First 3 gun match...??

[McGyver]

So I'm signed up to attend my first 3 gun match, a Zombie shootout here in PA in June. Having never shot in such a match, I figured I would ask here if anyone has some good advice.

I've got a decent enough armory, several AR's, a couple XD 45's, and for shotguns I've got a Win 1300 20ga and Mossy 500 in 12ga, but both need some tweaking, i.e. mag extensions before I take on the match. Either that or pick up an 870 between now and then, I dunno yet. Gotta get some knives sold and generate some funds either way.

So what says the minds of JD?

[2fulhundin]

So what says the minds of JD?

Squeeze the trigger harley, squeeze the trigger, don't yank it, its not your dick, squeeze the trigger.

[Tinysd]

I know that Arin/AV does them and hopefully he will be along shortly.

[Dylan]

You've got to slow down to go fast. I can only speak for IDPA, but it's worth your while to take your time and make sure you land the shot than to blaze through it quickly and miss shots.

[AV]

You've got to slow down to go fast. I can only speak for IDPA, but it's worth your while to take your time and make sure you land the shot than to blaze through it quickly and miss shots.

slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

some people poo-poo this as old school mumbo jumbo. but it is true. "you cant miss fast enough" etc etc...

start out slow. you wont have the best time. dont worry about it. concentrate on your marksmanship and make your shots count. nothing takes MORE time and points than missing and having to engage a target more than you need to.

concentrate on your skill set when you run a stage. You slow/smooth approach to the stages will eventually progress into FAST/SMOOTH. Dont get discouraged the first few times you go. Use the stress of competition and the timer as a learning tool, but dont let it own you.

but before you do any of this, make sure you make a clear determination of what you want to get out of 3-gun.

do you want to be the fastest gamer with all of the specialized gamer gear?

or do you want to use it as a training tool with the firearms that you would use to protect your home and family?

The league i shoot in is more or less completely void of the typical 3-gun gamer types. No one runs race guns or special race holsters or shotgun speed loaders. Most of us shoot our CCW guns that are already on our hips, our HD shottys from under the bed, and our AR's that we use to train and shoot jacks on the weekend with.

we use it as an opportunity to use and train with the guns we have and use, not as an excuse to put red dots on our pistols or have 3 different sights on our rifles.

most importantly have fun, and dont let the scores get you down. your scores will improve if you concentrate on fundamentals. when its time to run, BOOK IT, and when its time to shoot, slow down and get back to basics.

you will like it. let us know after you shoot.

[jailer252]

I will see you at the match......from the match description they are planning it to be a pretty straightforward match. Usually 3 gun matches are won by those who can reload the shotgun the fastest, and can shoot their ar with their thousand dollar optic the best. I shot the USCG match in CT last year and it was awsome. No tricks just straightforward shooting. You might want to consider a 9mm for capacity and maybe a semi auto shotgun. I replaced my 1100 tactical with a FN SLP Mark 1 and haven't looked back.