I just came back from my first time shooting the 2013 Rocky Mountain 3-gun match, sponsored by JP Enterprises and many others. Held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, it was 9 stages of fun shooting over three days.
Competing at 7,000 ft above sea level was an extra special challenge that really went to show how not in shape I was. Competitors were getting extra winded running through stages, and rifle scope reticles were flying all over the place due to extra heavy breathing.
However, it was a ton of fun. New challenges, both physical and mental, presented themselves throughout the 3-day match. You'll see in a few videos below how I lost track of certain targets which slowed me down. Fighting through exhaustion and dehydration is another challenge exacerbated by 7,000 ft elevation.
Overall, I ended up middle of the pack, which isn't where I want to be, but for my 4th 3-gun match it's not an unexpected place. Some of the other pros were telling me that it really takes most people two solid years of 3-gun matches to even start to break into the top.
The people I met though are once again, a highlight of the trip. I saw the First Family, The Miculeks, again and we had dinner together where I met a few new friends, namely Scott McGregor and Bruce Piatt. Both are well known in the industry, and Bruce in particular is a giant in the industry who has been shooting for multiple decades, and has won numerous matches. I also made friends with top 3-gunner Kalani Laker who's a really nice guy. James Casanova is another top ranked shooter who I have seen many times throughout the year so far, and we always take some time to catch up. Additionally, there are even match directors and stats people from other matches who I now see as well. So it's a traveling circus of sorts where you get to see many of the same people, which has been a lot of fun.
Here's some footage of me shooting the match!
Competing at 7,000 ft above sea level was an extra special challenge that really went to show how not in shape I was. Competitors were getting extra winded running through stages, and rifle scope reticles were flying all over the place due to extra heavy breathing.
However, it was a ton of fun. New challenges, both physical and mental, presented themselves throughout the 3-day match. You'll see in a few videos below how I lost track of certain targets which slowed me down. Fighting through exhaustion and dehydration is another challenge exacerbated by 7,000 ft elevation.
Overall, I ended up middle of the pack, which isn't where I want to be, but for my 4th 3-gun match it's not an unexpected place. Some of the other pros were telling me that it really takes most people two solid years of 3-gun matches to even start to break into the top.
The people I met though are once again, a highlight of the trip. I saw the First Family, The Miculeks, again and we had dinner together where I met a few new friends, namely Scott McGregor and Bruce Piatt. Both are well known in the industry, and Bruce in particular is a giant in the industry who has been shooting for multiple decades, and has won numerous matches. I also made friends with top 3-gunner Kalani Laker who's a really nice guy. James Casanova is another top ranked shooter who I have seen many times throughout the year so far, and we always take some time to catch up. Additionally, there are even match directors and stats people from other matches who I now see as well. So it's a traveling circus of sorts where you get to see many of the same people, which has been a lot of fun.
Here's some footage of me shooting the match!
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