The August 2011 match allowed the shooter the option of standard ACTS scoring or putting 5 hits on paper targets for no time added penalties. Hits are normally scored on paper and add time to the shooter’s score.
I believe I shot faster with volumetric scoring on the move. The fact that hits outside the zero zone add a full second at ACTS makes me slow down more than I normally would for those shots. Maybe its just a psychological effect and I feel more comfortable pushing my speed when I know I can get 5 hits on a target rapidly on the move and have it neutralized rather than have a couple seconds added if I went too fast. Ironically most of my 5 shot groups were in the 0 zones.
After watching my videos I think it was probably a wash between firing two shots and getting two -1s, or firing 5 at targets past 25 yards. Obviously someone getting double 0s with only 2 shots would be faster. Firing 5 has the most benefit to shooters that would get at least one -3. If you’re not hammering them out, firing 5 is a waste of time even if you would have gotten at least one -3. I’d like to experiment on my own shooting stages both ways to see which is faster.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on ACTS 8-20-2011
The Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club hosted a special 3 Man Team 3 Gun Match on Agust 13, 2011. The rules and scoring were similar to normal 3 Gun matches, with the additional stipulations that each team could only have one Open division shooter. There was no moving with loaded guns, and competitors could only engage targets from designated shooting boxes. Three of the four stages were shooting gallery style that the team was free to engage in any way they saw fit. One stage was a relay race with one shooter using each type of gun pistol-rifle-shotgun.
Team Cavalry Manufacturing consisted of the following shooters
Russell (myself)
Rifle: 16″ Sabre Defence with Troy TRX rail, Aimpoint T-1 Micro, and Cav-Mfg Stock set.
Shotgun: Benelli M2 24″ Field with Williams Fire Sights and Nordic Components Extension
(I did not use Pistol)
Karl- ACTS AZ Match Director, student of multiple tactical training schools
Rifle: 16″ Daniel Defense with CMR 1-4X optic (he shot all the far targets)
Shotgun: Saiga-12 with Aimpoint in RS Regulate Mount, 20 round drum, and 10 round mags.
(Karl did not use pistol)
Mark- US Army Veteran, IDPA Shooter, student of multiple tactical training schools
Pistol: Glock 17
Shotgun: Remington 870 with Williams Fire Sights
The three of us had previously trained together and competed in the 2009 Tiger Valley Team Match. I was the only shooter on the team with a significant amount of 3 Gun experience, but the shooting gallery nature of the stages made the match more of a pure test of shooting skill rather than stage planning, target sequence memorization, and the other little things that give a competitor an advantage.
We did do some pre-stage planning, to the extent that each of us was put in a position to play to our strengths. Mark, shoots a lot more pistol, so we put him on the pistol targets. Karl had the the skills and right equipment to shoot long range. On the shotgun stages we positioned Karl where he could maximize his effect with the Saiga-12 and pick up the slack of the tube feds. I filled in the middle and engaged most of the flying clays with my Benelli, and got the close range rifle targets.
Our skills and strategy worked out well for us, placing 4th/23 teams. Considering the number of quality shooters at Rio Salado, I view this as a respectable placement.
The team format drew out many more spectators than normally found at a 3 Gun match. As a competitor I personally found it more interesting to watch the other teams while waiting my turn than it is to watch individuals shoot a stage at normal 3 Gun matches. I hope more team format matches will be held in the future.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on Rio Salado 3 Gun Team Match 8-13-2011
Rio Salado Multigun 7-9-2011
2nd/15 Tac Limited 8/36 Over All
7-16-2011 ACTS
3rd/46 Over All 3rd/18 Enhanced
The match this month was brutal. Two stages had limited round count, one stage of mini-IPSC steel at 125 yards through V-Tac Barricade. Shooting clean was more important than shooting fast.
7-24-2011 Phoenix Rod and Gun 3 Gun
2nd Place Tac-Limited/11 shooters. 345.48 Match Points, 4.98 match points behind 1st place.
7-30-2011 ACTS Shotgun
5th/21 Over all. 4th/8 Enhanced (Semi auto tube fed)
Arizona ACTS ran a one time tactical shotgun match on July 30th, 2011. The stage designs were done in such a way that I didn’t feel this was much of a reloading race like 3 gun stages often are. Stage 4 was the only one where it was to some degree, but there was enough movement that it didn’t matter a lot.
Maneuvering through the cooper tunnels on stage 1 with my 24″ Benelli was a pain. The ability to transition to pistol after shooting empty + the stage designs would make a Short Barrelled Shotgun much more competitive at this match than other venues.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on July 2011 Arizona Matches
The 6th Annual Independence Day Action Rifle Match was hosted by Pima Pistol Club’s ACTS division on July 4th. Since I first organized this event in 2006 it has grown in popularity and rapidly fills up every year. This year was no exception, we were actually over our cap of 60 shooters with match staff included in that number.
All proceeds from the match go to benefit the Arizona Citizen’s Defense League. AZCDL has been instrumental in defending and reclaiming gun rights in Arizona. All competitors received an AZCDL annual membership and lunch was provided by AZCDL while scores were calculated.
The match is run under modified International Multi-Gun rules. One major difference is Battle Rifle cartridges (like .308, .30-06) only need one C zone or better to neutralize paper targets, vs one A zone with intermediate rifle cartridges. Two hits anywhere neutralize with both. Sometimes Battle Rifle cartridges require half as many hits on steel. This scoring system help keeps Battle Rifles competitive.
We have also been able to test equipment divisions not found at other competition venues. This was the first year we included a modified form of Trooper division. The rules were much more simple compared to Trooper at major 3 Gun matches:
Trooper: No limitations on accessories.
• Troopers must carry all ammunition they will use for the entire match on every stage.
• Troopers are required to participate in all physical challenges
• Troopers must use the same rifle for the duration of the match, or have tools/cleaning equipment/parts with them to fix it if it stops working.
Failure to comply with any of these rules will drop the shooter out of Trooper into whatever division their rifle would put them in.
One of my concerns with having Trooper as a division for one day events is that the round count is usually too low and the distance between stages too short to offer any significant challenge. I believe adding mandatory physical challenges and requiring all the ammo/cleaning gear for the whole match be carried on their person during each stage added enough challenge to make it worthwhile for lower round count one day matches. Trooper was by far the most popular division at the match with 20 shooters. Clearly the shooters that want to come and shoot in the heat of Arizona summer are gluttons for punishment.
My video:
I was First Place Trooper and 4th Over All.
Kelly Neal First Place Scoped and Overall.
Mike Panone First Place Reflex and second overall.
Grant M First Place Iron
Ron A First Place Open
The heat obviously effected attendance for Phoenix Rod and Gun this month. There were only 14 shooters total. Shooting matches with low attendance is nice sometimes in that the match finishes faster. We were done with all the stages in under 2 hours. The bad thing about shooting matches with low attendance is it limits your ability to compare yourself against your peers. There were only 3 shooters in Tac-Limited/Iron. I placed second with 335.30 match points, the winner had 347.58 match points.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on Phoenix Rod and Gun 3 Gun 6-26-2011
The number of AR15 Back Up Iron Sights on the market has exploded over the past 10 years. I’ve had the opportunity to try a number of different models over the years. The problem with many of the designs on the market is they are too large, too complicated, and interfere with ideal mounting or the operation of the primary optics sighting systems on the rifle.
The Hahn Precision BUIS addresses all these concerns with a compact, functional, rugged design.
The body of the sight is machined from Aluminum billet and hard coat anodized. The aperture/sight tower is made from wire EDM’ed steel. The aperture diameter is 0.100″ and allows the shooter a good compromise between long range accuracy and close range speed. The aperture/sight tower is held folded and held up by spring tension. Deploying and stowing the sight is simple, there are no buttons to push or levers to fold out of the way, simply push the sight up or down. While the sight does not snap into place under its own power, it will not fold under recoil. If dropped on the sight it will fold to prevent damage.
The Hahn Precision BUIS is very low profile and fits underneath magnified optics, and only uses the rear most slot on a flat top upper receiver. It is also low profile in width by making use of the A1 style adjustment system. The sight stays zeroed unless deliberately moved. Another advantage to the A1 style adjustment system is there is not a large windage knob interfere with charging handle operation. Shooters with flip to the side magnifiers for red dots will particularly appreciate this. With the magnifier flipped to the side access to the charging handle can be much tighter with a large windage drum in the way, with the hahn sight the shooter can operate the charging handle normally. This feature alone is why I have gradually replaced all my BUIS with Hahn Precision units.
The Hahn Precision BUIS is a well thought out, quality manufactured unit and combines all the best features that a BUIS should have.
The June 2011 ACTS match was very accuracy centric with two of the stages being Virgina Count (you aren’t allowed more than the minimum rounds). There were also mini-IPSC steel targets used at range for the first time which are roughly half the size of a full size IPSC target.
I placed 2nd/47 shooters. Attendence was lower than the previous two months due to the heat. Match attendance always decreases in the summer in Arizona.
You will notice I’m shooting my standard Glock 34 with Warren Tactical/Sevigny Sights in this video. This was the first time shooting it after three months of continuous use of the Glock with Trijicon RMR. I don’t feel like I lost anything or my skills with iron sights degraded during that time. The fact the OST-TSD conversion puts back up iron sights in line with the red dot makes acquiring the sights on either configuration similar enough as to not matter when switching back to standard iron sights.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on ACTS June 2011
From June 5th to 7th 2011 in Parma, Idaho I participated in the MGM Targets Ironman 3 Gun Match. The Ironman 3 Gun sets itself apart from other 3 gun matches in its high round count. The match requires 3-4 times as much ammunition as other major 3 Gun matches. It is a true test of not only the shooter’s skill, but also endurance and durability/reliability of their equipment.
This was the 10th consecutive Ironman 3 Gun I have attended. The match has grown a lot over that time. This year the match was split into two parts; Trooper, Open, Heavy Optics, and Limited shooters all competed June 5th-7th. Tac-Scope division shooters all competed from June 9th-11th. This was certainly the most logistically efficient and organized Ironman I’ve attended. We were done shooting by 6:30 the first two days, and scores/prizes were done rapidly the last day as well. I think a good balance has been struck between making stages longer and more challenging than most 3-gun matches, and still making it so everything runs on schedule.
Trooper Class
The Ironman 3 Gun is the only remaining major 3 Gun match to feature Trooper Class. It is also the only match where Trooper Class is a significant additional challenge. Trooper requires that the shooter carry all the gear, guns, and ammo they will use for the entire match from start to finish. Gear can be grounded when shooting a stage, but your guns better run or you better have the tools/parts to fix them, and you better have brought enough ammo. Running out of ammo or having guns break can result in getting bumped out of Trooper Class into whatever division your guns would put you in. The advantage to Trooper Class is that equipment is totally unlimited. It is in fact more “open” than Open in that shooters can use multiple guns, reconfigure them, and even use pistol caliber carbines instead of a pistol.
Trooper Class at Ironman has continued to grow every year since it was included in 2005. This year 29 Trooper Shooters registered for the match, and 26 finished. The level of competition in Trooper division has definitely been increased. I’m glad to see the division I helped create attract more shooters in general and more upper tier shooters. Congrats to Chuck Anderson on winning Trooper Class this year. Ben proved that it isn’t entirely an arms race in Trooper by finishing second with his Tac-Scope division gear. Iain Harrison (as seen on Top Shot season 1) finished third. Anyone who finishes in Trooper at Ironman can consider it an accomplishment regardless of placement.
I personally finished 5th/26 this time and I’m content with that given the skill of competitors that are now participating in the division. I shot to the best of my ability with minimal penalties (its almost impossible to shoot this match 100% clean) and all my equipment worked. My physical fitness was the best it has ever been for this match and I did not feel like it was a limiting factor during any of the stages. The issues I identified to get faster on these stages were ones of general stage efficiency/management, and I think being squadded with some of the upper level shooters in the future could help with that to be able to learn by watching them.
Guns, Equipment, and how it all worked.
Rifle
Primary: 16″ Sabre Defence Midlength with Trijicon TA31DOC, Primary Weapons FSC556, and Troy TRX Extreme Rail.
I used this rifle on eight of the ten stages. Most of the rifle shooting at Ironman is at 100-300 yards, with a few targets at 400 yards. The ACOG is a good optic to use within this operational criteria. I like cross hair reticle of the TA31DOC as it is more precise for dealing with skinny sammies than a donut or chevron reticle.
Secondary: 18″ Gamma Designs intermediate gas system upper with Aimpoint T1 Micro, Primary Weapons FSC 556, and Troy TRX Extreme Rail.
I carried this spare upper and used it on two of the ten stages that were close quarters only, and using an ACOG would have been a hindrance. The recoil impulse of the intermediate gas system is less, which made for faster more controlled double taps on paper.
I did not clean either upper during the match, and both ran without malfunctions for the duration.
Rifle Support Gear
Harris Bipod (swivel style) on Larue QD mount: I used this on only one stage. Every other stage with distance shots had barricades or some type of support to brace on.
Viking Tactics Sling on QD Mounts: There were several stages that required the use of a sling with the rifle. the V-tac is a good simple, easily adjustable sling, and the QD mounts let me take it off rapidly for the stages where I didn’t need it. If I’m not actually wearing a sling I prefer to not have it on the rifle.
Shotgun
Primary: Saiga-12 with Aimpint Comp M2 on K-VAR Mount, SGM Modified Choke, AGP Side Folder stock, Krebs Iron Sights, AGP magazines.
My Saiga-12 ran for the duration of the match with only 2 malfunctions. Both were failured to feed; the gun extracted and ejected, but the bolt went forward without picking up the next round. Simply racking the bolt solved the problem both times. This is the most reliable a Saiga-12 has ever been for me at Ironman. Shotguns are the most problematic gun for all competitors, and mine seemed to run better than most.
I did have trouble with accuracy with slugs at 70 yards on one stage. I will be trying different slug brands in the future to find a more accurate slug for my gun.
The side folding AGP stock is solid and comfortable, and allowed me to more easily strap the gun to the back of my pack. The AGP 10 round magazines performed reliably without issues.
The only maintenance performed on the Saiga was brushing out the gas system after the first day of the match, and cleaning out some of the magazines that had been dropped in the dirt.
Secondary: Benelli M2 24″ with Nordic Components extension and Williams Fire Sights. I brought this gun with an additional support gear in the event I encountered too many problems with my Saiga as I had before. I ended up not needing to use it as the Saiga stayed reliable enough throughout the whole match. I am very superstitious when it comes to preparing for Ironman, if I hadn’t brought the Benelli I am sure the Saiga would have failed spectacularly.
Pistol
Glock 34 with Trijicon RMR (LED illuminated) mounted on the slide, cowitnessing suppressor sights, and X200. The factory slide was modified by One Source Tactical’s Technical Services Division to mount the RMR.
I found the RMR glock to be particularly useful at the Ironman 3 Gun due to the number of precision pistol shots required at 25-30 yards. In the past I had used a pistol caliber carbine in Trooper division because of the accuracy advantage. Using the RMR equipped Glock has eliminated the need for me to do so by allowing me to make better use of my pistol skills. I still have to do my part in aiming and trigger control, but the red dot is easier to read on target for when to pull the trigger and when not to. On farther shots the dot being super imposed on the target rather than the target being covered by iron sights made it easier to shoot accurately.
Gear
My pistol belt is a Spec Ops Brand Gun Fighter belt with Spec Ops Brand suspenders. The Gun Fighter belt is nice because the closure system allows for rapid resizing over heavy clothing or after a heavy meal. The SOB suspenders are soft elastic material that are comfortable throughout the day, and the X style design prevents them from sliding off my shoulders like H style suspenders have in the past.
I have gone away from thigh rigs as I feel they reduce my mobility. My holster is a belt mounted Safariland 6280 modified to accept the Glock with RMR. I have two pistol magazines, one rifle magazine, and a dump pouch on my belt. I also have a utility pouch for batteries, lens wipes and misc items.
My vest is the Coyote Tactical Trooper Vest specifically designed for use at Ironman. It carries 4 Saiga mags, 3 AR15 mags, and 2 Glock 30 rounders. It was comfortable throughout the match and allowed me to carry my stage minimum + 50% load out on every stage. The amount of movement on the stages made me make use of the retention flaps most of the time to keep the Saiga mags in place; this made my reloads slower but I never lost any mags on a stage. I heard of at least one other shooter with a more speedy set up losing all of his mags during a stage, fortunately he had more prepositioned to use down range. This is a good example of how getting past a certain speed level involves more risk, shooters need to decide for themselves what level of risk they are willing to accept based upon their goals in attending a match.
My pack was a Kifaru EMR with a number of pouches and accessories added. I’ve used this pack for several years now because it allows me a lot of storage space, and the rigid frame and padded belt make it more comfortable to use.
My total load out between pistol belt, vest, pack, guns, and ammo for the match weighed in at 140 pounds at the start. This got lighter with every staged fired. I started the match with 800 rifle, 800 pistol, 400 shot, and 145 slugs between what was on me and what was in the ammo can cache at the Trooper check point. I only used about 60% of that total, I can probably safely trim that down for next year. Shooters with lesser pistol skills or long range rifle skills should consider a 3:1 ratio in ammo packing. Bring three rounds for every one shot required. Pistol is easiest to run out of. Conversely the round count for shotgun is usually closest to the number of rounds you will actually use.
Videos
I was fortunate to get POV video of all the stages this year. I use a Vio POV 1. I really like this set up because it is rugged, weather proof, and easy to calibrate and review footage immediately. Here are all the stages in the order I shot them:
Stage 10
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4:
Stage 5:
Stage 6:
Stage 7:
Stage 8:
Stage 9:
In closing, I recommend that all serious competitors try the Ironman 3 Gun at least once. If I had to pick one big 3 gun match to go to once a year it would be the Ironman. For the same amount of time off work, travel, and match fee you get 3-4 times as much shooting as any other major match. The Ironman gives me something to work towards throughout the year and I view it as an annual test of my shooting skills, physical capabilities, and the reliability and effectiveness of my equipment. You will learn things participating in this match that you will not from any other 3 Gun Venue.
I shot all the local Arizona matches this month using all the guns and gear I will be using for the MGM Targets Ironman 3 Gun June 5th-7th. Whenever you are training up for a major match it is important to use all the guns and gear you will be using for that match leading up to it. Everything has to work together as a system, not just as individual components.
If you only use things individually, you will not find the potential problems or conflicts it might have when using it all together. Does your vest block access to pouches on your belt or hinder your draw from the holster? Are the straps uncomfortable when worn all day long? Does the buttstock of your long gun not seat properly when you’re wearing a vest? You will never learn these things if you don’t use it as a total system.
I wore my Saiga shotgun mags at the ACTS match where no shotgun is required. After low crawling through the dirt I found the shells in the center two pouches were totally jammed up from dirt/debris. I’m glad I learned this at a match where I didn’t even need to use the shotgun rather than in the middle of a stage at Ironman (there has been low crawling portions before). Now I know to carry them shells down if I encounter a stage with low crawling; a slower reload with a working mag beats malfunctioning mags. I could also stage ammo down range if that’s an option for a particular course of fire. I have mag cleaning brushes for my rifle and pistol magazines I keep in my range bag, but nothing for cleaning the big Saiga-12 mags. The best option I found shopping for something to clean out my Saiga mags was a small nylon toilet brush-LOL.
Match videos and results for May 2011
Rio Salado Multigun 5-14-2011 13th/62 over all
Phoenix Rod and Gun 3 Gun 1st Open division
Rifle: Sabre Defence 16″ midlength with Trijicon TA-31DOC, Troy TRX Extreme rail, and CAV-MFG C2 stock.
Shotgun: Saiga-12 with AGP side folder, Aimpoint Comp M2 on KVAR mount, SGM Modified Choke, Krebs Iron Sights. AGP mags
Pistol: Glock 34 with Trijicon RMR and X200.
Vest: Trooper vest by Coyote Tactical
ACTS 5-21-2011 2nd/55 over all. 1st Open division
Rifle:
Gamma Designs 18″ intermediate gas system 3 Gun barrel
Aimpoint T1 Micro
Troy TRX Extreme Rail
CAV-MFG C2 stock
I’ll be bringing this upper with me to Ironman to use on close range stages and for back up; Trooper division allows me to reconfigure my guns as I see fit with anything I am carrying. I will be reviewing the Maxey Systems 3 Gun barrel in an upcoming blog.
Posted inCompetitions|Comments Off on May 2011 Matches
In the spring of 2010 I had One Source Tactical’s Technical Services Division modify the slide on one of my Glock 34s to accomodate a Trijicon RMR. The turn around time was fast and the work well done. The OST-TSD modification is unique in that it allows iron sights to co-witness through the optic. The ability for the irons to co-witness is what made the system appealing to me. Training to use a dot on a pistol is much harder than on a long gun. On a long gun the stock naturally puts the shooters eye in the correct location to see the dot with cheek weld. On a pistol, if it is not presented correctly, there is no natural index point and the shooter can struggle to find the dot. The co-witnessed irons allow the shooter to more naturally pick up the dot on the draw when transitioning from traditional sighting systems. They’re also handy to have in case the battery/sight dies (something I haven’t had happen in 1 year of use).
Once I had the pistol back together, the trickier part was getting a holster to fit my needs. I’ve been using the 6000 series Safariland holsters since 2003 for 3 gun competition. I’ve always liked the added security of the rotohood and I don’t feel it has ever slowed my draw down. As there is no dedicated holster with retention on the market for the Glock with RMR, and I am used to the system I decided to modify one of the holsters I had already.
I assume a lot of other people are running 6000 series Safariland holsters and might want to see how to go about doing this.
You will need the following
Heat gun
epoxy
4″x4″ square of kydex
Gloves to work the hot kydex with
hack saw blade.
Step 1: Cut down on both sides of the front of the holster about 2″ with the hacksaw blade. Do not remove the piece left standing in the middle.
Step 2: Use the heat gun to warm up the kydex piece in the center and bend it out away from the holster.
Step 3: Insert your Glock and make sure it goes into the holster all the way and there is no interference with the sight. If it does have interference cut/bend further.
Step 4: Without the glock in place get the kydex piece heated back up. Then put the glock back in and form it around the RMR.
Step 5: Use hacksaw blade to cut the kydex piece off above the RMR body. Verify that the rotohood clears and fully opens.
Step 6: heat up up your kydex square and begin forming it around the holster to cover up the gaps. This will be a multi-step process of heating and fitting. Continually verify that the center piece is not deforming from heat transfer. You will need to cut off portions of the squared to make it fit appropriately
Step 7: Dry test everything for fit, make sure the piece is snug around the holster and does not interfere with rotohood.
Step 8: Epoxy the add on piece in place.
End Results:
Posted inGear, Red Dot Glock|Comments Off on Safariland Holster for RMR Equipped Glock
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