Butler, Kelley Lead 3GN Points Standings
With three of the five qualifying events in the books, the leader boards for the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, are starting to shape up. Only MGM Ironman and JP Rocky Mountain 3-Gun remain before invitations will be sent out to the top 50 qualifying competitors, who will battle for the 3GN Championship and $25,000, courtesy of Leupold.
In the Tactical Optics division, which is by far the most heavily populated and competitive of the five divisions recognized by 3GN, Taran Butler, who has qualified for three 3GN shoot-offs, taking the title following the Sabre Defence Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun, has a commanding lead with 762.65 points. Butler, who also made it to the final pairing of the 3GN shoot-off following FNH Midwest 3-Gun Championships, has been the most dominant competitor in the sport this season, with division titles at Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun, Larue Tactical and the FN match.
After Butler, the scores tighten considerably, with Glenn Shelby, 697.12; Keith Garcia, 664.88; Bruce Piatt, 643.17; and Ty Gentry, 625.82, rounding out the top five. Shelby recently made a deep run in the 3GN shoot-off at the FN match, while Garcia won the inaugural shoot-off following Superstition Mountain. The remaining top 10 are as follows: Chris Sechiatano, Henrik Blixt, Travis Gibson, Eric Miller and Erik Lund.
In the Open division, with two scores in the books, Jojo Vidanes , with 774.08 points, is out to a comfortable lead over Tommy Thacker, 712.05. James Darst is in third with 676.15, followed by Don Bednorz, 633.30, and Larry Houck, 618.19. The top ten is rounded out with Ralph Arredondo, Doug Hartley, Doug Stelzer, Deb Cheek and the legendary Jerry Miculek. Of note, Miculek currently has only one qualifying score, a perfect 400. Also lurking down the leader board is Mike Voigt, with one qualifying score of 381.48. Both Miculek and Voigt figure to move up the leader board dramatically if and when they compete in additional matches on the 3GN Tour.
In Tactical Iron Mike Pinto has, at least on paper, a tremendously commanding lead, with 708.74. The next closest competitor is Cheryl Fordyce at 266.80. At this point, Pinto is the only competitor in this division with two qualifying scores, so the Tactical Iron leader board could shake up dramatically by the time the scores are recorded at JP Rocky Mountain 3-Gun in August.
In Heavy Metal Optics, Benny Hill, at 704.63, like Pinto, has a commanding lead. However, Barry Dueck, fresh off a 400-point performance at the FN match, plans on sticking with Heavy Optics for the remainder of the season, meaning Hill and Dueck will likely battle it out for the top score in the division.
In the Heavy Metal, or He-Man, division, with his second 400-point performance of the season, Patrick Kelley has all but clinched the top score for what might well be 3-gun’s most demanding division. JJ Johnson, 496.30; John Paul (Gangl), 493.52; and Jomar Vilamor, 488.78 are all battling for second, with Marice Griffin sitting comfortably in fifth place with 305.51.
The validation of the point standings also revealed two discrepancies that occurred during the FN match held in May. Unfortunately, competitors Bruce Piatt and Jay Schmitt posted scores that qualified them for the shoot-off. However, an error in the tabulation of the 3GN point stages allowed two different competitors into the shoot-off.
“We are in our first year, and as such, we have dealt with our fair share of obstacles; however, it is the responsibility of 3-Gun Nation to ensure our scores are correct, and we fell short at the FNH match,” said Pete Brown, president, 3GN. “Fortunately, our shoot-off has no bearing on our series points, and we were able to validate the points moving forward throughout the remaining matches. Our deepest apologies go out to Bruce and Jay, and we will take all measures possible to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Qualifying for the 3-Gun Nation Championship will be based on how competitors finish within their respective divisions. A shooter must have at least two qualifying scores within the same division, and must shoot in three matches overall, in any division, to be eligible for the championship. The top two scores posted from the same division will be tabulated for series score. Originally, the series requirements called for three qualifying scores; however, the rainout at Blue Ridge forced a series change. While no scores were recorded at Blue Ridge, the event will still count for one of the three matches competitors must shoot in overall.
The number of competitors that qualify from each division will be based on overall percentage of participation within each division. That means the final breakdown won’t be known until the completion of the JP Rocky Mountain 3-Gun in August.
Also, 3GN will be filming the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals as part of an agreement reached with USPSA. While this is not a points event for 3GN, meaning there will be no shoot-off, 3GN will open up a number of “Wildcard” slots based on the results of the USPSA’s signature 3-gun event. The 3GN Championship will take place following USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals. Full details of the Wildcard slots will be posted following final meetings with USPSA officials during the MGM match.
The next stop on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, is June 10-12 at the MGM Ironman in Parma, Idaho. Following the MGM match, 3GN will post the series standings, for each division, in its entirety. Competitors are encouraged to check the standings quickly and throughout the remainder of the season, as arbitration for a series such as 3GN is a difficult process.
Multi-gun, or 3-gun, is a unique sport within the discipline known as practical shooting. Considered the fastest growing segment within the shooting sports, 3-gun challenges competitors with rifle, pistol and shotgun, maneuvering through unique stages of fire as fast as their skill will allow.
The National 3-Gun Association, through media properties "3-Gun Nation Television" and 3GunNation.com, was formed with one mission: to promote practical shooting by shining a light on amateur and professional shooters alike, as well as the guns, gear and lifestyle that define the high-octane sport of 3-gun competition. Bringing never-before-seen cash payouts to the table, 3-Gun Nation is quite simply changing the game. 3 Guns. One Champion.
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