Limited Class (LC) – All rifles will be limited to a mag of 5 rounds per magazine. (No 10 round AR mags allowed). All pistols will be limited to 10. All shotguns to be limited to 5 rounds. **Box fed shotguns are allowed but may be subject to a handicap. Round count is not fixed so you can pick up your misses. Pistol and shotgun optics are not allowed.
Unlimited Class (UC) – No limitation on magazine capacity within the limits of the law. Anyone caught with a non-legal magazine will be ejected from the match. No limitations for optics. **Box fed shotguns are allowed but may be subject to a handicap. There will be no fixed round count for this class meaning you CAN PICK UP A MISSED SHOT.
**We tested this out with a number of people. Using a box fed mag on your shotgun saves you on average 4 seconds per reload. Depending on course design, there may be a 3 second handicap applied per reload to ensure a more even match.
Blatant failure to engage a target to save time is not within the “Spirit of the game” and subject to a 15 second penalty at the discretion of the R.O.
Although I disagree on this one:
FTE is an FTE, whether it's blatant or not. If you don't engage a target, that ought to be a penalty. That way there's no blurry touchy feely things like "intention"
Open class. Finally.
Let the guns run.
Why not adopt multi-gun rules and then all of the ROs are on the same page?
If it is one thing that got my blood pressure up when running IDPA matches is when some ROs are running a tight ship and others were loose with the rules.
While I get that this is 'for fun', most people appreciate a level playing field even if it is just for bragging rights.
There was a course of fire where skipping a target was faster than engaging (if you missed.... time to engage plus miss penalty).
So if the target was not attempted and skipped to the next target sets they only got 5 seconds making it faster. This is special circumstance and only applied once last year.
Last year it did count as just a miss, but it was a bit too gamey for some people so we are putting it at discretion of the R.O.
Why not adopt multi-gun rules and then all of the ROs are on the same page?
If it is one thing that got my blood pressure up when running IDPA matches is when some ROs are running a tight ship and others were loose with the rules.
While I get that this is 'for fun', most people appreciate a level playing field even if it is just for bragging rights.
I don't think the particulars matter as much as having consistent rules that everyone follows. If there is a set of rules clubs use throughout Alberta say, then it stands to reason that competitors would be more inclined to travel and compete at different clubs, thus growing the sport. For this alone, I would recommend considering using those that are proving the most popular amongst the 3-gun sports.
Having consistant, established rules also means competitors that are looking to start or even continue can source and buy kit and guns with confidence that they can use that equipment.
If one doesn't know the rules or if rules will be changed, how do they prepare for a match or matches from year to year?
Worst case, you end up in a different division than you expected to.
Yet another reason to love Open-Class...
We've got a set of rules in the Peace Country, WRAS, and CHAS and everyone else have their own rule sets.
It hasn't kept us from traveling to Spruce Grove to shoot. Worst case, you end up in a different division than you expected to.
That is all well and good for the guys currently shooting these matches. My guess is that there is a small number of guys doing this - which is great. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for KISS and any rounds down range is a good day...but.
I guess where I'm coming from is it would be nice to see 3GN grow provincially and even nationally.
As you are all aware, our sport(s) are under siege. Showing to the rest of Canada that these are well organized, well attended matches goes a long way in legitimizing the sport as a whole.
You tell me. How many guys make the trek for attending 3 gun matches from your club down to Edmonton on average? 10? 20?
I'm not suggesting it is not legitimate or growing. I imagine if clubs adopted a standardized rule book it would have more traction for growth. It would make it easier for competitors to travel from club to club knowing the guys shooting in the next city over are shooting to the same rules.
For legitimacy I think back to the DCRA's going to bat for the AR fow prior to C68 - they kept them from going prohib. There is weight there and a valuable lesson for all of us in the shooting sports. Concerted effort to keep the government and antis from grabbing more should be realized through organized sport at a provincial and national level.
I hate politics as much as anyone here, but the truth is individual club level matches and the voice it generates doesn't have the same impact. As a community, we are trying to stem loosing our property and freedoms.
I can imagine 3 gun being very popular in Canada as a whole with provincials and a national match being held yearly much like IPSC.
Just something to think about.
I think this has wandered far enough off the path of discussing the CDTSA's 3 gun matches, so I'll end there.




























