--- title: "Shooting In The Dark" description: "In a 3-gun match it is normal for things to go wrong. Magazines don't feed. Shotgun shells get dropped during reloads. Guns seize up. Do a 3-gun match in the dark though, and things can grind to a jarring halt. Case in point: On the first night of the Crimson Trace Midnight 3-gun Invitational match I had one stage that required shots on a fiendishly designed plate rack from MGM Targets that was three rows deep--18 targets total. My plan was solid. The targets could be taken with either shotgun or pistol. I had my shotgun in hand as I approached this final element of the stage and had stuffed a couple extra shells into the magazine as I ran up to the plate rack. I was going to run my shotgun dry and then transition to my pistol. Good enough." date: "2013-08-20" modified: "2021-04-20" authors: - name: "John B. Snow" job_title: "Shooting Editor" link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/john-b-snow/" url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gun-shots/2013/08/shooting-dark/" categories: - "Competitive Shooting" - "Guns" --- # Shooting In The Dark ![]() In a 3-gun match it is normal for things to go wrong. Magazines don't feed. Shotgun shells get dropped during reloads. Guns seize up. Do a 3-gun match in the dark though, and things can grind to a jarring halt. Case in point: On the first night of the Crimson Trace Midnight 3-gun Invitational match I had one stage that required shots on a fiendishly designed plate rack from [MGM Targets ]()that was three rows deep--18 targets total. My plan was solid. The targets could be taken with either shotgun or pistol. I had my shotgun in hand as I approached this final element of the stage and had stuffed a couple extra shells into the magazine as I ran up to the plate rack. I was going to run my shotgun dry and then transition to my pistol. Good enough. On the prior stage I wasn't crazy about the amount of illumination being thrown by the light on my pistol, so I decided to swap it for a brighter unit for this stage. In case you're wondering, yes, this violates one of the cardinal rules when competing: Don't tinker with your gear in the middle of a match. I had knocked down about five of the plates with the shotgun--the new [Remington Versa Max Competition Tactical]()--grabbed my 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P Pro and knocked over a handful of the plates when the light came off my pistol, tumbling to the ground as the targets went dark. I think I might have hit one or two more before the par timer buzzed, ending the stage. My friends on my squad were very sympathetic, naturally. They thought the sportsmanship I displayed by not taking the easy way out and using lights during a nighttime shoot was admirable and continued to remind me of the fact for the rest of the match. ## Author John B. Snow is Shooting Editor of *Outdoor Life*, where he oversees the publication’s firearms and shooting coverage. This includes gear reviews, features on technical innovations, stories on shooting techniques and general hunting coverage with the occasional fishing story thrown into the mix. Originally from Seattle, he has lived all over the country, crisscrossing it by car and truck no fewer than 10 times as he’s moved from one location to the next. Since 2010 he has lived in Bozeman, Montana where he currently resides with his bird dog, Roo. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]()