So I've been considering trying a 3-gun match for a while but the planets never aligned quite right. Last Saturday the opportunity presented itself and I went. By myself. My usual shooting buddies wussed out, family obligations blah blah blah... whatever. I packed my M1A, my Mossberg 590, and my wife's (yes, my wife's) Colt Combat Commander 1911, along with backgup guns and ammo, and off I went.
It was fun. And long. And hot. And fun.
For those who may be curious, the guy following me around with the blut thing is the (acting) SO; the Safety Officer, and the blue thing is the timer. He makes sure the range is clear and everything's hunky-dory before he:
1. Asks you if you understand the course of fire, and explains the stage if you don't
2. Has you load and make ready (all firearms are always proven empty and carried empty until the shooter is at the start position)
3. Asks you if you are ready
4. Says "standby" and pushes the start button on the timer, which beeps to signal the start of the stage.
5. Runs the stage with you and makes sure you don't put your finger on the trigger until on target, sweep anyone with the muzzle, put down a loaded gun, etc.
He also makes sure the targets are all reset and/or taped and ready for the next guy, makes sure scores are counted properly and recorded, etc.
The timer has an acoustic sensor on it that counts shots and registers the time of each, and thus records the final time of the stage (when you're done shooting). Some stages have a "par" time and you can set the timer to beep again at the end of that period, and the stage is over whether you're done or not.
They actually asked me to be the S.O. for my squad. I told them I'd never been formally trained but had only done it during some stages of previous handgun matches, and they said that's good enough. It was pretty stressful and I messed up a couple of things related to scoring a couple of stages (fixed them) but it was okay. The guys in my squad weren't gamers but rather there to have fun and be safe. It was a good time. I don't think I've been that exhausted for a long time though... the sun and wind and stress and running around and no breakfast or lunch or (DUH!) water really wore me out. I begged a bottle of water from one guy about mid-day and dang did it taste good.
That evening I drank 64 oz of gatorade and some water and some juice and I still felt thirsty that night. It really shows how much we depend on water to survive.
RESULTS:
Results are out... I got first in my division!@#!@!!!!
(there were only 2 people in my division). *cough*
I got 25th out of 71 overall. My time would have put me:
9th out of 14 in the Open division
14th out of 38 in the Tactical Rifle Optic division
3rd out of 11 in the Tactical division
First (out of two) in the Limited division
I'm pleased with that... top third or thereabouts. It was a lot of fun.
Info on divisions for those interested
http://www.udpl.net/3gun/3-GunDivSpecs-R4.pdf
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