Grantsburg Rod & Gun Club's Junior 3 Gun Shoot Was a Direct Hit!

On Thursday August 22, 2013 the Grantsburg Rod & Gun Club held a 3 Gun Shoot for youths 8 to 12 years olds. This was the first time this type of event was held at the Grantsburg Rod & Gun Club and it was a great success.

If you’re unfamiliar with the shooting sport 3 Gun is a contest that, as the name implies, involves shooting targets from three different guns at a series of stations on a controlled course. Usually a handgun, shotgun, and rifle are fired at different targets from different positions, some from behind obstacles. Each contestant is timed as they move through the course, so their score is a combination of time and accuracy.

The idea of having a 3 Gun Shoot for youths came about from the youth .22 shoots held on Thursdays during the summer at the Grantsburg Rod & Gun Club. Some of the parent and other club members decided to put an event together for the kids to try.

Volunteers setting up the rifle and shotgun targets on the course.

A group of dedicated volunteers came up with a course to fit the Club’s rifle and handgun ranges. Then they purchased the raw materials and built the course during the days before the event. Club members brought in firearms for the kids to use, the Club donated the ammunition, a professional firearms instructor oversaw a safety training meeting, and a host of parents and club members ran the event.

One of the contestants being quizzed on the Fours Rules of Firearm Safety

After the safety meeting, each kid was shown the guns that were to be used and a Club member went over each gun and how to safely handle the firearm. Since experience level varied, each kid had a chance to fire the guns on a closed range with an instructor until they were completely comfortable with handling each firearm.

Receiving instructions and some shooting tips for the 20 gauge shotgun.

 Once the kids were ready, each one ran through the course. They started on the handgun range shooting a single action .22 revolver at clay pigeons attached to a board. Then they ran to the far end of the rifle range and shot at a series of knock down targets with a .22 modern sporting rifle.

Lining up the revolver sights with the clay pigeons.

At the first rifle station, they had to remove an empty magazine from the firearm and reload with a new magazine between the two sets of targets. Then they ran back to the handgun range for another series of clay pigeons.

Once the second turn with the handgun was completed, they ran back to the rifle range and shot at six balloons, hanging downrange from posts, with a 20 gauge shotgun. Then it was off to the grand finale of the course.

The contestant went to the center of the rifle range and in a kneeling position, took one more shot from the .22 rifle at a steel target that was 100 yards downrange.

Shooting the balloons with the shotgun & a little support.

Safety was the main focus during the event. Instead of running the course with the guns, as in an adult event, a range officer was stationed at each position to hand the firearm to the kid and make sure they were safely handling them at all times. A terrific group of volunteers made sure the event ran smoothly, and with their effort, this was a great event.

Above all, the kids that participated had a ton of fun. Nothing is set yet, but if there is interest, there will be more 3 Gun Shoots at the Grantsburg Rod & Gun Club. Before the trophies were awarded and the course taken down, there was already discussion about having this event again.

Squeezing the trigger on the 100 yard Grand Finale steel target.

After the event was completed, some of the adult volunteers couldn't resist giving the course a try.

I am very happy to have been asked to help out with the event, for it was truly a blast. When approached I told my friend, who was putting the event together, that I had no experience with 3 Gun. He just smiled and said "no problem, neither have I and none of the kids have done it either. We're just going towing it and have fun." And that is exactly what we all did.