Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Julius Clayton | LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Action Shooting Team members from the U.S. Army Marksmanship...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Julius Clayton
USAMU PAO
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) Action Shooting Team won two titles at the 2017 U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Multi-Gun National Championships, April 14-16.
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Horner won the overall title and first place in the Tactical Optics Division for an unprecedented ninth time, and fourth consecutively. Meanwhile, Staff Sgt. Tyler Payne won in the Heavy Metal Tactical Division for the second straight year.
“I just take them one at time. I never really forecast ahead,” said Horner, a native of Suffolk, Virginia. “I prepare myself to be ready for each event and do my best.” Horner’s best beat out his second place competitor by more than 57 match points.
When asked about what is next, Horner said, “Winning number 10 and I’m looking forward to coming back to compete again next year.”
Payne, a Princeton, Minnesota, native said, “I really like the technical aspects of this competition. Every movement counts, and you have to have precise footwork to meet the times to be competitive. It makes you think and game plan how you intend to attack each stage a different way.”
The USPSA is the national governing body of practical (action) shooting in the United States. It uses scenario-based competitions to test the effectiveness of shooting techniques and equipment of the competitors.
The Multi-Gun Nationals are one of the most prestigious action shooting matches according to USAMU Action Shooting Team Chief, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Buss, a native of Britt, Iowa.
“This is the National Championship of our shooting discipline, and we have over 400 competitors at this event, and it’s one of the major matches that we will compete in every year,” Buss said.
All four USAMU shooters who competed this year finished in the top two in their respective divisions.
Staff Sgt. Joel Turner, from Belton, South Carolina, was competing in a new division this year after winning the Limited Division in 2015 and finishing second in 2016. For 2017, he took on the Open Division that included multiple-time national champion and multi-gun shooting legend, Jerry Miculek. Turner came in second place trailing Miculek by 9.4499 match points.
“These matches show you who the best shooters are,” said Turner. “It was literally down to three to four seconds between me and Jerry Miculek, and any little malfunction will cost you. That’s what happened to me this year, but that is just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.”
Staff Sgt. John Browning, a native of Jackson, Georgia, was competing in his first ever multi-gun nationals. Browning said, “It’s challenging, but it is a good match in which to show your skills. Some stages were less challenging than others but you still have to respect the course and not ease up or take anything lightly.”
Despite his lack of experience at multi-gun matches, Browning was able to finish second in the Limited Division. He gave credit to USAMU and the Army for preparing him to succeed.
“In every way that I ask and need, the USAMU helps me prepare for competing in matches likes this,” said Browning. “That is one of many things I like about the USAMU. They get us what we need to compete at high levels, and then the winning is up to us and our performance.”
Unlike other competitions that focus on short-range shooting and shooting on the move, the USPSA Multi-Gun National Championships test shooters using odd-positions, barricades, stage planning, and long-range rifle targets in addition to moving quickly through stages.
This type of competition translates well with the USAMU Soldiers who are trained in physical and mental agility. Combined with their desire for excellence, the Soldiers said they enjoy the challenge of action shooting competitions.
“That is what I like best about practical shooting-the dynamic nature of the shooting, said Horner, “You’re always moving, thinking on your feet and nothing is ever the same.”
Besides showcasing the very best Army marksmanship skills, USAMU also applies the lessons learned from these competitions to Soldiers training for combat to help raise the Army’s marksmanship proficiency.
“These skills are something that I can take back and train Soldiers who are deploying, demonstrate the things we learn about weapons and how they function in competition,” said Horner. “I can take these techniques to help out our Soldiers who are going overseas.”
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) wins national and international shooting competitions, supports Army marketing engagements, and advances small arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability, connect America to its Army and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Marketing Engagement Brigade and Army Marketing and Research Group.
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2017 11:27 |
| Story ID: | 231316 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | ANDERSON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | BELTON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | BOULDER CITY, NV, US |
| Hometown: | BRITT, IA, US |
| Hometown: | GRIFFIN, GA, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSON, GA, US |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | MINNEAPOLIS, MN, US |
| Hometown: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Hometown: | PHENIX CITY, AL, US |
| Hometown: | PRINCETON, MN, US |
| Hometown: | SUFFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 115 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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