3-Gun Nation Championship: Thacker Wins Title and $50,000
Story by Chad Adams for 3GunNation.com
Before the largest crowd ever to watch a 3-gun match, and with the largest payday in the history of the sport on the line, on the evening of January 18th, eight of the country’s top 3-gunners stepped to the firing line at the Clark County Range outside Las Vegas. With the famous Las Vegas strip illuminating the desert sky as the backdrop, the sport of 3-Gun formally announced its arrival to the shooting industry, major media outlets and a national television audience.
Photo by Tim Walsh www.seanchaicom.com
Team FNH USA’s Tommy Thacker defeated teammate Mark Hanish in the final round of the 3-Gun Nation Championship Finale, sponsored by Brownells, to become the 2012 3-Gun Nation Champion, winning an unprecedented $50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports Network.
“Unbelievable,” Thacker said, trying to put the enormity of the moment into words. “The only thing I could think is I am so blessed and everything happens for a reason. The only thing I could think is to thank God. When you think about everything that happened, I don’t know how else to describe it. Coming into this, I knew everything was right. I was in the zone more than I’ve ever been, and after the first run, I knew I was going to win this thing.”
For finishing second, Hanish was awarded a Barrett MRAD rifle fitted with a Leupold scope and BORS system, along with a check for $2,500 from Brownells.
Counting prizes awarded to other finals competitors, the Las Vegas payouts totaled $67,500, with an additional $15,000 in product value. In all, 3-Gun Nation paid out more than $150,000 in cash prizes on the 2011-2012 3GN Tour.
Champion’s Profile: Tommy Thacker is Director of Product Management for Law Enforcement & Commercial Sales with FNH USA. He is also a nationally-ranked competitive shooter, certified firearms instructor, and small business owner. He served as the inaugural Captain of FNH USA’s award winning shooting team.The 3GN Championship Finale, sponsored by Brownells and sanctioned by NRA Sports, was the culminating event of the 2011-2012 FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire. Spanning ten major 3-gun events all across the country, more than 1,500 competitors earned scores toward the 3GN Standings. From there, the top 50 competitors qualified to the 3-Gun Nation Championship in November, a one-day Tactical Optics-only match that comprised the deepest field of 3-gun talent ever assembled. The top 16 shooters then battled in an elimination Shoot-Off, with the Final 8 advancing to the Las Vegas Rumble On the Range.
The 7.4-lb 
