Neth Wins $5000 in FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Shoot-Off
Parma, Idaho –-(Ammoland.com)- Team FNH USA’s Dave Neth cruised past Chuck Anderson in the finals, earning his first shoot-off victory on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, and a $5,000 payday, courtesy of Warne Scope Mounts, following the MGM Ironman here June 12.
Once again laying claim to what has become his “home” match, the seven-time Ironman champion took high law enforcement honors and won the Tactical Optics division, before rounding out the weekend with the 3GN victory. And if that weren’t enough, the Idaho native put it all together with his son and father among a crowd full of friends and other locals who cheered spiritedly for Neth, a fan favorite.
“It was huge,” Neth said. “Having my little boy there helping out all weekend, and having him watch it; that was better than anything to be able to have my dad and my son there, three generations of sportsmen and shooters, that was fantastic.”
With his son Riley at his side all weekend resetting steel, pasting targets and grabbing gear, the veteran 3-gunner was forced to complete extra stages on Thursday and Friday in order to finish the match, before reporting to work early Saturday morning. A couple of hours after his shift ended, Neth was battling the likes of Smith & Wesson’s John Bagakis and 10-time USPSA Multi-Gun National Champion Mike Voigt before the final showdown with Anderson.
After narrowly winning the Trooper division, by .003 seconds, Chuck Anderson went on a tear by defeating Heavy Metal Series leader Patrick Kelly and Ben Fortin, before falling to Neth in the finals.
Fortin, a sergeant first class out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, became the first active-duty military member to qualify for a 3GN shoot-off. A relative newcomer to the sport of 3-gun, Fortin’s first major match was exactly one year ago at the 2009 MGM Ironman. His rapid improvement has garnered praise from several professional shooters, making it clear Fortin has the potential to go far in the sport of 3-gun.
Fortin’s first-round opponent also broke new ground, as 17-year-old Kyle Jameson narrowly beat his dad, Kirk, to win the Limited division, becoming the first junior shooter to qualify for a 3GN shoot-off.
This marked the second time Bagakis, out of the Tactical Optics division, participated in 3GN’s man-on-man event. Voigt, who won the Open division, also made his second appearance, while Kelley qualified for his third shoot-off, which ties him for the most with Taran Butler. However, Kelley raised eyebrows at MGM after qualifying out of the competitive Tactical Optics division. Along with Jameson and Fortin, Jeff Cramblit made his first appearance in the 3GN shoot-off.
For Neth, the MGM Ironman and 3-Gun Nation wins are the high-water mark of a season in transition. After several years with DPMS, Neth joined Team FNH USA in the off-season, and had a bit of a slow start on the 3GN Tour. But with a few matches under his belt, Neth seems to be getting more comfortable with the SCAR and SLP platforms, making him extremely dangerous in the upcoming 3-Gun Nation Championship in September, where one winner will walk away with $25,000, courtesy of Leupold.
The 3-Gun Nation shoot-off is a format like no other, where competitors take on steel rifle, shotgun and pistol racks in a race to the stop plate. To level the playing field, contestants fire an FNH USA SCAR 16 equipped with a SureFire muzzle brake and Fast Attach suppressor, chambered in .223 Rem., a new competition variant of the 12-gauge SLP semi-automatic shotgun, and the new FNX-9 semi-automatic pistol in 9 mm. Each gun runs ammunition provided by Federal Premium, and the rifles are topped with Weaver or Leupold optics. Add in eight of the world’s fiercest 3-gunners, and the competition heats up.
The next stop on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire, is during the JP Rocky Mountain 3-Gun, Aug. 5-7 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M.
Multi-gun, or 3-gun, is a unique sport within the discipline known as practical shooting. Considered the fastest growing segment within the shooting sports, 3-gun challenges competitors with rifle, pistol and shotgun, maneuvering through unique stages of fire as fast as their skill will allow.
The National 3-Gun Association, through media properties “3-Gun Nation Television” and 3GunNation.com, was formed with one mission: to promote practical shooting by shining a light on amateur and professional shooters alike, as well as the guns, gear and lifestyle that define the high-octane sport of 3-gun competition. Bringing never-before-seen cash payouts to the table, 3-Gun Nation is quite simply changing the game. 3 Guns. One Champion.
For more information, visit www.3GunNation.com.
