Cheaper Than Dirt! Becomes 3GN Major Sponsor

Cheaper Than Dirt! sponsored the 3GN Junior Championship $5,000 Prize won by Cody Leeper in 2011.

By Dave Dolbee

Chad Adams and Pete Brown were coworkers at the NRA. Included in the several projects they worked together was the NRA’s American Rifleman TV Show. During the filming, Chad and Pete discovered 3-Gun and neither of these two men’s lives have been quite the same since.

“Each time we went to cover a match, we’d leave telling each other how this was just the coolest gun-shooting sport. It’s fast, dynamic, cool—sort of like the X-Games of the shooting world,” said Pete Brown, president of 3-Gun Nation.

Both men had solid credentials in the outdoor industry and shooting sports arenas. Chad’s strength was more toward the history and operation of guns. Pete on the other hand, brought significant experience in television production.

“We quickly realized the problem. No one in the industry or populace was paying any attention to 3-Gun on the scale of its potential. Shoot after shoot and match after match, we left excited, but scratching our heads. Finally, we made the decision to do something about it. We pooled our collective talents and experience to create 3-Gun Nation,” said Brown.

Today, 3-Gun Nation is the culmination of web, TV, social media and broad-based sports media marketing. “We took all of these aspects and applied it to the same business model Bass Masters or the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association) uses. I don’t know of another organization that has brought that type of marketing to the to the shooting sports industry.

3GN-The Series

The tour features several events held at various venues across the nation where competitors can earn points. From there, the tour invites the top 30 shooters to Las Vegas to compete in a bracketed competition for $50,000.

“We decided to take the business model from other popular sports and couple it with our backgrounds in sports marketing and 3-Gun and to create 3-Gun Nation. In plotting the path for the tournament series, we looked at different organizations and essentially modeled it after something resembling NASCAR,” said Brown.

Over the last four years, 3-Gun Nation’s numbers and popularity have swelled—both figuratively and literally. “Four years ago our first purse was $25,000, which at the time was the largest purse I know of in the sport. The level of enthusiasm was not nothing short of phenomenal. In fact, the series was so well received that we were quickly able to move the purse to $50,000 for the second championship. In January of 2013 we’ll be holding our third championship where shooters will again be able to compete for a top prize $50,000,” said Brown.

One of the most exciting aspects of 3-Gun is—of course—the shoot off. “A 3-Gun shoot off is an absolute drag race, but you have to get there first. Over the course of any given match, there are various stages. They range from big, long rolling hills over natural terrain with high round counts and lots of movement to stages where you stand in a box, pick up a gun from the table and then it’s all about how fast you can accurately shoot,” said Chad Adams, vice president of 3-Gun Nation.

He continued, “The shoot off on the other hand, is a flat out drag race. The shoot off is the penultimate test of your ability to perform in front of a crowd when the pressure is at its utmost. This not only test the competitor’s shooting, but there is an element of athleticism. Most of all, it test the competitor’s mental game and will to make it happen when it counts the most.”

Getting Started

If your blood is pumping and you’re ready to try your hand at 3-Gun, getting started is easy. Just show up! That is the best way to get involved with 3-Gun. You don’t need the latest gear or modified guns.

According to Pete Brown, “The easiest way to get started is with borrowed gear or what you already have in your gun safe. If you have pistol, rifle and shotgun—great! If not, bring what you have. At any rate, when you are on the range there will be so many different people willing to let try a piece a gear or give you a tip—the helpful nature of the community is incredible. Then—after you have a shot a match or two—you’ll have a much better idea of what you need (or want) and you will be able to make an informed decision from there.”

“There are several great sources these days to find a place to shoot or match. Of course you can go to 3GunNation.comand click “The Sport of 3-Gun,” then click “Get Started.” Once there, you’ll have access to a wealth of information including contact information for clubs in every state,” said Brown.

3-Gun does not have a specified course of fire. As a result, you’ll need to contact each match director or range staff for details before heading out. While other shooters will be happy to lend you gear, the number of rounds of each type of ammo may be another story.

Unfortunately, 3-Gun Nation does not support a rimfire class. “We have looked at the surging ranks of Rimfire competitions, but it simply does not fit into our model. Ruger is doing a great job its Rimfire Challenge. If you are looking for something along those lines, check out your local club. From there, I would recommend that shoot.”

3GunNation.com

The 3GunNation.com website updates regularly with new 3-Gun news and happenings around the tour. You can get the rundown on shooter profiles, tips, tricks, guns and gear. There are also links to 3-Gun Nation’s Facebook and social media pages.

E-zine

Currently, 3-Gun Nation is working on producing its first e-zine. “It will be a digital magazine (e-zine) with new additions being published on a bi-monthly basis. The e-zine will focus on any and everything 3-Gun. It will feature updates on the 3GN Series, tips from pro shooters, articles profiling shooters in the series and 3-Gun events. There will also be articles on the gear used and important issues to shooters. One of the most exciting parts will be the special content sections from our partner at cheaperthandirt.com.

“By partnering with both of these sites, we can ensure that we are able to provide not only the best information on and about 3-Gun, but also from the world of AR15 and shooting enthusiasts in general. Our intent is to cover everything 3-Gun, but fill the readers thirst for everything relating to gun culture in general,” said Brown. When Pete said gun culture, he really meant it too. He went on to explain, “Gun culture is simply everything gun people might like. We are planning everything from reviews of the gear, to reviews of first-person shooter video games that gun enthusiasts have embraced as part of our culture.”

Subscribe to the 3GN E-Zine at http://3gunnation.us6.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=a03134f29b13d8cdd61fb82d4&id=d78a63e425.

Cheaper Than Dirt

“Cheaper Than Dirt is 3-Gun Nation’s premier sponsor for all of our retail gear. In fact, it has been such a strong supporter of 3-Gun Nation that in our e-zine, we give our readers every opportunity to support it as well. Every article that reviews or mentions a piece of gear, ammo or gun that Cheaper That Dirt carries and will have a link for the reader to buy it on CheaperThanDirt.com. After all, half of the story is the product; the other half is how the reader can actually get their hands on it,” said Brown.

Posted on 11/14/2012