Stemmer's Run Rifle & Pistol Club

TO:      All Members

From:  Stemmers Run 3 Gun Planning Committee

Subject:    3 Gun Team Survey

 At the January 15, 2017 membership meeting a question was raised inquiring into the club’s position and interest in forming a Stemmers Run 3 Gun Team. As a result, several members indicated an interest and formed a committee to assess membership interest. This memo is the first step in a feasibility study.

 The following information and links are intended to provide some basic information on the sport. 

 What is 3 Gun?

 The NRA describes 3-Gun as follows, 3-gun is currently one of the fastest growing shooting sports. It provides shooters with the opportunity to master a variety of marksmanship skills using a host of firearms in a fluid and dynamic setting. The equipment will vary among shooters but 3-gunners typically start with a AR-15 style rifle (or any semi-automatic rifle in .223), 9mm pistol, (or comparable caliber) and semi-automatic or pump 12 gauge shotgun. 3-Gun courses can be designed with a variety of obstacles and targets where the competitor can shoot anything from steel plates to flying clays to paper silhouettes. Each shooter travels and shoots around barriers - like walls and barrels.

 Typical 3 Gun Classifications

 3-gun matches vary but mostly fall into three divisions: Factory, Practical, and Unlimited.

Factoryy is a great place to start for beginners. In this division, the firearms are configured very close to factory specifications. For pistols, optics are not allowed on the gun and the magazine capacity limit is 15. For shotguns, optics, again, are not allowed and tubes are limited to 8 rounds. However, rifles may have a non-magnified optic (red dot) in conjunction with iron sights. Internal modifications of all three guns are allowed.

Practical

 Unlimited is the "anything goes” division. Any optics are allowed in any combination on all three guns. There are no magazine capacity limits, except for a 170-mm length limit on pistol magazines.

 How is 3 Gun Scored

Regardless of the scoring system, there will be a shot timer running as you work your way through a stage. This is an action sport, so you will be moving, and/or changing guns from one target presentation to the next. Before you assume the sport is tailor made for world-class sprinters with a modicum of shooting experience, remember that penalties for misses or failures to engage can turn a speedster’s overall score down to a snail’s pace. Older shooters who wisely pace themselves through stages at a rate that complements their marksmanship skills routinely win matches. In addition, space limitations at many clubs mean the “marathon” you dreaded may be no more than five yards or to the other side of a shooting box. Time, hits and penalties for safety violations is how matches are scored..

Links to an exciting sport

·         Jessica Hook Shooting 3 Gun - YouTube

·         What You Need to Start Shooting 3 Gun - YouTube

We are excited by the possibility of a Stemmers Run 3 Gun team. Whether or not we get to Nationals or just enjoy the camaraderie, excitement and club bragging rights we would like to get your thoughts on the formation of a team.