3GN Championship Finale Preview

By Chad Adams

Presidents doing battle, old guard versus new breed, and smooth versus fast—just part of the interesting potential match-ups in Las Vegas during the 3-Gun Nation Championship Shoot-Off Finale.

Tommy Thacker, Phil Strader, Jeff Cramblit, Rustin Bernskoetter, Taran Butler, Mike Voigt, Mark Hanish and Tyler Payne have advanced to the Final 8 of the 3GN Championship. Out of nearly 1,500 competitors at 10 major matches across the country, it’s down to those eight to claim the title of 3-Gun Nation Champion, and a cash prize of $50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.

Opening Acts

Tommy Thacker versus Phil Strader

FN blue takes on Remington green in a battle of sponsored shooters representing two of the world’s most famous firearm groups: FNH USA and Remington. Thacker shoots more 3-gun than Strader, which should give Thacker an advantage. But Strader is competent with all three firearms, and his pistol skills mean he can run just about anyone down on the final leg.

FN's Tommy Thacker takes on Remington's Phil Strader in an interesting opening round act in Las Vegas.

Jeff Cramblit versus Rustin Bernskoetter

A match-up of the old guard versus the new breed. Cramblit, a veteran 3-gunner, consistently places high in the competitive Tactical Optics division. Bernskoetter is one of several young, up-and-coming shooters that have seemingly come from nowhere to burst onto the 3-gun scene.

Rustin Bernskoetter is arguably the most dangerous shooter in the top half of 3GN's Final 8 bracket.

Taran Butler versus Michael Voigt

A match-up of who many would consider to be the favorites out of this eight-man group. Butler, with his unbelievable pistol skills, takes on Voigt, who has dominated the Open division for many years. If they both lay it down like they did in West Virginia, this one could be special.

Butler is the only competitor with a 3GN Shoot-Off win and a favorite to win it all this week in Las Vegas.

Mark Hanish versus Tyler Payne

FN’s Hanish delivered an absolutely sensational run in West Virginia to advance. Payne has a few 3GN Shoot-Offs under his belt now and has enough game to run the table.

A Tyler Payne win would make two consecutive 3GN Champions for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.

The Possibles

The first round is obviously stacked, with each of the Final 8 clearly good enough to win the Championship. Each pairing promises to put on a show, but it’s the potential match-ups in the ensuing rounds that could get quite interesting.

El Presidente

Should Strader knock off Thacker, then get by the Cramblit-Bernskoetter winner, and Voigt get past Butler before taking out the Hanish-Payne winner, then oh-my do we have a showdown.

On one side is Mike Voigt, the former USPSA President. On the other side Phil Strader, the newly elected USPSA President. The election between these two was so tight, USPSA had to hold a second election in order to name a winner. Strader came out on top. Wouldn’t it make for a sweet piece of revenge if Voigt returned the favor and won $50K?

Phil Strader and Mike Voigt just finished a tight USPSA election. They could meet again, this time for $50,000.

Contrasting Styles

A Bernskoetter-Hanish final would arguably mark the greatest contrast in shooting styles. Bernskoetter is very measured and quite smooth in his movements. Hanish, at times, has a trigger finger that is as fast as anyone in any shooting sport. They operate quite differently, from my perspective, but both with fantastic results.

Sea of Blue

Should Thacker and Hanish both run the table, we could potentially have an all-Team FNH USA finals. Tommy, the team captain, versus Mark, who has one of the fastest trigger fingers on the planet. With the final run set to use a SCAR, SLP and FNS-9, FN could really steal the show in Vegas if both shooters can keep advancing.

Mark Hanish's trigger finger is crazy-fast. If he's connecting in Las Vegas the field may have no chance.

An Army of One

If Tyler Payne can run the table, he would then successfully defend the 3GN title for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. With the notable absence of defending champ Daniel Horner, widely regarded as the top 3-gunner in the country, the duty of taking the title back to the Home of the Champions falls to Payne. If he could do it against Thacker, who knocked off Horner in the preliminary round in West Virginia, then Payne could give a little payback as well.

U.S. AMU's Tyler Payne has several 3GN Shoot-Off runs under his belt. He has the skills to run the table.

Old School

Should Cramblit, Butler or Voigt win the title, then it would surely be a nod from the 3-gun Gods. These veterans, especially Butler and Voigt, have been winning in this game for decades. And Cramblit has been playing this game, and playing it well, for some time. A victory for Jeff would mark a significant exclamation on a very good shooting career. The experience level could be the defining advantage for one of these three.

For Cramblit, a 3GN Championship would arguably be the highlight of a great competitive shooting career.

Young Guns

If Bernskoetter or Payne should win it all, the title would go to a competitor who has really been on the major 3-gun season for very little time at all. For Payne, he did, however, begin gaining attention as an up-and-coming shooter before he actually joined the AMU. For Bernskoetter, to most people, he simply transpired on the 3-gun fields last year out of nowhere. Don’t count out either of these young guns, as they can flat out shoot. Most importantly, they’re hungry.

Bernskoetter, like Tyler Payne, represents a new class of up-and-coming 3-gunners who are making noise.

Wide Open

A Thacker-Voigt showdown in the finals would feature two competitors who normally shoot in the very specialized Open division. A lot has been made of the 3GN Shoot-Off, with some complaining the transition from Open gear to the stock sponsor guns is too difficult. A Thacker-Voigt Championship would take a bit of the air out of that argument.

In the Tactical Optics-only 3GN Championship match, Voigt, known for shooting Open, finished second.

No matter the match-ups, the 3-Gun Nation Championship Shoot-Off Finale promises to be the most exciting night in the history of 3-gun. With the attention of the entire industry, in front of what will potentially be the largest crowd ever to watch a 3-gun match, the 3-Gun Nation Champion will be crowned, taking home the biggest payday in the history of the sport—$50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.

Shooter Ready …

Posted on 1/17/2012