Here are the practical long-gun events we have scheduled this month at Rio Salado:

3-Gun (Multi-Gun) Match: Saturday August 8th - RIFLE SLING REQUIRED/PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
This month we will have a stage that requires carrying the rifle slung. Any basic 2-point sling should suffice, and we will have a couple of loaner slings available.

Starting this month, we will be switching from paper scoring to electronic scoring. Those of you who already shoot USPSA pistol matches here will have encountered this scoring system; the RO will record each shooter's time and penalties on the provided iPad, and scores will be uploaded wirelessly. We anticipate that, after a short period of familiarization, this new scoring system will reduce scoring errors considerably. If you are new to this system, please ask one of the old hands to show you the ropes.

To facilitate efficient shooter registration, we want everyone to pre-register for the match. Online registration will open at 3pm on Tuesday August 4th at this REGISTRATION PAGE . When you arrive on match day, come to the stat shack and pay your match fee as usual, then simply go and shoot - your info will already be in the iPads. Even if you are not 100% sure of making it, it is better to pre-register. Those who do not pre-register will have to wait at the back of the line until everyone else who did pre-register is processed... don't be that guy.

Sign-in on Saturday runs 7am-8am, with first shots at 7am. New shooters should come in time to attend the New Shooter Orientation at 7:30am before they shoot. To get a feel for what to expect, check out these videos from our previous matches. Our usual format is 3 short-range rifle, shotgun and/or pistol stages, plus 1 long-range rifle stage. Bring 150 rounds of rifle ammo, 50 shotgun birdshot (#6 or smaller), and 50 rounds of pistol ammo.

We are fortunate to have two very generous sponsors for our monthly match: Carbon Arms sponsors one of the shotgun stages, provides "loaner" shotshell caddies for competitors to try, and they donate a $100 gift certificate. VLTOR sponsors one of the rifle stages, and they donate TWO of their excellent AR15 rifle stocks. All prizes are distributed by random draw from the list of competitor who finish the match. With typical attendance around 75 shooters, your odds of winning something nice are pretty good.

Tactical .22 Rifle Match: Tuesday August 11th & 25th
Registration opens at 4pm, with first shots shortly thereafter. Location is the Smallbore Range right behind the Activity Center. The rules are simple: it's a straight time match with penalties for misses. Pretty much any .22 rifle is OK - the most popular guns are AR15-clones and Ruger 10/22s. We have two divisions: iron sight and optical sight. Our typical match format is practical run-n-gun style: one "long range" stage out to 100yards, and two shorter range hoser stages (one of them shot twice for 4 stages total). Check out this trailer and this Dillon Blue Press article for a flavor of what we do. This match is more fun than a barrel of monkeys... bring a bulk pack of cheap ammo (if you can find any) and you will leave with a smile a mile wide.

Red Mountain Action Rifle Match: Sunday August 16th
Registration opens at 12:30pm. This is a rifle-only match run over the same course of fire as is used for the Red Mountain Action PISTOL match in the morning. There will be 4 close-range (maximum 60 yards), high-speed/low-drag, run-n-gun stages. To see what a typical match setup looks like, view this YouTube video. There are divisions for rimfire rifle, centerfire rifle and pistol caliber carbine. Bring 150 rounds of ammo and a quick set of legs.

Tactical Shotgun and Pistol Caliber Carbine Match: Thursday August 20th
Registration starts at 4pm, with a new shooter orientation shortly thereafter. The match format is four practical scenario-based stages similar to what you would encounter at a 3-Gun match, except that you only need to bring one gun - you choose either shotgun or pistol caliber carbine. There will be separate divisions for shotgun (Open, Limited and Pump), centerfire carbine (Optic and Iron) and .22 rimfire carbine (Optic and Iron). Any tactical shotgun suitable for 3-gun competition will work well in this match, or you can shoot a pistol caliber carbine (straight walled pistol calibers only please) or even a .22LR rifle. Check out the match rules for more details.


To stay informed of all the latest match news, send me your email address by IM and I can have you added to our email list. Coming to your first match can be daunting, but rest assured you are completely welcome no matter your skill level or equipment - just take it easy and concentrate on being safe. If you have any questions, post them here. Anyone who wants me to walk them through their first match, stage by stage, send me an IM and I will be more than happy to do so.

Thanks to everyone that participated - the turnout was really good despite the heat and humidity. In preparation for RM3G, this month's match was a little more technical; off-hand rifle, weak shoulder shotgun, half-concealed stars, slung rifle etc. The match video is on YouTube

Results are up on PractiScore .

Definitely different this month but different is good.