Our friend Taran Butler recorded a major accomplishment at the 2012 USPSA MultiGun Nationals held April 11-15 in Las Vegas, NV. By winning the 2012 Open Class title, Taran became the first person in history to have won all three USPSA MultiGun divisions: Open, Tactical, and Limited. You can only shoot one division per year at the Nationals, so it’s impossible to hold all three class titles simultaneously. But no other USPSA shooters have won all three class titles over the course of their shooting careers. Not even “immotals” Jerry Miculek or Mike Voight, both multi-time Open-Class winners, have captured all three class championships. Before his Open Class win this year, Butler had previously captured the Tactical Division title four times, and he won the Limited Division back in 2003.
Taran observed: “This has now become the biggest achievement in my shooting career, to finally be the first person in history to win all three divisions of the USPSA MultiGun Championships. I owe thanks to God, my sponsors, and awesome friends.”
Watch Taran Butler in Action
The video below shows Taran accepting a trophy for his 2012 USPSA Open Class victory. Then, starting at the 0:46 mark, you can watch Taran run stages at the recent Nationals. You can see Taran used all three guns: pistol, semi-auto carbine, and shotgun.
In Las Vegas, Taran used the same .223 Rem AR Carbine he shoots in Tactical Division — however he added a second optic (for close targets) when running the gun in Open class. This way he can just tilt the rifle to switch magnification levels to suit the target distance. Taran explains: “Here’s the rifle I used to win the 2012 Open Class Nationals. It’s a custom AR that TTI built with parts from Vltor, LaRue, PRI, Surefire, Noveske, Trijicon, and JP. Its called the Taran Tactical Innovations 17″ Signature Series Rifle aka TTI-17SS. The optics I use are the Trijicon TR24R 1-4 power and the RMR. This is by far the fastest optic setup on the planet.”
The pistol Taran used was an Infinity IMM with comp, shooting the standard 9mm Parabellum round. In the shotgun stages in Las Vegas, Taran used a mag-fed shotgun. The shotgun’s huge external magazines (two are sandwiched together) allow long strings with fewer reloads. However, Taran did suffer a major shotgun jam in one stage that cost him 18 seconds (watch video at 4:12 – 4:30). Amazingly, Taran shot a near perfect match after that to win the Open Title.
Overcoming Mistakes — And Staying Calm — Was Key to Victory
According to Taran, the shotgun jam marked a turning point in his match: “To win at this level, you can’t give up when disaster strikes — as it did with my shotgun in Stage 5. But I kept my cool and stayed focused. After that I really shot the match about the best I could and I didn’t try to rush, which can cause more problem. A lot of shooters, when they encounter a big problem, they get discouraged and just give up. Or, they try to shoot really fast to make up time, and then they usually make even bigger mistakes.”
Open Class: “Anything goes” in the Open Class. Rifles may have multiple sighting systems including any kind of optics. Pistols may be fitted with comps, optical sights, and very large extended magazines.
Tactical Class: This is the most popular USPSA MultiGun class currently. Rifles may have ONE (1) optic, plus back-up irons. Pistols are usually tweaked factory guns with upgraded iron sights and triggers. However muzzle brakes, comps, and Red dot or other optics are not allowed on the pistols. Taran says: “The Tactical Division is #1 in attendance. The hardware is similar to what actual operators would use — ARs with a single optic, and normal-looking pistols with conventional sights.”
Limited Class: The Limited Class restricts rifles and pistols to iron sights (or a non-magnified red dot on the rifle only). This class has seen declining participation in recent years.
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Check out this cool video filmed by Charles Le at the 2011 USPSA Handgun Nationals in Las Vegas. Charles focused on the top female competitors, gals with world-class speed and accuracy. The video features Julie Golob, Jessie Harrison, Maggie Reese, Diana Le, Athena Lee, Kippi Leatham, Bonnie Ryder, and Cindi Thomas. These ladies redefine, in a positive way, what it means to “Shoot Like a Girl”.
Watch High-Def Version of Video with Fast Connections
By default, this YouTube video runs in 360p. However, if you have a fast connection you can select a higher resolution including 720p and 1080p HD (High Definition). You can also click the arrows icon on the lower right corner of the video to expand for full screen. Watching this vid in 1080p on a full screen is pretty impressive — trust us. (During HD viewing, if the display is choppy, let the whole video download before playback.) Charles Le’s video shows the production quality that can now be achieved with affordable equipment. Charles used a Canon EOS 60d camera (body only about $700), and edited the video on a MacBook Pro using Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.
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It’s time for pistol shooters to load up plenty of ammo and book their plane tickets. Three major pistol championships are scheduled to take place in the next five weeks. The USPSA, IDPA, and IPSC are all holding big events, starting in mid-September.
First the USPSA National Handgun Championships will be held September 16-24 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas. We’ve shot at that range, tucked in the foothills on the northwest side of Las Vegas. It is a large, well-equipped facility. But it is also a dry, dusty location that can be hot as Hades in September. Bring plenty of water (along with plenty of ammo). Leading up to the USPSA Nationals, the USPSA has scheduled three of its eight regional championships over the first two weekends of September. This ensures competitors will be primed and ready for the National Championships.
On September 21-24, the IDPA will conduct its first-ever World Championship Match at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, Florida. Because it does not require (or permit) expensive custom “race-guns”, IDPA competition has become very popular. IDPA matches emphasize the use of cover and other “practical” defensive techniques. The idea behind IDPA was to provide a competitive discipline which allowed shooters to perfect their skills with the actual guns they carry or use for home defense. The IDPA expects a big turn-out in Florida, including shooters from a dozen or more foreign countries.
Unfortunately, the IDPA World Championship will over-lap the last four days of the USPSA Nationals. Some shooters hope to compete in both events. In order to allow this, the USPSA and IDPA have worked out a compromise. The Shooting Wire reports: “The [scheduling conflic] was more a result of a lack-of-communication comedy of errors. Each organization announced their championship dates within a short time of each other — and quickly discovered the problem. But Robert Ray at IDPA and Michael Voigt, president of USPSA, quickly worked out a compromise. Shooters competing in USPSA’s Limited and Production division nationals in Vegas on September 21-24 will be allowed to shoot through the match in order to fly out to Florida and compete in the IDPA World Championship.”
Greece Hosts IPSC World Shoot in October on Rhodes
The IPSC World Shoot XVI in Greece, takes place October 3-8, 2011 at the Kalamonas Shooting Range, on the island of Rhodes. This is a huge event — over 1,000 shooters are expected to attend. There will be five (5) divisions, based on handgun type: Open, Modified, Standard, Revolver and Production. In addition, awards will be handed out to five (5) categories of shooters within each division: Overall, Lady, Junior, Senior and Super Senior. The IPSC World Shoot features some spectacular stages based on Greek history and mythology. These include the Labyrinth Stage and the water-filled Colossus of Rhodes Stage, both shown below.
Tonight, on the Outdoor Channel, you can watch four of America’s best female action and multi-gun shooters. In tonight’s episode of the Shooting Gallery on the Outdoor Channel, ace USPSA shooters Julie Golob, Tasha Hanish, Lisa Munson, and Randi Rogers show off their skills with pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Golob, captain of Team Smith & Wesson, is a National Champion Pistol Shooter who is now taking up the multi-gun challenge. Hanish, one of the top shooters for Team FNH, is a two-time USPSA Multi-Gun National Champion (Women’s Tactical Division). Lisa Munson has captured 11 National Pistol titles over the years, and now competes with Team Smith & Wesson, along with Golob. Randi Rogers (aka ‘Holy Terror’) is a multi-time Cowboy Action Ladies World Champion who has been shooting modern pistols with Team Glock for the past few years. Randi has won numerous tournaments for Glock. If you ever get a chance to watch Randi shoot a lever gun (from her cowboy action days) — you will be amazed. In speed events, using her lever gun, she could beat most male competitors who are using modern semi-auto rifles. She is that fast and accurate.
Preview Tonight’s Shooting Gallery Episode
Here is a preview from Tonight’s Shooting Gallery, hosted by Michael Bane.
Outdoor Channel Airtimes are: 03-16-11 at 3:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:00pm | 03-17-11 at 3:00am.
Tasha Hanish at Multi-Gun Nationals — You Go, Girl!
In the following video, taken at the 2010 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals, you can see Tasha Hanish blaze through a 3-gun stage. Tasha starts with her 9mm pistol, then grabs her shotgun to blast steel plates, and finally engages a bank of 200-yard targets with her FNH SCAR rifle. Tasha won the Ladies’ 2010 Multi-Gun Championship in the Tactical Class.
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Our buddy Yamil Sued from Phoenix has accepted a freelance photographer position with Dillon Precision. Among the many projects Sued will handle are the Dillon Blue Press covers and calendars. That’s right, Yamil now gets to work with the beautiful Dillon cover models, instead of old, sweaty guys running around at shooting matches. Yamil joked: “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.”
Yamil told us: “The Dillon Blue Press is one of the most well-known publications in the firearms industry and the Dillon calendars are prized possessions within military and law enforcement circles. I am honored that Dillon chose me to handle their growing photography needs and I look forward to bringing my photographic vision to the Dillon Precision brand”.
Yamil Sued has over 25 years of experience as a professional photographer. A graduate of the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography, Sued has handled product and action photography for leading firearms industry entities including Brownells, Cor-Bon, FNH USA, Midway USA, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, and the U.S. Practical Shooting Association. His work has also appeared in numerous publications including American Handgunner, Shooting Illustrated and Shooting Sports USA.
Though he will be doing regular work for Dillon, Yamil remains available for parts-makers, gunsmiths, catalogers, and shooting organizations who need high-quality studio and outdoor photography. For more information on Yamil Sued, or to review his portfolio, visit www.hotgunshots.com or call (623) 374-4896. The slideshow below features studio photography by Yamil Sued.
Action Photography by Yamil Sued (2010 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals)
Blue Press Cover photo taken in 2007 before hiring of Yamil Sued.
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Team SIG Captain Max Michel has made history with his recent Open Division Title win at the 2010 USPSA Area 2 Championships, held November 10-14, 2010 at the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club in Mesa, AZ. The Area 2 Championship was the final Area Championship of the 2010 season that Michel needed to win to become the first person in history to win all eight USPSA Area Championships in a single year. Michel competed against 151 shooters in the Open Division and finished with 1135.0241 match points, or 100.00%, to ensure his place in the history books.
About Max Michel
By anyone’s account, Max Michel, Jr. is one of the best shooters in the world. With three World Speed Shooting Championships (2009, 2007 and 2005), five USPSA National Championships (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004), 2 US Steel National Championships (2009, and 2008), more than 30 USPSA Area Championships, and over 80 Major Championship wins, Max Michel has become a dominant force in the pistol shooting sports. As an international competitor, Michel has represented the United States in the last four International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Shoots and returned home each time with team gold medals. He will again represent the nation in Rhodes, Greece at the 2011 World Shoot and anchor the USA’s Open Division team. Max shot for ten years with the USAMU team before becoming Sig Sauer’s Team Captain.
This video profiles Michel and shows him competing with the USAMU, and later with Team Sig:
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The USPSA National Handgun Championships were held October 9 through 16 at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 600 shooters put more than 250,000 rounds downrange in a quest for coveted U.S. Practical Shooting Association national titles in the Open, Limited-10, Limited, Production and Revolver divisions.
K.C. Wins Opens Division — His First USPSA National Title
K.C. Eusebio won the Open division title, outgunning his nearest challenger by more than 73 points. K.C. notched his first Overall USPSA Nationals win with this impressive victory. The Team Limcat shooter who earlier this year won the Steel Challenge Nationals and the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships, put his speed and shooting skills on display as he won six of 18 stages and finished in the top five on all by three. However, Eusebio sat out the first day of competition waiting for his match ammo to arrive and had to make up the missed stages over the next two days of the competition. Second place in the match went to fellow Limcat shooting team member J.J. Racaza who posted a final score of 1649.2863.
Miculek Wins Yet Another Revolver Championship — But It Wasn’t Easy
Jerry Miculek once again won the Revolver Division, with a close victory over runner-up Matt Griffin. Miculek finished with 1680.7297 match points — mere 9.4980 points ahead of Matt. Getting to the top of the podium wasn’t a walk in the park though, as Miculek battled jetlag after returning from a match in Australia, an inner ear infection and a fly away front sight. Despite all the obstacles before him, Miculek won six of 18 stages and finished in the top five on all by one. No other shooter in any division in the competition came close to that kind of consistency.
Miculek competing earlier this year at the Steel Challenge. Photo Courtesy SteelChallenge.com.
“It was the longest three days of my life. I told my wife Kay it felt like I’d been here for a week,” joked Miculek.”It was the longest, hardest match and every time you pulled your gun out of the holster it was extremely difficult to try and survive the stage. Every time you made a shot it was a hard cover, no-shoot, long range disaster event. It was just nerve-wracking and I do believe it was the hardest [pistol match] I’ve ever shot,” said Miculek.
“There are some good shooters coming up,” said Miculek about his competition. “I’m getting toward the end of my competition lifespan, I guess you could say. I realize that physically so the younger bucks are going to start coming in and pushing the old bucks out. It’s just the way of the world and I left my mark and I hope they do well and leave their mark.”
Jessie Abbate 3-Peats As USPSA Limited National Champ
Jessie Abbate won the USPSA Women’s Limited Division Championship for the third year in a row, finishing 75 points ahead of runner-up Lisa Munson. After finishing second in the earlier Open division contest, Abbate, adjusted her approach: “Coming into the Limited match, I decided that I had to be aggressive, I had to shoot my sights and let those be my speedometer,” said Abbate.
“This is a very hard match, especially for iron sights. There are more partial targets here than I’ve ever seen and I knew I had to be accurate. I had to be patient and let my sights tell me what to do.” That patience paid off as Abbate won 11 of the 18 stages in the match to post a final score of 1173.5946. Abbate used some Open Class techniques to her advantage in Limited Class: “I’ve been shooting mostly Open this year so and I’ve brought some things over from my open shooting to limited that have helped me a lot. Lots of speed, more shooting on the move and being a more aggressive shooter overall.”
Team Glock’s Dave Sevigny Wins His 6th Production Division USPSA Title
Competing in a field of 120 top Production division shooters, Sevigny had to come from behind to win. “Unfortunately I started out a little bit flat, and I think everybody at some point got sideways in this match. I’ve been in these situations before where I knew I had to lay the hammer down to go for the win, and I knew that today I had to do that.” Finishing second behind Sevigny was Team CZ shooter Matt Mink of Conway, Ark. who finished more than 80 points behind with a final score of 1556.5509.
Legendary shooter Jerry Miculek of Princeton, Louisiana won the Open division at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s (USPSA) 2010 Multi-Gun National Championships this past weekend at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miculek, who finished second in 2009, has won the title previously in 2008, 2007, and 2005. His first place finish this year also earned Miculek the Senior Open division title.
This was an impressive come-from-behind victory by Miculek, who trailed most of the match. Jerry grabbed the lead on the 10th of 12 stages, then held on to win with a final score of 1997.2577. In winning his fourth USPSA Multi-Gun Championship, Jerry out-gunned dozens of other shooters half his age. Maybe those young bucks should buy Jerry’s Practical Rifle DVD in which he explains his techniques. Though some of his younger competitors could cover ground faster, Jerry was ultra-accurate with his rifle, scoring hits faster than the younger shooters. As Jerry told photographer Yamil Sued: “Son, if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right.” In the video below you can see Jerry competing in the 3-Gun Nation Championship, which was held on Monday, immediately after the USPSA event.
“Jerry is one of our sport’s most respected competitors. There is no match that he enters that he is not among those favored to win and that’s certainly true when it comes to Multi-Gun competition,” said Michael Voigt, USPSA president and the defending Multi-Gun champion who finished second this year behind Miculek. Voigt’s final score of 1963.7636 placed him second in the match while Taran Butler finished third with 1927.1224.
Reese Repeats as Women’s Champion
In the Women’s Open division contest Maggie Reese of South Pasadena, California took top honors, winning six of the 12 stages and posting a final score of 1272.8205. This gave Maggie back-to-back USPSA titles, as she also won the Womens’ Multi-Gun Championship in 2009. A soft-spoken, humble competitor, Maggie really dominated her division in this event. She is a deserving Ladies’ Champion. Maggie’s final total was more than 155 points ahead of second place Vinky Castillo’s score of 1117.8194.
SGT Horner and Tasha Hanish Both Win Tactical Division Second Year in a Row
In the Tactical Division, SGT Daniel Horner of the USAMU successfully defended his USPSA Multi-Gun Tactical division title. The Army shooter, who won five of the 12 stages, finished with a 2075.0824 score, beating his nearest competitor by more than 218 points. Then, one day after securing his USPSA Tactical title, SGT Horner won the first-ever 3-Gun Nation Championship, capturing a $25,000 cash prize donated by Leupold.
Cave Creek, Arizona’s Tasha Hanish, a member of the FNH USA shooting team, won seven of 12 stages and dominated the field as she won the Women’s Tactical division title for the second year in a row. Hanish won the first four stages of the match, jumping out to a 62+ point lead over FNH USA teammate Dianna Liedorff. Hanish won the title with a final score of 1252.3448. Liedorff finished second with 1095.2133. Watch Tasha in action in the video above.
More than 150 top shooters from 26 states, as well as Canada, competed in the 2010 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals. Despite the brutal heat, which reached the mid-90s, these shooters managed to “run and gun” for four days straight, sending over 19,000 rounds downrange during the competition.
This weekend, September 10-12, over 150 of the nation’s best rifle, shotgun and pistol shooters will compete at the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s 2010 Multi-Gun National Championships. The event is hosted at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club , on the west side of Las Vegas, NV. Your Editor will be on hand to report on the action.
The USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals will feature 12 challenging stages involving rifle, shotgun, and pistol. The action is fast, demanding speed AND accuracy. National Titles will be decided in multiple USPSA Classes: Open, Limited, Tactical, Heavy Metal Limited, and Heavy Metal Tactical divisions. Honors will also be awarded in the categories of High Lady, Senior, Super Senior, Junior, Military & Law Enforcement.
Multi-Gun Competition is fast and exciting. With plenty of action and lots of fire-power, multi-gun matches are crowd-pleasing events that play well on television. The 3-Gun Nation TV show has been a popular addition to the Versus Channel this year. 3-Gun Nation culminates its inaugural season on September 13 with the 3GN Championship at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in North Las Vegas, where the top 3-gunners in the country will battle for $40,000 in cash prizes.
Immediately preceding the 3-Gun Nation Champsionship, the 4-day USPSA Multi-Gun World Championships will be held September 9-12 at the same Desert Sportsman’s Club Range. Shooters will compete in five divisions: Standard, Standard Tactical, Open, Heavy Metal Standard, and Heavy Metal Tactical. AccurateShooter.com will be on hand to cover the action.
Ozarks 3-Gun Match in Missouri — Watch the Video
Just a few days after the Vegas Multi-Gun Comps, the Adams Arms Ozark 3-Gun Championship will be held September 24-26, 2010, near the Lake of Ozarks in the heart of Missouri. Check out the very cool video below for a preview of the action. (You may want to turn down your speakers at work.)
Nearly 230 shooters will compete during this 3-day competition with nine stages of fire. Stages feature the natural terrain and hills of the Ozark Mountains on 1,000 acres of land. “We like to be challenging, but fun,” said Match Director Kirk Broyles. “We want to make sure the most experienced shooters are challenged and enjoy the match, but that new shooters can compete and won’t be overwhelmed.” Run by the Adams Arms Shooting Team, the Ozark 3-Gun Championship held its first competition just last year. The match gained NRA-sanctioning in 2010.
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The Versus cable network’s new 3-Gun Nation TV show debuts on the Versus cable network, today, July 26, 2010. The show airs Mondays at 7:30 a.m. EST and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. EST. The video below previews the kind of 3-Gun tournaments Versus will cover. The inaugural season features some of America’s best multi-gun events: Superstition Mountain 3-Gun, Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun, Midwest 3-Gun Championship, MGM Ironman 3-Gun Tournament, and the Rocky Mountain 3-Gun. Each event ends in a head-to-head, single elimination shoot-off with the winner earning $5,000.
The 3-Gun Nation Tour is a season-long series of matches at multiple venues. Competitors accumulate points throughout the season, and the top 50 are eligible to compete in the year-end championship following the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals held September 13 outside Las Vegas, NV. In addition, the top finishers in each division at the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals, who have not already earned a spot in the 3-Gun Championship, will earn a wild card berth, giving 10 additional competitors a shot at $5,000.
The winner of the 2010 3-Gun Nation Championship will receive $25,000, courtesy of Leupold, and will earn the title of the world’s top 3-Gun shooter. The match-by-match money awards, combined with the $25K 3-Gun Nation championship prize, collectively represent the most richest set of prizes in the history of practical shooting. The final two competitions on the 3-Gun Nation tour are: Rocky Mountain 3-Gun in Raton, NM, August 5-7; 3-Gun Championship at the USPSA Nationals in Boulder City, NV, September 13.
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The Bianchi Cup, first held in 1979, is one of the most lucrative (and prestigious) of all the shooting sports tournaments. This event draws shooters from all over the world including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Since its inception more than three decades ago, the NRA Bianchi Cup has retained its original course of fire, consisting of four matches: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target, and Falling Plates. Speed and accuracy is the key to winning the Championship. Each event is timed and is worth 480 points, equaling a total of 1920 possible points. Each of the the four primary stages consists of 48 rounds for a total possible score of 480 for each stage and 1920 for a perfect overall score.
The 2010 Event has concluded and we list the top performers below. Doug Koenig won the Open Class without dropping a point, finishing with 1920-179X. Jessie Abbate, new Team Smith & Wesson member, dominated the women’s division with a 1906-163X, edging her team-mate Julie Golob by 12 points. Robert Vadasz won the production division with a 1904-146X.
2010 Bianchi Cup Results by Category
Open Class:
1. Doug Koenig, 1920-179x
2. Bruce Piatt, 1918-183x
3. Kevin Angstadt, 1918-169x
4. George Mowbray, 1918-151x
5. Tony Holmes, 1916-159x
Metallic Sights:
1. Robert Vadasz, 1904-146x
2. Rob Leatham, 1894-153x
3. Troy Mattheyer, 1892-127x
4. Jason Koon, 1866-114x
5. Greg Davis, 1861-105x
Production Class:
1. Kyle Schmidt, 1856-121x
2. Enoch Smith, 1835-123x
3. Dave Sevigny, 1833-119x
4. Phil Strader, 1819-102x
5. Vance Schmid, 1812-100x