By Sgt. 1st Class Julius Clayton, USAMU PAO
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Over 200 of the best multi-gun shooting sports marksmen in the Nation descended upon Fort Benning this past weekend to compete in the 2018 Fort Benning Multi-gun Challenge, held Nov. 16-18.
The event was hosted by the Fort Benning Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR), and the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE), and facilitated by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU).
During the competition, participants and spectators experienced 12 multi-gun action shooting stages designed by Strategic Match Design. All of the stages were held on USAMU ranges and, officiated and overseen by USAMU Soldiers throughout the weekend.
Former USAMU Soldier (Sgt. 1st Class) Daniel Horner, a native of Suffolk, Virginia, participated in the multi-gun event for the first time as a competitor, after years of helping to facilitate the match as a member of the USAMU Action Shooting Team.
“It was a different experience this year,” said Horner. “After so many years of people asking me for help and what to do next, because I was a Range Officer (RO) with the USAMU, now, they were asking my advice on how to shoot a certain stage.”
Having just recently left the military to pursue a civilian career as a professional 3-gun marksman, Horner reflected on his time spent at USAMU, and really enjoyed seeing his former teammates and friends.
“I was really lucky to have spent so many wonderful years here at Fort Benning, in the Army, and as a Soldier in the USAMU,” Horner said. “It was good to see some familiar faces, and reminisce about old times.”
Horner, who won numerous titles during his time in uniform, took home the first place trophy in the Tactical Optics category at this year’s match.
Since multi-gun involves firing at targets with three types of weapons, which include rifles, shotguns and pistols, competitors had to practice both safe and accurate marksmanship skills.
“The skills we use as Soldiers in combat are enhanced and refined by competing in matches like these,” said 1st Lt. Garrett Miller, a member of the Army National Guard Marksmanship Training Center (NGMTC), headquartered at Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“We as Soldiers are trained to shoot, move, communicate, usually in stressful and uncomfortable environments and situations, and this match puts you in just those types of elements and is very relevant to today’s warriors on the battlefield.”
All of these variables are included in a multi-gun challenge that tests the participants’ abilities to engage targets under unfamiliar and often challenging conditions.
“It is definitely a great event,” said Miller, a West Chester, Pennsylvania native. “This was my first time competing here at Fort Benning, and it was a first-class operation.”
In action shooting, the competitors negotiated obstacles, ran, completed speed-reloads, and drove their guns through each of the several courses as fast as their skills would allow them to. Both speed and accuracy were equally important during the action shooting event. A fast run with poor hits or misses is likely to cost the match, just as perfect shots and a slow time can prevent a possible win. The key to success was a balance of speed and accuracy, said many of the top competitors.
“The Fort Benning Multi-Gun Challenge is the first competitive multi-gun match I ever shot,” said Jennifer Petty, a civilian competitor from Atlanta, Georgia. “We have waited two years, and finally we got to compete and it was a blast and super fun!”
“The Army Marksmanship Unit’s Soldiers are phenomenal, because they really know how to run a great event,” said competitive multi-gun marksman Nathan Payne, whose brother, Staff Sgt. Tyler Payne, is a Soldier on the USAMU Action Shooting Team.
Nathan Payne, from Princeton, Minnesota, said he has competed at the Fort Benning match for the last four years, and loves the overall ambience of it, which makes it a one-of-a-kind experience for all competitors and spectators. “Who doesn’t love being at Fort Benning? I love it!” added Payne.
“This has been an amazing learning experience,” said Mia Fairnelli, a native of Alexandria, Virginia who is 15 years old. “This is only my 11th multi-gun match, but I have made a ton of new friends, and this shooting sports community is like one big family.”
Fairnelli has aspirations of one day joining the Army and becoming a member of the USAMU.
“The USAMU Soldiers are awesome, they are very easy to talk to and nice”, said Fairnelli, “I am currently in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at my school, and I like the structure and discipline the military life provides.”
Another newcomer to this year’s match is Trevor Baucom.
Baucom is a medically retired Army veteran and wounded warrior, who has the goal getting more disabled veterans into competitive shooting. “This was my first time at this match, and most matches are not designed for people in wheelchairs, but the great people running this match were able to accommodate my physical limitations and I got to shoot and enjoy this wonderful event,” said Baucom.
The rigorous Fort Benning Multi-Gun Challenge is a 3-gun action shooting match with an incredible variety of lanes and stages that tests the skills of the best action shooting marksmen each year, and provides a world-class event that ensures a safe and satisfying competition.
For complete results of this year’s challenge, including the winners of all four divisions and categories, please visit the below link https://practiscore.com/results/new/70173.
Additional photos from the event can be found at the USAMU Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/people/usamu/.
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The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit wins national and international shooting competitions, supports Army accessions, and advances small arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability, enhance recruiting and increase marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.