I’ve always wanted to try out 3-Gun, and after watching a friend of mine compete last September, I was dead set on joining in on the next event!

Funny story before I go into the details of the match: I built a hot new 16” Lightweight Hunter barrel Seekins Billet AR with a Vortex PST 1-4x on top. It was to be my ideal light-weight 3-Gun rifle…or so I’d hoped! I went to Quail Creek range in Northlake this past Wednesday to function test and sight in. We had 20mph Northwest winds with 35mph gusts! Not the ideal conditions to say the least. But that’s not all – I couldn’t get the darn rifle to feed the next round due to being under gassed.

Knowing that I had to compete in 3 days, I elected to go home and come back that Friday to sight in an old 20” varmint barrel Seekins upper with a 50 yard zero and with only 12 hours to spare! Luckily, my HK & Benelli were functioning flawlessly.

So with my newly sighted in rifle, and WAY too much gear on my belt, I drove out for some good ol’ Texas fun!
On to the good stuff!

The Match was this past Saturday at Tac Pro Shooting Center in Stephenville. There were 60 shooters competing, with 13 RO’s that shot the weekend before. For those who have never visited Tac Pro, it’s a great place – 550 acres with multiple staging areas for any form of shooting, from pop-up steel handgun targets, to precision shots out to 1000 yards…it’s a great down-to earth place.

There was a pretty diverse crowd. The competitors ranged from first timers like me, from 15 years of age to 70, and all degrees of experience. I’d say the thing I liked the most about this match was that it was pretty laid back…not in a bad way with a poor structure or safety issues, but everyone was there just to have a good time, and only a few were REALLY concerned with coming out ahead of others. Oh, and all targets were steel!


The Match consisted of 5 stages:

Stage 1: Rifle only, firing from 2 positions.

Position 1 – 6 targets to the left from behind a wooden barricade between 80-90 yards. 6 shots, no misses. Feeling good!

Position 2 – 6 targets forward shooting prone unsupported between 200-250 yards. 6 shots, no misses. Feeling great! 1 bonus target shooting prone unsupported at 450 yards. 1st shot, 1 foot low. 2nd shot, dead center. Feeling invincible!


Stage 2: Shooters choice, mix of your choice of shotgun/handgun while walking through the woods. 14 targets total, all under 20 yards out.

I (DUH!) didn’t bring a sling, and since there were no drop zones for the shotty, I elected to shoot shotgun only – 8 in the tube, 8 more on my hip for a reload – all targets down in 15 shots


Stage 3: Surprise Stage, shotgun only with a random slug target somewhere down range

I was 4th to go, so I was hoping to get a little hint as to where the targets were located. Not a chance! We were kept 100 yards behind the stage, and behind a tree line (but it was shaded, so I couldn’t argue much )

I loaded my tube with 8 birdshot, 8 more in my carrier, and 2 slugs in my back pocket, and hoped for the best! There were 16 steel targets…3 prairie dog poppers, 6 lollipops & 7 silhouettes. All down in one shot each (lucky me!). Slug target was at the end…another 18in silhouette at 60 yards…1 shot, Pow! Right in the kisser!


Stage 4: Shotgun and handgun (my downfall ) I’ve always prided myself in my ability to put a rifle round wherever I want, but shooting handgun is my weak point, and my least favorite to practice…not a good thing for a 3-gunner!

Position 1 – 6 targets on a tree at the left to neutralize with the shotgun. No problem

Position 2 – Texas Star. If you’ve shot a Texas Star before, you probably know that there is a method to the madness to keep it from spinning on you…wish someone would have told me that because I had to go FIRST! Needless to say, I spent 30 rounds (laughing about half way through) knocking down 4 of the targets, while the last one spun at about 30 RPM!

Position 3 – sadly, I was out of ammo before I could move to position 3, so I had to eat my remaining time, mark down 1 failure to neutralize and 6 failure to engage.

But I didn’t let that get me down!


Stage 5: 4-Gun. I know what you’re thinking….4-Gun? I thought this was a 3-Gun Match. Me too! Turns out, one of the RO’s was given a rifle from Chuck Mawhinney, the Marine Corps sniper with 103 confirmed sniper kills during the Vietnam War. This rifle was a replica of his M40 (Remington 700 chambered in .308 Win topped with a 3-9x Redfield Scope). Upon receiving the signed commemorative rifle, Chuck’s only request was that it not be a wall hanger or safe queen, but be shot by anyone who crossed its path. Well, we did just that.

Position 1 on this stage was a 400-yard shot at an 18in silhouette, given only 1 round to complete it using Chuck’s rifle. Having a history with the Marine Corps myself, I was pretty darn proud to be given this chance, and to have smacked the target!

Position 2 – 8 prairie dog poppers from 12-18 yards out. Again, understand that handgun is my weak point . 29 shots later, they were all down (1 round to spare…whew!)

Position 3 – 6 steel targets at 15 yards with the shotgun. All down, 1 round a piece.

Position 4 – 3 8in steel gongs at 200 yards with my AR from prone. Done, 1 round each. 3 more at 300 yards. Down in 4 rounds (2nd shot was just over).


Now, I had 3 goals for this match. 1) don’t get disqualified. 2) don’t have an equipment failure. 3) place within the top two thirds overall. At final tally, I placed 40/60. Right where I wanted to be! But wait, there’s a kicker….

At stage 1 (my best stage….) the RO’s lost 7 score sheets for another squad, so the owner made the decision to eliminate the stage altogether, placing me now at 51/60. Talk about a shot to the heart! BUT, I’m a good sport, and told myself that I shot well, and had fun, and that’s all that counts…but I was still a little bitter lol

Next up came the prize drawing. Let me prelude this by saying that the friend who I watched shoot last year (and partnered with this year) won a drawing for a $215 gift certificate for XS Sights, and was hoping to do equally as well this time around. Well, luck would have it that I won the same this year, and suddenly my mood did a 180 flip! He did win a $15 push button AR receiver takedown pin though !

Lastly was the drawing for the big prizes. 1st up was an SWFA SS 3-15x42 Tactical Rifle Scope. $499 value...not a bad thing to win at all! But, alas my name was nowhere to be found. 2nd up was a Lone Star Armory (out of Fort Worth) complete Billet Receiver set worth $418. Before the drawing, the owners of LSA (who were sitting right behind me) said a few words about how they appreciate being able to support the group, and congratulated the shooters on a great day, to which I turned around and thanked them for their support, shook their hands, and got ready to leave…only to hear the magical words “and the winner is…Bobby Gravley!” Woo! Who’s thinking about how they placed now? Not this guy!

Now I just have to explain to my wife why I MUST spend $800 more to build yet ANOTHER AR-15 in honor of my first match!


I wanted to share all of this to encourage anyone out there who is on the fence about signing up for a match to not second guess themselves, and give it a whirl. After all, even if you bomb a stage and end up only beating out 9 shooters, you can still walk away with your head (I mean prizes) held high!
Hope you enjoyed the read

congrats on those prizes and having a good time at the match. I had a conflict this time but have participated in several matches in the past. always fun to run and gun.

Thank you sir. Yes, it was a good time. Hope to see you out there next time!

Awesome write up, I've always wanted to get into 3Gun shooting. Just seems like a lot of fun.

Oh, and congrats on the prizes. That is awesome

I'm surprised you're not into it already, K! I gotta say, it I can get into it, anyone can lol

And thank you sir, looking forward to working with them both.

Sounds like fun!

As am I . I'm just a late bloomer I guess.

I'll extend the invite next time Kyle

Nice Job Bob!!!

I'd need to buy so much crap LOL. My 16" AR is probably setup pretty good and my glock I could use, but I only have a home defense shotgun or a duck shotgun not sure how that would go. Just mapped it, that is a loonnnggg ways from Sherman LOL.

Yea it's a ways brother. I drive from Lewisville, and it's a good 2 hours swinging through Saginaw on the way.

Hey, if you find you're up for it next time, I'll let yall borrow my M2! You just let me know

Thanks sir!

Much apprecaited!!! When is the next one?

Not scheduled yet, but I'll let yall know when I find out

Very nice job shooting Bob I think that would be fun as all get out but Like Kyle I need a ton of stuff and the wifey would not approve of any of it

Congrats on your first match. Tac Pro is surrounded by good people and they put on a good match with challenging courses of fire. Normally Bill only hosts two 3-Gun matches a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. If you ever decide to have a custom AR "built" I HIGHLY recommend having Andrew Brady (Owner of LSA) build you a rifle.

Another match to check out is the monthly 3-Gun matches in Cresson hosted by North Texas Multigun. I believe the entry is 40 bucks and it is another challenging match and lots of fun. There is no prize table at the monthly NTMG matches but it is worth the trip over.

Good luck on your future 3-Gun endeavors! It is highly addicting.

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Well, sounds like you're helplessly addicted

I hadn't heard of LSA before the match, but chatted with Andrew & his wife Amy for a good while afterwards - they see like good people.

Yes sir, Bill puts on a good show for sure. The next one is tentatively planned for September, but that's pending their schedule.

I follow NTMG on Facebook and have seen a lot of people post about their matches. We'll definitely be signing up for one this summer.

And you're not wrong, it's VERY addicting! haha

*Welp* yep!

Andrew can build awesome rifles! I own 3 of his gas guns(10.5" 223, 12.5" 6.8 SPC and a 22" 6.5 Creed)He can build awesome bolt guns as well.
Hog he took off my place with a 6.5 Creed bolt gun

I'd be down for trying this. Only drawback, like Kyle, is my equipment is what I use on duty. AR with red dot (not a big deal) Sig P320 (not a big deal) and Rem 870 that only holds 4 rounds (might be kind of slow).

Oh, and my carrier for all the mags weighs 45lbs, that would make it exhausting for sure. But I'm down for trying and learning

This is the "problem" that most all beginning competitors face. It's really not a bad problem to have as you really need to "play the game" a bit before deciding to spend a bunch of money on competition specific gear. Until you've seen what is available and had a chance to play with it, it's a gamble buying on internet recommendations without knowing if the equipment is going to fit your shooting style. My advice is to bring what you have and borrow what you don't. 3-Gun is very gear driven if you want to be a serious competitor but if you are just there to shoot a few rounds, test your abilities with your current equipment and have some fun then you just need 3 guns, belt, holster, some mag pouches and ammo.

Most every 3-Gun match I've been to has first time competitors and there will be a lot of people willing to help, offer advice and let you borrow their gear to try out. If you let them know at sign in or at the shooters meeting that you are new to 3-gun the organizers (if the org is worth their salt) will take care of you.

I haven't shot a match in about 9 months but I've been wanting to go play lately. If you guys want to look at the NTMG schedule and pick a date maybe we could meet up and shoot a match together. You are more than welcome to use anything I have, guns/gear to fill any gaps in your equipment and get an idea of what you may or may not like.


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We are looking at some upcoming events at NTMG. I know I won't walk out there and win, so I think I'm just going to use what I have listed, and call it fun training since that's what I use on duty.

Nothing hones skills like competition. Congrats on taking the leap and giving it a try. We've told countless people the same thing about our game. Show up, and you WILL get help, and you can borrow gear if you need.

The Red River West match in Gainesville, a new R.O. couldn't believe what he was seeing. He said "this is impressive, you guys are competing against each other, but working as a team helping each other at the same time. I've never seen anything like it."

I just said, Yessir that's what we do.