whiskey1

I leave mine a measured 12" past the end of the tube with the cap off.

I hope I am that fast at the match...

The LaRue is a self-resetting metal target. They can be found on their website. It makes a great slug target...

ALL of the stages will be fun!!! We promise!!! Especially for the guy who won manual division at High Plains.

Springy, Sorry for the delay. I just saw this. Stages will be constructed Friday afternoon with finishing touches on Saturday morning before the match. I wouldn't worry about getting in on Friday to look them over since there is not any trickery involved. Most every stage is a pure test of shooting ability designed to test a wide variety of shotgun skills. This is not going to be your usual blast a bunch of targets while reloading real fast shotgun match. Think sound fundamentals and precision with the shotgun using slugs, buck, and bird. There will be no shoots in abundance...Joe

35, Not sure if I can or not. I'm not much of a photog, will have to borrow a camera, and have never taken pics of a reticle before. I'll see if I can do something worthwhile though. Joe

I am currently on my fifth 3gn shotty. Here is what I learned: I first modded an 1100 20ga that I already owned to save money since I wasn't sure if I would like the game. Installed ez-loader, FO front sight, tube, cut barrel myself. Loaded strong hand off of a side saddle. I found that the ez loader, while the best option for the 1100, was annoying and in the way while trying to go fast. I then bought an M2, figured out enough of the reliability mods to get it running 100%, learned how to weak hand load, and never looked back. I still have it and use it quite a bit. Loading port is milled, lifter welded, 10-22 rear, FO front, Nordic bolt handle and extension, etc. BUT...Benelli doesn't seem real interested in support for our sport and FN does so I procured a TPS with a 24" VR barrel and performed the same mods as on my M-2 and added a slot to the lifter similar to the one you find pre-existing on the Benelli. It runs great, costs about $300-400 less to build than the M2 given market prices for both guns new. They have very different "feels". The TPS is softer and somehow "friendlier" to move around. The M2 kicks harder and feels as explosive as double-distilled dynamite. You have to work harder while shooting it, but also I usually end up a bit faster with it. Personal shooting style has a lot to do with which one will be best for you. The Benelli needs to move to be dead reliable since it is inertia driven while one needs to be pretty solid behind a gas gun like the TPS. The fifth is a Nova that I have been spending all of my time whith lately. It was easier to mod than any of the others because none of the reliability work has to be done and none of the lifter work since it stays up while you are loading it. I'll let you know my opinion on it afer the Pan-AM shotgun match if you are still interested by then. All of my previous pump experience had come from work where the Moss 500, Rem 870, and Win 1300 were standard. The Win 1300 and Mossy are more suitable for 3gn due to lifter behavior while loading. The Nova is a friendlier platform for competition and I'm beginning to think for true practical use as well. Still...no reason to put a bunch of time into a pump unless you are interested in a manual division shotty. You asked if there was a real good reason not to opt for a pump...the answer...yes. Scores are based on time and for most folks a pump is slower than a semi.

Pinto said you were going to get "expert opinions" so here goes: DPMS rocks! They makes as good a LPK, reciever, barrel or any other part as any other large manufacturer. It takes a really good custom barrel maker to beat their quality. I have two snipers in my department issued DPMS SASS rifles that will shoot with most any off the shelf bolt gun you will find. I have used their LPK in several builds. I am currently building an LR-308 for a heavy optics rifle. My department has Rock Rivers, Colts, Bushmaster's, etc. in inventory and I have noticed no difference in reliability and minor differences in quality of assembly- even when compared to my personal Sabre's. DPMS supports the sport. Jerry M. probably would not have used so many DPMS parts and rifles for so many years if they were in any way inferior. Bruce Piatt, Tony Holmes, Deb Cheek, et al. continue to have very good competitive success with their parts as do I. At the Tri-Gun challenge last year I personally saw DPMS employees replacing other manufacturer's parts to keep competitior's rifles up and running during the match- talk about a classy bunch of people and a great way to do business! Some of us on the forum could learn a lot from them about how to act in public. I know I am trying...

I just got to mount up the Razor FFP from Vortex and I am very happy with it. The turrets are sweet. On 1X the entire reticle is placed over the center of the target since it is quite small at that magnification. At 4X it seems to work very well out to as far as we ever shoot 3G rifles. Benelli2 is shooting a Razor now as well. I'd be interested if his experience is the same as mine...BTW, I shot a 1st gen XTR when they were brand new and there is no comparison in the quality of the glass or reticle clarity. I don't know about the 2nd Gen.

Even if you are not going to the Pan-Am this will be a match worth attending. The shooting challenges here will be different than those you usually see in a shotgun match in the US. I expect that while loading will still be important using the shotgun as a more accurate and precise problem solver than normal will be a lot of fun. Stages are a mix of High Plains type stages, Area Six shotgun only stages, and deviousness straight from the Noveske shooting team. If it ain't worth $30, I'll be very surprised...

Guys, Decisions you make in a gunfight are the most personal decisions you will ever make. Do I shoot or not? Do I keep shooting? Do I use my strong hand or my really strong hand? All of these and ten thousand others are decisions that belong only to the man at the tip of the spear. If some don't want a tool in their box like shooting with a hand that they choose to let remain weak (instead of making is strong then- fine. When thier problem presents itself they will have the rest of their life to solve it. In a similar vein of thought why would someone choose to tell another shooter what equipment or techniques to use unless they were asked? When I teach a class I show the students the several ways I know how to solve a particular problem but they are free to solve it their way (within the bounds of safety of course). Therein lies my problem with IDPA mindset- the certain group of folks who have determined that they know the real rules of using a firearm defensively and try to build a game around it. It stifles innovation and creative thinking. If I can outthink the badguy I may not HAVE to shoot him...but if I am forced to think like everyone else then my and their results will be strikingly similar. Personally, I use both my left and right sides to drive rifles, shotguns, and handguns during real tactical problems on an increasingly regular basis. I think I know what I know and I think others do not know what they don't know, by hey what do I know? I know I'll shoot one of these matches if it is close by and I have nothing more exciting planned. I also know that I had rather clear a closet with my left side than do the Gaza lean at a range of two feet, thereby exposing myself-even more- to some desperate gentleman with a Raven .25 who wants nothing more than to shoot me in the head with it. Tactical rant off.....for good. Edited to fix punctuation and to say sorry for the loss of personal self control.

I talked to Chris yesterday. He thinks they may arrive sometime next week...

Linda has done a good job putting the issue to rest for this match, but I think a difference in philosophies is at work here. Neil wants to know if Federal will agree to make their ammo available in the UK. Federal might like to know if there are enough shooters in the UK willing to get a distributor to import some...

The GA crowd (Team Noveske, myself, Joe and Katie Harris) are looking at putting on a Pan-Am warm-up match on Saturday the 24th of July. Probably at Creekside Firing range in Bartow county, Georgia. Six or eight stages, one day. Small entry fee, no prizes. Any interest?

Well after the Pan-AM everyone will!!!! TEAM MATE Here, here!!!

You bet, Lea! Wouldn't miss it!

I like it. Balance between the three guns like you said, but also make an effort to balance the targets for each gun. In other words a good mix of short, medium, and long targets as well as target size and difficulty for each one...Hope that makes sense. As for the condition the guns are abandoned in- I think it is safer to abandon a firearm with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction than it is to require any "speed manipulation" on the clock. NDs are more likely when having to speed unload, and errant rounds fired over the berm are probably more likely when the rules encourage competitors to "dump" rounds before abandoning a firearm. Anyway, when you do it- I'll be there...

I don't know who any of em' are. I do know: 1- I carried a 14" 870 into harms way for years. 2- I now carry a 21" M-2 into the same type of places because it is just as manueverable, reliable, easier to shoot well, and faster. Isn't there and eastern division of Redneck Tactical located somewhere between Huntsville and Atlanta?

Guys I'm just saying anyone complaining about an act of nature is treading on pretty thin ice. Anyone who knows weather could look at the huge black wall cloud that spawned the tornado and tell that it was dangerous to be outside. Anyone who thinks these guys who spent months in preparation and several days in set-up wanted to cancel the last four stages of one of the biggest natural terrain matches of the year may not be looking at both sides of the argument. I understand a lot of the shooters had money, vacation time, etc. tied up in this match but all of that can be erased permanently by one well placed bolt of lightning. Discretion is the better part of valor in any sporting event. The match staff offered to finish on Sunday but the majority of competitors VOTED to shoot for fun only on Sunday due to the potential time it would take to finish up. Shooting on Saturday afternoon would have been dangerous to all of the ROs and competitors. Please remember that practical shooting can boast of a very low injury rate compared to other active sports and we should all want to keep it that way.

Guys this was something else. Match Director, Andy Horner showed so much grace under pressure and made the only safe decision open to him. The 3-Gun Nation folks came up with a solution that gave everyone in the running a chance at the $5000 check (first get picked in a random draw based on a solid finish on any one stage that you got to shoot, then all you have to do is win a shootoff against some of the best practical shooters in the US- congrats to Mr. Butler). Stage design was better than any previous BRM3G. Rockcastle shooting center- Nick, Nate- and the rest of the crew are awesome. The food was tasty and reasonably priced on site and the service was excellent. Wounded Warrior auction raised wads of money even though it was held in a big tent during a monsoon. Shooting with Team FN was an awesome experience. Those guys and girls are all a class act and very talented at what they do. FN should be very proud of them. Having a famous country music singer around was okay, too. I have it on good authority that 3-gun is his new favorite hobby and he may have already registered for another match to be held somewhere, sometime very soon. I'm sure BRM3G in '11 will be a blast as well (rain or shine)...

Awesome match as always...I'll shoot it in april or in june. It does make a nice way to START the season though. Many thanks to Trapr, Kurt, ROs, Sponsors and my fine travelling companions. The conversations to and from the match made the 35 hour round trip almost enjoyable. See ya'll in KY.

Trapr, I was wrong on the choke thing. I was looking at 2002 UKPSA rules- not current IPSC. Joe

trapr, I read those sections but fear I must be missing something important. I never had that "Aha, so that is what he means...". I never was a detective...Can you elaborate on what part of those rules might cause confusion? I did notice that it appears to be ill-eagle to change screw in chokes during a match under IPSC rules. Interesting. Thanks, joe

Trapr, The Modified Shotty is a go. I haven't sent app yet but it will be enroute in a day or so. Joe

I am currently building a FNH into a full blown race shotgun...24"VR with all of the standard mods. Preliminarily I am very happy. Even after swapping to the light barrel the sight seems to move only about half as much as my 21" M-2. Once it is done we will do a weight comparison to 00's SX3.