FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Championships

FNH USA Shooter Larry Houck

The FNH USA Shooting Team completed the competition yesterday with a strong finish on Stage 1 of the course at the FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Championships. This year’s course was comprised of 10 stages that tested each individual’s skills in marksmanship using three guns – rifle, pistol and shotgun.

When asked how the FNH USA Shooting was doing, team member Larry Houck said, “Weather conditions created stability issues, adding another challenge to the match. We all shot well but at this level of competition one small mistake is magnified.”

After three weeks of rain the course was covered in a slick Missouri mud, leaving some competitors covered in the thick muck, along with their equipment. This provided an additional responsibility to competitors as many needed to clean off their equipment between stages. In 3-Gun competition, where speed is dependent upon flawlessly working equipment, many left the firing line with less than desirable results.

Diana Liedorff of the FNH USA Shooting Team competes in Stage 9 – High Round Count Shotgun.

As one of two females on the FNH USA Shooting Team, Dianna Liedorff knows what competition and strategy are about. Off the firing line she is a 16-year veteran police officer with the Tulsa Oklahoma Police Department, and she also teaches courses at the United States Shooting Academy.

While at this year’s match she took the time to describe what her strategy was on Stage 9 – High Round Count Shotgun.

When asked what her favorite stage was she responded, “They are all great stages. FNH USA did a great job putting on a great match.”

In giving advice to other women and junior shooters interested in getting started in the sport of 3-Gun, Liedorff said, “Don’t be scared, and don’t have the mental game of ‘Oh I can’t do that,’ because you can.”

She suggested shooters start off by learning techniques to teach them how to handle the small stuff on the range, such as managing firearm recoil. Liedorff never stops learning and striving to become a better 3-Gun shooter. After each stage she writes down what she learned about that stage, what she did wrong and what she could have done better, and suggests that other shooters can learn vast amounts about their game by doing the same.

“Don’t be scared of the atmosphere.” Liedorf said. “The shooting industry is made up of the nicest people in the world.” Liedorff went on to explain how shooters of all levels are willing to help people get started into 3-Gun, some even lending their own equipment so others can experience the fun of shooting.

As an instructor at the United States Shooting Academy, Liedorff recommends that those interested in getting started enroll in a 3-Gun class somewhere to learn the tips, tricks and techniques of the sport that otherwise take most shooters years to learn. These classes will put shooters through an intense weekend of shooting, where they can gain more in two or three days than most others learn in a year to exponentially improve one’s skills. As an indication of the sport-side of shooting, Liedorff can typically be heard on the range saying “Let’s roll” right before she shoots, as a signal to her Range Officer that she is ready to shoot.

Bruce Piatt discusses and demonstrates his personal strategy on Stage 4: 3-Gun Nation Stage of the Midwest 3-gun Championships.

This match attracts some of the best shooters in the world from multiple facets of the sport. Bruce Piatt is one of these guys, having proved himself as a top competitor in rifle, pistol and shotgun events often called the Professional Action Shooting Circuit. He has multiple national and world titles including five NRA Bianchi Cup titles. He is always looking to get new people into the sport and even has his own “Top 10 Shooting Tips” page on his website.

The FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Championships take a great deal of organization and support at the local level to run smooth. Numerous local competitors have volunteered as Range Officer and have worked almost every weekend since November to help set up this match. All the Range Officers are competitive shooters from around the Fayette, Missouri, area. This match is probably one of the only major 3-gun matches in the area that uses 100% local help.

Mike Hughes 09 Scar winner

Mike Hughes, from Auxvasse, Missouri, was a Range Officer for the match this year. He was also the lucky winner of the FN SCAR 16S raffled off at the match in 2009 to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Hughes has been an active 3-Gun shooter for five years. When asked about how he likes his SCAR 16S, Hughes said, “I love it! It is very accurate… it is just a great carbine that is very versatile and does it all.” Hughes was working with friends from his local range and they all agreed that the SCAR is a great firearm and that it is fun to shoot.

Speaking of great firearms, FNH USA has emerged in recent years as the brand of choice for many top-ranked 3-Gun shooters. Many began their affinity with FN firearms via their exposure to the SLP autoloading shotgun. The lightning fast cycling speed, combined with the greatly reduced recoil from the SLP’s  gas-operated action have proved to be a decisive competitive edge in the shotgun category.

A new powerhouse for the rifle stages is the FN SCAR. This cutting-edge design has all the features a serious 3-Gun shooter could possibly want. Available in both 223 Remington and 308 Winchester, the SCAR has an advanced gas-piston system for cleaner operation and greater reliability over competing designs. Multiple MIL-STD 1913 rails allow the competitor to mount a variety of electronic, optical or iron sights and accessories to match the needs of each stage. The telescoping, folding stock has an adjustable cheek piece for perfect eye-to-sight alignment with either iron or optical sights.

The FNP-45 is an utterly reliable autoloading pistol chambered for the legendary 45 ACP cartridge. Its hammer-forged stainless barrel delivers match-grade accuracy right out of the box, a level of performance that many other pistols can only achieve after receiving hundreds of dollars of custom gunsmithing. With a magazine capacity of 15-rounds, and a low bore axis for greatly-reduced felt recoil, the FNP-45 is poised to become a force to be reckoned with in every phase of the action and practical shooting sports.

Rob Romero, SLP Contest Winner

Rob Romero was the lucky winner of the 3-Gun Nation Shoot-off and a check for $5,000 donated by FNH USA. In this event the top eight competitors from the aggregate competition used three FNH USA firearms – the SCAR 16S carbine, the SLP shotgun and the FNX-9 pistol. Competitors begin in a starting box, and at the sound of the buzzer ran to the far station where they picked up the SCAR 16S and had to knock down several steel targets before moving on to the SLP shotgun and engage pepper poppers and stationary clay targets. Then they moved on to the FNX-9 pistol where they finished with a steel plate rack and smaller stop plate target to signal completion. Romero made it through his side of the elimination bracket to square off against Taran Butler. This duo gave the crowd an exciting final match, with Romero finishing the course first over Butler for the win.

Rob Romero with winning check

Ken Pfau talks about FNH USA involvement.

FNH USA is the lead sponsor of the Midwest 3-Gun Championships. Here Ken Pfau, Vice President of Commercial and Law Enforcement Sales for FNH USA, talks about the company’s involvement this year.

“FNH USA became involved in 3-Gun competition almost four years ago, along with other sponsors. The Midwest 3-Gun Championships was started as a sister match to the DPMS Tri-Gun Challenge at the request of Randy Luth, former owner of DPMS.”

Shooter Jerry Miculek comments on the course.

The FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Championships got underway yesterday with the skies blanketed in clouds. After weeks of rain, the soggy range conditions made for an added challenge on several of the stages where the competitors had to move while shooting at targets on a downhill slope. Muddy targets stuck to their mounting posts, forcing competitors to utilize additional ammunition to make shots they would have normally received points for on non-gunked-up targets. (That’s why they call it practical shooting.)

The courses of fire were developed this year by match director Ken Flood who designed the stages around the technical aspects of shooting, instead of movement through numerous firing positions, due to the space limitations of the range. This has made for an exciting match for everyone.

Here are descriptions of this year’s stages:

Stage 1: The Transporter (17 pistol, 12 rifle and 12 shotgun targets)

The shooter starts outside a “transporter” tube with his/her shotgun and pistol ready for competition. At the start signal from the range officer, the shooter enters the tube and engages 12 small, round steel targets with a shotgun. Once completed, the shooter backs out of the “transporter” and places the shotgun in the grounding barrel. The shooter then proceeds toward the 17 pistol targets and begins firing within the foot-fault lines. Once completed, the shooter grounds their pistol in the pistol box, safe and unloaded, and moves toward a 2½-ton truck where the shooter retrieves their rifle. The shooter must then engage all 12 of the rifle targets while moving from either the front to the rear, or the rear to the front of the vehicle. Half of the targets must be engaged from the front of the vehicle while half must be engaged from the rear.

A shooter takes on a rifle section of the course

Stage 2: Rip’s Slider (15 pistol, 6 rifle and 15 shotgun targets)

The shooter begins with the rifle. At the start signal the shooter pulls a cable that activates a moving target at the end of the range. The shooter engages the targets as they slide from hard cover to hard cover. Each target must have at least one round in the scoring range before moving on to the next phase. The shooter then exchanges their rifle for the shotgun, where they begin shooting on the move at 15 targets of different sizes and distances. The shooter then exchanges the shotgun for the pistol and completes the round by firing at square pistol targets to complete the phase.

Stage 3: Little Larry’s Swinging Bridge (11 pistol, 6 rifle and 12 shotgun targets)

Starting with the shotgun, the shooter engages all targets on the right side of the range from two different barricades. After exchanging the shotgun for the pistol, the shooter then moves to the left side of the range and engages all 11 pistol targets from two different points. Once completed, the shooter moves to the swinging bridge where they are to grab their rifle and shoot 6 rifle targets. Shooters are not allowed to place their feet on the ground or on the support posts of the swinging bridge.

Stage 4: 3-Gun Nation Stage (12 pistol, 18 rifle and 14 shotgun targets)

Sponsored by the upcoming “3-Gun Nation” TV show, to air on Versus this summer, this phase has been a fun one to watch. At the start signal the shooter engages no more than 9 falling plates through an angled slot in a wall. The shooter will then engage the other 9 falling plates and static targets once through the other angled slot in the wall. This angle provides an additional challenge to shooters due to the forced angle of the firearm that they must work around in order to engage the targets. Once compete, the shooter exchanges the rifle for the shotgun and engages all pepper poppers and small, round steel targets (14 total). Finally the shooter moves on to the steel targets with the pistol to complete the stage.

Tommy Thacker takes aim at his target.

Stage 5: Around the Corner (18 pistol and 12 rifle targets)

In this phase the shooter begins with the rifle where they engage 3 targets, one round apiece, from the right side of the first barricade on the left side of the range. The shooter then moves to the next barricade on the right and engages the next 3 targets. The shooter continues to do this for two more barricades before exchanging the rifle for the pistol. At this point they engage 18 steel pistol targets of different sizes and heights from a designated fault line to complete the round.

Stage 6: Long Range (13 rifle and 14 shotgun targets)

This phase requires the shooter to engage both long distance targets as well as moving clay targets. The shooter begins with the shotgun while lying on a firing platform in the back of a military-type vehicle. At the signal the shooter pushes a button to start the clay target flurry. Targets appear every 5 seconds for a total of 6 targets. During this time the shooter may also engage any steel targets they can after the start signal has been given. Once all targets have been hit the shooter exchanges the shotgun for the rifle, where they move to a firing platform on a 2½ ton truck. They will then engage all steel rifle targets placed further downrange before moving on to the 400 yard target. The 400 yard rifle target is a bonus target that will knock 20 seconds off their total time.

Stage 7: Off the Deck (13 pistol and 18 shotgun targets)

In this phase the shooter begins with the shotgun while standing on a raised platform or deck. After the signal is given the shooter hits a button that starts an 8 clay target flurry, with targets coming out from underneath the deck at a steady pace. Shooters are firing into a background of trees for this phase, making for an added visual challenge. At any time during this flurry shooters can engage any of the steel targets set up for the shotgun phase. Once complete, the shooter moves from the shotgun to the pistol where they engage all large/square pistol targets, pepper poppers and a Texas star. The Texas star is a target that begins to spin once the shooter has dropped one of the tips of the star. This phase also includes two “no shoot” targets with the pistol that, if hit, will add 5 seconds per target to the shooter’s time.

Stage 8: Jungle Walk (18 pistol and 14 shotgun targets)

This phase was particularly challenging due to the sticky footing conditions that shooters had to contend with. Shooters begin at the top of a small downhill slope and, at the signal, begin to engage all steel A/C targets with two rounds per target while moving. At completion the shooter exchanges the pistol for the shotgun where they advance toward two low bridges while engaging small/round steel targets at the end of the path. Shooters are not allowed to move beyond the second bridge, keeping a safe amount of distance between the shooter and the targets.

Stage 9: High Round-Count Shotgun Stage (36 shotgun targets)

This phase only utilizes the shotgun. At the signal the shooter begins engaging steel targets, some of which will release clay targets, which must also be engaged, while kneeling and shooting through a port in a wall. Once complete the shooter moves down a trail into a wooded area where they engage another Texas Star and 10 small/round shotgun targets as they become visible.

Stage 10: Deep Woods (18 pistol targets)

This phase has shooters engaging large, square steel pistol targets through a wooded area while on the move downhill. Once again, the sticky footing conditions have made for an added challenge.

The FNH USA team performed well on Friday with several shooters having exceptional runs on some of the stages. They completed Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 and will be competing in 6 through 10 On Saturday. Results will be posted as they are available.

More than 200 top-notch competitors from all over the country will gather this weekend at the Fire for Effect Range for three days of exciting shooting sports action to see who will be crowned the 2010 FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Champion.

Numerous stages require the competitors to engage a variety of paper, frangible and steel targets at ranges varying from just beyond arm’s reach to several hundred yards downrange. The 3-Gun match format rewards both speed and accuracy, and requires the competitor to be a master with rifle, shotgun and pistol. During the entire match each competitor fires several hundred rounds, putting a premium on the accuracy and reliability of their equipment while also testing their multi-gun shooting skills to the utmost degree.

The Midwest 3-Gun Championship competition is divided into several different classes based on the type of equipment used, making the match as fair as possible for every shooter. Competitors are grouped together in squads of a dozen shooters, and each squad in turn rotates through all of the stages during the three days of the match.

Many of the biggest names in practical and action shooting are at the event. Also in the hunt for victory are the seven members of the FNH USA Shooting Team. Drawn from among the top 3-Gun shooters from across the nation, the current team roster includes Ken Pfau, Tommy Thacker, Mark and Tasha Hanish, Dave Neth, Larry Houck and Diana Liedorff. These seven shooters carry the FNH USA banner into 3-Gun, action and practical shooting matches across the nation, often with sterling results. As an example, Tasha Hanish took home the top women’s honors in last year’s USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals.

This weekend’s Missouri match is also a qualifying event for the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Championships, a big money match that will be conducted at the 2010 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals this coming September. Competitors fire a special stage using FNH USA’s SCAR rifles, SLP shotguns and FNP pistols as supplied by the match organizer. For more information on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Championships visit www.3gunnation.com.

The 2010 FNH USA Midwest 3-Gun Championship is sponsored by FNH USA, Midway USA, CMMG and DPMS. This exciting event will also be televised on “3-Gun Nation” airing on the Versus Network starting in July. Check your local listings for specific date and time.

Stay tuned for full event coverage here and at the 3 Gun Nation website.