Help starting 3-gun in my area...

[oregonshooter]

I want to start a monthly 3-gun match at my local club but have no idea how to go about it.

Q1. Any links on how to start a club?

Q2. Are the 2005_Multigun_v9b_July1_05.pdf still the accepted USPSA 3-gun rules that people are going by?

[HoMiE]

What club do you shoot at?

If you build it they will come (as long as it is not on a day there is another club shooting).

[Bill Sahlberg]

I am unsure what part of Oregon that you shoot at but I would start attending some 3 Gun Matches to see how they set stages and run their matches before striking out on your own. Everyone makes mistake in the beginning but these are learned over time and not repeated. Once you have a decent match, like what was said above, "they will come". Very few 1st time 3 Gun matches are set up or run very well because of my above premise.....mistakes. It just happens this way without assaulting blame on any one person nor group of well meaning shooters. Match experience is the best tutor you can find.

The Albany Rifle and Pistol Club has monthly 3 Gun matches that Robert Wright of R&R Targets runs, You may learn alot from offering to help him set up his matches and help him mentor you until you gain the confidence that you can pull it off. This will also get you elbow to elbow with the competitors on a first name basis, afterall they too will be your customers too.

[oregonshooter]

I'm planning on shooting Albany next year (they off during Winter?) and Klamath, but Klamath runs their own rules that's why I want to use a set of "black and white" rules but have not seen a consensus yet.

I'm in Medford BTW. The IPSC matches here are on Sundays and I can't attend them. I shoot IDPA on Saturdays instead.

[Flexmoney]

It's a good question.

To affiliate a club with USPSA, you send off for a packet. It includes a sheet that you get signed by current USPSA members, and then your Section Coordinator (SC) needs to sign off on it as well.

What I don't know is...how thing are different for a 3-gun, versus pistol. For pistol, I believe you are supposed to run 8 activities (matches) a year. If a club can't do that, then the SC needs to sign off on an exemption for them.

The multi-gun rules and their interpretations, as seen on the USPSA site, are current...as far as I know. (I see that the website says they expired, but I haven't seen anything new since. I think the website might need that notation updated?)

http://www.uspsa.org/rules

Get with the Section Coordinator and Area Director for your location...they should help the process along.

[oregonshooter]

thanks Flex. I'm fine with it being an unsanctioned or affiliated match, just want to have a set of rules that people can read before showing up at the match.

Nothing more frustrating then driving for hours and thinking I'm gonna shoot Tactical then finding out at signup the club rules (off top of head) don't allow any electronics in Tactical.

Are USPSA rules more the norm in the USA or are most cluns running IMGA?

[Carlos]

Are USPSA rules more the norm in the USA or are most cluns running IMGA?

There are probably close to 1/2 dozen "major" 3gun shoots in the US all with their own rules (even if some of them are similar) and the "whys" behind this sad state of affairs can (and has) taken up many many virtual pages of argument.

I find this current problem very annoying. Unfortunately, few of the match directors see this problem as a problem at all & fewer still are willing to change or propose a solution beyond "everyone ELSE should do it my way!"

In any event, however, one constructive bit I have to offer is to echo one of Kelly's suggestions in his recent thread:

- keep the pace of the match going by making any distant rifle targets self-resetting and have an RO call hits. It might not seem to be a big deal to simply walk 300 yards (and back) between shooters to score and re-set targets, but the actual time involved will limit the # of shooters to a very small number and likely kill the match in short order. Keep it simple to start & you are less likely to burn out.

Thanks for offering us yet another venue; I applaud all volunteers.

[oregonshooter]

Hold your applause for now... there is a long road ahead.

Our club has been lucky to even shoot these past few years due to an ex-cop taking over the leasing agent for the range and stirring all kinds of hell up because of his personal issues with IPSC shooters. He just left last year and things seem to be coming back to normal so i'm hoping to get something going even if it's semi-informal, but have a feeling that insurance is going to be an issue unless the IPSC or IDPA club runs the match.

I've sent emails to the guys I know who run those matches down here asking if it's even possible, but have not heard back yet. I just wanted to start shooting more 3gun next year and started realizing how far matches are and how sparse they are and figured I could/can recruit some fellow shooters to help run a match.

If the official range is not avail able and we can't use the "steel shooter's" steel and the IPSC clubs targets, then we are gonna be hurting.

Just trying to gather as much info as I can right now and hoping for the best on the legal end of things.

[Flexmoney]

You won't likely be able to shoot pistol steel with rifle or slugs.

[Carlos]

so i'm hoping to get something going even if it's semi-informal, but have a feeling that insurance is going to be an issue unless the IPSC or IDPA club runs the match.

I've sent emails to the guys I know who run those matches down here asking if it's even possible, but have not heard back yet. I just wanted to start shooting more 3gun next year and started realizing how far matches are and how sparse they are and figured I could/can recruit some fellow shooters to help run a match.

If the official range is not avail able and we can't use the "steel shooter's" steel and the IPSC clubs targets, then we are gonna be hurting.

Just trying to gather as much info as I can right now and hoping for the best on the legal end of things.

Perhaps the NRA can help out here. They have supported a 3gun out at their Ratton master facility & I think thier "range development" guys can probably answer many insurance questions - even if the NRA is not really associated with 3gun. Might be worth a try.

[oregonshooter]

Thanks Carlos, would not have thought of them.

[priceg]

Give me a shout if you have questions. I started our 3-gun last january and have had a monthly match ever since. Their are do's and don'ts, but its not that tough.

[oregonshooter]

Thanks Price, I will do that if I get approval for using the range.

[HoMiE]

Have you been in touch with Roger Schmidt the southern section coordinator? Eric Hill has now taken over MD duties for USPSA at Medford. Last time I talked to him about the range situation is sounded like they are good for the next couple of years now whatever has been handled.

[oregonshooter]

Last time I saw Eric was at the OSSC in Albany and he didn't mention he took over. He's out of California for crying out loud. Sad day when ya gotta out-source your match coordinators!

Can you PM his number to me if you have it?

[uscbigdawg]

In general, a great place to start is format that you want to do. 3-Gun vs. Multi-Gun. If you want the former, then the convoluted USPSA rules and scoring will do. For the former, the simpler rules and scoring of the IMGA matches (RM3G, SMM3G, et. al.) would be more appropriate.

Frankly, for simplicity's sake, I'd go with someone's already available multi-gun rules and use a simple time-plus scoring without factoring so you can use a simple Excel spreadsheet to do the scoring...on the range about 10 seconds after the last shot is fired.

Word of mouth is your best friend, but definitely if you're holding a 3-Gun match, people will show up from OR, WA and CA. Heck...I get back to the west coast around August/September. I'll be there!

Hope that helps and good luck!

Rich

[oregonshooter]

Thanks Rich,

So RM3G is the simple method ? Simple is good! I downloaded a few spreadsheets from 3gunrules.com but have not had time to check them out.

[uscbigdawg]

Haven't shot the RM3G so I don't know if they factor the time out on a 100 point scale. I don't like this 'cause it values hoser stages the same as long range rifle or long multi-gun stages. Straight time is simple and easy.

After you resolve the rules (stage/match structure/scoring), take a hard line on equipment and don't waiver. For my $0.02, Beta's and mags over 30 rounds should be for Open only. Had to do it.

After the equipment rules are done, find some folks that know how to design stages. Great stages make up for a lot of things. It'll be even better if we can shoot the rifle at real distances (300-500m), but if the ranges don't allow it then, either reduced sized targets or partially obstructed targets can make up for it. In the end, stage design is everything.

Lastly, and something for you and the folks you'll work with to consider is to how to shoot the multi-gun aspect of each stage. For instance, will you delegate that certain targets be shot with certain firearms or leave EVERYTHING up to the competitor with certain restrictions (i.e. no pistol steel shot with the rifle or slugs). REAL FREESTYLE.

Rich

[M.E.Anglin]

My mom lives in Medford, and we(my wife and I) try to get over there a fair amount, would enjoy shooting 3-gun while we are there, been doing it a long time, and have set up alot of matches , and stages, so if I can be of any help

[P.E. Kelley]

I am unsure what part of Oregon that you shoot at but I would start attending some 3 Gun Matches to see how they set stages and run their matches before striking out on your own. Everyone makes mistake in the beginning but these are learned over time and not repeated. Once you have a decent match, like what was said above, "they will come". Very few 1st time 3 Gun matches are set up or run very well because of my above premise.....mistakes. It just happens this way without assaulting blame on any one person nor group of well meaning shooters. Match experience is the best tutor you can find.

The Albany Rifle and Pistol Club has monthly 3 Gun matches that Robert Wright of R&R Targets runs, You may learn alot from offering to help him set up his matches and help him mentor you until you gain the confidence that you can pull it off. This will also get you elbow to elbow with the competitors on a first name basis, afterall they too will be your customers too.

Oregonshooter,

I would really look hard at Bill advise. He has considerable skills as a 3 gun match director!

Please by all means jump in when you can but first go hit some of the bigger 3 gun matches within a days drive.

See how it is done then pick choose and maybe improve on what you EXPERIENCE.

4 matches that fall within a days drive for 2008..... April 12th Ephrata Washington Sportsman Spring 3 Gun, USPSA Area 1 Multigun Albany,OR,

R and R Racing's Multigun Albany OR and one very well kept secret The Courage Classic in Kitsap, WA. September.

Good luck and let us know when and where.

Patrick

[Sparky]

All our matches at Tri County are 3 gun (except our first match, which is a classifier). One thing you need to

decide after you've visited some 3 gun matches is whether you are going to shoot 3 gun or multi gun. We've been

shooting 3 gun for 3-4 years now and although its more work its also more fun. We have a core group of 4-5 RO's

that design and set up the stages. We run 10 stages per match; 5 handgun (including one classifier), 3 shotgun and

2 rifle. Usually around 200 total rounds per match. We shoot handgun in the morning, break for lunch (which is

included in the match fee; $25.00) and then shoot long guns in the afternoon. Any questions feel free to contact me.

[M ammo]

Oregonshooter

E-mail me at

james.richard.morris@us.army.mil

and I'll e-mail you all you need to know.

and everyone gets to play.

[oldcurmudgeon]

All our matches at Tri County are 3 gun (except our first match, which is a classifier). One thing you need to

decide after you've visited some 3 gun matches is whether you are going to shoot 3 gun or multi gun. We've been

shooting 3 gun for 3-4 years now and although its more work its also more fun. We have a core group of 4-5 RO's

that design and set up the stages. We run 10 stages per match; 5 handgun (including one classifier), 3 shotgun and

2 rifle. Usually around 200 total rounds per match. We shoot handgun in the morning, break for lunch (which is

included in the match fee; $25.00) and then shoot long guns in the afternoon. Any questions feel free to contact me.

Note that ther above post apparently does NOT refer to the Tri-County Gun Club at Sherwood, Oregon where we have three-gun matches, but not as described above.

[uscbigdawg]

Glad you said something. I almost had to invest in monthly trips to Oregon when I got back to CA. $25 w/ lunch is awesome!

Rich

[Sparky]

Sorry guys, thats Tri County Gun Club in the Northern Illinois Section.