3-Gun Nation’s Epic Event

3-Gun Nation (3GN) pulled off an event like none other October 8^th through the 10th. The 3-day, 3-part event included the: 3GN Championship, 3GN Nationals, and the Shooting Sports Expo. Attributing to the success of the event was the world class shooting facility where it was held, the US Shooting Academy, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

3GN Championship

The 3GN Championship was the series finale of the 3GN Pro Series. The 3GN Pro Series matches took place over the course of 2015, where 48 men and 12 women competed. After elimination rounds during prior matches, the final 16 men and 4 women were set to compete in the Championship match. Starting Thursday, October 8th, the first portion of the Championship match began. The final 16 men competed until 8 remained by to shooting the quickest times during the 2-stage match. On Saturday, October 10th, the 8 male and 4 female competitors shot in a head-to-head bracketed match, with a stop plate having the final say who won. Daniel Horner, of the Army Marksmanship Unit, earned the title of the 3GN Champion for his third time since 2010. Lena Miculek-Afentul, crushed her competition for the fourth time in a row, preserving her title as the Ladies 3GN Champion. For a more in-depth rundown of the event, check out: Horner, Miculek-Afentul Repeat as 3GN Champions.

To gain a ticket into the 3GN Pro Series (which leads to the Championship), hopeful competitors must:

1. Be a member of 3GN, register and compete at a Regional match
2. Finish well enough as a Regional match to gain an invite to the Nationals
3. Once at Nationals, finish high enough to qualify for the Pro Series

3GN Nationals 

Finally, a Nationals event for the sport of 3-gun. 3GN introduced the Regional Series in 2014. It was only a matter of time until the Regionals Series gave way to a National match. The invite-only match included 250 competitors who shot 8 stages in order to see how they stack up at the national level.

As with most shooting disciplines, there are several divisions for competitors to choose. In a nutshell, the divisions and 3GN National winners are as follows:

Unlimited: Previously known as Open division. Creative shooters run guns that are maxed out with the most futuristic looking accessories in Unlimited, it's a no holds bar. You'll see firearms with multiple optics, bipods, and no magazine limits. Jerry Miculek, the shooting legend, is the 2015 3GN Unlimited Champion; he triumphed with a 4% finish over his competition.

Practical: Previously known as Tactical Optics division. Practical is where scoped rifles and extended shotgun magazine tubes rule. This division accounts for the majority of the competitors in every 3-gun match. Greg Jordan, of Team Armalite and a previous 3GN Championship winner, defeated his competition by just under 0.5%. With most of the heavy hitters in 3-gun, the points are often extremely close in the Practical division.

Factory: Previously known as Tactical Irons division. The motto “Run what you brung” rings true in this division. This division is the least expensive for new competitors to enter the game. Rifles can either have iron sights or a non-magnified optic, shotgun tubes and pistol magazines are limited by capacity. Essentially, this division lends itself to running factory guns, but the top competitors have made upgrades while still meeting division rules. Rick Birdsall, competing with a non-magnified optic since he started competing in 2011, earned the title of the 2015 3GN Factory Champion by finishing with a 1% lead over his competition.

To make it into the running for next year’s 3GN Nationals, save the date for one of the 3GN Regional matches near you:

– February 27-28 in Florida
– April 9-10 in Alabama
– May 14-15 in Texas
– June 18-18 in South Carolina
– September 10-11 in Utah
– October 22-23 in Virginia

Shooting Sports Expo

During the last day of the 3-gun event, the Shooting Sports Expo highlighted industry partners, provided shooting demos, and offered introductory training. Attendees were able to shoot side stages, which entered them into a random drawing for firearms from 3GN sponsors.

If you made it out to Tulsa for 3GN event, let us know what you thought!

Companies who demo'd products or put on side stages during the 3GN Shooting Expo were:

Remington/Bushmaster (.50cal Demo)
Strategic Arms Corp – Armalite/Surgeon Rifles/AWC (Demo Bay)
Rise Armament (Demo Bay)
Taccom
Timney Triggers
Leupold Optics
MGM Targets
National Rifle Association
A Girl And A Gun
Disabled American Veterans
Ruger
Condition Zero Mounts

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