Bagakis 3-Peats With IRC Limited Victory

Bagakis reloads on the move as he wins the IRC's Limited division. Photo by Yamil Sued

LOS OSOS, Calif. — John Bagakis of Livermore, Calif. made it three in a row with his win in the Limited division this past weekend in San Luis Obispo, Calif. at the 2010 Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championships (IRC).

The Smith & Wesson shooting team member won six of the 12 stages in the match and posted a final time of 267.75, which placed him seventh overall in the match and gave Smith & Wesson one of the eight titles the team won at the IRC.

“I did poorly on two stages and gave up nine seconds with a couple shots outside the x-ring, but still managed to win some stages, including posting the best Limited score on the standards stage with its 50-yard target. Overall, I’m happy with how I shot and certainly glad to be bringing home the title one more time,” said Bagakis.

Aysen again claimed the Senior Limited title, finishing second overall in the division. Photo by Yamil Sued

Repeating his 2009 second place finish, just over 29 seconds behind Bagakis, was fellow Smith & Wesson Elliot Aysen of Thibodaux, La. Aysen won two stages in the match and claimed the Senior Limited title with his final time of 297.04.

“Overall I’m pleased with how I shot the match. I felt I read the stages the right way and moved through them at a good speed. My performance on the standards was not as strong as I’d like but I’m very satisfied overall,” said Elliot Aysen.

Third place, for the second year in a row, went to James Austin of Fox Island, Wash. with one stage win and a time of 310.90. Moving up one spot from last year’s finish to claim fourth was another Team Smith & Wesson member, Josh Lentz of Walnutport, Penn., with one stage win and a time of 318.23. And falling to fourth this year was Brad Holt of Kingsburg, Calif. with two stage wins and a final time of 323.65.

Organized by the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE), and held at Hogue Action Pistol Range at the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association, the IRC drew more than 200 top revolver shooters, representing 22 states and six foreign nations. Titles were awarded in the Open, Limited or Retro divisions with scoring based on time and accuracy where time penalties are accrued for misses and shots outside the x-ring.

For further information on ICORE and the 19th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championships, or to find a club near you, visit www.icore.org.