Horner Wins 3rd 3GN Shoot-Off, $5K from Safariland
Story By Chad Adams
RATON, N.M. –-(Ammoland.com)- Daniel Horner outlasted a furious late pistol charge by Rob Romero to win his record third 3-Gun Nation Shoot-Off following the JP Enterprises Rocky Mountain 3-Gun here recently, taking home a $5,000 check from Safariland.
The sixth event on the 2011 FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, provided the third straight 3GN Shoot-Off appearance for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Horner, who had been knocked out of the last two competitions. Horner, competing in his sixth 3GN Shoot-Off overall, won the event for the third time, his first since last September’s Ozark 3-Gun Championships. The win ran Horner’s career 3GN winnings to $36,500.
Romero, who won Heavy Metal, looked extremely strong throughout the early rounds, first knocking off Horner’s teammate, Tyler Payne, in a rematch of their 2010 3GN Championship first-round bout. The Team Noveske shooter then cruised to a win over Mike Voigt in the semi-finals, setting up the showdown with Horner. Romero and Horner had squared off previously in the finals following Ozark last year.
Horner’s run began with a first round defeat of Eric Miller, followed up by a semi-final match-up with the up-and-coming Greg Jordan (2nd, Tactical Optics), who previously competed well during the 3GN Shoot-Off at Fort Benning.
Jordan again looked dialed in, with a first round upset of Kurt Miller before taking a lead over Horner coming out of the second rifle position, which was a twist in this 3GN Shoot-Off. Competitors first ran to a Barrett MRAD bolt-action rifle chambered in .338 Lapua, firing two shots on MGM steel at 260 yards before moving to the traditional rifle position.
It was here where Jordan took a slight lead, being first out of the prone position, maintaining that lead coming off the Stag Arms AR-15 prototype 3-gun rifle, before transitioning to FNH SLP. During the shotgun run, Jordan caught a tough break as the flippers, while flying high, presented over his head. Horner capitalized, setting up his finals showdown with Romero.
Horner runs the Stag 3-Gun prototype during his run versus Romero. The rifle was provided with a Leupold HAMR scope and American Eagle 55 Grain .223 Ammo.
And in that final match-up, Horner opened up a seemingly comfortable lead by the second rifle position, this time an FNH SCAR for the final run. But during the pistol arrays, Romero accelerated with the FN FNS pistol, closing ground on Horner. Ultimately, the lead was too great, and Horner stayed steady, got his hits, and cashed a $5,000 check from Safariland.
In the final match-up of the first round, Voigt knocked off Heavy Metal Optics winner Adam Popplewell, sending him into the semi-finals, setting up the pairing with Romero. Popplewell, K. Miller, E. Miller and Payne each received $100 for qualifying for the 3GN Shoot-Off. Jordan and Voigt earned $500 each for reaching the semi-finals, while Romero took home $1,000 for his finals run. Safariland also kicked in $200 gift certificates for each Shoot-Off competitor, running the total Shoot-Off payout to more than $10,000.
In the 3-Gun Nation Team Event, presented by Brownells, Team Maggie Reese, with Walt Flynn and Firebird’s Dan Sierpina, defeated Team Cody Leeper, with Vicki Carlton and Darren Leskiw, taking home $500 each. Each member of Team Cody received a Brownells 3-Gun bag. During the run, Sierpina established a nice lead with the rifle, which Flynn maintained, while Reese held on with the pistol and the win.
The next stop on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, is during the AR15.com/Rockcastle Pro-Am 3-Gun Championship, Aug. 26-28, at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky. The match will be the seventh 3GN Points match of the 2011 3GN Tour.
“3-Gun Nation” airs Mondays at 9:30 EST, Fridays at 10:30 AM EST and Sundays at 7:30 AM EST. Only on Versus. Also, be sure to check out the 3GN Forum, powered by AR15.com, and follow threads posted by 3GN, Stag Arms’ Jesse Tischauser, Noveske’s Jansen Jones and more: https://3gn.ar15.com/forums/b/13_.html.