AmmoLand.com

2011 3GN Divisional Champions
Upchurch, Horner, Miller, Dueck, Romero Win Inaugural Division Races
By Chad Adams

Clint Upchurch (left) and Mike Voigt waged a season-long battle for the 3GN Open Division Championship.

GLENGARY, WV-(Ammoland.com)- With the conclusion of the 2011 3-Gun Nation points matches for this season, 3GN has named the five winners of the inaugural 3GN Divisional Championships, presented by Hornady. Along with the division title, each winner takes home $5,000—a total cash payout of $25,000 by Hornady.

The divisional races were decided by the 3GN Standings, where points are taken from 3GN-affiliated matches across the country. A competitor’s top three scores within any one division were tabulated for division points. After approximately 1,500 competitors recorded scores this season, each 3GN Divisional Championship boiled down to a two-man race entering the final match of the season, the FNH USA 3-Gun Championship, which also served as the tie-breaking event.

The Open division came down to Colt’s Clint Upchurch and SureFire’s Mike Voigt, with 300 points apiece. Upchurch dominated the division for the first half of the season for the early lead, but Voigt won three out of four down the stretch to force a tie heading into FN.

There, Upchurch outlasted Voigt by the slimmest of margins, 777.40 to 776.02, for a normalized score margin of victory of .02 points—good enough for the title of 3GN Open Division Champion and a check for $5,000 from Hornady.

U.S. AMU's Daniel Horner outlasted Taran Butler to become the 2011 3GN Tactical Optics Division Champion.

Tactical Optics came down to the two most dominating shooters in recent years—Taran Butler and Daniel Horner. Butler picked up two division wins earlier this season, while Horner had won six 3GN-affiliated matches in 2011 and entered FN with a perfect score of 300. However, if Butler could post a win, he could tie and tie-break all at the same event, and steal the division, so to speak.

Horner surprisingly opened the door at FN as he struggled, at least for him, to a fifth place finish. And Butler charged through the opening with a solid match. But it was Tyler Payne, Horner’s U.S. AMU teammate, who picked up his first major match victory, thereby keeping Butler from money.

Payne’s win ensured Horner’s dominating season, as Horner outlasted Butler 300 to 299 points to become the 3GN 2011 Tactical Optics Division Champion, earning a $5,000 check from Hornady.

James Casanova's dominating Tactical Iron win prevented Kelly Neal from taking the title from Kurt Miller.

In Tactical Iron, division leader Kurt Miller (300 points) was a disappointing no-show. Miller’s absence left a huge window open for Kelly Neal, who had picked up two wins earlier this season. However, it was James Casanova who ended up stealing the show, and along with it, Neal’s chances for a division title. Casanova won seven of nine stages on his way to an impressive performance, part of a spectacular weekend of shooting for Casanova, including the 3GN Championship on Sunday.

Ultimately, Miller had done enough, as he is the 2011 Tactical Iron Division Champion, winning $5,000 from Hornady.

Rob Romero won three consecutive matches in Heavy Metal to run down Bryan Ray and win the 3GN title.

Heavy Metal has been an interesting race all season. Gone was former Heavy Metal king Patrick Kelley, who competed in other divisions this season. Seemingly out of nowhere came Bryan Ray to fill the void, as Ray posted division wins at Ozark and Fort Benning to take the early division lead. But a limited travel schedule prevented Ray from sealing up the division.

At Rocky Mountain, Rob Romero first stepped into the division to make a run at the money. Ultimately, Romero would go three-for-three in his only Heavy Metal matches shot, including two heads-up wins over Ray, completing a remarkable run to become the 2011 3GN Heavy Metal Division Champion with a prize of $5,000 from Hornady.

Barry Dueck (seen in the 3GN Championship) edged out Adam Popplewell for the Heavy Metal Optics title.

Heavy Metal Optics featured a season-long battle between SureFire’s Barry Dueck and Hornady’s Adam Popplewell. Dueck picked up a third division win, taking a 300- to 298-point lead over Popplewell. But with two division wins, a victory at FN would give Popplewell the division title.

In one of the closest finishes of the season, it was Barry Dueck who edged out Popplewell at FN, winning 825.96 to 820.30. Barry Dueck is the 2011 3GN Heavy Metal Optics Division Champion, with a cash prize of $5,000 from Hornady.

Eds. Note: The 3-Gun Nation Divisional Championships recognizes sustained excellence over the course of an entire shooting season. All of the competitors that were in the running demonstrated uncommon shooting skill. 3GN thanks each of the competitors who laid it on the line, as well as Hornady, who was the sole sponsor for this incredible points series.

Hornady’s Neal Emery awards prize checks to (left to right) Barry Dueck, Daniel Horner, Rob Romero and Clint Upchurch.

For more information, go to www.3GunNation.com.

Filed under: Competitive Shooting News, Featured Articles by Ammoland No Comments »

Vegas Baby – Final 8 Set to Make a Run at Title of 3GN Champion and $50,000
By Chad Adams

Eight of the game's best 3-gunners took on the Shoot-Off Steel and earned a slot in the Las Vegas Finale.

3-Gun Nation

GLENGARY, WV-(Ammoland.com)- Eight competitors punched their tickets to Las Vegas for the 3-Gun Nation Championship Shoot-Off Finale by winning their elimination round match-up during the 3GN Championship Shoot-Off here Nov. 13.

The winner of the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale will be awarded the title of 3GN Champion and receive an unprecedented payday—$50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.

Tommy Thacker, Phil Strader, Jeff Cramblit, Rustin Bernskoetter, Mark Hanish, Tyler Payne, Taran Butler and Mike Voigt all qualified for the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale via wins during the elimination round.

In the first match-up, FN’s Tommy Thacker squared off against defending 3GN Champion Daniel Horner, from the U.S. AMU.

Horner jumped out to a good lead during the rifle position and was first to the stop plate, beating Thacker by a couple of plates.

Team FN's Tommy Thacker takes on rifle steel during his win over defending 3GN Champion Daniel Horner.

However, upon review of 3GN video, Horner failed to knock down one of the MGM ReCon targets, and was incorrectly declared the winner. Upon seeing the footage, Horner conceded that he lost the bout, therefore Thacker moves on to Las Vegas.

Phil Strader, who qualified in one of the last 14 slots, got an opening-round win to advance to Las Vegas.

In the second match-up, Phil Strader, who needed a third score at the preceding FNH USA 3-Gun Championship just to qualify for the 3GN Championship Match, defeated James Casanova, who put up an impressive fourth place finish in the four-stage match. Strader will face Thacker in Las Vegas.

Jeff Cramblit advanced to the Las Vegas Finale via an opening-round win over Stag Arms' Kalani Laker.

Jeff Cramblit knocked off Stag Arms’ Kalani Laker in the next bracket, setting up a Las Vegas showdown with Rustin Bernskoetter, who came from behind on the pistol to knock out Adam Popplewell.

Non-sponsored Rustin Bernskoetter has looked impressive in his two 3GN Shoot-Off appearances so far.

In the lower brackets, FN’s Mark Hanish laid down arguably the most impressive one run of the match, a blistering pace that knocked off Kelly Neal, who had a good run in his own right.

Team FN's Mark Hanish laid down a smoking run in his opening-round win over Leupold's Kelly Neal.

Hanish will square off in Las Vegas against the U.S. AMU’s Tyler Payne, who just edged breakout 3-gunner Greg Jordan, who knocked down his stop plate with one pistol plate still standing—a wild finish to what was a very exciting run.

AMU's Tyler Payne (left) survived a thrilling opening-round bout with Greg Jordan, the number three seed.

In a match-up of titans, Taran Butler laid down an extremely impressive run on his way to knocking out Jerry Miculek. Butler and Miculek were neck-and-neck through the shotgun and rifle positions before Butler took off with the pistol to seal the win.

Taran Butler knocked off Jerry Miculek in the first round, setting up another great pairing with Mike Voigt.

In the final match-up, arguably the most exciting bout of the day, Mike Voigt narrowly defeated Open division rival Clint Upchurch to advance to Las Vegas. In an impressive display, Voigt worked through a shotgun malfunction to run down Upchurch with the pistol. With both stop plates falling nearly simultaneously, it was Voigt’s that edged past Upchurch’s plate first for the win. Only one day earlier, Upchurch outlasted Voigt to narrowly win the 3GN Open Division title, picking up a $5,000 payday from Hornady. Fittingly, as the two have battled back and forth all season long, Voigt turned the tables the next day to advance to Vegas.

In the most competitive match-up of the first round, Mike Voigt took out Open division rival Clint Upchurch.

The road to the 3GN Championship began last September, as competitors have compiled series points at major 3-gun matches across the country. The top 64 competitors were invited to compete in the 3GN Championship Match, a one-day Tactical Optics event that featured four stages of fire—each with all three guns.

In what most are calling the deepest 3-gun field ever assembled, the top 16 advanced into the Shoot-Off elimination round. Now the Las Vegas eight move on to compete for what will be the highest cash payout in the history of the sport, with $50,000 going the 3-Gun Nation Champion, courtesy of Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.

3-Gun Championship Shoot-Off Finale Match-Ups

• Thacker vs. Strader winner faces winner of Cramblit vs. Bernskoetter
• Hanish vs. Payne winner faces winner of Butler vs. Voigt

3-Gun Nation Championship Match Results

Filed under: Competitive Shooting News by Ammoland No Comments »