Steel Match, USPSA Match and 3-Gun at Talon Range
Over the next month, Talon Range will be hosting the following competitions:
Steel Challenge / Scholastic Pistol on Saturday February 15th
USPSA on Saturday March 1st
3-Gun on Sunday March 16th
The following is the information for 3-gun. Feel free to e-mail me or IM me with any questions!
3-Gun!
First off, I am looking for three people who are interested in coming up with a stage for our 3-gun match. Same deal as USPSA--if you create it, set it up and stick around to help tear it down, your match entry fee will be waived. I have 3 big bats available, and all of the standard props that you are already familiar with. Let me know if you are interested.
What: Talon range will be hosting a 3-gun match on Sunday, March 16th. The match will consist of 6 stages, and will include rifle shouts out to 200 yards. The following information is a cut and paste from the first match, which covers some of the basic rules of 3-gun. Keep in mind we will be using USPSA Multi-Gun rules. set up will start at 7:00, (we will be doing most of the set up Saturday night, and any help would be greatly appreciated!), registration will open at 8:00 and the shooters briefing will start at 9:00. Pleas arrive on time, as once the shooters meeting starts, I can't accept any more competitors. Match entry fee will be $25.
Round Count: I don't have the stages designed yet, but minimum round count will be less than 75 rounds for each gun. Scoring for 3-gun is a little different than USPSA. Each paper target needs only 1 A hit to neutralize, so that is what my round count will reflect. Most people, however, shoot two rounds per target, so your round count will be higher. Also note that some of the targets (steel plates, specifically) can often be engaged with either shotgun or handgun (check the written stage briefing) so you may end up shooting more handgun, and less shotgun than the above round count indicates.
Keep your birdshot 7 1/2 or smaller (numerically larger). NO STEEL SHOT--LEAD SHOT ONLY! Be prepared to shoot a few slugs.
Rules
Just in case you are not able to make it one of my '3-gun rules and procedures' clinics, I wanted to briefly cover some of the things you probably want to know before your first match.
Safety: Safety rules are just like USPSA, so all of the same things apply--180, ADs etc.
ABSOLUTELY NO AP, ARMOR PIERCING, PENETRATOR, M855, GREEN TIP, BLACK TIP OR STEEL CORE RIFLE AMMO!! If your bullet attracts a magnet, leave it at home. Shooting any of the above mentioned ammo during the match is a match disqualification. I have had a few people ask me why this rule is implemented, so I'll share the reasoning behind it. AP / penetrator, or any rifle ammo with a steel core ammo is A) Hard on our steel targets, and B) A potential safety hazard, due to frag and ricochet. I realize that often times steel core ammo is cheaper than lead core ammo, but I don't want anyone to get injured due to steel core ammo being used.
Ditching of weapons: There are two conditions you can ditch your weapons in.
1) Completely empty--nothing in the magazine, nothing in the chamber, nothing in the magazine tube--empty. In this condition, the position of the safety does not matter.
2) Safety engaged. With the safety engaged, you are allowed to ditch weapons with or without ammo in the gun.
Striker fired, or safe action pistols such as GLOCKs, M&Ps, and XDs are considered 'safe' simply by ditching them--nothing further is needed. If you have a pistol with a de-cocker, simply de-cocking the pistol renders it safe for ditching. Single action guns such as a 1911 must be ditched either completely empty, or safety engaged.
Score-keepers and target pasters will not be allowed to proceed downrange past a ditched firearm, until the shooter and / or RO comes back and safely clears the weapon.
Open Bolt Indicators: OBIs are REQUIRED to transport a long gun around the range. A spent shotgun shell, stick etc. are not acceptable. OBIs are cheap, and I'll have some at the match that I will sell for my cost (free), if you don't have one already. Once you have an OBI inserted into your completely unloaded long gun, you can transport it around the range un-cased.
Pre-loading of shotguns: On any stage where the shotgun is utilized, competitors will be asked to pre-load their shotguns. There will be a table set up next to a berm for this process. When pre-loading a shotgun, the competitor is allowed to fill the magazine tube to their division capacity, and ground it on the table (magazine tube ONLY, NOT loading a round into the chamber on onto the carrier / lifter) with the safety on and OBI inserted. Once your shotgun is pre-loaded, you are prohibited from handling it again until it is your turn to shoot.
Written Stage Briefing: Pay close attention to the WSB. It's very common for 3-gun matches to have unusual gun-ready conditions, or gun-specific targets, that will change from stage to stage. Empty gun starts, or empty chamber starts are just as common as loaded gun / chamber starts.
Divisions: I won't go into a great deal of depth covering all of the equipment rules for the different divisions, as they are available at:http://uspsa.org/RifleShotgunMultigu...-2013final.pdf
But I will cover some basic stuff.
-Shotgun capacity: Except for Open (which has no limit) all divisions are limited to 9 rounds in the gun AT THE START SIGNAL. Which means 8 in the tube, and one in the chamber for 9 total, unless otherwise specified. If you so desire, you can add more rounds to your gun after the start signal.
-Optics: Having an optical sight of any kind on your shotgun or handgun automatically puts you in Open Division. Having more than 1 optic on your rifle also puts you in Open Division. For Limited Division, you are allowed 1 non-magnified optic (red dot sight) and / or iron sights on your rifle. For Tactical Division, you are allowed to have 1 magnified optic on your rifle, as well as iron sights.
-Magazine length restrictions: Open handgun-170mm. All other divisions, 140mm. No magazine restrictions for rifles (except for my Law Enforcement Division).
-Slings are only allowed in Open Division.
Scoring: We will be using 'time-plus' scoring, which means your time is your score--any penalties or misses are counted as time added to your score. So if you complete a course of fire and have no penalties or misses, that's your score for that stage.
Target scoring: Targets are not scored like a USPSA match. A paper target requires 1 A hit (the A zone, or anywhere in the head) OR 2 hits anywhere on the target to neutralize. So 1 A, or 2 D hits are the same thing. Steel must fall to score.
See the rules linked above for a complete rules breakdown.
If you have any questions, or are on the fence about shooting the match, contact me for more information (and I'll do my best to push you over the edge).
See you on the range!
John Rasmussen
Director Of Competitive Marksmanship, Talon Range
