I shot in IHMSA in late 70s and early 80s. Got heavily into Boy Scouting as an Assistant Scout Master and then as Scout Master. Stayed in it until middle 80s when my son was awarded Eagle (Jeez am I still proud or what? ) Anyway, between scouting, work, other personal obligations, did not have the time needed to be competitive in IHMSA so kinda dropped out.
Got back in with both barrels (pun intended) just this past September/October. Shot in three matches in October and confirmed what I already knew - the ol' eyes did not improve with age. Still, there is room for old farts in IHMSA.
Far from being stuffed with silly rules, the IHMSA has gotten far more open and accepting than it was back in 1979 and 1980. Then it was iron sights only and too damned bad if you were an old fart like me. They've opened up the game to allow optics so those of us who no longer can be competitive with iron can still have fun. They've also added entire new games that allow the use of non hand cannons that ordinary people can shoot without worrying about recoil. They now have field pistol (reduced size targets at reduced distances) which is essentially limited to straight sided pistol cartridges not longer than .357 mag. They have .22 rimfire now with reduced size targets at reduced distances. They even have a game for airguns. Yes indeed, there are new rules but the overall effect has been to open up the game for all.
It is set up and was intended from the start to allow you to shoot what you already have, unless you just wanted to get into the Unlimited game with the really expensive guns.
Thus, they have a revolver class and a production class, where we can go head to head without having to have the bucks to buy the laser guns. The idea was to avoid the equipment race that so many of the NRA games turned into early on. Anyway, the whole point of "production" is to make it real. They are dead right to be pretty strict on what sorts of changes you can make to a gun and still have it be "production". If they didn't, there would always be somebody who would try to get an equipment edge, instead of a skill edge.
Today, it is possible to get into the game and be competitive without spending a ton of money. I bought a used ten inch Contender barrel in 7mm TCU, a 1985 vintiage Contender frame, a Ken Light Rib and Weaver see-thru rings so I can use iron sights when I want to or the used Bushnell 2-6 variable pistols scope I bought for it. Also bought a .22 rimfire barrel for it new. All together, I paid only $685.00 for all of that, including dies for the 7mmTCU. I did not HAVE to get the .22 barrel of course and that would have cut the cost by $220, down to $465.00. I already had a Smith M657 .41 mag revolver and a Smith M28 .357 (the latter to use in production/revolver/field pistol) and those are out of the box guns that qualify as production/revolver. I think that I'm pretty much competitive in standing (even with a revolver) despite my old eyes. One of those little Merit eyeglasses attachments (about $65) REALLY helped the eyes. Nope - the much complained-of regulations did not prevent me from using the Merit.
Bottom line - if you can't have reasonably inexpensive fun in IHMSA, you just are not trying. Ignore the complainers and just go out and have a great time.
