SMM3G 2016

[Neomet]

Heads up!! Road to the range closes at 7am Saturday https://www.facebook.com/smm3g/photos/a.750296651689541.1073741828.730294603689746/1184053561647179/?type=3&theater

[nheiny13]

If someone found an SV mag with a TTI extension on it, possibly around or near stage 10 can you let me know. I can describe it in further detail if found.

[StravIs09]

Bummer! Every so often someone gets this GREAT idea for mystery or surprise stages which turn out to be a very uneven playing field for the non-local shooters or just a plain disaster from a functional point, which is why it only happens every couple of years when either new match directors get the GREAT idea or old match directors forget what a crap fest the last GREAT idea turned out.

Nail on the head

[doubleaay78]

So how's the match? The world wants to know...

[MarkCO]

It does have "Mystery" as a feature.

[StealthyBlagga]

As Mark points out, we have historically kept the match theme a mystery until game day. This year's theme was "Soldiers of Fortune" - an homage to the granddaddy of all 3-gun matches, the Soldier of Fortune 3-Gun World Championship.

Before designing the stages, I spoke with several SOF match veterans to get their recollections and anecdotes. Some of the most memorable and unique aspects of SOF stages included their semi-surprise nature, the ever-present standards, and the fact that every stage was designed around a combat scenario. In this spirit, we also had several semi-surprise stages, a 3-gun pseudo-standards, and each stage at SMM3G 2016 was accompanied by a slightly tongue-in-cheek synopsis.

To add to the ambiance, all our staff wore desert camo RO shirts and OD cargo pants. In our new vendor building, we even managed to loop some video footage from the original SOF matches.

We hope we gave our participants a flavor of the old SOF matches but with a modern 3-gun twist, all in the style folks have come to expect from the SMM3G team. For those who could not make it, I have attached the stage designs.

SMM3G2016 WSB FINAL.pdf

Edited April 4, 2016 by StealthyBlagga

[kellyn]

Huh? When did we sneaky locals get to walk the semi-surprise stages? I guess I didn't get that memo.

Great match guys. Thanks to the hard-working staff and generous sponsors. Nice to see some standards. Congrats to the winners who really threw down some solid shooting.

I enjoyed Stealth division, it was interesting to see everyone's decisions about gear. Bipod? RDS on pistol? RDS on shotgun?

My only quibble would be that Stage 9 and 11 really punished any Heavy shooters who chose 1X rifle and pump shotgun.

[kurtm]

Didn't do wonders for limited guys either.....well 9 anyway

[THM7]

I know the reasons for it....but I am still not a fan of the all day format. All the stages ran smooth for us, well except for stage 9 where the left plate rack was shifting position. The decision to allow a reshoot was the right one for those squads affected. Grenade launcher on stage 2 was neat...

[MarkCO]

I shot Stealth, with my Tac-Optics rifle and pistol and shortened my tube on the shotgun. I enjoyed it and hope they offer it next year. I do wish however that my gear (and that of my competitors) had actually been checked on at least one stage. There were at least 2 in the top 10 that did not meet the restrictions.

I actually VERY much enjoyed the threatened penalties if you walked onto a stage before allowed as it kept the squad behind you from walking the stage while your squad is trying to shoot. The stages were not complicated and 5 minutes was plenty.

There was definitely some easy and "more challenging" set-ups on the semi-surprise stages that made the presentations change, but with three, it likely came out in the wash.

While I am a huge proponent of standards, I am not a fan of sniper shotgun. That portion of the stage was poorly conceived, had no basis in SOF or "practicality" IMHO and had too much "luck" involved. A few minor changes and it could have been excellent. Stage 11, agree with Kelly, While I liked it, maybe that should have been string 1 of stage 10.

Thanks to the staff and sponsors for their work, it is much appreciated. They had some very challenging situations to work out and they were polite and listened to the issues and did their best to make things come out okay. A smile and effort goes a lot further than a scowl and a hard head and SMM3G does a good job there.

[co-exprs]

Huh? When did we sneaky locals get to walk the semi-surprise stages? I guess I didn't get that memo.

Great match guys. Thanks to the hard-working staff and generous sponsors. Nice to see some standards. Congrats to the winners who really threw down some solid shooting.

I enjoyed Stealth division, it was interesting to see everyone's decisions about gear. Bipod? RDS on pistol? RDS on shotgun?

My only quibble would be that Stage 9 and 11 really punished any Heavy shooters who chose 1X rifle and pump shotgun.

Yeah, it was tough. I pumped my gun like a randy school boy, but without a reload there is just no way to compensate for the difference in splits. Although I Kurt Miller does the splits and compensates nicely. Trying to pull down a competitive run on 9, without magnification was darn near impossible too. I honestly think I shot 9 about as well as I had in me, at 1x.

Overall, I didn't mind the semi surprise and semi random targets. I thought it was a fun twist, without going over the top. Tower was cool. Trip wires were cool. Helicopter was cool. Bowling ball was cool. Standards was cool. Practiscore and stats being done so fast was cool. Vendors were cool.

I lemented the reduction in shot count. I could have done without stage 11 (since it was an afterthought anyways). It is a bit confusing when every stage has a different preload procedure.

What I like most about the match is the staff. Every one is on their game, they work as a team, are professional and above all else... Nice. Jeremy will DQ ya, but he'll do it with a smile.

Oh... And just in case any one is wondering. I like the half day format.

Thank you to all of the staff for working so hard to bring us so much entertainment.

Edited April 4, 2016 by co-exprs

[kurtm]

Stage 9 had 6 of 12 6" plates at 220 yards, just a bit smaller than the 4 m.o.a. and real hard to see on 1x for the constraints of the stage, if they had all been in the 8-10" plate range, everyone could have had a far better presentations. I agree with Mark about "sniper shotgun". Outside of these two very minor things it was great! I absolutely loved stage 11..... for the first two runs anyway : lol:

As always a great match at a great range with outstanding personnel!!!!

[outerlimits]

Stage 9 had 6 of 12 6" plates at 220 yards, just a bit smaller than the 4 m.o.a. and real hard to see on 1x for the constraints of the stage, if they had all been in the 8-10" plate range, everyone could have had a far better presentations. I agree with Mark about "sniper shotgun". Outside of these two very minor things it was great! I absolutely loved stage 11..... for the first two runs anyway : lol:

As always a great match at a great range with outstanding personnel!!!!

hey Kurt-sorry to see your autograph on stage 11

Edited April 5, 2016 by outerlimits

[StealthyBlagga]

Stage 9 had 6 of 12 6" plates at 220 yards, just a bit smaller than the 4 m.o.a. and real hard to see on 1x for the constraints of the stage, if they had all been in the 8-10" plate range, everyone could have had a far better presentations...

The center plate rack on Stage 9 did have 8" plates... they just LOOKED like 6"

[bishop414]

What I like most about the match is the staff. Every one is on their game, they work as a team, are professional and above all else... Nice. Jeremy will DQ ya, but he'll do it with a smile.

Cough cough, no DQ's on Stage 7 this year (at least while I was there).

Thanks to all the sponsors, staff and shooters for making it another good match.

I hear your pain on full day vs. half day. Half day is great if you are the shooter, sucks if you are staff and working.

[Carbon]

Once again a great Match! I loved the semi surprise nature of the stages. Brought back the best aspects of the SOF matches. It was a lot more relaxing and fun to not have to try to memorize the stages. Five minutes and go is really a good format for me. Made it a lot more fun.

Not a big fan of the all day format. It cut into our sporting clays time. But I understand they have to do something to accommodate so many competitors.

Well done all!

Carl

[DocMedic]

there were at least2 in the top 10 that did not meet the restrictions

Mark without going into names, what gear wasn't compliant?

[atomicferret]

This was the 2nd Smm3gun that I have shot and I had a good time. Got to see a lot of friends and knock the dust off, as it were. I thought the staff was great and the weather couldn't have been better.

I shot in the new Stealth division and I really enjoyed it, I liked the versatility. I also expected to have my gear checked. I went out of my way to go find somebody to check my pistol to make sure it was legal, apparently I could have skipped that.

I am sorry to say it, but stage 11 was a huge let down. This is a Major Match that I, and a couple hundred other competitors, spent lots of money to travel to.

A plate rack just doesn't cut it.

Adding a couple of clay throwers would have gone a long way. I get there were probably some range restrictions, but come on.

I am also not a fan of stages at a 3 gun match, which only feature 1 gun.

[MarkCO]

there were at least2 in the top 10 that did not meet the restrictions

Mark without going into names, what gear wasn't compliant?

Yeah, I won't be doing names and i doubt it was anything nefarious. But pistol magwell and a shotgun tube length not meeting dimensions. I only actually saw the gear of about 6 or 7 Stealth competitors and i was not actively checking, just casually observing. The Division had 22 in it on Wednesday and grew to 31 on Thursday. That makes it the fastest growing division in 3Gun.

[kurtm]

My bad Stealthy!!!! I had been told they were 6".....hey I got them all, but I know many folks struggled. So I guess I'm just down to sniper shotgun.

Great job with the stages amigo!

[MarkCO]

Thanks to SMM3G sponsors for their contributions to the match participants and staff.

Patriot Ordnance Factory Hogue Grips Warne Scope Mounts KNS Precision Inc. Fiocchi Ammunition all were represented in my prize table winnings. All very cool parts that will be put to good use soon. A few that are not even listed on websites yet and I have in a gun already.

Thankfully I got 2 more Hogue bench mats...the old one was getting kind of old after a year on the bench and a few hundred gun cleanings, builds and abuse protecting my bench.

[jhgtyre]

Thanks to SMM3G sponsors for their contributions to the match participants and staff.

Patriot Ordnance Factory Hogue Grips Warne Scope Mounts KNS Precision Inc. Fiocchi Ammunition all were represented in my prize table winnings. All very cool parts that will be put to good use soon. A few that are not even listed on websites yet and I have in a gun already.

Thankfully I got 2 more Hogue bench mats...the old one was getting kind of old after a year on the bench and a few hundred gun cleanings, builds and abuse protecting my bench.

I am diligently collecting Hogue bench mats in the hopes that, someday, I will be able to cover the floor in my reloading room with them.