Why don't we have "2 gun" competitions?

[Jasonatlaw]

I have been shooting local pistol matches for a few months now and have enjoyed watching 3 gun nation on tv. But it seems to me that if you were really in a shoot out you wouldn't have three guns, you would have two. Either your shotgun or your rifle and your pistol. I would think that a "two gun" match would be very fun and a little more likely to occur in real life.

I'm thinking that the match would start with rifle or shotgun depending on stage design and shooter preference, and at some point you would switch to hand gun. Obviously some stages could be set up to favor shotgun and others to favor rifle. Maybe instead of ditching your long gun you would even keep it slung on your person as you transitioned to pistol.

How fun would that be? And its one less gun to buy to start off with.

[gose]

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=185305

[Hi-Power Jack]

Central Florida R & P Club in Orlando has MultiGun matches -

You can use rifle, pistol or shotgun - they're designed to shoot

all three guns, but you don't have to ...

I just shot the last two matches pistol only ...

Match before that I used pistol and rifle only.

You're right - it's a LOT of fun.

[FLHX]

How about 4 gun pistol revolver shotgun rifle? I will shoot any match... not so much IDPA but the more guns the better..but just about any match will do for me!

[Jasonatlaw]

Thanks for the link Goose! I hope it takes off; I'd love to give it a try.

[ramms123]

A couple of shooters in my area do that same thing. Most of them it's pistol and rifle, but I have seen it both ways. We even have guys that shoot exclusively pistol just for practice.

[caspian guy]

Not strictly a 2 gun match, but the uspsa pistol match I run every month has a 2 stage side match, usually rifle sometimes shotgun. I am sure there are other clubs that do this, easy to set up and probably only adds 1 hour or so to our match duration.

[ErichF]

There is such a thing. They have started to legitimize themselves now through a new National Body: USCA

[bigfish]

Shotgun and pistol only matches would be great for clubs that have ranges that are to small to allow rifles.

[buffalo chip]

Most local multi gun matches only use 2 of the three guns on a stage. The logistics of 3 guns per stage are tough to pull off in a single day format. Find some in your area and check them out.

[Jasonatlaw]

Find some in your area and check them out.

I need to do that. They do shoot three gun matches at the local club where I shoot but I've never made it there to watch.

[Albertl35]

Pistol + Shotgun would be a great way for smaller ranges that cannot accommodate a rifle.

[Alaskapopo]

Shotgun and pistol only matches would be great for clubs that have ranges that are to small to allow rifles.

If you can shoot pistols you can shoot rifles just throw up paper targets no steel. Use reduced sized targets if you want to simulate distance.

Pat

[Ming the Merciless]

Darn! I was hoping by "2 Gun" you meant a pistol in each hand!

[DyNo!]

There is such a thing. They have started to legitimize themselves now through a new National Body: USCA

I would be more interested in "Outlaw 3-Gun style" 2-gun.

USCA seems a little "tactical" for me.

I feel like "gun games" are just games and any attempt to employ tactically sound methods doesn't stand up to a timer as a judge. (It stands up to someone shooting at you with simmunitions/airsoft/paintball/etc)

[trp]

I didn't realize these games were supposed to be realistic

[DyNo!]

I didn't realize these games were supposed to be realistic

I prefer them to be as unrealistic as possible.

And having someone say, "don't/you can't do X/Y/Z because it's not tactical" when they're playing gun games makes me go like this: .

Edited January 13, 2014 by DyNo!

[ErichF]

USCA seems a little "tactical" for me.

I feel like "gun games" are just games and any attempt to employ tactically sound methods doesn't stand up to a timer as a judge. (It stands up to someone shooting at you with simmunitions/airsoft/paintball/etc)

I agree completely. I do not play gun games for training. That is what paid training courses are for. I have recently found a range that holds what is essentially a USPSA match with rifles. I shot it for the first time and had a lot more fun than USCA matches.

[Jasonatlaw]

USCA seems a little "tactical" for me.

I feel like "gun games" are just games and any attempt to employ tactically sound methods doesn't stand up to a timer as a judge. (It stands up to someone shooting at you with simmunitions/airsoft/paintball/etc)

I agree completely. I do not play gun games for training. That is what paid training courses are for. I have recently found a range that holds what is essentially a USPSA match with rifles. I shot it for the first time and had a lot more fun than USCA matches.

I couldn't disagree more. Training is exactly why I like uspsa. In fact I think that was the idea behind it if I'm not mistaken.

[Jim Norman]

Many three gun matches are actually a series of two gun stages. Rifle Pistol, Shotgun Pistol with a couple Shotgun Rifle Pistol stages.

[67camaro]

We have some rifle pistol matches here in the winter it makes the day go a lot quicker when its really cold out.

[blaster113]

We do some 2 gun matches locally once in a while but the matches tend to run a lot longer than our regular stuff.

[Chills1994]

I have been shooting local pistol matches for a few months now and have enjoyed watching 3 gun nation on tv. But it seems to me that if you were really in a shoot out you wouldn't have three guns, you would have two. Either your shotgun or your rifle and your pistol. I would think that a "two gun" match would be very fun and a little more likely to occur in real life.I'm thinking that the match would start with rifle or shotgun depending on stage design and shooter preference, and at some point you would switch to hand gun. Obviously some stages could be set up to favor shotgun and others to favor rifle. Maybe instead of ditching your long gun you would even keep it slung on your person as you transitioned to pistol.How fun would that be? And its one less gun to buy to start off with.

In 1996, there was a secret meeting held outside of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was orchestrated by the Beretta family. As you know, Beretta is the parent company to other gun manufacturers like Benelli, Franchi, Stoeger, Sako, Uberti, and Tikka. Other gun manufacturers were invited to this meeting as well as officials from the NRA and the NSSF. An agreement was struck whereby the Benelli and the Remington 1100/11-87 would still be allowed to be marketed as 3 gun competetion shotguns. This agreement also dictated that Remington and Ruger would both be allowed to make 1911's around the 100 year mark. The year 2011 also set things in motion for Mossberg and FN to introduce their 3gun shotties.

In short, there are three gun competitions that include the shotgun because of a large conglomeration of gun makers conspired to make it so. It is all about capturing and prolonging market share.

I fear for the safety of two gun match directors.

Totally true story, dude. Totally.

;-)

Edited February 3, 2014 by Chills1994

[barrysuperhawk]

Well, the "P" Does stand for Practical.... OTOH, about the only real "practical" skills you learn from any competition is how to put rounds on target expeditiously. Not that that's ever a bad thing, but if you are coming to competitions to "get trained" you are missing out on HUGE chunks of training. I suppose the comparison is inevitable because we are [sometimes] shooting at [sortof] human shaped targets, but the comparison barely survives that comparison. With the exception of safety, and sometimes stage design, there is nobody at a competition telling you how or why to do anything. Comparing competition to training is like comparing a NASCAR race to a family vacation. Both [mostly] use 4 wheeled cars, but even the equipment is different. You can use one to simulate the other... [go to youtube and search RV Trailer Racing, if you don't believe] but it's ugly and just not right...

[Jasonatlaw]

I hear you Barry but for me, and I think for most, it is about practice more than "training" in the sense that you mention. Its about gun handling while moving and while being under some amount of external stress or pressure. It isn't meant to replace training or to replicate an actual situation. But it is intended to allow you to put yourself their mentally. And it is not about playing games.