Matt in TN

This. Show up at the next 3-gun match with your pump and have some fun. If you're as stubborn as me, you'll still have your pump many years later - and still be having as much fun as can be. And if you decide you want a semi-auto, there will be a hundred different people at each match more than happy to lend you their shotgun so you can try them all before you buy to see what fits you best.

All the pics my wife took are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lisastennett/page1 Feel free to use them however you'd like, but please give Lisa Stennett a photo credit if you do.

Great perspective on the barbed wire crawl, and not a bad technique for getting under and keeping your gear clean!

Some stats from the match: The fastest runner finished in 53 minutes and carried 10% of his bodyweight. The average competitor (overall) carried 13% of their bodyweight. The lightest weight carried was 6% of the runner's bodyweight, and the Mule carried SIXTY-FRIGGEN-TWO percent of his. The competitors shooting 308 and larger averaged 13% of their bodyweight as well, so that pretty much kills everybody's excuses on BOTH sides of that argument! And the females on average carried 14% of their bodyweight, so they made us men look like a bunch of, well, sissies. And the pic below has the breakdown of gear and caliber shot:

I have a ton of pictures and video yet to go through, and it's going to take some time. But in the meantime, for all those people who wondered "how on earth did the Mule get under the barbed wire with his 142 lb pack?!?!":

It was great to meet you, and thank you for coming and toughing it out! "Horrible" is relative though - I promise you someone was watching you shoot or looking at your scores and saying "I wish I could do that". Stay at it, brother!

Another detail I've said before but probably haven't repeated enough: EYE AND EAR PROTECTION IS MANDATORY for the shooting stages. Yes, running in glasses and earpro sucks. Sorry. There are too many steel targets with ricochet chances, and we're shooting in a cave (?!?!?), so you've got to have them. The RO's won't let you shoot without them, and you'll zero the stage. Either figure out a way to wear them for the entire course, or put them on before you get to the shooting stages and take them off when you're done and back running (which will take up time). 3G4V will be selling ear and eye protection at the Lodge if you forget yours. You can support the vets and get your required equipment all at the same time.

I'm sending emails to all competitors tonight with match details, but in the spirit of "there's no such thing as over-communication" here's what you really need to know: Registration opens at 6:30am on Saturday morning and closes at 7:30am. You will sign a waiver, pay your $50 match fee, randomly draw your start time, and perform your "no gear" weigh-in if willing. IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED BY 7:30AM YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SLOT. I have several people staying at the Lodge and showing up Saturday morning in the hopes that someone cancels at the last minute. I will give them your slot at 7:30am if you are not there. At 7:30am we'll have a Shooters' Meeting, and then you are free to relax/sleep/eat/dryfire/stress until your run time. Please show up to the start line at least fifteen minutes before your scheduled run time. We'll do the "full gear" weigh-in, and then release you to begin at precisely your assigned time. If you are not there at your scheduled run time and ready to go, you could lose your slot and have to wait until we can work you in at our leisure. We might just make you do burpees until then. I also just learned that I have a limit to how many emails I can send every half-hour, so this might take awhile. I apologize if anyone gets multiple emails while I figure all this out! Below is the most current Course Map (course is the red line). Be sure to read over the Match Details and full Course of fire in the "About" section of the Facebook Event page, or in your email. See you soon!

Staff t-shirts are in! Big thanks to Eddie Gunks at http://www.bulletguy.com/ for sponsoring the shirts, and to my daughter https://www.facebook.com/penpaperink1/ for doing all the design work!

Received the prizes from 300 Below today: 5 certificates for either a free rifle or shotgun cryo treatment, or two free pistol cryo treatments, and a few great cleaning mats! Their cryo fixed a wandering zero issue on my FAL years ago. Check them out at www.300below.com and be sure to thank them for sponsoring this match! And NO, MY FAL IS NOT PART OF THE PRIZE TABLE!!!

For anyone who has never shot here - you are missing out. Ryan always has fun and interesting stages, is VERY friendly to new shooters (and HEAVY METAL!!!) and is the best value in 3 gunning around. 5 stages for $25, with rifle shots out to 230yds max. You can't beat it. Stop waiting "until you are ready", and bring the gear that you have out next month and have fun. Here's a taste:

Alright - we're less than two weeks out. For those of you who have trained your whole lives for something like this, this match will be awesome! You will finally have a place you can put all of your skills together in a match that plays to your strengths, and you'll feel like a thoroughbred finally set free to run. For those of you who have NEVER attempted anything like this, are intimidated by all of the crazy workouts posted on Facebook, and are having severe second thoughts lately - it will be even better. Whatever you do, JUST DON'T QUIT. The satisfaction and self-image you will get from just finishing this course will stay with you forever, and is something no one can ever take away from you. Many people have found matches like these to be a turning point in their lives, and in a year or two you may not even recognize the person you have become. Just remember - for every person you see pass you, there is someone behind you wishing they could keep up with you. And before ANYONE judges anyone else as being "too slow, too fat, or too lazy" - bite your tongue and listen to their story first. Across the country at matches like these we've had people recovering from recent strokes, heart attacks, cancer, pregnancy, amputations, and any other issue you can think of; just because "F#$K CANCER", that's why! Give them an encouraging word when you pass them - it really makes a difference. Even better - if you pass someone really struggling on the course: finish your race, set down your gear, and run back out to find that person. You can run beside them and offer them all the words of support and encouragement that you can think of - you just can't physically help them in any way. Let's do this.

Thanks for getting those posted so quickly - great match, as always!

Coming from a guy who doesn't want to give up his 60 year old rifle (me!). ;-)

This is Ryan's fault.

If it makes you feel any better, this is the best my good old "2 MOA FAL" did today: Exact same ammo as the 0.817" group with the AR-10. Kind of explains some of my misses at the long targets. To be fair, that barrel has over 10,000 rds on it - so it was time. The old girl will get a new barrel one day, but this new-fangled rifle will keep me distracted until I can finish that project!

I think my decision has been made. Now to see if I can remember where the controls are after the buzzer goes off! In case you can't read it - that's 0.817" at 100yds with 155gr Nosler JHPBT bullets, and 0.644" with 175gr FGMM. Armlite AR103GN18: Adjustable gas block, tuneable brake (I hate brakes, but the combination of these two made for a very soft and flat shooting rifle), free floated keymod handguard, Timney trigger, Raptor ambi charging handle, ambi selector, and adjustable Luth-AR stock - all straight out of the box. I did the barrel break-in, set the gas and tuned the brake and it was good to go. The only part I changed was the triggerguard - I put a Magpul on there because the stock one always digs into my middle finger. And I'm freaking thrilled!!!

I just had a random and generous FAL guy donate the following to the prize table: For the fastest (run/shoot score) Run-n-Gunner shooting a 7.62x51mm/.308win (or larger) battle rifle - 780 rounds of 145gr FMJ BT Privi Partisan .308 Winchester: For the fastest (run/shoot score) Female Run-n-Gunner - 780 Rounds of 55gr XP193 PMC-Tac 5.56x45mm: And yes - he's implying only women shoot 5.56. You expect any less from a FAL guy??? :-)

Oh no - never retired! I'm just adding a modern left arm to the old right arm I already have. ;-)

Uh on - a new heavy rifle followed me home today. Now I just have to decide if I can get up to speed with it in a week, or if I should just bring my good old faithful. Hmmm....

Somewhere between zero and 200 yds. ;-) You bringing the Heavy, Mark???

And more from our title sponsor: http://www.3gun4vets.com/ Raffle Package 1 A $5 Raffle Ticket purchased on site of the 3G4V Run n’ Gun 5k can win you any one of these items signed by John “Tig” Tiegen and help 3G4V offer free training to combat vets not already participating in practical shooting sports. John “Tig” Tiegen -– Former Marine Sergeant from 3rd Battalion 7th Marines India Company, Infantry Squad Leader from Colorado. Spent several years as a security contractor for Blackwater working for the company on missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq before going to work for the CIA’s Global Response Staff, with over 40 deployments conducting low profile security in high threat environment throughout the world. Quiet and precise, the married father of twins was the most experienced Annex Security Team member in the city. In the midst of his third trip to Benghazi, Libya for the CIA's GRS when the attack of September 11, 2012 occurred and was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission. Tig directly saved the lives of many on his team, also was paramount in saving over 2 dozen lives while fighting off terrorists from the US Special Mission and the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. Tig received the Award For Heroism and Valor in recognition of his bravery. He is the co-author of 13 Hours along with members of the Annex Security team and NYT's best-selling author, Mitchell Zuckoff. He also consulted on the movie 13 Hours The Secret Solders of Benghazi, and helped with the set design and the movie script.

OK - last one for today. If you've never shot the cave at the Rock, there are some things you might want to know ahead of time. Here's a preview of Stage 3: Tunnel Rat, sponsored by 300° Below (http://www.300below.com/)

There have been lots of questions about the mud pits. The good(?) news is that the pits were completely dry yesterday when I ran the course, so there should be no worries about unsafe conditions or bore obstructions. We'll be knocking down some of the cockleburrs and briars before match day, and adding a rope to assist in the all-but-impossible climb up the inside of a smooth slippery tube set at a 30° upward angle. Guys with large packs may have some more trouble than those travelling light, for a few different reasons. And NO - you cannot climb over the top of the tubes - I tried that too and it was much too easy. :-) No promises yet about the barbed wire. Here's a video to give you a better idea - excuse the water drops on the lens, as it was raining (of course!).