My first major 3-gun match is coming up.. I need advice.. lots of advice

MiniUzi

MiniUzi

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Howdy,

Yesterday while at our local 3-gun match I was told of the Task Force Dagger match in GA this coming weekend. The match is 6 days away and for whatever reason I felt the strong desire to coax a shooting buddy into driving the 10 hours with me so we could shoot it after being told there were some spots left. So... Here is the quick and dirty on the situation..

Since this whole thing kind of fell together and i have 5 days to get my act in order to compete I'd love any insight as to the major obstacles/ mind ****s and road blocks that I should keep an eye out for so I can avoid them. Gear wise, ammo wise... I've shot in full day subgun matches for years but I've never shot a rifle past 150 yards, I load a shotgun like a drunken gorilla and my pistol skills leave something to be desired... Perhaps none of those faults can be cured by pure ambition and drive but that's never stopped me before. Here's the stuff I'll be working with

The equipment at my disposal

Rifle: Stag 3G
Optics: Burris Mtac 1x4 (zeroe'd at 100 yards with 55grain MFS ammo) mounted on Burris P.E.P.R (non QD mount)
Rifle Ammo Choices: MFS .223 55grain (zinc plated steel case) OR XM193AF 55grain Boat tail
Mags: Brownell AR mags or Pmags.. I've been running pmags with one coupled magazine and one single magazine.
Mag Holder: One single blade tech ar15 mag holder .

Shotgun: Borrowing a buddies Benelli M2 12 guage .. factory config with exception of an extension on it for larger capacity. (this thing has eaten my thumb three times now)
Shotgun ammo: I have tons of Federal 12 guage 3 dram eq, 1 1/8 oz shot , 7 1/2 shot bird shot and no slugs... I need to buy slugs..
Shotgun ammo Holder: I have one AP Customs 4x4 but access to a few more. I also have two taccom 6-up holders which I like a lot but I have limited use with them (Only had them a month).

Pistol: Beretta 92G (Decocker only) 9mm
Pistol Ammo: I have bit of everything from 115 gr to 158grain
Mags: Mec-Gar 20 round mags I carry in a dual mag fobus pouch.. + 1 mag on my holster
Holster: My pistol holster of choice is a blackhawk Omega drop leg although I also have kydex type belt mount holster too

So... with that being said... I have a couple of questions for you seasoned veterans of this sport, my goal with this match is to find out where I fail so I can improve myself for the next one. To do that I want to give myself the best chance for success by making sure I don't sabotage myself by using some crap ammo or gear that I never should have had out there to begin with. Do you have any suggestions on what's listed above? Are there any general principals or rules of thumb i should learn to live by?

As far as shotgun goes, does birdshot load matter? I've seen a lot of back and forth on various loads for various purposes. I don't want to get overwhelmed with making decisions during the match so I figure one load for slugs and one load for birdshot to keep it simple but I'm open to any ideas.. Any suggestions on high brass vs low brass or shot size?

For Rifle I think the max shot at that match is 375 yards. That's 225 yards farther than I've ever shot, will ammo matter at that distance? 55grain vs 69 or 77 or whatever...

Since I do not know what I do not know would you be so kind as to point out whatever I may need to figure out in a hurry before Saturday @ 4am when I drive North for what I hope is a full day of awesomeness.

Thanks!

Todd
 
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Borrow extra shotshell caddys and use the belt mounted holster for the pistol. Everything else looks fine. Try to get to a long range to get a few practice shots at distance with the rifle.
 
I really admire your desire to "just do it". My advice is definitely elementary, but here goes;

*take binoculars & get a good view of your long-range rifle targets (confidence builder)
* when all else fails, aim your rifle high
* breathe!
*if you haven't hit (long-range) after 5 attempts call time, or move on to the next target

Remember to have fun....and if it turns South, you can resort to being a drunken gorilla on the road trip home. Good Luck!
 
Awesome advice thanks guys.. I'm trying to get my hands on an extra 4x4 or two and I think the 5 shots on distance targets before moving on is solid.. I suspect If I can't hit it it three-five I'm not hitting it.
 
also bring some chokes for your shotgun if you have them, also go with the low recoil on slugs when you buy and verify you don't need buck at the match.. also just be sure you are zero'd left and right and then you can walk in your longer shots... don't stress too much
 
For what it's worth I've used the Mtac you've got on two different rifles. On my sons Loki 3G with 55gr fmj bulk Federal Wally World special if you center an 8" plate between the first and second dot it will hit at 300yds all day ( zero'd at 100).

Don't sweat the small stuff and have fun
 
I have a modified choke in the shotgun and I got a chance to play with the shotgun last night. I have to say I'm a bit underwhelmed with the loading of the M2. All thumb biting aside, It's tough to get shells to load into the tube and the shell retaining spring seems very hard.

I might end up using something else as last nights practice was not a real confidence builder. It is what it is though. I'll look into the low recoil slugs, any brand you suggest?

@Blaise S, thanks for the info on the Mtac.I really like this scope as I come from a CQB background from all the subgun shooting I do. I guess it will have to be trial by fire for me in any event and from what I've read a lot of people seem to enjoy this scope at distance shots so I hope my experience is the same...

One thought that came to mind is that I don't see a lot of front grips being used.. I have a short and stubby magpul grip on my gun which I enjoy using but I have a suspicion it may be better to take it off for the match. Any suggestions or comments? I grip the rifle in front "ranger style" with my thumb inline , on top and pointing down range so only my pinky and ring finger actually contact the grip when I pull rearward.
 
The factory Benelli shell catch can be a bit stiff. The good Benelli Smiths like Accutate Iron massage those things so they load easier. Id tell you how to do it but I don't have a clue.

Your buddy needs to get his lifter welded and tuned so it won't eat your thumb.

As mentioned before if you can get out and check your zero at 375 that would be great. It that distance isn't available get 300 or even 200. A 100 yard zero can be off 1/4-1/2" at 100 which is not something I worry about. Once you take that out to 300 and beyond that 1/2" becomes several inches. I always zero at 300 on my first mark down in my reticle and verify that zero with the center cross hair at 100 & 200.

Good luck! Grand Master Sandersen from OK and West Chandler will be at the match. Despite being complete diks these guys are very helpful. Find them and/or get in their squad and ask them questions and mimic how they breakdown and shoot the stages. Just dont get caught up trying to shoot as fast as they are because they ate fast and it will hurt you you go above your skill set. They wear those fancy shirts and travel with an entourage so they should be easy to spot.
 
If your gun will run the cheap federal or Remington stuff from Walmart get done 7 1/2 shot. Stay away from those cheap Wally world Winchesters. They don't run 100% in any of my benellis. I always run good Shotshells such as Fiocchi, Winchester AA, or Remington Nitro in a big match. No matter what shotgun ammo you choose make sure you visually inspect every round that goes in your gun or on your belt. Even with the good stuff I find 1/500 or do that has a bad crimp or was damaged in shipped.
 
Thanks for the info Jesse. My buddy is going to get some work done on the M2 but that doesn't help me for this weekend. I'll suggest accurate iron for the work. I know you use them

I had a FUBAR at the range today. Mtac 1-4 not holding zero. Had an OK group then it'd toss a round 3-4" to the left or up and all over the place. Had a few people shoot it, same results, it's as if the internals were shifting. I'm a bit annoyed at the moment as my optic choice just went out the window.. I was offered an ACOG loaner from a buddy but I'm not a big fan of fixed power scopes (I like 1x red dots a ton though) ... Murphy's law is giving it to me like that basement scene from pulp fiction but I'm working through it. :)
 
Just a follow-up to say thanks to everyone for your advice and help. I did well at the match despite some huge obstacles such as my Burris Mtac 30 not holding zero and having to borrow an Aimpoint. , My new rifle seemed to come direct from the factory with out any quality control. checks on the gas block which decided to come off after the first stage and ruined my friends run when he was shooting it. I shot the match with a loaner rifle until I got my gun fixed and then I had to shoot the remainder with my 45 degree irons due to issues with my borrowed optic. With all that being said I had a ton of fun all problems aside.

I had a great time shooting and I have a list of things to work on between now and the next one. Thanks again for the feedback it helped. I did manage to hit all of the long distance shots and had more issues with shotgun than anything.

-Todd
 
It was my first major match as well...guess who I got squadded with ? Some of the top finishers...Chandler, Anderson, DeTurk,Drewery and Cuccia. Needless to say I just sat back and absorbed as much as I could...
 
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