Fort Benning 3-Gun Match Draws Hundreds of Shooters

Some 220 competitors from across the country participated in the Third Annual Fort Benning Three-Gun Challenge. Held at Krilling Range from Nov. 30th through Dec. 2nd, this three-gun tactical match was hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and supervised by the USAMU Action Shooting Team. The event was a major success, drawing many action shooting champions, with TV crews on hand to record the action. In the event, competitors used self-loading rifles (mostly AR types), semi-auto handguns, and shotguns. Most of the shotguns were self-loaders, using extended tubular magazines.

David Neth won the event, followed by Barry Dueck in second place and Kelly Neal in third. Neth, as well as two-thirds of the shooters, competed in “Tac Optics” division. There were 10 “Tac Irons” shooters, 33 in “Open Class” (including legendary Jerry Miculek), 15 in “Heavy Metal” (bigger calibers), and 7 in “Trooper” class. These classes correspond (for the most part) to the 3-gun categories under the International Multi-Gun Association (IMGA) 3-Gun Rules. These are similar in many respects to USPSA multi-gun rules. For more info, see 3GunRules.com.

Three-gun competition is a relatively new development in the shooting sports. High on the “fun factor”, the sport has been growing rapidly. It combines the speed and target diversity of cowboy action shooting with the appeal of using modern magazine-fed firearms and shooter-friendly rifle optics. Three-gun matches also reward shooter fitness as most stages are “run and gun” involving movement from one shooting position to another. To succeed at three-gun, a shooter must be both fast and accurate. All stages are timed, and points are lost for every miss. Some stages can be accomplished without reloads, but other stages require reloads on the clock.

CLICK HERE to WATCH VIDEO

If there is one area where we think three-gunners will improve in the future, it is reloading. Stage times will fall as the competitors evolve more fluid reloads with less wasted motion, particularly with shotguns. Shown above is a video of Chris Tilley winning the “Patrol Boat” shotgun stage of this year’s Fort Benning event. Watch the video carefully. Right after the boat starts moving, you will see Chris do a multi-round tubular magazine reload. He stokes his scatter-gun in less than two seconds.

Many VIPs were in attendence, including NRA President John C. Sigler, Fort Benning Dep. Commanding General Col. Lloyd Miles, and Fort Benning Chief of Staff Col. David Ling. Three broadcast video teams covered the match: American Rifleman TV (Outdoor Channel), ShootingUSA TV (Outdoor Channel), and Extreme Marksman (History Channel). Action Shooting is the fastest growing sport in America,” said USAMU Commander Lt. Col. Frank Muggeo. “Starting next year, Fort Campbell, KY., and Fort Bragg, NC, will also hold these types of events.”