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3 gun sucking away uspsa shooters?


Sandbagger123

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Must be dependent on what part of the country one is in. Not much 3gun compared to pistol in this area.

But our numbers are down this summer none the less we are lucky to get 50 shooters each month compared to the 70-80 we had last year. Could be lack of interest, components, who knows

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i have noticed that many of the regular shooters i have seen in the past were absent at quite a few matches this summer. I bumped into a couple of them and asked them where they have been, and they told me they are doing 3 gun these days.

So have you seen 3 gun pull shooters away from Uspsa?

This describes me to a tee; shot USPSA for several years then got bit by the 3-Gun bug. After shooting some great outlaw 3-gun matches, it's just really hard to get excited about a pistol-only match. Upside is that when I do shoot a pistol match, the prep and recovery/cleaning is SO much easier than 3-Gun.

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Yes I think so.

More guns = more shooting, no A zones just 2 on paper means people can be sloppier/faster, and at many matches you can choose to shoot the same targets with a pistol / shotgun / rifle depending on your strengths.

Plus there's 3x as many guns so it's got to be 3x as cool right? :)

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I just noticed how sloppy my pistol shooting was during 3 gun matches. I decided to take a hiatus from 3 gun and really focus on my pistol skills. I have gotten a lot better since I started dry firing daily and shooting USPSA. I'll come back to it one day, but I felt like my pistol skills were embarrassing and really holding me back.

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yes it is

3gun is doing a great job of putting out a product that is really attracting shooters with great tv coverage, huge internet and social media presence and this is exposing not only regular pistol shooters but lots of new shooters, first time gun owners to these matches.

Big Cash Prizes, big prize tables, and lots and lots of exposure

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3Gun has been the fastest growing shooting sport for a few years now. There are a lot of reasons.

Yeah but again I say more money. I mean, that prize table at FNH, dear fuzzy lord ..

When 3 guns are involved there is a lot more room for manufacturers to sell product. Almost every gun manufacturer can sell you something that might work. Everyone can sell you something for one of the guns. Comparing that with pistol only, it makes a lot more sense to throw money at 3gun if you want your name out there.

Edited by Vlad
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There is definitely a growing three gun interest out my way, but our schedule, as well as those of other local clubs, is very full of pistol matches, so there aren't a lot of club level 3-gun shoots. Despite that we have champion level shooters locally. They do tend to stay in the 3-gun arena much more than pistol.

While it looks hella fun, I haven't got the time or money to suck at three platforms let alone just the one I'm doing now.

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I like to shoot both but if it is one or the other I usually go 3 gun unless the drive is long. This weekend a friend and I went to a USPSA match and it was kind of weird one bag (everything needed fit in one shooting bag) of stuff per person compare to loading up all the guns, gear, ammo and carts we take for three gun.

Tom

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I agree money is a factor. I am nowhere near the top and I have averaged about $800 in winnings per match this year. That is equivalent to what, 4th or 5th at USPSA Nationals? Both competitors and sponsors see this benefit.

3Gun (USPSA does have 3Gun matches BTW, that, when run by 3Gunners, are just like any other 3Gun match) requires more toys, they are also more physical and require more stage planning and thinking. We do in one 3Gun stage what happens in like 4 or 5 pistol stages. The LE and Mil are taking to it in greater and greater numbers as well, and doing it very well.

In general, I have met some of the best people anyhwere in the shooting sports, but 3Gunners have a leg up on all the other sports in that camp too.

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I've been a USPSA member since 1986. Was shooting "practical pistol" for several years before that.

I think that I was getting a little burned out.

Started shooting 3 gun recently and it gives me that little adrenaline rush I used to get from a pistol match years ago.

As long as a USPSA match does not conflict with a local 3 gun match, I still plan on attending. But 3 gun is just a lot more fun at this time and it just feels right.

Bill

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I am trading 6-8 big pistol matches next year for 4-5 big 3 gun matches.

I really liked the two 3 gun matches that I have been to and I feel like there is plenty of room to shine over there. From what I have seen, the good 3 gunners have a weakness when it comes to pistol. I have the pistol part down pretty good, so I am going to work on the other two and hopefully kick some butt over there next year.

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I agree money is a factor. I am nowhere near the top and I have averaged about $800 in winnings per match this year. That is equivalent to what, 4th or 5th at USPSA Nationals? Both competitors and sponsors see this benefit.

3Gun (USPSA does have 3Gun matches BTW, that, when run by 3Gunners, are just like any other 3Gun match) requires more toys, they are also more physical and require more stage planning and thinking. We do in one 3Gun stage what happens in like 4 or 5 pistol stages. The LE and Mil are taking to it in greater and greater numbers as well, and doing it very well.

In general, I have met some of the best people anyhwere in the shooting sports, but 3Gunners have a leg up on all the other sports in that camp too.

I'll agree on that, most ABC match's I've been to seemed to be, tolerant of outsiders at best, down to hostile at worst.

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I agree money is a factor. I am nowhere near the top and I have averaged about $800 in winnings per match this year. That is equivalent to what, 4th or 5th at USPSA Nationals? Both competitors and sponsors see this benefit.

3Gun (USPSA does have 3Gun matches BTW, that, when run by 3Gunners, are just like any other 3Gun match) requires more toys, they are also more physical and require more stage planning and thinking. We do in one 3Gun stage what happens in like 4 or 5 pistol stages. The LE and Mil are taking to it in greater and greater numbers as well, and doing it very well.

In general, I have met some of the best people anyhwere in the shooting sports, but 3Gunners have a leg up on all the other sports in that camp too.

I'll agree on that, most ABC match's I've been to seemed to be, tolerant of outsiders at best, down to hostile at worst.

ABC matches? What's that, I'm not familiar.

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I have been a member of USPSA since 2004. I shot my first State USPSA match in 2005, it was a blast. The next year, I shot some more state level matches. Some prize tables were better than others, one touted a $5k prize table, and it was random draw. In 2007, I shot my first major 3gun match, a USPSA area match. It was a good match ( still basically a pistol match with with some stages shot with long guns, it was not multigun) a great (compared to pistol) prize table, it was also order of finish. Then, I shot my first "outlaw" multigun match, wow, I was hooked. There were decisions to make (shoot the gun of your choice on certain targets), cool stage guns, cooler stage props, a huge (30-40 guns), order of finish prize table, free BBQ dinner at the range before awards, etc. Sure, the entry fee is double, and you will spend another night in a hotel, but the fun factor is at least triple for me. You won't find a USPSA match with 25 pistol paper and 10 steel (after starting with a stage shotgun and full auto AK). I could travel to 5-6 USPSA matches each year or 2-3 major multigun matches with the budget that I have. I choose multigun, it is just more challenging, fun and I have met some of the nicest people at multigun matches. It may not be for everyone, but I can see why so many people are drawn to it. The biggest drawback to multigun is that it is like moving to go to a match compared to just grabbing one bag going to a pistol match.

Hurley

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In the DFW area, definitely. If a 3-Gun match is on the same weekend as a USPSA match the USPSA match is sparsely attended to say the least.

I think it comes down to the 3-Gun matches putting out a better product, with better organizational support (surprisingly, considering how many outlaw matches there are), and better media reach. Basically, 3-gun is pulling away the existing shooters and grabbing the pool of new shooters at the same time. It's not a good trend.

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