Headed to a 3-gun match for the first time...

[Andy Griffith]

Next month, there is a 3-gun match locally.

I'm thinking about going, but I hope I have the correct stuff.

I'm going to take my S&W 25 "1917" version, my original trench gun, and load up a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition for my 1907 Winchester, unless I can get a deal on a M1 carbine between now and then.

I think I've got everything covered except magazines- how many rounds does a feller usually need for the typical stage? I only have three 10rd mags for the Winchester.

I'm an old codger that doesn't move too fast, so I already know instead of "running and gunning" it'll be more like "hobbling and aiming" plus, I'd be shooting some non-standard guns- which is my style. I know I'm only going to be really shooting against myself, but even old guys need some practice.

 

[ACP230]

Take more ammo than you think you'll need. Then take more than that.
In my experience some stages tend to take a lot more ammo than the posted round count. You might have enough mags for the Winchester depending on how many rounds are required per stage.

I shot one a few years ago and had no ammo supply issues.
My son and I shot one this spring and he ran out of .308 and had seven or eight .45 ACP rounds left when he stopped. We had enough shotgun shells left but partly because we hadn't shot the shotgun heavy stages when we stopped.

I was hobbling and aiming too but ran out of energy quickly.
The range was muddy and it took a lot out of me to make my way through it. Some rifle shots were all the way out at 350 yards.
Some were room length and some in between those extremes.
I did best with the shotgun, the gun I had shot least before the match.

 

[kraigwy]

Man up, leave the fancy guns home and take a Mosin 91/30 and 1895 Nagant 7.62X38 Revolver. J/K

Bullets dont spoil, I take lots of them just in case. The ammo I don't shoot will be there for the next match.

 

[Andy Griffith]

All I have are a Swedish Nagant revolver and a Swiss revolver, will either of those do?

Hmmm...an Enfield in .303 would make major. *evil grin*

 

[BaldEagle1313]

If those are the guns you're taking, you ought to see if there's a WWI action shooting division. Like Cowboy Action, but 40-50 years later time frame.

Seriously though, I applaud your choices. There are few of us who can afford the race guns the top people use, and using what you have to just have fun and enjoy the experience and camaraderie is marvelous.

 

[David Sinko]

Will they post the stages before the match? It's good to know just what you're getting yourself into. I once shot a 3 gun match that had clay birds at 100 yards as targets. Sometimes the canvas backstop would bounce and turn the clay birds on edge. I really like to shoot iron sights, but such a stage is ridiculous and you can literally burn up all your match ammo on that one stage. I guess you could argue that part of the strategy is knowing that nobody else in the division can make the hits, yet you're the one who's smart enough to know when to take the penalty points so that you have enough ammo remaining to finish the match when the others run dry.

Dave Sinko