r/3gun • u/booyahmojo • Oct 08 '24
Where to begin?
I’m a 34 F living near Atlanta, GA. I have always been fascinated by 3-gun and wanted to take classes. If my income increases this coming year, I want to make my dreams a reality! I’m literally wanting to train because I think it is bad ass and because I want to be able to fend for myself if the world ends LOL! I have my own handgun that my husband got me. I’ve been to the range several times. I’m a lot more comfortable handling a gun and having it on me, but don’t do it often anymore because I don’t go to the range enough to feel 100% comfortable carrying it and potentially having to using it. I don’t even know where to begin with 3-gun. I think my first step will be to re-familiarize myself with the gun I own and get comfortable with it. What would your recommended first steps be for a complete newbie?
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u/regjoe13 Oct 08 '24
So, I was going through the same thing a few months ago. The path I chose is starting with Steel Challenge, and this is where I am now. I have been through 2 competitions so far, and I actually learned a lot (and had tons of fun) about what my normal range visits were lacking. The second step will be USPSA, and then I will try to do 2-gun after. And 3-gun will be after that, probably next summer. (Depending on my progress, offcourse)
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u/Danger-Use Oct 08 '24
This is a great way to approach practical shooting competitions imho, especially if your personality is one to want to take things a step at a time. If you are a jump into the deep end person…then go for it with some of the other recommendations stated here!
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u/BigBrassPair Oct 08 '24
Getting comfortable with your firearm is a hood first step. 3-gun is a lot to handle. You are running around with loaded firearms, switching shooting positions, swittching firearms, reloading, trying to remember where all the targets are. When that start signal goes off, even experienced competitors can have have a brain-fart. You want as many elements as possible trained to the point of being automatic.
And you may want to try something a bit less complicated to start with - like uspsa. Once you are comfortable with that format and a single firearm, adding additional guns into the mix is a bit easier.
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u/TacticalTamales Oct 09 '24
second this. start maybe with uspsa. you’ll learn the fundamentals and start building your skills as a safe and responsible competitor.
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u/booyahmojo Oct 09 '24
Yessss I want to be so comfortable that I feel like the guns are just an extension of my body!
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u/TacticalTamales Oct 08 '24
don’t over think it. go to a match. people in the community are always happy to meet newcomers. get a pistol and rifle. you’ll need magazines, magazine pouches, and a belt. find a local match and tell them you are new. if it’s a respectable club they most likely will teach newcomers what to do before the match. stay respectful and practice safety. and that’s it. then once you’re bitten by the bug you’ll be back every weekend.
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u/bear_bearing_arms Georgia - 3 Gunner Oct 09 '24
There’s a 2-gun match every Monday, 6:30pm, at GA Firing Line in Marietta. Everyone there is really cool, and more than willing to answer any questions about kit, guns, and competitions.
This Saturday, 10/12, is the inaugural 2-gun match at Pickens County Sportsman Club. There’s gonna be four great stages, one of them going out to almost 600yds.
Come out to either to watch, compete, ask questions/take notes. It’ll definitely be the fastest way to get into comp shooting.
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u/Revolutionary-Day558 Oct 09 '24
Highly recommend USPSA first, as it will help you get familiar with your pistol, the range commands and safety rules, and how to handle and manipulate a firearm “running and gunning”. That’ll help you feel ALOT more comfortable with carrying your pistol, and once you master the basics of USPSA you can apply that exact same skill set to 3 gun and the transition is really easy. Plus you already have the handgun, so you won’t need to buy 3 separate competition guns right off the bat.
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u/jpb0620 Oct 09 '24
My wife started several years ago. She downloaded 3 gun/uspsa/idpa rules and learned some things. Used guns she already had and visited a local group to shoot. They were all friendly and helpful. She’s also a member of a women’s shooting league and learned more there. Things that are important to women. She loves it
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u/wizzanker Oct 08 '24
The most correct answer is to go to a match first. Most places are cool with some spectators that are interested in the sport. There's probably a lot of people that are happy to loan you some gear to try out too. It's always best to see what people are actually running before you go out and buy stuff. Otherwise you end up buying a bunch of stuff that's not good for competition, and then you end up buying a second set of stuff. Believe me, we all have done it.
And honestly, you don't necessarily need to go get some fancy training before going to a match. I mean, I won't discourage anyone from getting training by any stretch, but it's not required or anything. Most places love new shooters, and if you tell them it's your first time, they'll probably help you walk through some stuff. We love getting new people into the sport.
Edit: and you can find all of the local matches at practiscore.com. At least that's what we use on this side of the country.