Thinking of getting started in 3-Gun competition? In this NSSF video, Top Shot Finalist Chris Cerino reviews the hardware you’ll need for multi-gun matches. Chris talks about carbine configurations — including barrel, handguard, and optics options. In reviewing shotguns, Chris discusses shotshell caddies and the high-capacity extended tubular magazines now available. Cerino also demonstrates pistol techniques and explains the key features of a belt/holster rig for 3-Gun competition.
Gun Control — Tips on AR Shooting with Jerry Miculek
In another NSSF video, pro shooter Jerry Miculek provides tips on handling an AR-type rifle in 3-Gun matches. First, Jerry recommends a slightly forward stance, with your nose over your front toe. Second, it is important to have a consistent trigger pull. No matter how good your sight alignment, Jerry cautions, you can miss the target with a sloppy trigger pull. Finally, Miculek recommends placing your non-trigger hand well forward on the handguard. That provides better balance, tames muzzle rise, and gives you better control over the rifle for quick follow-up shots. Some shooters use a low hand position on the magwell, but Jerry says that makes the AR-15 feel top-heavy. Having your support hand out front on the handguard lowers the AR’s perceived center of gravity, allowing faster transitions for better stage times.
A quarter million bucks in cash and prizes — that’s what’s up for grabs at the NRA’s World Shooting Championship (WSC) next month. This unique, multi-discipline event is the world’s richest shooting match, with $50,000 worth of cash awards ($25K to the winner) plus a monster $200,000 prize table. Competitors don’t even have to bring their own firearms — sponsors provide ALL guns and ammo.
The WSC, slated for September 24-26, at the Peacemaker National Training Center in Glengary, WV, is a multi-stage match involving 12 shooting disciplines over three days. Nearly all the firearms shooting sports (except benchrest and air rifle) will be showcased, so competitors must be skilled with rifle, pistol and shotgun. Speed is paramount. Although there are some accuracy-oriented stages, this is predominantly a multi-gun action match “on the clock” with relatively large, close targets.
The top WSC pro shooters, such as last year’s WSC winner SFC Dan Horner of the USAMU, are all seasoned 3-Gun competitors with blazing shot-to-shot speed and the ability to make rapid transitions from one gun to the next.
Reigning WSC Champion SFC Dan Horner is wicked fast. (File Photo, not from WSC).
All firearms and ammunition will be provided. This alleviates the need for shooters to purchase expensive new equipment and competitor travel costs are greatly reduced (since shooters won’t have to haul an arsenal of arms plus ammo). Think you’ve got what it takes to win? Then you can still register by visiting the World Shooting Championship Registration Page.
Here are the stages at the NRA World Shooting Championship:
Colt’s Maggie Reese with wicked-looking Vepr long-magazine shotgun.
North America’s top female action shooters converged on St. George, Utah recently for the Brownells Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West Match. Dozens of competitors from the USA and Canada attended this event which featured some amazing stages. Check out the video of the Roller Coaster Stage — bet you never saw anything like THAT at a shooting match before. (This Roller Coaster side-match raised funds for Urijah Smith, a two-year-old boy suffering from cancer.)
Watch Roller Coaster Stage at Lady 3-Gun Pro-Am Challenge West:
Maggie Reese, one of the nation’s top female 3-gun shooters, recently signed as a factory-sponsored Team Colt shooter. It seems that blue and white suits Maggie just fine. Maggie just won the Ladies Open Division title at the Superstition Mountain Mystery (SMM) 3-Gun match in Mesa, Arizona. This marked the third time Reese finished as “High Lady” at this competition. Maggie told us: “The SMM 3-Gun is a competition I’ve gone to since the start of my shooting career, and it’s always a pleasure to go back.”
Photo credit: Yamil Sued
Reese used a Colt LE6920 for the rifle portion of the SMM 3-Gun. “There was a lot of accuracy involved in this particular match,” said Reese. “Having a dependable rifle made all the difference in trusting my shot placement.”
The stages also included distance targets up to 350 yards, along with some unique challenges. One stage had competitors strapped to a chair that was rotated to a 90-degree angle (See video below). “Shooting sideways was a fun experience,” said Reese. “Body placement was so important for this stage, along with being comfortable with your rifle. Up next for Reese is the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series Event in Tulsa, followed by the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals on April 16 in Las Vegas. To follow Maggie Reese and other Team Colt members this season, visit Facebook.com/ColtFirearms.
Superstition Mountain Tilting-Chair Stage (Benny Hill style)
This video, by Brett Russo, features Jamie Franks, Taran Butler, Craig Outzen, Maggie Reese, Peter Jonasson, Chris Cheng, Jessica Hook, and others.
Here is Maggie with other shooters at SMM 3-Gun. Can you name the people in the picture?
In his Guns & Ammo Blog, Top Shot (Season 1) Champion Iain Harrison explains how to get started in 3-Gun Competition. Iain begins with some very practical advice: “Don’t worry too much about the gear. Spending a ton of money to get into the game, only to discover a few months later that you want to head in another direction, is a surefire way to alienate your significant other…. Go shoot what you have, even if it’s not ideal; you’ll learn much more about what works and what doesn’t by shooting in a match than you ever will by reading blogs like this.”
It’s obvious that you’ll need three firearms — pistol, carbine/rifle, and shotgun. But Harrison explains you don’t have to go out an get the most expensive (or complex) weaponry. For the rifle/carbine segment, Harrison says: “A vanilla AR15 with a low-power variable scope is a good place to start. Pretty much any flat top AR15 [will do].” For a scattergun, yes it would be nice to have an exotic Benelli M1 Super 90, but a low cost semi-auto from Remington, Winchester, or Mossberg will be competitive. And many guys start off with their “old reliable” Rem model 870 pump shotgun. Harrison explains: “Add an extended mag tube to the Remington 1100 lurking in the back of the safe and you have the shotgun component covered, though if you’d rather run your trusty pump gun… that’s cool too.”
Choice of Pistol and Caliber
The best handgun brand and caliber is really a matter of personal choice. You want a “dead-nuts” reliable pistol, for which you can get affordable accessories (holster, mag pouches, high-cap magazines). Glocks, 1911s, HKs, Sigs, S&W M&Ps are all popular. As for caliber choice, Harrison notes: “Most guys run 9 mm handguns as the capacity advantage over a .40 or .45 is significant, but whatever you choose, your holster is as important as the piece it contains. Bump a loaded pistol out of your holster in the middle of a stage and you’ll be going home early.”
Video Shows Highlights from 3-Gun Nation 2011 Championship
In his Guns & Ammo Blog post, Harrison also give advice about 3-Gun optics and he lists particular firearms models that are favored by competitors. Learn more about these topics by visiting the 3-Gun Nation website. When it comes to gun shopping, Harrison does advise to “buy new” — that’s because active 3-gunners fire so many rounds in practice and competition that they really can wear out their firearms. Click Here to read Harrison’s full Getting Started in 3-Gun Blog article. While visiting GunsandAmmo.com, check out Harrison’s amusing Top Five Reasons to Try 3-Gun. Here’s Reason Number One: “It’s sexy. So sexy in fact, it’s the only shooting sport with its own TV show!”
Miculeks Dominate Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun
Here’s proof that the family that shoots together, wins together. Legendary shooter Jerry Miculek, his wife Kay, and their daughter Lena, all took home top trophies at the 2013 Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun Match in Mesa AZ, March 22-24, 2013. The annual event hosted by the Mystery Mountain 3-Gun Club, included more than 300 shooters.
Jerry took top honors as the Match Champion, High Senior. Kay was the Women’s Open Champion and Lena won 2nd place in the Ladies Tactical Optics division and was also High Junior. That’s a great across-the-board performance for the Miculek clan. Learn more about them at Miculek.com.
Jerry says: “You get to the next level by being the first one on the range and the last one to leave.”
The Next Generation — Lena Miculek
Lena Miculek, the daughter of Jerry and Kay Miculek, was born and raised on Shootout Lane. Lena claimed her first National title at the Sportsman’s Team Challenge when she was only ten years old, and has since won four more National titles in both the Junior and Sportsman’s A divisions. In 2010 Lena followed in her fathers footsteps, competing in the USPSA Revolver Division.
Lena’s main focus is now on Multi-Gun competitions, specifically 3-Gun Nation events. Lena had a very successful first year of Multi-Gun shooting, culminating in a class win at the 3-Gun Nation shoot-offs in Vegas during the 2013 Shot Show. Lena also had a huge break-though in her shooting career at the 2012 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot in Hungary, where she was crowned the Ladies World Champion (Standard Division).
3-Gun Nation and Samson Manufacturing announced the first-ever professional lady tournament series in practical shooting. The 3GN Lady Pro Series Tour will feature a dozen of the game’s top females, all competing for cash payouts and a slot in the 3GN Lady Championship Shoot-Off where the winner will be crowned champion and take home $25,000 from Samson Manufacturing.
3-Gun Nation Lady events will take place concurrently with the 3GN Pro Series Tour. The ladies will shoot the same courses of fire, and in front of cameras for 3GN Television. 3GN President Pete Brown stated: “This tour will not only show the top ladies are good, but that some of them can even challenge the top guys in the sport.”
You can watch the 3GN Lady Pro Tour and the 3GN Pro Series Tour by attending the following events: April 13, Glengarry, WV; May 18, Tulsa, OK; June 22, Tulsa, OK; Sept. 7, St. George, Utah; Jan. 15, 2014, Las Vegas. To learn more about event locations, or broadcast dates for 3-Gun Nation Television, visit 3GunNation.com.
The National 3-Gun Association, which operates the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series and 3-Gun Nation TV, has launched a new e-Zine dedicated to 3-Gun Competition. Entitled “3GN Magazine”, this new e-Zine features match reports, gear reviews, and shooting tips. You’ll find a host of 3GN videos, including match footage, product reviews, and instructional segments. Ace 3-gunners will contribute to the articles along with leading outdoor industry journalists. Comprehensive match coverage will include local club matches, regional tournaments, national Outlaw matches, and, of course, the 3GN Pro Series Tour.
The first installment of 3GN Magazine can be previewed now on the 3gunnation.com website. There is also a mobile version of 3GN Magazine optimized for smartphones and tablets. 3GN Magazine is offered free to the public, but you can choose to be added to a subscriber list to be notified directly of new releases and special offers for fans of the 3-Gun sport.
Read 3-Gun Nation Magazine Issue #1 (Use Slider Bar to Scroll)
Multi-Gun fans should tune in to Shooting USA TV this Wednesday, May 23rd. This week, Shooting USA features the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals held recently at the Desert Sportsman range in Las Vegas.
John Scoutten and Mike Irvine narrate the action and provide analysis of this exciting discipline, which requires mastery of rifle, shotgun, and pistol. In addition, this week’s episode of Shooting USA covers wheelgun competition at the Memphis Charity Challenge. Shooting USA airs Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm Eastern (check your local listings for other time zones).
Watch Video Preview of May 23 Shooting USA Episode
You can now watch complete, 21-minute episodes from 3-Gun Nation’s second season on the NBC Sports Network. Web versions of the 3-Gun Nation TV shows are streamed on 3GunNation.com. Episodes 1 & 2 feature Keith Garcia’s dramatic victory at the 2011 Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun. The “must-watch” third Episode covers the popular Ft. Benning 3-Gun Challenge. More episodes will be released starting March 2, 2012.
Episodes 1 & 2 — Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun
Superstition is one of the premiere matches on the 3-Gun Nation circuit. Watch as 3-Gun pros Keith Garcia, Mark Hanish and 2012 3-Gun Nation Champion Tommy Thacker compete head-to-head in this legendary speed match. Garcia revealed: “I really like the stages at [Supersition Mountain]; they tend to be fast and fun to shoot. I felt confident that if I shot well I would make the Shoot-Off, but when problems come up you know things could get tough. Lucky for me I was not the only shooter who had some rough patches, and I made the Superstition Shoot-Off by a narrow margin.”
As for Thacker, he learned valuable lessons from Superstition and continued to improve throughout the 2011 season, saving his best shooting of the year for when he needed it the most, ultimately becoming the 2012 3-Gun Nation Champion.
Episode Three — Ft. Benning 3-Gun Challenge
Run by the USAMU with support from the U.S. Army, the 2011 Ft. Benning 3-Gun Match was a crowd-pleaser. 3-Gun Nation cameras give an inside look into the life of one of the sport’s most fierce competitors, Clint Upchurch. Also profiled is the 2010 Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun and veteran shooter Bruce Piatt. The Ft. Bennng match draws competitors from around the nation. It is unique in that the Army provides armored vehicles and other military hardware “props” not found anywhere else. You can watch the entire Ft. Benning episode in the embedded video below. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Ft. Benning match.
The stages also included distance targets up to 350 yards, along with some unique challenges. One stage had competitors strapped to a chair that was rotated to a 90-degree angle (See video below). “Shooting sideways was a fun experience,” said Reese. “Body placement was so important for this stage, along with being comfortable with your rifle. Up next for Reese is the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series Event in Tulsa, followed by the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals on April 16 in Las Vegas. To follow Maggie Reese and other Team Colt members this season, visit 
In his 
The Next Generation — Lena Miculek
3-Gun Nation and Samson Manufacturing announced the first-ever professional lady tournament series in practical shooting. The 3GN Lady Pro Series Tour will feature a dozen of the game’s top females, all competing for cash payouts and a slot in the 3GN Lady Championship Shoot-Off where the winner will be crowned champion and take home $25,000 from Samson Manufacturing.
The National 3-Gun Association, which operates the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series and 3-Gun Nation TV, has launched a new e-Zine dedicated to 3-Gun Competition. Entitled “3GN Magazine”, this new e-Zine features match reports, gear reviews, and shooting tips. You’ll find a host of 3GN videos, including match footage, product reviews, and instructional segments. Ace 3-gunners will contribute to the articles along with leading outdoor industry journalists. Comprehensive match coverage will include local club matches, regional tournaments, national Outlaw matches, and, of course, the 3GN Pro Series Tour.
You can now watch complete, 21-minute episodes from 3-Gun Nation’s second season on the NBC Sports Network. Web versions of the 3-Gun Nation TV shows are streamed on 
