3GN Members Excel at KY MG Championships
Several 3-Gun Nation members were among the more than 100 competitors that turned out for the 6thannual Kentucky “Wildcat” Multi-Gun Championships May 15 at the Owensboro Rifle & Pistol Club. The one-day shoot featured eight stages of fire using the Ft. Benning rules system, and the cost for entry was $100, $50 for juniors.
Stefan Wiggins won the competitive Tactical Optic division, Brian Vaught took Tactical Iron, Cameron Thompson won Open, Michael Fordyce bested Heavy Metal, Conlon Whitelaw was the high junior, and Cheryl Fordyce took High Lady honors. In a cool pay-to-play side match on MGM Targets, Matt Sweeney was fastest through the all-steel stage.
What sets the KY MG apart is its unique niche in the world of 3-gun matches. Bigger than the standard weekend or monthly club match, yet smaller in both time commitment and price when compared to “major” national matches, KY MG is part of a steadily growing trend in the world of practical shooting, this match effectively becoming the state championship for Kentucky multi-gun shooters.
“You have to have the grass roots support to make any sport grow,” said match director Gary Welborn, who has headed the match for five years. “We just kind of grew into that really.”
While the KY MG is effectively a state championship, it actually functions more like a growing regional match, with shooters coming from all over the area, even pulling competitors from as far as Massachusetts. According to Welborn, that growth couldn’t have happened without first putting on a good, solid local match. The host club, Owensboro Rifle & Pistol Club, like most successful shooting clubs, had a long history in disciplines such as small bore and bullseye. However, as IDPA and IPSC shooting have continued to grow, the allure of 3-gun competition has exploded, and as the club grew and changed to meet the demands of those interests, Welborn took advantage by incorporating the new facilities into his stage design.
“It all goes back to Gary,” said assistant match director Jeff Gordon. “He really has a knack for designing stages. His imagination is just unreal.”
At present, the club only has rifle ranges out to 100 yards, which is a common obstacle to this type of competition at most range facilities. But Welborn and his staff used reduced size targets, port firing, and unique frangible target presentations to develop the most fun and challenging match within the limitations of their club. And it’s working, as each year message boards such as the Brian Enos forum are full of praise for the KY MG.
“We try to come up with something new and different every year,” Welborn said. “Guys are just wanting more.”
To see members of the Atlanta Collegiate Competition Shooters in action at the KY MG, got to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCOw1Wro2OE.
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