Last week today
All the shooting sports news that you care about in one post.
In today’s news:
- Last Hurrah: 2022 Blue Ridge Scores
- How to Operate like Army Special Ops
- Check that box
- The Future is Now
The end of an era and the start of another?
I created score cards for two very different matches this week, Blue Ridge Mountain 3Gun and The Tactical Games Sniper Challenge Alabama.
According to several social media posts from competitors at the match it appears that 2022 is the last time we’ll be talking about BRM3G in the present tense, signaling the end of an era for a match that started in 2008. If true, 59 people shot the capstone match.
I reached out to MD Andy Horner and he confirmed that he will not be holding Blue Ridge again.
In other match news the TTG Sniper Challenge in Alabama hosted 39 athletes in three divisions which is 10 more than their previous Sniper match in Montana which could mean they are growing a following and drawing more interest.
More data is needed to be sure.
In case you missed it
We’ve been publishing two podcasts each week for the last month. The Friday show is intended to be a bite-sized show that you can listen to on your way home from work to get you in the shooting mindset for the weekend. Here you’ll find an interesting topic I’ve been considering or an answer to a listener question. If you have a question yourself, just hit reply and ask away.
In the mean time, check these out:
On the main podcast I recently had on a retired Army Special Operations Operatorand we discussed the ins & out of his career path. And then I had a solo podcast where I run through What’s in My Shooting Bag and outline everything I bring with me to a match. It’s great if you’re new to 3-Gun and need some help or if you’re experienced but disorganized….
The packing podcast also comes with this handy downloadable checklist for you to use when you pack. Never forget anything ever again!
And of course you have to check out the video I did of preparing the IWI Zion Pistol for the Big Ben Blast & Dash. That pistol shoots much better than it deserves to for the price.
Snippets
They never sleep: H.R.1808 the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2022” passed the house because we must do something about the recent spate of rampage shootings. This bill was actually introduced in March of 2021, well before the justification appeared. Politicians are never not trying to take your rights away. Call your senator and express your displeasure with the bill.
New normal: Do you think ammo will ever come back down? Thanks to rapid inflation, massive demand and increase in material costs, ammo is taking a long time to creep down from the COVID-era high. The best deal I could find today on 9mm is $0.33/round at Natchez for CCI. (affiliate)
Blaster rounds: 55gr .223/5.56 seems to have come down a bit more, probably because 9mm is more popular with new gun owners. $0.55/round for Federal bulk at PSA is about the best right now. (affiliate)
Blammo Holders: Still a good time to buy mags though. Gen M2 PMAGS can be had for under $10 right now. Stock up if you need to. (affiliate)
3D Printing is improving: Back when I worked in aerospace we got this new machine that was supposed to be the wave of the future. “Additive Manufacturing” was the buzz word we used and this machine was a titanium 3D printer. Spoiler- it didn’t work that great and we couldn’t get the parts approved to interface with flight hardware. Kind of a bust. Cut to last week and I get this email from HUXWRX (which is apparently the new iteration of OSS Supressors) advertising their 17-4 stainless, 3D-printed suppressor, the Flow 556K. Pretty cool that this exists but it looks 3D printed and it is more expensive than their traditionally manufactured suppressor. Not exactly sure what we’re gaining right now but I do believe this is the future of small-batch manufacturing.
Dan Likes Dots
Last year I made a bold proposal that red dot sights should be allowed on pistols in Tac Ops along with several other equipment updates. The episode was widely listened to, widely commented on and divided folks into distinct camps.
But several matches have picked up on the popularity of pistol red dots either organically or due to the podcast and have created new divisions based around this popular item in common use outside of 3-Gun.
The popularity is growing and the feedback, including this post from Daniel Horner, has been glowing.
Show that you’re ready for the future of 3-Gun with this mug or its complimentary T-shirt from the Pro Shop:
