3-Gun: Missouri Style
Mike Chambers took the Limited division in Missouri, his first win at the regional level. (Steve Aryan photo)
By Chris Andersen, Loki Weapon Systems/Accurate Iron
This year’s Missouri State 3-Gun Championship was a first for the area, hosted by the Central Ozarks Practical Shooters (C.O.P.S) range in Rolla, MO. After hearing many good things about the bi-monthly local matches, Mike Chambers and I decided to make the trip from Oklahoma to check it out.
The C.O.P.S. facility is situated on a scenic piece of property in the central Missouri countryside that is very well-suited for a 3-gun match. The rolling hills and extensive woodland areas make the perfect canvas for a creative match director.
The annual Missouri Fall Classic held at this range has always been an extremely popular pistol match in the region, and the imaginative stage design that makes it a hit was on full display for this match as well.
If you like to shoot fast (and who doesn’t?), this match will not disappoint. Bob Delp, Larry Fletcher, Chuck Pederson and their crew outdid themselves with an excellent mix of high-speed bay-type stages. The clever use of props, barricades and obstacles had you smiling in anticipation during your walk-throughs. Add to that a highly technical long-range stage and a full-on 30-round jungle run shotgun stage that rivaled most anything I’ve seen this season and you have an impressive mix of challenges.
With heavy rains expected all weekend, shooters and R.O.s worked hard to cut a day off of the match and beat the weather. USPSA time-plus scoring insured that you could keep your foot on the gas. That format, and a very well-run match, meant we were able to get nine high round count stages done in a single day.
Rustin Bernskoetter, who later advanced to 3GN's Las Vegas Finale, won his division (Michelle Dehan photo).
In Tactical-Optics, Rustin Bernskoetter foreshadowed his upcoming 3-Gun Nation Championship Shoot-Off appearance with a win and the Missouri State Championship (571.750 points). I finished second with (525.1867), followed by Jeff Cockrum in third (467.0062), Jim Mistler (438.4874), and Jerry Garrison rounding out the top five (414.9139).
Mike Chambers logged his first regional match win in a very large Limited field in convincing style with 751.8752 points. Michael Fordyce (643.4277) finished second, followed by Jim Shanahan (624.4968), Larry Fletcher (590.1219), and Craig Nordgren (586.8966).
The author, who shot much of the season in Limited, placed second in Tactical Optics. (Steve Aryan photo).
Open Winner James Maxwell finished with 665.804 points, followed by Brian Rowlison (648.7967), Johnny Blair (568.2751), and Chris Thomas (551.2164).
Information on upcoming matches at C.O.P.S. range like the local 3-guns and Missouri Fall Classic, as well as the state 3-gun championship can be found at www.copsrange.com.
Eds. Note: Check out match footage of the author and Mike Chambers at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53pXbQsM30A.
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