Shooting Wire

(Bend, OR) Crimson Trace wrapped up their Midnight 3 Gun Invitational match in the wee small hours of Wednesday morning, after two days of extreme intensity multigun action in the high desert. World-class competitors from across the USA gathered to see if the skills that earned them respect in daytime worked equally well in the inky darkness. Scheduled specifically for early July, when the moonless skies would force shooters to rely heavily on their equipment, mother nature threw just about everything in her repertoire at the attendees, ranging from harsh daytime sun, to thunderstorms, to freezing night time temperatures. Blowing dust ensured that weapons were never more than a dropped magazine away from a complete meltdown, which several shooters discovered to their cost during the eight stages which tested marksmanship, movement, speed and strategy.

Shooters were thrown challenges that were completely outside the realm of the ordinary match. On stage 8, they were expected to engage special targets provided by MGM which glowed brightly in the FLIR thermal scope which was mounted on an FNH Mk46 light machine gun. The signature stage of the match though involved full auto short barreled rifles from PWS, a shoot house and pvs14 nigh vision goggles provided by I2 Technologies, which looked like a scene from a video game. Because of its unusual nature, the event attracted senior members of the 3 gun community such as veteran match director Jeff Cramblit."I was amazed at how well the match was organized," said Cramblit. "For Crimson Trace to pull this off without any prior experience speaks volumes about the professionalism of the company."

Continuing his winning streak, SSGT Daniel Horner of the Army Marksmanship Unit took top honors in a fiercely contested battle with Team Noveske's Rob Romero and fellow AMU teammate Tyler Payne. Horner equipped his pistol, rifle and shotgun with Crimson Trace lasers and white lights in order to win the champion's crown and pocket a check for $10,000 from the match organizers. Kay Miculek was victorious in the women's division, while junior title was won by local boy Cody Leaper.