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So, I finally got to try my hand at 3-gun for the first time. I've been meaning to for the last year at least but two young kiddos have made range time difficult, let alone competitive matches.
Sorry for the length. Hopefully it's helpful to anyone interested in 3-gun matches.
Anyway, ran the four stages out at Rio Salado today. I ran it with my 18.5 M1A in the Wolfe mod-fib stock with SWFA 1-6, Rem 870 pump action, and 1911 SA TRP in the heavy metal scope division.
First stage was rifle only. 13 targets, two rounds each, so mag change was required for me. Furthest target was maybe 15 yards. Maybe. To say the M1A was a bit much for this stage is an understatement.
The first stage went pretty well (relatively anyway). I didn't practice quick-acquisition shots (see comment on limited range time above) so I completely missed two shots on one target and had to shoot at it again. No biggie. My biggest downfall was my rifle stove piped four, maybe five, times. Brass was getting hung up on the arms mount/rings (yes, the qd levers are on left side).
Lesson Learned: Know the weapon you plan to shoot with. If I wasn't familiar with my rifle, dealing with the stove piping would've been a nightmare.
The second stage was a shotgun/rifle stage. You start out with the shotgun shooting steel plates about 15 yards out (with one plate activating a "friendly" swinging back and forth in front of the rifle positions) and then move back to two rifle positions with five steel plates at ~50 yards.
I didn't miss any at the shotgun stage (thank god because I would've had to reload if I missed one). Ran back to the rifle and the first rifle position was at the right height to make any stance feel unnatural. Took me forever to get comfortable and start ringing steel. It took so long that the swinging "friendly" obstruction slowed to a stop and I had to abandon a target because it was completely obscured.
The second rifle position went fine even though the swinging obstruction was slowing to a halt (the shooting angles worked in my favor).
Lesson Learned: Don't be afraid to spend more time practicing your firing position/stances before your turn.
The third stage was the option of ringing steel with a shotgun or pistol. While the shotgun would've netted me a better score, I chose the 1911 because I wanted to let it participate in the fun too. The steel plates were probable 10-12 yards away. The stage had a short 20s time limit. I used a holster I'd never used before and the pistol got hung up for a second. The first mag was beautiful. I was ringing steel like a champ. However, I didn't count shots and I fired until empty then reloaded. The RO recommended to do the mag change with one in the chamber to prevent the need to release slide on the next mag. Seconds count (well, for others anyway). He also mentioned that I had a slight case of happy feet versus just setting my feet and firing. That was because my field of view was unfamiliar and I was unsure of how I was going to progress through my targets (see stage 2 Lessons Learned).
Lesson Learned: Practice (not right before your match either) with the gear you have. I practiced some afterwards and figured out that I seated my pistol too far and it made it that much more difficult to draw.
Stage four was on the high power range with 8" reactive targets at just under 200 yards. There were five firing positions (five targets each) behind varying types of cover. I was pretty excited about this one since I could stretch the M1A's legs some. Well, that excitement quickly faded when I failed to get steady aim at my first firing position. I think it took six or seven shots to get my first target. Things improved for the last four targets. When I got to prone for the second firing position, I had a difficult time getting a good sight picture. I only got two targets at this position before my time ran out. Talk about the walk of shame. Man, I was sick. I'm not going to claim sharpshooter capabilities by any means but I'm better than that.
Lesson Learned: Practice varying positions/holds with your intended rifle setup during those precious minutes you get at the range. I practice shooting offhand, etc, but I realized I'd never done it with this particular rifle setup. I also realize that I don't practice the varying positions enough versus the bench.
Overall Takeaways:
Sorry for the length. Hopefully it's helpful to anyone interested in 3-gun matches.
Anyway, ran the four stages out at Rio Salado today. I ran it with my 18.5 M1A in the Wolfe mod-fib stock with SWFA 1-6, Rem 870 pump action, and 1911 SA TRP in the heavy metal scope division.
First stage was rifle only. 13 targets, two rounds each, so mag change was required for me. Furthest target was maybe 15 yards. Maybe. To say the M1A was a bit much for this stage is an understatement.
The first stage went pretty well (relatively anyway). I didn't practice quick-acquisition shots (see comment on limited range time above) so I completely missed two shots on one target and had to shoot at it again. No biggie. My biggest downfall was my rifle stove piped four, maybe five, times. Brass was getting hung up on the arms mount/rings (yes, the qd levers are on left side).
Lesson Learned: Know the weapon you plan to shoot with. If I wasn't familiar with my rifle, dealing with the stove piping would've been a nightmare.
The second stage was a shotgun/rifle stage. You start out with the shotgun shooting steel plates about 15 yards out (with one plate activating a "friendly" swinging back and forth in front of the rifle positions) and then move back to two rifle positions with five steel plates at ~50 yards.
I didn't miss any at the shotgun stage (thank god because I would've had to reload if I missed one). Ran back to the rifle and the first rifle position was at the right height to make any stance feel unnatural. Took me forever to get comfortable and start ringing steel. It took so long that the swinging "friendly" obstruction slowed to a stop and I had to abandon a target because it was completely obscured.
The second rifle position went fine even though the swinging obstruction was slowing to a halt (the shooting angles worked in my favor).
Lesson Learned: Don't be afraid to spend more time practicing your firing position/stances before your turn.
The third stage was the option of ringing steel with a shotgun or pistol. While the shotgun would've netted me a better score, I chose the 1911 because I wanted to let it participate in the fun too. The steel plates were probable 10-12 yards away. The stage had a short 20s time limit. I used a holster I'd never used before and the pistol got hung up for a second. The first mag was beautiful. I was ringing steel like a champ. However, I didn't count shots and I fired until empty then reloaded. The RO recommended to do the mag change with one in the chamber to prevent the need to release slide on the next mag. Seconds count (well, for others anyway). He also mentioned that I had a slight case of happy feet versus just setting my feet and firing. That was because my field of view was unfamiliar and I was unsure of how I was going to progress through my targets (see stage 2 Lessons Learned).
Lesson Learned: Practice (not right before your match either) with the gear you have. I practiced some afterwards and figured out that I seated my pistol too far and it made it that much more difficult to draw.
Stage four was on the high power range with 8" reactive targets at just under 200 yards. There were five firing positions (five targets each) behind varying types of cover. I was pretty excited about this one since I could stretch the M1A's legs some. Well, that excitement quickly faded when I failed to get steady aim at my first firing position. I think it took six or seven shots to get my first target. Things improved for the last four targets. When I got to prone for the second firing position, I had a difficult time getting a good sight picture. I only got two targets at this position before my time ran out. Talk about the walk of shame. Man, I was sick. I'm not going to claim sharpshooter capabilities by any means but I'm better than that.
Lesson Learned: Practice varying positions/holds with your intended rifle setup during those precious minutes you get at the range. I practice shooting offhand, etc, but I realized I'd never done it with this particular rifle setup. I also realize that I don't practice the varying positions enough versus the bench.
Overall Takeaways:
- Practice as much as possible. If you're like me, and range time is difficult to come by, at least practice pistol draws. Practice with the equipment you do have. Every bit will help.
- Get familiar with the pros/cons of your weapon setups. Do I really need a 1-6 or would a simple red dot be better, etc? Obviously, knowing the shooting range setups (target distances etc) will help with this. For instance, I didn't know three of my four stages would be in pistol bays. Just paying attention to that detail would've helped me figure out what setup to roll out with.
- Practice clearing/make-safe procedures for each weapon. Yes, you should know them already but timed scenarios do add a level of stress.
- Practice different shooting positions
- You can agree or disagree with me, but if possible, I'd run my first few 3-gun matches with an AR. Combining new shooting scenarios (especially at the close-quarter ranges I dealt with) with a heavy rifle made it more difficult. Get comfortable moving, shooting at odd angles in close quarters, and quick target acquisition with something more accommodating.
- It's not as scary as it may seem.
- Be open to feedback and learning. Everyone there is willing to help. You just have to be willing to let them.
- Don't buy gear (yet)! Yes, you'll need a holster but your run-of-the-mill holster will work. Your first times out are to learn and get familiar, not for your score. Mags can go in pockets.
- Have fun. If you've been thinking about doing a match, you should definitely give it a go.
