rmfield

At greater than 300 yards and/or in a good stiff crosswind, you'll appreciate the 77's. Since most matches these days don't go much past 300, their benefits seldom come into play.

RM3G uses the 1" x 3" comp rule. It applies to Tactical and He-Man classes only.

Its all about having more reloading options. The sacrifice is more weight forward. I believe it started back when the SOF match limited the shotgun barrel to 22" and the mag tube to 1" beyond the barrel. That all added up to a max length (22") barrel and a nine round mag tube in most shotguns. IMGA adopted that rule, but then later added the nine round loading limit (about 2 years ago). Many folks built up shotguns to meet the SOF length limits and some have found it advantagous to keep that equipment even when they can only load nine. Personally, I don't like the weight forward and seldom run the nice long mag tube that Kurt built for me any more.

I'm going to put a JP trigger in a Cav15 MkII. Anybody know of source for longer hammer pins - preferably anti-walk w/ E-clips? I checked with JP and they do not carry such animals.

I suspect that one of the characteristic of both Kurt's and Kelly's shotguns are that they show wear around the loading ports from all of the loading practice that they do. Yes they have pretty tricked out Benellis, but that not why the're fast.

The 2005 Rocky Mountain 3-Gun is now more than half-full with about 5 months to go. We are limiting the match to 200 competitors, including sponsored competitors. If you are serious about shooting this match, you may want to get your application in soon. See www.RM3G.com for more information. If you are already registered, you may want to check the "Updates" button on our website from time to time as any changes are noted there.

I use Choate 6-packs and I generally run them with shims, depending on the length of the shells I'm using. You need to use shims if the round that you are using can rotate within the carrier. If they can rotate, they will often fall out when running. You want just enough shim thickness to keep them from rotating. Obviously, if the shim is too large, the shells will be tight and slow your reload. mf

I concur with Zak. Also, LaRue has a brand new model scope mount, the SPR-E that is both higher and further forward than the SPR. Great for scopes like the Trijicon TR 21. Its not in their on-line catelog, so you'll have to call them.

Thank-you all for your feedback. You've been very helpful. MF

I need some help: I'm looking for an authoritative source on the difference between "old style" and "new style" TecLoaders with regard to the primer relief cut on the plunger. Alternatively, an authoritative description of how to make the primer relief cut on an "old style" would do - preferable from a source like Armstec, USPSA, IPSC, etc. Thanks.

So I guess a simple bead sight (with no rear sight) on a shotgun is a "optic/scope" at SMM3G? There's got to be a better way to say what I think Dan is trying to say. Anybody got any ideas?

Regarding airports/hotels for the RM3G match: Our FAQ page (a PDF file) on the rm3g.com website addresses each of your questions. If you have further questions, don't hesitate to e-mail us at jprm3g@aol.com.

We will be sending out confirmations by mail. Don't get worried if you haven't heard anything yet as Steve has been out of town on business for a few days.

The precision rifle stage will probably be run with similar rules and format as in 2004, however, we have not finalized this yet. We will update our website with this information in the future. Last year we had two classes - bolt action and semi auto. The cartridge minimun was .243 Win and the upper end was 300 Win Mag. We also used a 3,200 fps maximum on the muzzle velocity to protect our steel. The match had two strings of fire - an action string that involved engagement of targets from several positions and a precision string that involved no movement and some smaller targets. Targets ranged out to about 700 yards. Entry was $20 and there was a cash payback to the top three shooters. The format for the 2005 precision rifle side-match may vary depending on the terrain that we select. That is something we will do when the weather is a lot warmer. Last year the precision side-match was open every day of the match, but we only had 20 some shooters. Therefore, we will probably reduce the time allowed for this to one day. Sorry to be a little vague, but that's all we know for now.

The new Rocky Mountain 3-Gun website is now up and you can access the match application, rules, etc. there. RM3G Website (www.rm3g.com) Thank-you to those who gave us input on the He-Man shotgun question. Our rules now reflect a "pump action only" requirement for He-Man shotgun. We will also be allowing .45 GAP in He-Man this year. There are a few other minor rule changes that you might want to check out. The match will be limited to 200 competitors, including sponsors.

You can have a ventilated rib added to a barrel. There are gunsmiths that cater to the trap shooting crowd that do this. Years ago, I once had one added to a duck gun and the result was quite satisfactory. mf

George: I forgot to say that Dave Wheeler of Blue Steel Ranch deserves credit for the bulk of the design. He has been using a very similar system (less the fancy brackets) in his annual Steel Safari match down in Logan, NM for a number of years. mf

FYI, the RM3G long range side match targets are AR500 (not just "any steel") and they are hung with straps made from conveyor belts. The "saw horses" are constructed from rebar with brackets at each end to ease disassembly. The conveyor belt can withstand hundreds of hits, but we've found that chain can often be broken with just one hit. The bolt holding the plate to the strap is the weak link, but it is easily and quickly replaced. The AR 500 seems to hold up pretty well as long as muzzle velocities are kept below 3,200 FPS and targets are set no closer than 200 yards. This is why the RM3G match has a 3,200 FPS muzzle velocity maximum for the LR side match. These targets are frequently used for a monthly "Hunter Rifle" match on the North side of the NRAWC where they have seen hundreds of hits from 300 Win Mags, 7 MM Mags, etc. Since it is a long range affair, the bullets are usually heavy (high BC) and the muzzle velocity max is not an issue.

A few years ago, I tested a few of the tactical comps to see which one did the best job of reducing the recoil impulse. The JP tactical comp was best by a significant margin. The Miculek was number two. Others tested were the Smith & Alexander, the Wilson and a couple of homemade/low production models. As such, I use the JP on all of my competition rifles. There are a couple of newer ones out now, but I can't speak to their performance.

JP Enterprises presents The 2005 Rocky Mountain 3-Gun match. The 2005 Rocky Mountain 3-Gun is scheduled for August 25-27 at the NRA Whittington Center, Raton, NM. The match will again feature 8 run and gun stages in natural terrain. We will also offer a team stage plus precision rifle and machine gun side matches. We expect to have our website updated and applications available some time after the first of the year. The match will be limited to 200 shooters. We are stongly considering a change in our He-Man Class: We may change the shotgun requirement to a 12 gauge PUMP gun. Input at the 2004 match was overwhelmingly in favor of this change. If you would like to throw your two cents in on this, please post here.

Bruce: I agree that USPSA has a bit more of a challenge than those of us that run one match a year. At the same time, I belong to a local 3-gun club and am involved with running a major 3-gun match and in both cases we chose to stay away from USPSA sanctioning and rules because we have always thought that that USPSA has done a pretty poor job with 3-gun rules. I note that USPSA has made several very positive rule changes recently, but they have a ways to go. I once had a long e-mail battle with Mike Voigt regarding rifle power factor (.223 55 grain bullets & 16" barrels) and he wouldn't budge off of his application of the minor pistol power factor to the .223. I felt like I was talking to a wall. With regard to weapon transitions and "speed unloading", I appreciate your thoughtful approach. As you and others in USPSA ponder this issue, I think it is important to remember that we want the weapon transition to be a "non-event" in our stage designs. We want to test the shooter's ability to move and shoot in a variety of situations - not his/her ability to quickly (and often dangerously) unload weapons. The "speed unloading" required in the typical SMM3G weapon transition has been the cause of way too many needless DQs and has really soured some folks who spent alot of money to attend the match. Although I currently avoid USPSA 3-gun events, I understand that the 3-gun nationals were pretty bad too. Obviously, we have to be tough on safety, but many of the DQs I have witnesses were technical infractions that did not pose any real hazard to the shooter or others. For your reference, we (RM3G) have allowed shooters to abandon loaded weapons, pointed in a safe direction with safety-on when the shooter and others can be prevented from passing in front of the weapon. If the safety is not engaged, we consider it a procedural penalty. If the muzzle is pointed in an unsafe direction, it is a match DQ. We have also used "Hot Weapon Boxes" that restrain the weapon's muzzle direction (usually up or down). In this case, we also apply a procedural penalty if the shooter fails to close the lid on the box. You can see examples of these boxes in the RM3G photos that were posted on this website in August after our match. I wish you and USPSA luck as you tweak your 3-gun rules. Perhaps you can bring some of us back into the fold with some thoughtful changes.

Mine was threaded (1/2" x 28) then fixed for ATF purpses with a welded blind pin. I took it off by grinding it down very carefully until the pin was free of weld and I could get it out. It would be easy to screw up if you didn't do it just right. mf

Based on your pics, it looks like Armalite has updated their comp. It appears that the ports are no longer directing gasses forward. The design looks good and I suspect it should work better than their older model. mf

I tested a few of the tactical comps a couple of years back for their ability to reduce recoil impuse. I simply hung the rifle from slings and measured how far back it recoiled with each comp. The JP (Cooley Tactical) was clearly best followed by the Miculek. I did not test one of JP's open comps, but I'm sure it would have done even better. I'm just not interested in open class equipment. Regarding Armalite comps, I removed one from a rifle and replaced it with a JP as the Armalite performed poorly. I suspect that its perfromance is due to the ports being angled forward. I don't know if armalite still angles their ports forward, but if they do I don't think it will ever perform as well as the Cooley or Miculek. mf

The hot weapon boxes are simply boxes that are designed to keep a hot weapon secure and pointed in a safe direction while the competitor transitions to another weapon. Two were used in our match. One for pistol and one for rifle. The pistol box was angled down into the ground and partially buried. The dimensions were approximately 16x16x4 (We left both boxes down in NM, so I can't be precise). It was designed for the pistol to be placed in it flat with a hole for the muzzle. The grip can go either to the right or left - making it ambidexterous. It also included a lid that the shooter was required to close. It was desiged to accomodate any legal optic and magazine configuration that I could concieve of. The ground under the box was checked for rock, etc. for several inches down in the event that the weapon was accidentally discharged during insertion. I won't go into the construction other than to say that they were composed predominately of 1/2" partical board and as cheaply as we dared. If the concept holds up, we will probably make more sturdy versions in the future. The rifle box was designed to hold the rifle up and angle back in a manner that would keep the muzzle above head height. This way, a person could walk anywhere near the box and not be covered by the muzzle. It is 48" tall, wide enough for a Beta C and deep enough for a 40 round mag. It also included a lid that the shooter was required to close. In both cases, the boxes were designed to retain the weapon even if the shooter failed to close the doors. Therefore, we issued only procedural penalties if they failed to do so. This only happened once on Stage 5. We also issued procedural penalties for failing to put the safety on. This never occured on Stage 5. Had a shooter placed the weapon in either box so that the muzzle was pointed in an unsafe direction, we would have issued a DQ. This would have required that the shooter put the rifle in muzzle down or the pistol shooter fail to place the muzzle in the hole provided. We did not have any cases of this. I understand that there were several procedurals issued for pistol box door/safety infractions, but I can't quantitfy them as I was not there. Transitioning from one weapon to another is inherent to 3-gun competition. We feel that rapidly unloading a weapon is unsafe and tactically inane. It has cause a ridiculous number of DQs in some big matches. Our goal was to provide the shooters with a simple and safe way to transition to another weapon without interfering with the concept of the stage and without creating DQ traps. Several shooters commented that they would like to see padding in the back of the rifle box. I have also heard of designs using padded barrels where long guns could be placed in muzzle down. I am somewhat opposed to both ideas as they would encourage the shooter to toss his weapon into the box. The current designs encourage the shooter to be careful. I'm certainly open to discussion, however. Michael