An Introduction to the FDPC 3-Gun Match.
The 3-gun has it’s roots in the late
1970’s, just after the formation of the club. As an exponent of Practical
shooting, FDPC devised and ran two major events on the No. 6 Battle ranges at
Heytesbury, near Warminster. The first, the ‘Invitation’ – a gentle
introduction into Practical Pistol and elements of PP / 1500 comps. The second,
more akin to the current 3-gun was the
The Transvaal Trophy was presented to
the club by an ex member, who had close South African links. It is a
With the demise of our pistols, and the higher costs of a
The first 3-gun in it’s current format was run at Gurney
Slade. Now that has also gone (and until we have our own range again) , we run
the match at Shield Shooting Centre, near
In its first couple of years, it was obvious that 3-gun was
both popular and challenging. It’s proving to be the biggest open practical
match in the south, attracting nearly 80 competitors annually, each shooting
the 3 individual ‘gun’ matches. Judging by the number of FDPC 3-gun rugby
shirts now being worn around the country, it’s maintaining it’s attraction.
The match itself is normally 12+
stages of practical; 4 of each gun (i.e. shotgun, mini-rifle and carbine - using either an underlever or long
barrelled revolver). Each of the 4 gun stages will have speed and field
courses, and consist of approx 100 rounds, hence the match is usually around
300 rounds in total. You can enter for just 1 gun, 2, or all 3. Prizes are
awarded for each top gun in the 3 classes, plus aggregate prizes for all 3
events combined. The highest FDPC member gets the Transvaal Trophy, so the name
lives on !
Although challenging, it’s not limited to UKPSA members, and
hence any FDPC member can take part, along with other FAC holders. Club guns are
available to members, along with plenty of training, advice and supervision.
Of course, matches this size don’t run themselves. Weeks
before the event, adverts are posted, sponsors sought, entry forms distributed,
and the course of fire designed. Just before the match, the range has to be
built and tested. Entries have to be confirmed, prizes bought and squadding
sorted. The weekend itself is 3 full days of RO’ing, administering and
calculating (and we get to shoot, in amongst the chaos). Finally, clearing the
range, prizegiving, despatching the results and sorting the finances. In all,
effort spreading over 2-3 months.
I’ve mentioned that this is FDPC’s premier event. That also
means it’s a major opportunity to make a small profit, to keep subs at a reasonable
level. If we didn’t run major comps, everybody would suffer. We are always
looking for helpers at these matches – you don’t need to be range qualified,
since there are plenty of jobs to do over the weekend, and experienced members
will always be there to provide the lead.
So, there you have the 3-gun. If you want to shoot Practical, shoot
the 3-gun. If you want to support FDPC, please offer to help out. If you want
to do both, you’ll be joining a small but dedicated team who are trying their
best to offer quality matches, earn the club some money, and ensure a good time
is had by all the competitors.
Click below for an entry form for this year – make sure you get it
in on time, to get the full discount. If you can help out in any way, please e-mail me.
Shield Shooting Centre Entry form
for 2010 (includes, for this year,
the 3-man MIDWAY TEAM CHALLENGE)