3GN Members Participate in 3-Gun and Long Range matches, along with 3-Gun 101 and Long Range courses of instruction, enjoy free barbecue, and weekend full of fun!

More than 130 3GN Members competed in two 3GN major matches last weekend, as the 3GN South Regional Championship & Long Range Match, presented by NRA Sports, was held at the sprawling Arena Training Facility in Blakely, GA.

The 3GN South Regional was 3GN’s biggest, and by numerous accounts, best 3-Gun match to date, with a massive round count of 500 rounds peppered across a swath of punishing, physically challenging stages as 3GN Match Director Larry Goedhart and staff took advantage of 2,300 acres of natural terrain, props, woods, a shoot house and massive bay facilities.

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit swept three divisions, finishing first, second and sixth overall, turning in a dominating performance at Arena, just an hour from the unit’s home base of Fort Benning, GA, where a contingent of soldiers, mixed with veteran 3-Gunners and newer shooters, took their shot at 3GN’s biggest test yet.

In Practical, it was Daniel Horner (622.48) that topped the field by nearly 48 seconds, further cementing his claim as the top 3-Gunner in the sport. J.P. Sullivan (670.24) finished second, followed by Joe Farewell, Raleigh Hart and Shannon Smith.

Brady Lawing (735.33) finished sixth, followed by Tucker Schmidt (769.71), Tom Lackley (784.94), Seth Crace (796.76) and Nathan Alt (803.23).

In Unlimited, Joel Turner (571.73) was even more dominant, topping the field by more than 200 seconds. Dillon Price (808.99) finished second, followed by Derrick Dumont (899.9), Raleigh Prince (1012.31) and Nick Sprague (1066.69).

Nate Staskiewicz (709.11) was the third AMU shooter to pick up a championship victory, followed by Ray Helms (854.03), Steve Marmaduke (1110.57) and Dana Fight (1200.78).

The lone division not captured by the AMU was Heavy, where Chris Wiesemann (972.61) picked up the win. Jeff Barquin (1080.27) finished second, followed by James Oliver (1093.13), Tennille Chidester (1391.03) and Anthony Aniano (1923.07).

Tina Martin-Nims took the title of High Lady, while Brady Lawing topped the field of Juniors.

In the 3GN Shoot-Off, Wiesemann, Lawing, Katrian Reed, Sullivan, Turner and Staskiewicz advanced from division shoot-offs to compete in the overall. There, Joel Turner topped Nate Staskiewicz in an all-AMU final, taking home a special-edition 3GN trophy watch from Brazen Sports, the official watch of 3GN.

In conjunction with the 3GN South Regional, 3GN also hosted a Long Range match, featuring Gas Gun and Bolt Gun divisions, with pistol mixed in on every stage to provide a unique competitive shooting challenge quite unlike any other. Arena Training Facility’s 2,300 acres, shooting tower, 2,000 meter unknown distance range and multitude of props and space made for the perfect backdrop for 3GN’s Joe Burdick to introduce 3GN’s newest discipline to more 3GN members.

The Gas Gun category features three divisions: Unlimited LR (UN-LR), Practical 308 LR (P308-LR), and Practical 223 LR (P223-LR). The Bolt Gun category features Extreme Bolt Gun (XBG-LR) and Practical Bolt Gun (PBG-LR).

Bill Powell (535.25) took the title in Unlimited LR, followed by Jeff Barquin (972.46), Christopher Robe (1518.1), John Williams (1742.3) and Nathan Alt (2152.82). In Practical 308, Jaime Jimenez (988.3) topped the field, followed by Daniel Stone (1069.19) Ryan Nowell (1176.8), Jeff Liu (1327.42) and Christopher Ranc (1362.98). 3GN Long Range Match Director Joe Burdick (877.05) topped the field in Practical 223, followed by Holden Murphy (1443.46), Josh Cavalier (1661.44) and Tina “Sparky” Martin (1937.23).

In Extreme Bolt Gun, Armageddon Gear’s Tom Fuller (1097.44) topped the field. Adolphus Jones (1683.72) finised second, followed by Richard Cox (1749.99), Ketema Harris (1766.91) and Eva VanLangden (2078.19). In Practical Bolt Gun, Seth Crace (904.61) picked up the win.

Big thanks to Grizzly Targets and all the other great companies that support me in this habit we call action shooting. Tough match (the best 3GN match I’ve ever been to) and a lot of HUGE mistakes were made on my end. But somehow squeaked out a 18th in Practical. Thank you O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. for the sweet pump shotgun I picked up and also Tom Fuller & Armageddon Gear for the comedy and dinner. Learned some GREAT LESSONS this weekend.

Erich Leipold

The event weekend featured a 3-Gun 101 course taught by Joe Farewell, as well as a Long Range course taught by former Army sniper Todd VanLangden. Armageddon Gear provided entertainment and a free barbecue for everyone involved, capping off an incredible weekend of training, high-level competition and an infinite amount of good times and enough stories to last until the next one – the 3GN Midwest Regional Championship this September in Minnesota.

The 3GN South Regional Championship, presented by NRA Sports, and 3GN Long Range match, was possible through the generous contributions of the following sponsors: Brazen Sports, Mossberg, Timney Triggers, Sierra Bullets, Nitrid3 Syst3ms, SOFLETE, Columbia River Arms, Explorer Cases, Brownells, Luth AR, Nightforce Optics, Tifosi Optics, Inforce, MGM Targets, Strike Industries, Lucid Optics, Caracal USA, Nexus Ammunition, Armageddon Gear, UM Tactical, Rubber City Armory, H&M Black Nitride, Beretta, Rainier, Canik USA and Tactical Innovations.