't have any equipment, you may borrow from a friend or another member. Transferring a revolver between shooters is allowed when it is done properly in a Safe Area (see below).

If you have none, we do not recommend that you buy equipment before attending a match. This will prevent you from buying gear that is not the most appropriate. If you already own at least a revolver, holster and belt we encourage you to come and shoot a match. If you do not own this minimum level of equipment, or would like to see what a match is about before shooting one, please come on out to watch and ask questions. After the match has concluded, you are welcome to stay and "chew the fat" with the members. Experienced shooters are always enthusiastic about discussing match procedures, techniques and equipment. 99% of the time, a polite request will get you the opportunity to handle a revolver under supervision and to try some of our steel and cardboard targets.

Is Revolver Shooting Safe?

If carelessly handled, any firearm can be unsafe. When firearms are properly handled under supervision, shooting is a safe and rewarding sport. At Wheel Burners, ensuring range safety is our most important task. No exceptions to our basic rules will be allowed! We have never had a firearm-related injury and we intend to keep that record intact. Eye protection (safety glasses or goggles) and hearing protection (muffs or earplugs) are absolutely required by both shooters and observers when shooting is in progress. Eye protection is recommended at all times, as debris from adjacent stages may occasionally fall onto the stage.

We operate a "cold" range during the match. ALL REVOLVERS WILL REMAIN UNLOADED WHEN NOT UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL OF THE RANGE OFFICER. Handling a loaded revolver when not under the direct control of the Range Officer will result in a match disqualification and expulsion from the range for that match day. Revolvers may only be handled under the direction of the Range Officer or at a Safe Area (special table provided at each stage). AMMUNITION MAY NOT BE HANDLED AT THE SAFE AREA! From the time the Range Officer gives the command to "Load and Make Ready" until the revolver is holstered or placed back in a bag, the revolver muzzle must not break the “180”, an imaginary line perpendicular to the length of the stage range (meaning always keep the muzzle pointed down range). The Range Officer (RO) is in charge of the stage range and all in attendance will follow his instructions immediately and without question. Failure to follow the RO commands will result in disqualification from the match and expulsion from the range.

What equipment do I need?

Minimum equipment is a revolver of .32 magnum caliber or larger (.38 Special is most common), a holster which holds the firearm securely and covers the trigger guard, and a belt strong enough to carry the revolver and ammunition in a safe manner. All participants and spectators must wear eye and ear protection when shooting is in progress. Other useful stuff is a minimum of five speed loaders and pouches to carry them, a cylinder brush and a box or bag for carrying your gear. If you would like to shoot but don't quite have all the gear, we can arrange to lend equipment for the match. Generally, 150 rounds are sufficient to complete all courses of fire.

Revolvers are categorized as either "Limited" or "Open." A Limited revolver can be "out of the box" or may have some trigger or action work to smooth it out. Special grips are also allowed as are replacement iron sights. An Open revolver is allowed to have any conceivable modification. Typically, Open revolvers have some kind of optical sight, special barrels and recoil reducing ports or "compensators" at the end of the barrel. Limited and Open are scored as separate categories so you are not at a disadvantage if shooting a Limited revolver.

What kind of ammunition do I need?

Either factory loaded or reloaded ammunition is fine for our match. "Gun Show" reloaded ammunition is not always reliable and we don't recommend it. Since the amount of recoil influences shooting speed, ICORE evens things up in championship matches by requiring ammunition that makes a minimum power factor of 120,000. Power factor (momentum, actually, for the physics experts) is calculated by multiplying the bullet weight in grains times the velocity in feet per second. A typical .38 caliber bullet ranges from 125 grains to 158 grains (7000 grains = 1 pound). Most .38 caliber factory ammunition produces between 750 to 800 feet per second, resulting in a power factor that should be sufficient to meet the minimum. If you want to know for certain, we can "chrono" your ammunition (see below) to see where you stand. If you're not sure what the power factor of your ammunition is, don't worry about it for our informal club matches. If you want to learn about reloading your own ammunition, most of our members will be able to help you get started. We do ask that you not shoot magnum loads larger than .32 caliber as they can damage the steel targets.

At our club matches, we are decidedly informal, and your ammunition will not be tested. At a major match such as a Regional or at the International Revolver Championship, samples of your ammunition will be taken from your belt and you will be required to fire the sample ammunition in your revolver across a chronograph. The chronograph measures the muzzle velocity. One cartridge will be disassembled and the bullet will be weighed. The calculated power factor from the measured velocity and measured weight must meet the minimum, or a time penalty will be added to the overall match score. At the IRC, the failure to meet the power factor adds 360 seconds to your overall score! Factory ammunition will also be tested by ICORE to determine that it meets the minimum requirement in the competitor's revolver.

I'm not yet 18. Is that ok?

Shooters under 18 years old can and do shoot Wheel Burners matches but they must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. To encourage the next generation of revolver shooters, ICORE and Wheel Burners both recognize the "Junior" category. At a Wheel Burner match, Juniors pay reduced match fees also.

What happens at a Wheelburner match?

This section is a quick primer on the day's events at a Wheel Burners Match. It is intended to give new shooters an idea of how a match proceeds and introduce them to safety and scoring rules. It is not intended to be a review of match regulations. For the authoritative source please see the ICORE RULEBOOK. ICORE rules are followed at Wheel Burners events.

The day begins with the Match Director and one or two others showing up at 7:00AM to begin setup. As other shooters arrive, they pitch in. Around 8:30 setup is complete and the shooters form up in line to enter their names on the shooters list, pay the range fees and write their names and the type of revolver they are shooting on the provided score sheets. At around 9:00AM the shooters' meeting starts with a general discussion of events, news, or club business. The Match Director then describes the courses of fire, covering stage rules, starting positions and other pertinent information. The shooters then divide up into squads of roughly 6 to 8 shooters, with each squad starting at a different stage.

When the squad reaches a stage, the description is reviewed to be certain all shooters understand the course of fire. A "walk through" time is allowed for shooters to look at the course and determine the movement and reloading points they will use. Score sheets are shuffled to determine the stage shooting order (new shooters are usually placed last so that they can observe) and the first shooter is asked by the Range Officer (R.O.) to approach the starting area. The R.O. will closely accompany the shooter throughout the stage. All other shooters must remain well behind the shooter. At the starting area the R.O. will ask the shooter "Do you understand the course of fire?" After any questions are answered and the shooter gives the affirmative, the R.O. will say "Load and make ready." After this command, the shooter is free to take sight pictures, practice draw, etc. and, when ready to begin, load the revolver and holster it. The R.O. will then ask the shooter "Are you ready?" If given no response or the affirmative, the R.O. will shortly thereafter initiate the timer which emits a beep signaling the shooter to begin. When it appears that the shooter is done, the R.O. will command "If you are finished, unload and show clear." If the shooter is done, then he/she unloads the revolver and shows the empty cylinder to the R.O. When the gun is empty, the R.O. will say "Gun clear, close cylinder and holster." The shooter closes the cylinder and places the gun back in the holster or into the shooting bag. Once the gun is secured, the R.O. will say "Range is clear." That command allows the squad to move forward and begin scoring and taping the targets. When scoring is done, the shooter is asked to sign the score sheet, thus completing the stage. When all shooters in the squad have completed the stage, the squad moves to the next stage. Each squad rotates through all the stages. When the match is complete shooters assist in tearing down the match and stowing the targets and stands. When the match is done, shooters may practice or do some informal shooting.

What's a "Stage"?

A "stage" is a single course of timed fire that may have paper or steel targets or a combination of each. A stage may have multiple "strings" in which each string is separately timed and the string times combined for an overall score. To see photos of some typical match stages, click here.

How are targets scored?

Time is recorded by an electronic timer that counts starting at the initial "beep" that signals the shooter to start. The timer uses the muzzle blast noise to count the interval between shots and record the last shot time. When the shooter has concluded, this "raw" time will be noted on the score sheet. The targets are scored and "hit" times are added to the raw time as follows (reference the target below):

"X" and "A" hits add zero seconds, "B" hits add 1 second, "C" hits add 2 seconds and "Mikes" (misses) add 5 seconds per occurrence. If the stage has steel targets, then each missed steel will also add 5 seconds. Failing to comply with the requirements of the stage, such as shooting with the wrong hand or from the wrong location, are called "Procedurals" and add 5 seconds per occurrence.

Some stages use a fixed "par" time in which the first beep will be followed after a preset interval by a second beep which signals the shooter to stop. Shots fired after the ending beep incur a 10 second penalty per shot! Usually, the shooter may use as many rounds as needed to hit the targets, but there are also "shots limited" stages which restrict the number of rounds. In that case, firing additional rounds is a procedural penalty. Targets may also be partially obstructed by "hard cover" which is signified by black paint. Hits on the hard cover area are considered to be a miss. "No Shoots" are sometimes placed on the course of fire to increase the difficulty. No Shoots are typically white and incur a procedural penalty per hit if they are inadvertently shot.

For variety, the course designer may also allow "X" hits to subtract time from the "raw" time. In that case, the diligence to shoot very accurately and hit the exact center of the target is rewarded appropriately.

Total stage score is the "raw" time plus any added times for B and C hits and Misses, plus any procedurals and No Shoots. It's just like golf - lower is better. Open and Limited are scored separately. The minimum total time for all the stages earns first place in the Open or Limited division, and the remaining Open or Limited shooters have their score calculated as a percentage of the best score. To see how that works, look at this month's scores.