2024 Mountain State 3 Gun Championship takes over Beckley Gun Club

COOL RIDGE, WV (WVNS) — Beckley Gun Club played host to shooters from across the country at the 2024 Mountain State 3 Gun Championship.

3 Gun tournaments have grown in popularity over the past fifteen years, according to Gaines Davis, Chief Range Officer and Range Master for the Mountain State 3 Gun Championship.

Different stages of targets and terrain are set up for shooters to utilize three different guns in order to compete.

Rifles, shotguns, and pistols make up the three guns for the matches. Davis said over the seven years they’ve held the Championship; it has gotten bigger each year.

“This is the largest turnout we’ve had for this event, ever. I think we’ve got 98 registered shooters this time. So, it’s been a little bit more of a challenge keeping the flow of the match going and people not having to wait long times to get to their next stage and all that, so we’ve luckily been able to get in and move people around and change some of the shooting orders and use that time wisely.” said Davis.

Shooters compete at every one of the eight stages of the tournament, each set up in a different way.

Some feature rifles more heavily, going from short range to long range targets. Others utilize pistols for accurate small target shooting.

Nick Collier, representative from DoubleStar Corp, a rifle manufacturer and sponsor for the Championship, said they use the small space they have to the best of their ability.

“We want to make sure that everything, there’s You got a little bit of rifle, a little bit of shotgun, a little bit of pistol, as much as we can. And just make sure they’re fun. So, next year we’ll just be coming up with new props, new ways to make it interesting for everybody.” said Collier.

Davis encouraged more people to join in the fun next year. Especially as 3 Gun can be an incredibly inclusive sport.

“It’s a wide range, very wide range because you’ve got young shooters in their early 20s, you’ve got some shooters all the way up in their 70s,” said Davis. “And we have classes for that, we have senior classes, super senior classes, we have military classes. So, there’s a lot of different divisions, you can find a nook no matter where you’re at in the age spectrum,” said Davis.

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